highlander

Inspired by MRobb's thread on what we carry. Feel free to post pictures of your own in here. I made two, but brought the best one home with me to take pictures of. I have to fix the hook bend on the other.

my mousehole i posted a pic of on page one weighs 149# according to my bathroom scale. guy who sold me it at the scrap yard told me 160.

not a collector, just a user. my oldest is a mid 1700's mousehole

i have a nice Goss 0-60. thats just because I already had it laying around when i started blacksmithing. 0-30 is all your really need, and the higher pressure ones are too expensive for the extra psi you wont be using.

these are great, they remind me of rifleman's tongs. Is that 1/4 stock?

check the blueprints. my very first pair of tongs that i made were rebar and i loved them. they worked perfectly, but i would always quench them to cool them when i started to feel the heat thru the glove. they got brittle after a while and broke. they make good starter tongs, but dont expect them to last forever.

aye the rivet is really wimpy, so i wouldnt trust it to hold up under much twisting. it would if i were to re-rivet with something more substantial, but its just a decorative piece.

I have a cold, so I didnt have the energy to get into anything too big today. I made a few leaf key chains and these mini tongs just for fun. They are 6 inches overall.

I nominate M_brothers as well. From talking mostly to John in the chat, he is a young man with a bright future. He is always asking meaningful questions with the intent to learn from everything he sees. I take note to the fact that he is always asking what stock people use for their work that they show off, that shows that the wheels are turning in his head. Not only does he see an ax or a leaf key chain or a candlestick, he makes the effort to try to learn the means and method on how it became what it is. I haven't talked with his brother one to one, but it sounds like he is yet another bright young man with a lot going for him. Just my two cents.

welcome to the forum, ami. We have a whole section dedicated to safety. the link is General Discussions - Safety First at IForgeIron.com

there are a few threads in there that deal with galvanized metal, so feel free to pick through!

i have three 20lb propane bottles and maybe 100 pounds of charcoal right now. two bottles are empty and one is half gone. i will fill up this weekend, and will try to have two for normal work and one as a backup. since i mainly use propane, i have charcoal as backup in case i completely run out.

when im actively heating and hammering, i keep the forge running at my usual 5-7 psi. if i want it hot but ill be a few minutes till i get metal back in there, i kick it back to 2-3 to conserve the fuel. that makes my tanks last longer. plus i have a connection with a guy who works at a compressed gas distributor, so i get my propane on the cheap.

Highlander,looks like you found some blacksmithing history!

One thing I noticed years ago while exploring old barns and sheds is that if the dirt is soft........heavy stuff may have sank in the dirt so much as to be completely covered.
I try to have a little hand rake or trowel with me on these kind of archaelogical 'digs'.
I've never found, say, an anvil that way.........but you never know!

ah ok thanks guys. I think this bar was hand made by the smith who owned the shop, as well as the hardy tools i found, and he just used the same shank on them. pry bar it is.

On my boss's farm, there is an old falling down blacksmith shop in the woods. He has no interest in it's contents, so he has let me pick through it a few times. It is full of leaves, dirt, trash, ect. This was my haul today, and should be my last, save for when he decides to tear it down and clean up the mess, then i'll be there to pick through the debris. Instead of attaching thumbnails to the post, i will just give you a link to the gallery. Enjoy.

Findings in an old blacksmith shop - Blacksmith Photo Gallery

If anyone knows what some of the odd items are, please speak up. Irnsrgn informed me that the hooks with the right angles are for hanging meat on in smoke houses. Also, anyone know what the huge hardy tool is for? its about 3 foot tall. i'd have to set my anvil on the floor to use it!

Edit: I know what the chain vise is. its going to sit in wd40 for a while to loosen up, and i'l try refurbishing it. if its too far gone, no big.

Highlander, are those hole punches in the sixth photo? Hole punches sized for EMT

I love garage sales.

2 sections of RR track about 2 foot long each: $5
2 8lb sledge hammers, one being crosspeen: $2
Bunch of files and a rasp: $4
Cobbler's anvil: $0.50

Getting junk out of other people's way: Priceless.

turned out really nice! I have a ways to go as well, and that is much better than anything im able to do... Im having big issues with forge welding, but ill figure it out. thanks for sharing your pics :)

I have a very hard time finding blacksmithing equipment where I live, so when I do find it, I buy it up so I have it incase I need it.

your layout should be what YOU want and is what i most convenient for you. Pick an area of the shop you want to do most of your work in. place the equipment you use the most in close proximity to there. Less used equipment can go farther away.

The inside of a cardboard box (cut apart and laid flat) works well.

bahaha he got caught

yeah i realized that, i was just in a rush because i was tired.