highlander

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.

thats how i found all the hammer heads and whatnot... i stepped on one, dug it out, then realized there could be more buried below the soft dirt so i started digging with one of those meat hooks till i hit hard ground. found lots more that way, and wouldnt have found most of whats in the pics if it wasnt for that.

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.