notownkid

other than the cost of having the shop built I've not spent that much in the shop to equip, should say Yet!

I see it has been about 24 hrs since we last heard from Nate one would think he would be out of the ER by now. If no conversations yet might try a sign around your neck saying I'm Stupid and I'm sorry and walk up and down in front of the house for all to see. She might invite you in to keep the neighbors from talking.

Acme isn't that the brand that keeps landing on the Road Runner?

now there is one man who doesn't need to go to Gym all he has to do is go "play" in his museum. I've got to come see it.

Yup that is why I keep coming back every day, we are the normal ones the rest of the world are not. Besides my brother wouldn't recognize Normal if it ran over him

after my last leg operation the Doc. said I should be back to Normal in 3-4 weeks, my brother when he heard said "Huh you haven't been normal in the 70 yrs I've known you". Robert Smart move on doing blacksmithing as a hobby can always extent it into a business way down the road but the learning curve needed is a long one both from the craft and keeping the business boat afloat.

let us know when the Obit. will appear. You can hope for lightening to strike you or maybe a meteor anything less will be inadequate for at least 10 yrs.

This is the most common reason businesses fail no Business experience. How to make a million $ in business start with 5 million and quit when you get to 1 million. It seems like at the moment there are about a million folks wanting to be a blade maker, well big question is there sales for this many knives at the high end.

The quality you wish vs the quality you can afford = the quality you get.

RIP Uncle Bill on the knee list

If you didn't have Bad Luck you wouldn't have any.

At last weeks New England Blacksmith's meet I won a cast block with 2 different Hardy hole sizes in it with a chain "Harness" to hold it on an anvil. they set nicely on top of my anvil but I didn't think to take a picture of it. I had just time enough to drop it off at my shop before having to leave on a trip so I didn't measure the holes, but my PW has a 1" hole and one of these is smaller and one is larger. I know they have them in their stable of cast items they sell but they are not on the web site yet. They are heavy. Judson you know the particulars on this?

I hear you brother, I've been trying to do blacksmithing for 40 yrs, classes, setting up a shop, accumulating tools & stuff, working 60 hrs a week running a business, running a Vol. Fire Dept. and on assorted local boards, moved shop and got divorced, moved 200 miles for work, moved shop, retired but stayed 200 miles from home helping get my wife's farm ready to sell, had a new shop built on home farm, moved shop 200 miles north again but time & $ keeps things from getting done. Now that everything has moved once again(for the last time) it's scattered around between 3 buildings but at least all on one farm but still short of time. Looks good for a move of rest of house and us in 60 days. Yah Right! Super, not so fast says Wifey, we will be going to Florida for 3 months but you can get started when we get home right after everything for the house gets settled. ( will have to admit I wasn't looking forward to working in the shop at -25F either ) Sounds like a Dog race where that blasted rabbit is just out of reach or the carrot on a stick trick. As I have said before my anvil has moved so many times all I do now is back up the trailer and it hops right on. Oh Yah I think I've forgotten how to ride the bike too. After all this I have noted that I haven't lost my Forging abilities I can still make Scrap with the best of them.

Back to the original post here, My bother had in-laws that were nut cases and they would show up for a week every fall to view the leaves, a.k.a. Leaf Peepers. The day they were to arrive He would pack a bag and go down the road to a Motel and check in for the week, eat in the restaurant and move home when they left. I use to think he was not polite to them but after spending a day with them once I said he had the right idea. Funniest part was the In-laws never missed him, never asked where he was. You don't need the stress at this time and your wife should be supportive even if these folks are her relatives. Mr. Powers here is a wish for a complete & speedy recovery.

Well I now know the problem of my forging with strikers, We Don't Drink Beer, I knew there was a simple answer. I now have a talking point with my wife a power hammer or drink beer! that should get my Blacksmith shop turned into a pottery shop in about 1 hr. Guess I'll just keep fumbling along.

Sure it will. If you are near Portland X out Bob and his shop real nice guy and ask him how many blacksmiths does it take to move a lathe from one PU to another at the New England Blacksmith meet last weekend. 15 of us 5 guys and a tractor doing the work and 10 of us giving suggestions, doing the heavy looking on, and groaning In my case I held one of the worker's dog and helped with the suggestions.

You get the same results today. Usually you get asked if you checked your phones inside the house or business, I had a Tech show me how to open the box ad plug in a wired phone at the entrance and if no tone it's on their side that usually changes the conversation direction. Or you get the warning that if it's inside the building there will be this large fee, "No you charge me for inside wiring every month" conversation changes again. We had the after rain or snow event for a number of yrs. but static on line for days, they said they checked and found nothing wrong over and over they checked. One day one of the repair guys was driving by, slammed on the brakes backed up and looked at the pole closest to our house, set up his ladder went up spent about 10 min. then came to the door, "fixed the complaint you have had forever" connection where your line leaves the cable was upside down allowing moisture to get it. I said but they checked it over and over his reply "must not have been in brail". Had a friend who got sick of problems with the lines and the first snow of the year threw a rope over the line coming to his house and pulled it down with his PU when they repaired it they had to put new line in from the pole all his problems went away. Amazing. Hard to get good repair service when you are talking to India or somewhere equally off the grid.

For what it's worth department, Bob Menard. V P of the New England Blacksmiths at ball&chainforge@yahoo.com in Portland Maine is setting up a Power Hammer Building Event. He has someone of national prominence (name escapes me at the moment like most names these days) coming in to do the instructing. Everyone will leave with a power hammer! Contact Bob for the particulars it might be worth your time. No date has been set yet from what I understand. IF I was younger, not semiretired, not on SS I would be banging on his door for this. I will not quote what I heard as a price range but it was real reasonable to have caught my tight fisted attention! Plus knowing a little about Bob I know he only runs top level events in his shop. I also know that Portland Maine is about 300 clicks east and another 300 clicks north of where a lot of you are. But a selling feature to the little woman or significant other in your life they could get a long weekend on the coast of Maine! Send Bob a note.

This is held every Jan. in Colrain Mass. at a extremely well equip. professional shop, owner of which is the present President of NEB and started by his father a number of years ago. I've been wanting to go watch but scheduling (mine) has kept me from doing so. I do know the spaces are taken very early. I've never heard a negative comment from any participant. I know this runs contrary to 99.9% of the comments on IFI but it seems to work and people waiting in line to get a spot.

I call these an "Oh by the way" deal.

I'm not afraid for work I can stand right next to it for hours and it never makes me nervous, now ask me to do some and I break out in hives. My dad's favorite comment.

they postponed the operation until this Tues.

Borisk There is a New England Blacksmith 3 day event started today Colrain Mass outside of Greenfield through Sun Noon need to be a member but they sell them there X out the NEB site here on IFI. How close are you? I know this will draw a lot of comments but they hold an anvil repair event at the same place in Jan. and do a great job.

See you Lou L tomorrow

a friend of mine grew up with top level Morgan's her mother raised and in later yrs. switched to a couple mules for endurance rides and then to a couple Mustangs. I asked her which she found harder to deal with and she said hands down the Mules she had. They just didn't listen as well and made it plain they ignored her when possible. Now that she is 75+ she has gone back to Morgan's.