notownkid

Great Thank You!

I'm late to this party but: After all this "Forge" conversation it makes me happier to have named my spot in life "Kedron Forge" regardless what the Word Police think it will stay that way. In "Gone with the Wind" there was a appropriate statement by Red Butler "Frankly My Dear - - - - -" This is the same conversation as there has been over Smith or Smithy, unless someone asks you don't tell him or her what to call themselves they are the ones carrying a hammer and holding hot steel. If you are fortunate enough to get invited to see their place it is best to smile and Oh and Ah a lot. It is theirs, paid for with their money and built with their sweat & in many cases blood. In my shop I have a 3' entrance door and a 8' exit door. don't want them looking for the door when the time comes to leave. If I had wanted to know what Webster had to say I would have looked I have a number of them, The Non PC Correct Kedron Forge (and I'll bet the experts will mispronounce Kedron too.)

Prayers to you all.

New England? Looks like UK in the address to me either way we are not this stupid in splitting wood. Good Lord this is a fools tool just a matter of time and he will be a "one arm paper hanger" as my dad use to say. Main reason I seldom watch anything on You Tube.

Doesn't this seem to be covered by the saying " A Long Journey starts with the First Step" If it was easy to become a "Sword Making Expert" every one would become one over night. Why do the real good sword maker have YEARS of experience behind them? Good Luck on your Journey.

Best of luck

overjoyed with Deb's progress and her being home with her loving family, friends and Dogs they do a lot for people. Hang in there. You folks are in our prayers.

Prayers for Deb and you as well Frosty.

As they say 'You Can't Fix Stupid" Some People (who really need to find a job where they have to work up a sweat) find Offense in anything or everything. I'll call my son tonight and tell him he will have to spray paint both of his Black Sheep White or will that be offensive. I think the "Black Sheep of the family" has more to do with being different from the rest of the flock as black sheep were fewer and further between than others. That name is superior to most I've been called by my family. I'll stop here but the big question is what are the schools going to do with Boxes of Crayons?

As I have mentioned before we are in the process of selling one farm in CT and moving north to a smaller retirement farm in VT. So we have been cleaning house literally for months and containers of change has been showing up in all closets and under counters and in the basement. Some left by the kids when they left home, some from lord knows where. Some are darn heavy lugging into the bank to feed their counter machine. this change has come from many places usually heavy pockets or from the washing machine. Any ways today the amount cashed in was $135, and the previous one was about $80 so far we figure we have done over $400 with 3-4 buckets to go. We try not to go to the bank more than everyother week.

Looking good Andy! Took a while but you should be happy with what you have accomplished.

Gramp on the farm said pitch forks had 2 or 3 times? I have some of each. About like chain I have a hard time seeing and not buying old ones. As a teenager I used a 3 tine one to throw hay bales up onto the top of the loads being the biggest of the group that always seemed to me my job. at the end of the summer when we had done 14,000 bales I thought I would never be able to get it out of my hand.

I my farming day this was also known as a silage fork that we used to shovel silage out of the silo in the winter months. Long before silo unloaders, well I guess we were the unloaders come to think of it. Wouldn't this have been made from a die in a press of somesorts?

Going back to basics is about the best answer but what is basics? that changes with the person but:has peoblems take a course on Forge Welding from someone you respect even if it costs $$. Look like it as a second opinion. If you have been working alone get involved with a group and see what happens. A friend told me once even a shrink has a shrink to talk to. I have a friend that does woodworking, nice stuff in my eyes but he has problems once in a while like all of us and he will call me and tell me what is going on, i know nothing about wood working other than making sawdust and kindling but after venting his problems he gets realigned and figures out what is his problem. In my case I had stopped trap shooting for 5 yrs from shoulder and back operations when I started up again I couldn't hit a thing, my son tried to help and that didn't work. I finally went to see the guy who had started me years ago, he was in a nursing home good physical shape but mind was going. We talked about it and he said to make arrangements for him to leave the home he was in and take him to the range which with the help of his daughter we got done. In an hour or so & 100 birds of watching me he told me to move my feet, stop dropping my shoulder when I shot, stop dropping my head, stand up straighter (hard to do after the back problem)stop yanking the trigger, do a better job of following the bird, and a host of all Basic problems, my scores shot up immediately. My Friend went back to the home telling everyone he had just been called off the bench one last time to help the pros( I never was a pro but sounded good). I'm glad I did it as it did both of us a world of good and now he doesn't remember me or his daughter. I think of him everytime I see my shotgun in the safe. Guess the answer is get help.

Yup many do but the parents hold the liability for their work and business practices, depending on their position in life do they wish to do this. I think it is great a 15 yr old wants to do this and not play with his gaming stuff

I don't teach kids in blacksmithing but for 30 yrs did Firearms Safety training for the State F & G. We told them what the rules were and told them they got 1 warning after that they were gone, Period. I kicked my own kid out. After a year they could come back for another try with the same rules. One young person got kicked out 4 times at our place and twice at another in the area. His mother had all the excuses and complained all the way to the governors office who backed us 100%. As a young adult he was in jail by 21 for armed robbery and assault. My kid came back the second year passed with no problems and latter taught it for 20 yrs using his experience as a learning tool. Blacksmithing may be some different but it all comes to safety, yours, other students and that student. His guardians wouldn't hesitate to sue you if something happened to the little darling nor would the other parents if you let him continue in that mode of behavior. Just plain isn't worth dealing with this type behavior which is becoming the norm today.

But you will have what a lot of others want ,your own shop, built your way, for your use. that's all that truly matters. Enjoy it.

Have taken a few of these off old silos when they fell down, kept a couple just in case but haven't used yet, or haven't located them when I did have a use for them.

check who has the liability ins, make sure you are covered

most recent plan was to use this forge that weighs a "ton" and has everything needed to operate and I could have it repaired in a day or so and brick it in to look like a forge and add a hood to it, there is a small chance I may do it yet but still no help?? my son a former mason hays all summer so he is out of the picture. My normal helper just turned 74 and he and I have both been instructed to stay off of ladders & roofs. Oh well waited too long.

I've been looking at and getting pictures, visiting museums with coal forges for years in planning my retirement shop, the time is here but no help and I can't do it alone any longer I've dropped the idea and I'm going back to a cast forge I bought 35 yrs ago. They were many designs used originally. Go on a road trip look around at museums and old shops. I don't know any in your area.

an original shop in CT with wooden floors. It was built 1870-1880 time frame and was used until late 1950. Frame in picture is shoeing stocks that swing out from the wall stone forge with wooden floor all the way around it.

my shrinking comment was aimed at my waist line, I even remember taking a bath once and no shrinkage.

I have many pictures of old blacksmith shops esp. in the New England area and the vast majority of them were wooden floored. I remember 3 blacksmith shops were still operating when I was a kid 50 yrs ago and they all had wooden floors. those buildings are still standing and were converted to other uses. Wooden floors in a shop doesn't mean it will burn. I do go to 2 shops where they had caught fire at one time and the roof beams and boards were burned but not the walls or floor, both are part of museums today.

yes there are BUT all the pictures were lost on anything more than a yr or so old. Now in my case I need the pictures to understand what is written as everyone describes things differently or using regional terms. It is apparent that all the pictures are never coming back.