notownkid

Might want to keep small dogs and kids away from the draft if the wind blows. 

My dad borrowed a pair of channel locks from one of our mechanics who had just used them to tighten up battery terminals and reached in and pulled a tooth that was bothering him, dropped the tooth in the trash and handed back the channel locks.   Mechanic came to me and said I owed him a new pair, I asked why and he said he through them in the trash with the tooth.  I gave him mine and got the others out of the trash still use them.  Remember my Dad every time I use them.  Snap on channel locks too good to throw away.   

I don't think I have picture of it up close but might be in a photo of the sugarhouse itself.  I'll look and see.  Not sure if it came with the evaporator or something my son built.   

Thomas

Those new rocks are hard to build stone walls out of I'll bet. 

Speedy recovery wish from here as well.  Knew there was a reason not to go to Japan, other than I don't like the food.  Good Luck One day at a time. 

That is why we have tip up caps on our 30" flues or more on our Maple sugaring evaporators.  Amazing how much snow and rain can get down those things. 
Cap hinged on one side with a 5/16 or 3/8" rod running up the outside to open and close (when it is cold of course)  Only notched at full open. 

Anybody looked into OSHA on this?  If it's in that book and you can find it, it has now become Law. 

Treat Every Gun as thou it is Loaded and Treat Every piece of metal in a blacksmith shop as thou it was Hot.  You'll live longer and happier.

As Dodge says we have flogged this nearly dead horse for 4 pages or 4 laps of the track :wacko: Not everyone is every going to agree on this May RIP. 

Maybe we can get back to a subject everyone seems to agree on :P When can you call yourself a Blacksmith?

Jacobd

The sprayer was a professional one that a fellow has that has done work for us this year on the CT place.  Offered him and his wife a weekend in VT to get him and his sprayer to come up.  (paid him for his painting time) Nice even stain, two coats, (that depends on the stain) little to no overspray.  He had a 30" tip on it so he could do the overhangs from the ground.  No back brushing like other's.  Stain went in 5 gal bucket and it drew from there so color was consistent from gal to gal. 

I've used in the past the small hand held Wagner's with the container on the bottom.  Have to stop every few minutes to reload and had to use the ladders a lot and my knees don't like that anymore.  plus a lot of back brushing.  Also tried the Wagner backpack version to use on ladders, that was cumbersome to use.  Keep the sprayer on the ground use a long hose and wand and you will be happier.  I own two Wagners and never crossed my mind to use these on this building after seeing what he did on our big two story barn earlier.  They must rent these things.  I bought expensive stain from a company specializing in Log Cabin finishes and there wasn't enough wasted stain so it bothered me, just cleaning out the hose and wand was about it.  I've painted/stained my last building with a brush. 

The stain was water based so cleanup was with water as well and fast, neat, easy. 

I t seems like if it's old its an antique and worth more except some of us!  Overheard a fellow trying to sell some stones out of a long gone barn foundation wall and set a price that was way high and he said but they "Are Old Stones".  I wasn't aware they made new ones. 

Old does not = big money.  If it did we would be worth a million bucks!

Oh forgot nice shop Neil, lucky you don't have to deal with below 0 temps, snow and wind or by the looks pesky neighbors, snakes maybe!  Enjoy your shop.

update on my post on Staining my shop.  amazing what an airless sprayer can get done in 2 hrs.  Two coats with half hr between, and even had time to spray a the back wall of my main repair shop that had waited 10 yrs for stain.  We would have been two days with a brush and most likely would have only got one coat and used as much stain plus the fact I would still be waiting for my son to show up and do the high peaks.  Took longer to prep, cover the windows and doors, removing the rolling doors and hardware, putting back and cleaning machine than to spray. 

haven't a clue on how to get a picture on here.  Read a number of comments on it and know less now than before.  Will look into it future.

In my humble opinion there is a time and a place for Glove Usage. No one statement covers everyone or every situation, but I always have a pair in my back pocket, for sorting my steel pile, moving equipment, picking though my scrap pile that most likely will have a snake or two in it. I keep a pair of former Firefighters gloves on the bench near the anvil for certain work or and certain days when old hand injuries are bothering because of the work or weather. I don't particularly care for using them but!

Very nice shop, wish mine could have been as big but we do what we can.  I understand the staining and finally broke down and hired a young guy to go with me to stain it over the labor day weekend.  We invited his wife to join us so everyone is excited and he'll only charge me work time, no travel 200 miles or anything.  Just can't do it on my own and my son is still trying to get his haying done, lousy wet weather in VT this summer. 

Be careful and enjoy your shop, this getting old isn't for sissy's.    

Was the $2400 anvil sold for that money or asking that amount?  I had a fellow try to sell me a 6" post vise in decent condition and wanted $650 for it and I told him way too much and his reply was "I seen them on Craig's list or E bay for that amount" I told him to sell it to them.  He said they don't buy and I said me either at that price.  They may ask that for it but it doesn't mean they get that amount for it. 

I've never seen a cone mandrel sell for a decent price in our area $750 and up if you can find one.  Would like one but don't need it esp. at those prices. 

I prefer D Con in the shops and barn as long as no cats are around.  If you go the trap route HOme Cheapo has some white plastic ones with wicked teeth, real easy to set, great peanut butter holder and can use over and over, never have found an empty sprung trap, we use them in the house instead of D Con to keep dead mice from stinking up the place.  We have a cat in the house and he shows great interest when we dump the dead mice out of the trap.  He caught one once and took it up on the couch and dropped in my wife's lap, that living room looked like it had exploded.  Either way get it in there early to catch them on their first trips in. 

Neighbors, real nice folks but tree huggers and animal lovers had a red squirrel problem they discovered when they were trying to sell their house.  They had eaten their way in through the soffit into the attic and insulation.  Messed so much it stained through the sheetrock ceiling.  It started out as a live trapping deal and taking them down the mountain and letting them loose.  I swear they beat those people home every trip.  After a $10,000 repair and cleaning bill hit them it became a "get them I don't care what you do."  Lost 2 buyers because of the repair work going on and took them 5 months extra to sell it.     

My CT shop is behind our unused Horse Barn, I slide the back door open and lug out the brake drum forge and the anvil is on a stomp just inside the door and the vise is a machinist model on an old work bench.  Not great but it's all I have here my full shop is on the VT farm 200 miles away.

Now considering this is CT it is interesting what we have for critters in and around the barn/shop.  We have had a Large Bobcat living upstairs on and off for 5 years now.  We have an agreement that I kick the front rolling door hard a few times and wait a minute for him to slide out under that back door.  Has worked so far.  We are getting ready to sell this farm and have been cleaning up junk around and last Fri. My brother in law and I were moving some old lumber thrown out behind the barn off to the side,  when we went to pick up the first one he saw something move under it so he moved it with  a Peeve and low and behold there was a 3-4 ft Copperhead snake.  After we found 2 more in 2 more boards we decided there was somewhere else we could clean.  This week I've been carrying my 9mm with rat shot.  No snakes of course.  I'll put DeCon out for the mice, the snakes can find employment elsewhere, must be a tree hugger somewhere on the road.   

Went to walk up from the barn/shop last summer and as I closed the door I noticed something black by the pool fence between me and the back door, a black bear staring at the pool for the longest time.  Finally called by wife and had her come onto the deck, she told it had to have a suit to go swimming, it finally left but reluctantly.  Since we don't have animals to feed or food around the Raccoons and Skunks have moved along somewhere else.  Occasional Possum passes  through, try to give them the bums rush if I see them.

Had 50 plus Turkeys behind the shop all last winter in the pines and now a doe with twin fawns around every morning one of the fawns seems interested in the anvil noise when I start striking he will show up to watch in the distant high weeds 

Everything is getting packed and loaded for it's trip to Vermont this fall.  So I'll be out of smithing for a spell until the new shop gets it's floor.  Early for these items to be moved but it has to take it's turn in being moved so much each weekend to get it done. 

You take a morning coffee break with the fellows at the scrap yard

You get invited to the Christmas Party at the scrap yard

You invite the scrap yard owner to your daughter's wedding, you are a redneck blacksmith

Please Video this it certainly would be worth watching.

There doesn't seem to be any way to stop people who claim to be something they are not nor ever where, ie. Master Smith, War Hero, Medal Winner, Honest Politician, great teacher, doctor on and on.

Old saying "an expert is anyone more than 25 miles from home with a briefcase".

PT Barnum said "a sucker born every minute" with todays internet and general education standards it would seem PT might want to revise this to "every Second."

Best to uphold your best standards in your work, keep friends who do the same close, and let the fakers pass you by in their Parade of Self Importance. Their Parade is generally Short.

I'll give my vote for Vistaprint as well.  Used them for different businesses and always good quality and prices are dirt cheap.  Far better than print at home and will carry in your wallet without all the ink smearing.  Service is great as well.  Get on their e-mail list and sales show up each week. 

Now coming to the "Strike Rate" that is Hugely variable by time of year, audience you are dealing with and economy of the area.  When I was in the car business we often got hits 1-3 years after a show or visit to our dealership.  Your card often ends up bringing in business from other than the one who picked it up.  No chance of getting a "strike" setting in your wallet, shop, or on the table at a Demo.  Get them out there as many as possible, get a 1% return, better than you had.

If you want instant "Strike" be making something that no one else does and everyone needs, the "better mouse trap theory" at a price no one else can better.

Congrats on the Mousehole, hoping to land one of them myself someday.  Have a nice book on the company.  Cat's have 9 lives don't forget even fictitious ones, so you can always use that story at least 8 more times.

Good luck with the anvil.

Sold and delivered a very expensive Swedish Car to a customer also neighbor a few years ago.  After a couple hours he called and told me to stop on the way home as his new car had a dent in the roof.  I went into the shop and read the prep guys the riot act for not noticing.  They both swore up and down there was no dent in the roof when it was delivered.  When I arrived to see there was the top half of his Maple tree through the roof of his almost new car. 

Start with a beginners 2-3 day course of instruction. Not sure where you are in NY but a couple places I know of are the NY Farmers Mus. in Cooperstown or Lake Champlain Maritime Mus. outside Vergennes Vermont. Familiar with these two MANY others as equal. A few days are worth every penny and every minute of your time.

I have no idea of the make of this anvil but it reminds one of the Riveted Anvil from Yesterday on this site.  two different approaches to the same problem. 

Interesting. 

How much for the 12 yr old.  He'll be more useful if you train him and encourage him now, don't wait.