rustyshackleford

to answer your question about the swage, look for the saltfork craftsmen swage block, and if you need one even smaller check blacksmith's depot or centaur etc. for their smallest block. These would provide you with baby half rounds

Do want. :)

i've heard that gassers oxidize steel quicker, perhaps people interpret that as a sign that composition is affected....

me likeum both kinds shown i might invest n one of those rounding hammers. I'm building my arsenal one at a time. I started with a swedish, and like its feel. Now I've got a hofi style left diag. It will take some getting used to, but I've already found it handy (and that it almost necessitates his suggested stance/orientation). A rounding is next on the list, and with those three alone I feel I would be well equipped. In an ideal world I'll have a hammer from all the big names. Not because the "Tool makes the..." (an apt phrase though) but as a... documentary of this era in blacksmithing I suppose?

Bone handled knives do work, stabilizing is popular with the pros (you'll have to ask them how they go about it, I'm just now aware of the process). Shins are symmetrical, and have a nice slight flare at the butt that prevents the hand from slipping too much, so that's nice. You could also do the ball joint, but I'd reserve it for something like a sword, if you ever felt like doing one. some might argue against it, but you could fill the void with epoxy. You can also take silver solder and cast a decorative bolster at the same time. it's a little expensive, but offers immediate gratification, since you can buy it off the shelf, unlike pewter. Heck, you got fire ants down there, when it warms up, throw the bone on the pile and leave it for a spell. it will be clean in no time. I got some bear feet this summer and never thought I wanted to see another fireant until that day... :)

Looking good Minotaur! I'm glad to see your progress, it looks like it will be done before you know it.

Woody's idea is pretty solid, the wire brushing pushes down/removes the softer wood layers, in effect raising the harder ones. THis is the same thing that happens durign weathering. The ammonia is also not a bad idea. Use proper blah blah blah :)

Looks gooood. I like the vapor effect of the tempering

I need to work on my ambidexterity, just for giggles

yep, looks great! I get the impression that kind of work takes a lot of tooling monkey tools, chisels, punches, and drifts all for different sizes of stock

china's demand for scrap has ceased, but the steel made when they demanded high prices here are still on the shelves, and unlike oil, suppliers, etc. keep the price high. the demand for new stock is still there

I have no problem being direct with folks about what I would want in their yard (if there was one locally), but the concept of doughnuts, etc to help ease the foot in is baffling to me. Not from a moral standpoint, just: What, do you walk up with a hot dozen and say howdy? It would strike me as odd, if I were an employee and it came out of left field. You scroungers know, so fess up! I need pointers :)

This has been a particular concern of mine since I m trying earnestly to begin a 'professional' Smithy. Incidentally, in a series of thoughts and conversations around the forum, I've begun to rethink my idea to incorporate welding and/or machining services as a part of it to provide a service diversity cushion of sorts. A piece of 6" pipe cut 10" long cost me $26 last week (the biggest welding/machine shop in town, and frankly, a bunch of shysters) . That is a scandal, but was my only option at the time. I've also noticed someone trying to peddle their iron on Ebay recently. The stuff is executed well, and to me, is dirt cheap, but NONE of it has any bids, so unless people are "buy it now"ing, I don't think he's finding it profitable (which is unfortunate, because I had hoped to make a stipend out of the same concept). I've found a few vendors interested in my products (initially), but things have been dang quiet recently. I believe my next step is welding certification, as discussed on another thread.....

I'm a lefty, horn to the left, and I prefer to hit the steel, not the anvil (ooh, couldn't resist!)

I doubt it would crack. Doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about, but I don't see the stresses as being sufficient. might wantto try superquench with ice water, who knos!

many community colleges offer a continuing ed class in welding. in Boone, they even worked with the high school and used their facilities to store the welders and teach the class. the end result of the class is a 7018 Vertical Up certification, which is a big step towards the things that the others have spoken about.

Frosty's got it. I JUST (after a week of fiddling) finished tuning my home-made, and it's nowhere near the quality of a "commercial" (referring to any that you can go ahead and buy). Part of it is because i tried to scale the burner down, and because it's a homebrew, like Frosty said.

My college Roommate was from Orange, Conn. That random fact aside, noise ordinances do not go into affect until the evening, don't they? I'm scared it may backfire too

You are posting them in the right place Nelson ('netiquette also dictates that caps lock is not cruise control for 'cool', btw) I for one certainly feel like responding to your question, but like many others, don't know the slightest thing about the punches you're talking about. I would say that given the literature you have at your disposal, you're probably right. my $.02

that's about as civil (probably more) as I could put it

Have you tried getting in touch with anyone from the Depot about this? I'm sure they would be willing to work something out with you. They acknowledged to me that their handles were an issue with one shipment. I recently bought the 1kilo Swedish from them, and enjoy it.

They know we're onto them!! :o

if that's what it is, the springs would prevent the horse's leg from coming out. My thought is that it's part of a wagon, where someone needed security for something with an eye against the bouncy roads, idk