Anachronist58

Thanks all, for your kindness. It is worth more than you can know. I knew responses were coming in, as the sun set and we turned on the lights. Took a tremendous bite out of the main woodpile - air is cool and dry, and the black widows are slow on their feet. My oldest friend is commisioning a cook tripod for her new fire pit, and several loads of choice wood will be going to her place. Fifteen cubic feet of mixed wood is queued up in front of the charcoal maker. The dumpster is receiving its max allotment, and will be stashing half of my shop down at the Kid's place. Right now, lumber and curing logs are my biggest liability - hope that I do not end up discarding too much of the good stuff. Thanks all, Robert and Sheila Taylor Haha! Got plenty of kin to the west of you CGL! The hospitality is appreciated, would put me within driving distance of more forum family. Charles, is Oklahoma still north of Texas?

IFI Family, I mentioned in passing that my Homeowners Insurance got cancelled, due to the new California Wildland-Urban Interface Maps drawn by the State. I will make the statement that this is "Just Business", and it is perfectly legal for 23 years of premiums to vanish into "thin air", with narry a a claim made against it. Please, let us not cast aspersion upon the apparent unfairness of the System. That is why we should "VOTE". the ice cream of the situation is that I must abate my property in order to pass a property inspection in order to be underwritten for the new, ultra expensive policy. I always like a cherry on top of my sundae, that cherry being that I have had to apply for Disability. Sorry, I can not speak Publicly about the nature of same, for Cause. Jesus and his Myriad Friends Know the details, so suffice it to say that all prayer, thought, intentions, wishes, encouragement, and advice will be heard by all Cognizant Parties. Currently, I am between a giant Rock, and a Very Hard Place, that Hard Place, of course, being my Söderfors, one of the hardest things on Earth, Frosty and JHCC. Robert and Sheila Taylor

Precarious Indeed. At least the 140 C has a wingnut drag tensioner, so, fairly simple.

Was the drag tension "adjustable?"

Marc, for the sake of transparency, I hack my Spanish out with a heavy hammer and a dull chisel. I recite much better than I comprehend, and I must say, your lyric rolls off the tongue like hot honey. I limited myself to twenty minutes of searching to get a feel for the zeitgeist (oder, wollen sie, platzgeist?). This tailor is not qualified to help. Frosty, what YOU said. Flux core wire can make some very fine beads. but if, as you have elegantly stated, one does not control arc length, attitude, weave, and travel speed, one ends up with bird poop. In other words, if one does not know how to STICK weld, what hope is there to achieve proficiency with CONTINUOUS STICK (MIG) welding? I failed to realize, at first, that the wire speed control on my Lincoln 140C is calibrated to 1# spools. Put a ten pounder on the machine and you will be asking yourself how you could suddenly have become such a Nincompoop Weldor! Robert Taylor

A good friend, in his local dialect, calls me Roberto Don De Sastre desastre. Meanwhile, to disambiguate my self from other types of crab, I qualify my self as a 'crabby' crab, hence, a kvetch crab, hence, El Cangrejo Quejarte. Best to mumble, to keep one's beard attached to one's neck? Robert Taylor

It is my knowledge of my own ignorance, wherein lies my greatest intellectual strength. one of the more endeared-to-me quotes from a lexicographer, is that no completed dictionary* is capable of being truly complete and comprehensive. we must be as flexible as the heartbreaking evolution of language, as the irresistible mutation of usage renders to smithers, our generational (period) understanding of what is proper, therein. Permit me then, to coin myself as a BlackWright: I have done the research back to Indo-European roots, as per my source*, so I invite all comers to quip, append, and/or, deconstruct. For I smite, I wright, and it is Right. Robert Cangrejo Quejarte De Sastre

Just noticed, littleblacksmith started this thread three years ago today. 430 pages of mind blowing stuff. Iforgeiron makes me smarter! Robert Taylor

Old Crew, stop it with 33 stuff. I start losing the ability to get help at 60. Hope you get a CGMS, Thomas. Robert Taylor

Hey Brother, I just do not want to distract from this VERY IMPORTANT thread. Yes, and Inspiring. I appreciate your story beyond words. I am definitely staying tuned to this channel. I am with you on that one. Robert Taylor

Gorgeous. Someone bought it? >sniffle<

Yes, with the loss of entire towns to fire lately, Underwriters are cancelling policies by the hundreds and thousands, statewide. Let us move my situation to another thread though, please (Coming soon in Prayer List). Robert Taylor

Sorry to hear about your troubles, Mr. Pnut, I can relate. My homeowners insurance just got canceled - it is a California thing (Wildland - Urban Interface). Seriously wishing you the best of luck! Robert Taylor

The OP has not returned to the site since his one post.

Stoked Thomas! You be careful with that hide of yours, pay heed to what good sense you have left (not insinuating anything, I just know what it is like for me at 61 years). Frosty, the estate sale thing is a real concern for me, I do not want all of that junk hanging around Mrs. Taylor's neck - yet I DO NOT want to see the Soderfors go out the door for a song. I had best make a list. Robert Taylor

Holding my breath over here! Robert Taylor

PM me of you want a sample. What I have is (a few thousand feet?) of 5/16 carbon steel wire rope. some clean, some not so clean. Search "site:iforgeiron.com plow steel". Do not include quotation marks. Modern wire rope, generally speaking, may be found in four, maybe five grades of carbon steel, known as "plow steel", from .5% to .9% carbon (these numbers may need adjustment), stainless and galvanized excluded, for the sake of this discussion. I hope to try my own hand at this before another year goes by. Robert Taylor

Jennifer, One big hole straight out the end of the pipe, as shown. 2.86 times the previous opening area. The old tuyre was never intended for forging, and once I discovered my wood stove worked for forging, I have had a mind to replace it. Material is 1.410" ID x 1,490" OD, .040" wall welded steel tube. From one of those car port tent things. As you can see, it is consumable: In fact, it slides in and out to change the position of the hot spot. This tube also naturally aspirates and heats my steel when not being blown. Not much ash coming out, six scoops of charcoal fines in for the session, looks like fifteen scoops of charcoal made (net scoops). Who can keep up with all the great posts on this thread? Robert Taylor

Looking Great! I helped my brother install a "spec" replacement exhaust system he had made for his '60 Chrysler 300F. A lot of time with a rosebud and sheet metal heat shields to get that thing to fit. Hoping all goes well with that, Thomas! Gave a lesson on straightening and drawing out a horse shoe this evening. Got to try out my new tuyre pipe - works great. We will turn the shoe into a triangle chime. Note the 8" air gap between the tube and the "blower". Robert Taylor

DuEulear, this has to be one of the most exciting posts that I have read in a while, since I have three presses in waiting to do both hot and cold work. I must confess that I have a fear of graphite - I have a quart of the stuff, and it scares me as much as my quart of colloid grade aluminum powder. As per GLENN, I too, would like to know, how messy, et al., is it? I am predisposed toward innocuous, organic cold lubes such as Anchorlube, but I do not believe it is suitable for HOT work. I am thinking of trying carbon fiber slurry, possibly a less pernicious stand-in for graphite. Susan, et al., your thoughts? Robert Taylor

Time always seemed to stand still when we visited the farm in Mangum.....

LOL? Why do you align your tong reins, Jennifer? I might agree with you about scrolling tongs...... I am still considering that..... Robert Taylor

As Mr. Kozzy and others have mentioned, vertically centering the reins helps make the tongs closer to ambidextrous. Being predominantly left handed and holding my tongs in my right hand, it is equally neccessary to maintain close to zero play where the hinge is riveted. Makes me want to try my hand at those tongs where one rein passes through the other - box joint tongs? Robert Taylor

Not so sure it was you, Thomas - must at least one jinx in every family, some host several - "well I bet we can get $10,000 for these pristine vintage rare period antiques!" EDIT: On the other hand, if it is indeed a family emergency, I hope all goes well for them. Robert Taylor

I am no vise savant, but I must agree, that is one strange looking leg vise. Robert Taylor