Leland

Well done, sir! Now, perhaps you'll give Kipling his due and provide a byline... ;)

So now you're a Unibrow, welcome to the club. Unless you're a mouth-breathing knuckle dragger, or Sicilian like me (and yes, the mainland Italians think that's the same thing!) your membership is only temporary. Glad it wasn't worse! :)

The first blacksmith I ever worked with was a farrier who, while enviously buff, was not an enormous man. Had he worn a suit, he might have been mistaken for an insurance salesman, professor, banker, or any of a number of other professionals. As if looking good were not annoying enough, he had the disgusting trait of working in a gleaming white tee-shirt, which always started in the morning freshly-pressed (no, I'm not kidding -- there were creases!), then ended the day in exactly the same pristine condition. I, on the other hand, having endured the same work day but having done -- at best -- 1/3 the amount of work he did, wound up looking like a character Dickens might have dreamt up to populate one of his novels describing the horrible conditions of Industrial Age London...then discarded said character, as being too wretched to be believable! Leland

Say, that is a nice blade! But -- just outta curiosity -- why'd the rings idea get nixxed?

Guys! Am I the only one whose capitalist heart fondly recalls the character "Lowell" on the NBC comedy show "Wings"? This greedy dimwit, when asked "How much to fix _______ on my airplane?" invariably responded, "$25,000.00!" The manager of the airport would laugh, and mockingly ask, "How many people do you think will pay that much for an airplane repair?" To which Lowell would quietly answer, "All I need...is one." I raise my mug to a fellow, if overly optimistic, smith, and wish him luck in finding that "one!" Leland

Well, it was like this guys...I held the wooden blank up like a cob of corn, see, and then I spun it REAL fast, see, and... Yeah, okay, let's say it was whittled...thanks for the kind words! :D

Hey, Guys! I was kinda pleased with the way this one came out: It's a spring steel blade, forged bolster, epoxy-set tang with a copper cap ferrule and an Osage orange wood handle. It cuts b-yu-tifully -- the shearing action REALLY makes the wood just melt apart! Anyway, thanks for looking, Leland

The topic of "the economy" is constantly discussed in my home, as my wife and I are both self-employed. We spoke of the recession this morning. It occurred to me that an economic downturn, unlike a tsunami, earthquake, plague, drought, or other natural disaster, is entirely man-made and controllable. Unlike the Great Depression, there is no concurrent Dust Bowl or similar act of nature exacerbating the economic malaise. The recession we're facing now is entirely emotional in nature (we "feel" confident about buying, or we "fear" losing money and don't spend) and this takes the "Domino Effect" to a much grander and costly scale when the dominoes start falling. The bad economy appears to be the result of our fearful imaginations combined with the our tendency towards "herd mentality." Unlike GM, my wife and I haven't shut down or gotten a bail-out, we've simply changed our marketing and pricing. And yes, we've had to cut back. But maybe the long term answer is as simple as enough people saying to themselves, "I refuse to participate in the recession." And then acting accordingly.

But muscles must be trained to remember properly, or the hundred blades will only teach the smith to do it badly a hundred times more efficiently. What steps would you recommend to encourage the development of good muscle memory? Filing or grinding or both? Jigged or freehand grinding? Stationary grinding equipment or hand held portable?

My "day job" is contracting, where I occupy the lower echelons of the construction industry. (Insert your favourite "please don't tell my folks I'm a ______, they think I'm the piano player in a..." joke here.) No new construction, no remodeling, only residential repair and improvement sized for a one-man shop. My income flat-lined for most of 2008, and in September when the housing bubble burst, my contracting income plummeted: Far more than 50% of it vanished in a one week period. Jobs in the pipeline pulled out; jobs on the horizon never pulled in. (There are good reasons why Dad advised me to never place all my eggs in one basket, but I was down to feathers for a while!) At any rate, I cobbled together an income from various enterprises. The financial flow is nowhere close to pre-September 2008 levels, but it is trickling more steadily and...at least in my little corner of the GNP...it looks as though the ice is thawing. Then again, it looked that way in the engine room of the Titanic, didn't it? Leland

Did turn out to be an interesting and thought-provoking conversation; newbie smith 1 (the guy who claimed that rationality could not be defined, only recognised) brought nothing to the table but arbitrary (and thus useless) observation/pontification. Newbie smiths 2 & 3 (with philosophy backgrounds) noted that rationality, while lacking a consensus view, classically consists of beliefs or views based on true information. Yours truly, being an Educated Donkey, then asked whether an imaginary purple beach ball (which everyone could instantly envision) was an example of rationality or irrationality. Theoretical examples could be multiplied, and perhaps the conversation will continue. On a tortilla note, I got a great tip from my neighbour, who suggested adding plain yogurt to the dough. Makes the softest, fluffiest tortillas I've ever had.

Ya meet all kinds of people in a blacksmith shop, including the crew of academics I ran into yesterday. My own fault, I suppose, for using the word "epistemological," but the next thing I knew I was knee-deep in a conversation about the nature of "rationality." Turns out (according to one new smith) that rationality can't be defined but is recognisable when seen. My response, naturally, was that rationality is thus the same as obscenity. Discussion of rationality...among a bunch of people who'd lit a fire on an 80 degree day. Go figure. And how's YOUR Memorial Day weekend going? Leland

Hm. If Geiger and Alessandro Massucotelli had met at a bar in the wee hours, had a little too much schnapps and absinthe, argued, drank some more and then drew...they mighta come up with something like this!

Reading your post reminded me to light a candle to my patron saint -- Adam Smith! My son enjoys hearing about the citizens of the early US, who turned their noses up at the painted tinware that was -- thanks to the fits and starts of progress that would later pick up steam and become the Industrial Revolution -- becoming both plentiful and cheap in America. Seems no one wanted painted tin, no matter how useful and inexpensive it might have been. Until an enterprising Yankee merchant ignited the market's imagination with a new type of metal implements, in the French fashion no less, known as "t

Hey, Bill: Good luck selling the products of your craft! Cost of production data can help you establish a selling price point below which you cannot sell a product or service and remain in business, but the COP has no relevance to the actual retail price of a good or service. Selling price is determined by the buyer (or an aggregate of buyers, known collectively and anonymously as the "market"). What "X" cost to produce is irrelevant to this buyer, whose demand is the only determining factor in making a purchase decision. Supply and demand -- you know, basic economics. In my business, I add a desired profit to my COP and use that as my initial offering price for "X." If demand is strong, I raise the price until sales of "X" flatten out. If demand is weak, the price drops accordingly.

Greetings, Anvil-Beaters! I'm pretty competent at turning at varied scrolls (fish-tail, ha-penny, etc.), with a pleasing and symmetrical spiral. BUT...they're usually a coupla turns, tops, just because I find it difficult to turn more spirals with the tools/experience I have at hand. (I use a scrolling fork set in a vise.) I don't often need a dizziness-inducing number of curls, but when I do, I'd like to make 'em look nice. Tips, hints, mockery, derision? Thanks, Leland

Hey, nett: That's a good point about the angle of the steel wedge -- hadn't thought about the destructive potential of my perpendicular placement. napakettu: I haven't noticed oil on the surface of the butt end of the handle (where the hole and plug are located) -- I suspect it's all wicking with the wood grain, rather than across. The hole's 3/8" D x about 3" deep, and I've thought about using knobs or turning such on the plugs I use, so the plugs can be removed and more oil added later. Of course, all that bother might make nett's zerk fitting idea look even MORE tempting to try! Anyway, I'm sold on the oil-in-the-handle method. I've had framing hammers with fibreglass handles/epoxy setting come loose (day job's contracting) more than the oiled wooden ones have.

Hi, Jimbob: Yep, you understand correctly, and you're right -- the drilling does weaken the handle. However, the small amount of wood removed is from the less-critical portion (the butt) where there is less stress and more wood than at the head/handle juncture. Also, the hole is aligned axially with the wood grain, and centered in the handle -- bottom line, the weakness introduced is merely academic, having no practical impact on usage. Soaking the handle in oil is a good initial step (and I've known other smiths who simply periodically drop their hammers in the quench tank to swell dried handles), but the hole provides a reservoir that continually wicks oil to the head of the handle, preventing the wood fibres from drying out. Well, for 28 years on one hammer, anyway -- test isn't over yet ;0)

Caleb - I use both a wooden wedge, plus a steel one perpendicular to it, just as usual. Come to think of it, I believe (can't remember specifically, tho') that I soaked the slit end of the handle in oil prior to setting. Fe-Wood -- no discernible differences of any sort. If I didn't know about the handle having been modified, I wouldn't be able to tell by using it.

Hey, guys: Just got done reading about quartz sand and pine tar in another (enviable) thread about a new guy's nicely forged hammer. Instead of muddying his thread with my comments, I'll post 'em here. I drill the butt end of my handles, making a 3/8" x 3" hole which is then filled with mineral oil and plugged with a bit of dowel. The oil swells the wood and prevents the head's loosening due to seasonal shrinkage. Does it work? Well....I got a hammer that I attached to a handle in '81 (I was using boiled linseed oil back then) and the head's still tight after 2+ decades. Gotta admit that I was kinda sceptical when I read the tip in one of my Dad's Popular Mechanics mags way back when, but the preliminary results look promising! Leland

Hey, Reid: Of all the tool-shaped objects on which I've wasted money at Harbour Freight Tools, the one I least regret buying is their metal-cutting bandsaw. The base, motor/belt guard, and table are (surprise!) thin metal stampings, but the cutting action is really pretty good. My expectations for this machine were quite low -- I bought it specifically for a single run and intended to trash the saw afterward; the saw survived cutting 200 or so parts and curiously still functions. I say that because at $125 on sale it might be worth buying this model and keeping your current wood-chewing saw for that purpose. NOT a fan of HFT, but in this case the devil gets his due. Good luck! Leland

Hey, Belcher: The architectural arts fair I used to work was a good market for copper ladles. I sunk the disks of copper into a bowl shape prior to show day, attaching most handles as well, then forged extra handles during the show. $20 a piece in '84 and '85, always sold out.

Progress pix here: Picasa Web Albums - Elm - Metalwork

This stinks. No, not the project -- that thing's off the hook. But you're obviously younger than me and your forgework just had mine for lunch. AND you've probably got more hair, better teeth, and a nicer personality than me, too. Stinks. Leland

Nicely done! Say, is it just me, or does the working end of that thing resemble a cat's extended claw?