Sam Thompson

There's a lot of useful information in here: http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/specialist.html

I haven't shaved or worn a tie since the day I left school and I doubt I could remember how to do either!

Look for the first few bursting sparks to fly out of the fire. If you are using the 'drop the tongs' method, try, instead, just touching the ends of two lengthe of flat stock together in the fire; similar to the way suggested by Stewart (be careful most coathangers are usually galvanised). They should stick quite firmly and need to be wrung apart; this will give you a better idea of how to judge the rising temp.

Those anvils are not uncommon over here, they sometimes turn up on E-bay and at farm sales. A friend of mine has one with the far left corner rounded so that it looks a bit like the things that chainmakers use. It's useful for drawing down. I like to think of it as the 'Mk 1 bick' from which all others evolved. I'll take some pics next time I'm there.

Good point, Thomas. I wonder how many years it takes to collect that many heading bolsters. I notice that there are number of hand tools awaiting attention, a Saturday morning's beer money job?

There's nothing like keeping the place tidy! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Village-blacksmith-Lacock-Wiltshire-1948-photo-view-/280558058847?pt=UK_art_prints_GL&hash=item4152903d5f

The centre piece in the bottom row looks very French!

Of course, farmers being farmers, it's tax deductible as well!

It's common, when farmers retire, for people to pay over the odds at the auction. Many of the older generation would feel awkward just giving money but are comfortable with paying too much for broken tools etc. as a way of providing a retirement gift.

That 's a compressor from a cooling system, something like a milk cooler, it's meant to run continually.

I thought the discussion was about a general purpose workshop machine! Do you have oil-cooled welders (eg Oxford) in the US?

I love the anvil-shaped hole in the ground... someone who drew Road Runner must have seen this done!

I wouldn't touch those 'gasless MIG' machines for anything; they have all of the disadvantages of MIG (complicated electronics, easily worn/damaged feed mechanisms and torch, the wire goes rusty if not used frequently etc.) and don't have the main advantage (no flux). They are intended only for minor DIY use and you'd be lucky if it lasted long enough to use more than a couple of the stupidly expensive rolls of wire.

Try to make the weld diagonal. rather than straight across the handle.

Whatever happened to Adbot? He contributed so much.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/unusual-ancient-large-oak-framed-lathe-/330464421821?pt=UK_BOI_Building_Materials_Supplies_Carpentry_Woodwork_ET

Those big air-con units on public buildings often have large pleated paper filters that are changed on a maintenance programme, whether they need it or not. It may be worth approaching the caretakers at cinemas. hospitals etc.

I've had problems with the dust etc. smothering the cooling fins on heat sinks on rectifiers (?) in welders and found that the easiest way to deal with it was to open the box and get it out manually (or by hand if you find that easier). After a while the number of screws in the cover becomes 'rationalised' and the job gets quite quick. I don't know what that would do to a guarantee on new gear though. It's odd but even in an industrial environment, fluff is what causes the damage. I blow compressed air through the vents of grinders, drills etc. occasionally and it's amazing how much c##p comes out, if even a small part of it was actually in the works I like to think that I'm prolonging the life of the gear. The most nagging problem that I've found with grinder dust is that it starts rust very easily and in a dampish environment will badly mar an anvil if left over a weekend.

Have you seen 'Walk Hard'?

It's the utter stupidity of these people that's so much fun. A few years ago a well-known wrongun was caught by the police carrying a sack of cigarettes, climbing down the drainpipe of a shop in town, . His excuse was: "I climbed up to try to free a cat from the guttering and saw that the window was open. I took the cigs for safe keeping in case someone stole them"

From the expressions on their faces, I think this must have been a joke! http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HMS-HIBERNIA-executing-German-Spy-anvil-/330463010247?pt=UK_Collectables_Postcards_MJ

I inherited one of Mike Ameling's customers for these and I've been making them from old (60s)leaf springs. Apparently they are very effective, it's hard for me to tell as my technique with the flint is not that good, so If I can make sparks, they pass the QC test! The striker needs to be dead hard and you need to grind the decarb layer off the striking surface. This is the best set of instructions I've yet seen: http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/firefromsteel/ As Mike says at the bottom of the page, occasionally you'll make a dud. If a sample from a piece of steel doesn't work, try a few more from different areas before you chuck it. If you're making any number of these, you'll soon exhaust your supply of old files. Springs are more plentiful and they don't get as brittle when hardened.

They're pretty simple things to make on a lathe; do you know anyone who has one (or who does a night shift)?

I've found that smiling and passing them the hammer works well. :)

Carpenters can be very fussy about that sort of thing. Is 'smithing the only trade where dropping the tools is considered acceptable?