Sam Thompson

How about moving to somewhere with a pleasanter climate?

Perhaps it isn't the tool but how you use it Sam? Personally I don't want anything between my hand and the work, tongs of any kind are a step down in control. vise grips were invented by a blacksmith who was tired of having work fall out of more traditional tongs.

Recently I've been retraining myself as a working smith by making tongs, there's nothing like a brain injury to take the polish off one's skills sets. Anywho, in part and parcel with making some decent working tongs I spent some time going through all my old pairs of vise grips looking for some that worked well. What I found were a few that worked and a bunch that didn't. The needle nose vise grips work a treat for small items, especially holding a couple different pieces together while being shaped or fitted. The larger more heavy duty more standard shaped ones are okay if adjusted carefully but they're not too good for a quick grab.

Funny thing is I run into the same situation with my many pairs of tongs, some are the perfect shape and size for a given job but not others. If I'm not careful to select the correct tongs for the job there's no telling how quickly I'll lose control of the project or what kinds of mars will get imparted.

In large part this discussion gets down to one of the best parts of being a blacksmith and that's being able to make or modify your own tools. If you simply MUST have a grabber that'll hold a three sided steeply tapered semi circle on the inside of a steel cone then you make one.

Making squeezers to suit a particular project then discovering that's the only project they'll work for is probably why long time blacksmith shops have wall racks filled with tongs.

Frosty the Lucky.

I was once told that drivers etc. of steam loco's would chew dried runner beans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runner_bean). Has anyone else heard of this?

Makes you wonder how folks managed without it. Obviously this glorified office equipment has wormed its way into all aspects of life.

I'm going to have a go with some fresh Coke, just to see what flavour it comes out.

I assume it's for drawing down.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Blacksmiths-Anvil-50kg-Garden-Ornament-50yrs-/170501967524?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Collectable_ToolsHasdware_RL&hash=item27

What did the Coke taste like?

There's a village just outside Birmingham called Belbroughton where almost the only industry for about 150 years was scythe manufacture (Isaac Nash & Co.). The grindstones were water powered and started about 6ft diameter, they were used until they wore down to about 3ft; after that they paved the roads with them.

Has anyone ever discovered a use for these abominations? They don't work as: spanners, tongs, pliers, stillsons and nor are they much use as welding clamps.
Why do people buy them?
Why are they still sold?

In Weygers book he mentions Vise Grips as a boon to smithing. Anything that will hold the piece securely, and keep your fingers from being burned will work. Look at what some primitive smiths have to work with.

I've used propane instead of acetylene for years. You can't weld with it, although it gets hot enough, the gases produced don't seem to shield the molten metal. It's fine for brazing, cutting and general heating and you don't have to keep expensive acetylene bottles.
The only difference between acet & prop torches is the nozzle, which is cheap and easy to change.
Beware, when buying a new torch that the inlet fittings match those available in your area. I bought one off e=bay once (only because it was cheap!) and couldn't even get a name for the threads, never mind finding a left hand-connector.

I use a pair with the sharp edges ground down to hold small work, especially things like 'Russian Rose' key rings; the bowed jaws give clearance for the flower while forging the leaf and protect the petals from the heat.

Start by learning how to make an accurate taper with no hammer marks, then a square point, then a round point.

Try dishing the stock along its length to counteract the tendency to bend more along the centre line. Put a short, one sided taper on the outside of the end of the bar, then just imagine you're making a scroll, only easier. Once the bend is far enough round you can grip a mandrel of the right dia (slightly larger than the finished piece, to allow for shrinkage as it cools) and continue to roll it up on the anvil face. Use a shortish, bright red heat.

Leather laces was the first improvement, replacing and remodelling the ironwork was next.

Well, I'm sorry to disturb an old thread but as it's mine I hope I'll be forgiven. The clogs have arrived. The lady at Walkely's (Sue) couldn't have been more helpful and explained how I should draw around my feet. The boots took a bit longer to arrive but were well worth the wait; it's like wearing a bit of the 19th century. With shoes like this we could rule an empire!



I'll revive the thread again when they've had some wear.

Hey Sam,
a lot of lathes use brass/bronze nuts on the different screws. In some cases all that is needed is a new tighter nut to remove the backlash. Some lathes also have backlash adjustable nuts. I found a guy in the UK that has tons of literature available for older machines, tony@lathes.co.uk I found him while researching a Sixis 101 milling machine that I have.

Looks pretty good for the age. So you going to add it to your shop or fix it and sell it?

Looks like a novel way of hurting yourself!

I've just paid £50.00 (about $70.00) for this. It's an IXL, made by Erlich in the early twenties. There are some change-wheels missing but otherwise, like me, it's in excellent condition for it's age. Any comments or knowledge about these machines would be welcome.

It makes learning/practising expensive.

Has anyone seen a less informative pic?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BERNARD-LATHE-CHUCK-SOFT-JAWS-190-200-230MM-ELI-/390203211553?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item5ad9ec7f21

I looked up Stiddy to and found stithy a small forge or anvil and then found this, strange, real strange! http://aesthetic-machinery.com/stithy_desc.html

The mass is all beneath the hammer, that is what absorbs the blow. The end of the leg doesn't need to be supported vertically, its purpose is to brace the vice against bending/twisting forces. The clover-leaf works the same in the other plane.