Jacques

Hoesit. I am sorry, I am not very often on IFI, the forum software does not work well with my old computer. Most of the blacksmiths I know are up here in the North. We have a forge-in at least once a year, and are sorta looking for a new venue after Wheels on the Vaal closed down. During our last forge in we had a discussion about creating a SA Artist Blacksmith Association. There is some very small beginnings. If you send me a pm I can get you in touch with some of the guys.

>You can drop me a pm, and I will try to ad you to the mailing list,

Hello Apologies for the late reply, the IFI forum software do not work well with my old computer. Most of the blacksmiths that I know are up here Gauteng. We get together at least once a year. I do not know of many blacksmiths in the Western Cape, you can google Conrad Hicks and ask him. There is an active group of knifemakers in Cape Town that includes bladesmiths. If you drop me a pm and the forum does not crash on me again I can have you added on the mailing list.

So this chap dropped into the workshop and asked me to help him quickly, and I did. And when I was finished and he wanted to pay I asked him if he wanted to sell that post vice that is lying behind his pub. And he said he had forgotten about it, and that I can have it. I did not give him time to change his mind.

Hello Claude. I am in Bronkhorstspruit, you are welcome to drop in any time if you want to. South Africa has not discovered the internet for business yet. The only refractory places I can recall for now is Vereeniging Refractories, and Alusil Refractories, it has been a few years since I bought from either of them. There are quite a few local Blacksmiths, we get together at least once a year. The Bladesmiths are more active, they have about 4 meetings a year, the next time is at Black Dragon Forge on 9 December. ######## For those of you that miss me, these fancy forum updates are too advanced for my ancient desktop, so today is the first time in a while that I have the opportunity to get on here. It is nice to see some names I still remember.

So sorry to hear that. Hope you get well soon.

There is a spinning lathe at my local scrap yard, and I just cannot afford it.

In my local hardware store that is described as a boiler scaling hammer. I use it to smallerize coal. I am sure that is a word.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" I managed to burn a piece of 12 x 12mm square last week, and the blob at the end looked almost like your fang, so here is my version.

Think! The moment I am in a hurry I do something stupid. And today I tried to drill a hole on the drill-press freehanded. After telling myself to get a vice, and promptly forgetting. And it was a blade. Fortunately a very short one. And at 280 rpm only. But that was fast enough. Wounds are not very deep. Most of the bleeding has stopped. The biggest wound is just below the place where I got stitches last year from the grinder. I feel stupid, I know I was stupid.

Have you considered a dual process? It is something woodturners do regularly with wet woods. First do some rough oversized machining on the ordinary slab, do the stabilizing on the small pieces and then after the stabilizing do the final machining. (if the scales is what I think it is.)

Thanks, I really want to forge something with it, for now I am tapping on the anvil every time I walk past. And it isn't a small memento, it is a wonderful gift.

I've got nothing useful to contribute, but I think this is funny.

Lots of hard work in there, but she looks great. I am just not sure about the "little baby" part.

​There is enough room to do what we need to do. But I am on a cleaning spree just now so things will get better. I like pawnshops and scrapyards and enjoy repairing tools. I am sure there is a more efficient way of doing things. ​Visitors are always welcome, even weekends. (I really spend too much time there.). If you let me know in advance I can even offer you coffee.

A shaky cellphone tour of the workshop. It turned out to be difficult to make. And I don't speak English very often. I spend most of my time managing people, and I don't really like it. The most important part of running a business is investing in people and systems, and we never really understood it. Trying to do all the things myself with people who are not up to it is not the right way to go about it. It sometimes feel like me against them, and I am on the losing side. The workshop is now 35 years old, and is showing it's age.

Lots of great advice above. One extra thing. If you really want to work for yourself, stay in college, learn bookkeeping, business management and sales. It is one thing to make stuff, something else to run a business.

Amazing work like always. I would really love to see a picture of your scrap pile. Poor little rabbit.

Thanks for the pictures, it explains a lot. I've read a quote a while ago: "No idea is born good." You have to make the ideas work, including all the limitations. Yours work. Now I just have to google Kuhn.

Congratulations.

If you ever collect all these into a book I will definitely buy one.

Thank you for writing this. I always read your pieces and it makes me think.

Thank you. I've been eyeballinging my piece of cable and are busy reading the instructions in Jim Hrisoulaiswhatevers book, and this will help a lot.

I wish I had scrapyards like that. Sorta jealous but I am not sure I will be able to hand forge a little piece like that.