gote

I am very grateful to peple who post losr pctures but the only one I can see are those posted by John. All others are URLs who lead to "sorry we cannot find it on this server. Actually most URL's lead me out in to outer space.

It was. I should think a little later - around 1950 but really do not know

Thirty years ago I goldplated the chromium outlet plug of our bath tub using one of these kid's experiment set. It is still gold plated.

Not sales puffery Frosty. Sales sputtering. The first setups doing this made a sputtering noise so the term held on. Not unlike the original bug caught in a very early computer's relay.

Funny thing: Those who did not fund Columbus, did not refuse because they believed the world was flat. The refused because they knew how big it is (it had been known for a millennium and a half) Columbus had got the size wrong so they did not believe he would get to (the real) India with the supplies he had. They were right he was wrong.

Frosty, If you use longer words you have more time to think about what you are trying to say. It is instead of saying eeeeeeeerh, Hmmmmmmm and so on. We have had cases in Sweden of women drinking so much H2O that it killed them. They believed that it was good for health. Flushing out toxins. Nobody told them that already ancient Greeks knew that the poison is in the dosage. Vatten är ett farligt gift. Omger hela visby stift. Does not tranlslate well: Water is a dangerous poison that surrounds all the island of Gotland.

I think Charles is right. A flaring tool would not need the two consecutive cylindrical parts. It is probably made for a specific application.

I think Frosty is right. It has been used to grind something flat. Many years ago we used a rotating table like this to flatten the sides of concrete samples before testing. We held the samples by hand over he (motor driven) table and moved them much as the rocking device here will do. Without electricity, this machine will allow a man to grind flat on his own. The sample holder is missing.

I wish I could visit your library Thomas. You gave me the idea that I could use my other vise to close the gap in a controlled way. Thank you. However, shimming will still be plan A. Besides, the more annoying thing about it is the jury-rigged leg that prevents me from using the pivot in the mounting. I wonder when I get the time to fix it.

Even if the vise is OK 90% of the time the 10% can be very annoying. My own problem is that the moving jaw is slightly wobbly sideways and this means that a round piece will turn. I intend to shim it thight when I get the time. Plan B is to ream the holes and turn an oversize bolt. I do not trust my ability to heat and close the gap with sufficient precision.

Get well Ivan!

Maybe this should be a new thread but I notice that the business surface of some of these hammers is not parallel to the handle. I have the feeling that to me parallellity is important to my ability to hit squarely. Is that just me? Or it is the pics?

Thank you Dave very inspiring

I have never chipped an anvil but I use Swedish cast steel anvils. Kohlsva and anonymous. It is possible to chip them, however, someone has - perhaps missing with a sledge hammer?.

Muy bueno Morcy

So why go on living? it ends with death anyway - even if that is not sold at walmart - at least not under that name.

Nykvist och Holm Aktiebolag = Nykvist & Holm Ltd. Later known as part of Bofors

use the gable as a wok

Nice to see a north Swedish anvil among all London pattern. The square horn looks very blunt to me. Does it show signs of being cut off? Hardy hole tools should rest on the surface of the anvil. The hole is for location only so you are fine. I like the shank to be a snug fit and not conical so I use a piece of square tube. I drive it hot into the hole so it deforms to the hole shape then weld it on..

The curved beak one is for bending sheet metal. (If the beak is wide) I have one of these. The small vises were also used handheld for pieces that were too small to be held securely in the hand.

How do you use the baking soda inside he chimney?

I agree with what as been said above but would like to express it slightly different. Ask your body! It knows (unless it is too confused by advice from others). The advice on swordsmanship by Minamoto Musashi can be paraphrased as "do not think about how you move or hold your sword - kill the enemy". The same is true for hammering. Do not focus on the hammer. Focus on the steel or (as Frosty says using a martial artist's trick) just below the steel. The process starts from the feet. Stand comfortably and stable. Keep you body comfortable and stable. Move your arm in a natural way. Hold the hammer in a way that is not tiring and whack away. If you are not hitting where and how you want to, you are probably standing in the wrong place and/or your anvil is not of the right height. (or you are tired. If so: quit for the day) Do not hold the hammer thigter than is necessary - it is tiring and the handle is not a life saver. If you are doing fine adjustments, your thumb may be creeping up on top of the handle. Do not force or prevent that. To most people it is uncomfortable and inefficient to hold the thumb on top when banging away. (It may also be bad for you) When you lift your hammer there are two kinds of forces. The pure lifting of the weight and the bending moment on your wrist. A heavy hammer on a long handle gives a high moment and is uncomfortable. A lighter hammer gives more bang with a longer handle and the same moment on the wrist.

There is a difference between what we can do and what is rational to do. Even if we have the knowledge to use medieval methods (and that is a good thing) we do not have to use them today unless there is a reason.

I thought you had to ask three blacksmiths to get five answers

You do not say whether you are worried about sound escaping from the shop or sound levels inside. Anyway, If you keep the level down indoors, less sound will escape to the outside. To keep the indoor level down, the first thing is to try to silence the sound sources. Look at the threads regarding silencing anvils. Second thing is to absorb the sounds. Avoid flat hard surfaces on walls and ceiling. The ceiling is the first place to put up absorbents. (Since the ceiling is "out of the way") A good design is to have a roof that is ventilated to the outside (to avoid condensation) and a ceiling of relatively thin mineral wool sheet some 5 cm down. The space increases the absorbing property. Also if the ceiling is tight but the roof has openings to the side there is less risk of condensation on the inside of the roof . To stop sounds getting through a single skin design, weight is what matters. The heavier the better. Holes in the walls let surprising amounts of sound through. Since you will need good ventilation it does not pay to invest too much to stop transmission unless you also put some damping devises in all openings.