eric sprado

Thanks Frank for mentioning that video!!! Amazing! That young man punching steel? cold? They sure like their anvils RINGING don't they?
thanks again, Eric Sprado.

I use tire irons for my fullers with part flattened out for spring effect. Either weld on a piece of square stock to fit hardy hole OR square up the end of the tire iron to fit hardy hole.. cheap trick that works great. I use tire irons for Zillions of things: Punches,knives,tongs.......buy em' at yard sales for .50 cents...

Grundsau: You use the same tool inserts in your press as I do. I scored a bunch of short one inch bolts at a local recycling place and weld tools on to them. Already has built-in shoulder!!!

Thanks to all of you for your help!!! Sounds like I'll get along fine with 10 gauge and my short extension cord. Steve-if and when I get to where I need longer extension cord,I'll talk to you FIRST, Before I go to the store and spend big bucks for a long cord!!!
Thanks again to all of you for your help. It's good to see so many folks concerned with safety in all aspects of our trade these days!!!

I have a Clarke 180en MIG machine. 220volts. Calls for 30amp breaker. For a 15 ft. extension cord is a 10 gauge cord safe. The fellow at the local Do It Yourself store said yes but I'd like to hear it from some of you on this site who REALLY know!! Thanks in advance. Eric Sprado

Thanks Jeremy: I see that the LG25 and LG 50 linkages are different. I'm thinking a brake that comes up from the BOTTOM from an extension of the clutch lever would work on mine. Maybe a steel cradle with some leather strap or belting glued/riveted to it? The first picture of my hammer shows the yellow lever that comes up when you let off the pedal. I think I'd put the extension on the yellow arm and go UP to the flywheel?

I'm confused on the linkage guys! The linkage in the picture looks like clutch engaging direction and brake engaging are in same direction-which I know is wrong but I just am not seeing how you built linkage to grab brake when you let up on pedal. Sorry for my ignorance. I have a nice LG 25# that I'd like to add brake to. Help!!!!

Here is the site for the little Aprovecho Camp stove: http://www.focaproject.com/FOCA/SOCEatTIC111021115381.pdf
I recommend using a store bought pre-made elbow of some sort in place of the small cans used for the burner because the cans burn out QUICK. Good to know how to make it with cans though out in the middle of nowhere.

You'd better JUMP on that NOW!!!! That would bring $300+ around here (Oregon) at the drop of a hat!!!

I have one of the original handbooks on how to make a rocket stove out of gallon cans and would be glad to take it apart and scan it to put on here if anybody is interested. The only change I made was to use a store bought drain elbow instead of small tin cans for the burner. The little cans burn out way too fast. This little stove will bring a cast iron Dutch Oven to a boil in no time with twigs. Amazing little camp stove.

Is that a BRAND NEW Squeaky Clean Side draft Forge????? Whew. NICE!!!!!!!

Aprovecho,a non profit organization in Cottage Grove Oregon,developed what they called a rocket stove years ago that was made from tin cans with a pair of tin snips. Not as nice as Dean's stove for sure but I do have the plans if anybody wants to make a neat LITTLE camp stove. If you visit Aprovecho's web site they also have a larger stove in production for Third World countries to use that don't have much fuel.
These may not be in the same class as the DK stoves but they are probably worth a look for folks who live near Oregon..

Here is a site that discusses forge chimneys in depth: http://www.beautifuliron.com/chimneys.htm
Lots of good info. Good Luck

Thanks to all of you! Flood waters have gone down and road cleared so I guess I'll head to town and get some 6011!!! I probably should have done a little "brushing up" and run a few beads too! Thirty years is long enough to forget how to ride a bike!!! thanks again, Eric

I need some of you old pipeline welders to help me. I was a pipe welder and general welder in Kodiak in the mid 1970's. Many moons ago since I ran beads. Then we had Lincoln SA200's and a few of the then new Millers. Ran lots of 5P and 6010. Very little low hydrogen rod because everything was rusty!!
So -now I've got a little Century Buzz box. Sliding amperage control which is nice,and Hi and Lo range Voltage taps. Tried running some 6013 today to weld a trailer receptacle under my workbench so I can rig up all sorts of things to stick into it. Looked like dog turds and had no penetration. Should I be running 6011? I know nothing about AC rods and haven't run a bead in a long time but I figured it should be like riding a bike.

All an anvil ring does is MAKE YOU DEAF!!!!!!! That is all. When folks say " it has a nice ring" I want to say "Oh, I'm so sorry". Many of us go to great lengths to quiet our anvils down...Ever notice how many of us old metal smackers wear hearing aids????

Looks like you did a nice job building up the edge of your anvil?????

We used to use a cutter like this to cut stock for horseshoes. I had one that fit in the hardy hole. The trick to them was getting JUST the right heat to cut. Not too hot but just cooled to a black heat. Somebody invented the nice cold shears that most shoers use today and they took the place of that tool,at least for farriers.

I see it has the advancing dog on top that I mentioned. Looks like a nice simple drill. Think about mounting a bike frame under it and using pedal power. I'm working on mine and will put up pictures if I ever get it done.

As far as shops go: Some of the best shops have dirt floors. Concrete is a back killer. Are you aware you are a little less than an hour away from some GREAT blacksmiths? David Thompson in Eugene. Bear,Jack Frost both in Eugene. I'm not a great or even a good blacksmith but you are welcome to come over to Deadwood Or. and play in my shop. I have a LG 25#.. Alan Flashing down in Oakland Oregon has a wonderful shop. You can Google Alan's site,Flashing Forge,and see his stuff.Alan's large shop has a dirt floor except in a few spots where he poured some concrete pads.

Thanks for the update Larry. Somehow I had thought that you would be the logical one to carry on Grant's work and produce OCP products. I know that I speak for more than just myself when I say we would trust you implicitly to carry on the fine workmanship. Eric Sprado

There is a place in Port Townsend or Mt. Vernon called Mountain Spirit Herbals. They have a web site. They make all kinds of natural salves. The Comfrey Wildflower Salve eases my diabetic neuropathy and old frostbite and cracked skin. Worth a try. Google them. I put it on at
bedtime and cover with light cotton glove.

You'll notice the one side is the number 22 not SS as in the hitler regime and ,as Bigundoctor said, the swastica like design is many thousands of yeasr old. I too suspect just an unfortunate coincidence.Yuck.. Log brand-lots of them around. Hit the end of the log with it on the end the scaler is going to see...

Lots of old time shoers used to use that style. That pein pulls toe clip pretty slick!!!!

David Thompson and I quenched an anvil in the Willamette river a number of years back. We had a piece of chain wrapped around like a harness and rehearsed putting our piece of pipe through it and wading a few feet to a nice ,about three feet deep, hole. River was running pretty hard so it was a good quench. We put the anvil in a piece of culvert and stuck two propane weed burning torches in ends. We finally figured out one torch in one end would have been quicker! As it was it took a lot of beer before we,I mean the anvil, reached the right temperature.