eric sprado

Thanks to all of you for prayers, good thoughts(ala Frank Turley,our moms sound similar!),emails,and even a few cards!!! I have had contact with a few folks here but have waited until it seemed pretty safe to say I'm on the mend to make an "official" announcement.  I had a heart attack out here an hour and a quarter from hospital. Wound up with triple bypass surgery and NO damage to my heart!! Following doctors orders because I DON'T want to go back for seconds. One side effect is that they damaged the nerves controlling my left hand so fiddle playing(most important thing) writing, or swinging a hammer are out for a while. They say maybe up to a year,but I still feel blessed!!!!!!!! It has always been my wont to be a good son, husband,father and to do no unkindness to my fellow human beings or to the Earth. I have not,being human, always been successful. I feel blessed to be given a second chance to dedicate myself more to this Worlds needs!

  Thanks again to all of you!!!!! Eric Sprado, Deadwood,Oregon

Hi Everyone,

This is Kathy Sprado with an update on Eric.  

Had a scare last night and they took Eric back to the ICU.  They will probably be putting him back in a regular room today or tomorrow.  He was back in ICU for arrhythmia and heart cessation (3 minutes).  But he is doing really well now.  Improvements include much more lucidity, normal temperature, drop in blood sugar, better lung function, less need for pain killers.

Thanks for all your messages.  He  still really needs a lot of rest.  He got some really good sleep in the ICU because there are less interruptions in terms of nurses and staff coming in. 

I'll probably write again tomorrow.
Love
Kath

Hi All,

This is Eric Sprado's wife.  Here is an update on Eric's condition.  Some of you may not know that Eric had a heart attack last Weds.  and a triple bypass Sunday morning.  They have already moved him out of ICU and to a regular room.

He is still in tremendous pain and needs to rest.  He is currently not well enough for visits and can not even talk on the phone.  He sleeps most of the time and is just eating a little bit so far.  He is very weak.  This is all normal post-op stuff.

I will keep sending updates every few days.  Thanks for all the replies, prayers, and wishes you posted after my initial notice.

Take care,

Kathy Sprado

This is Kathy Sprado.  Eric asked that I post the above message.  Yesterday night he had a heart attack.  It was relatively minor and he did not suffer any loss of mobility/brain power.  However, they did later determine that he needed triple by-pass surgery.  He talks about you guys all the time and I know you mean a lot to him.  I will log on later to update you all over the next few days. 

My husband Eric Sprado will be going into bypass surgery in the next 24 to 48 hours. 

Kathy Sprado

4dead: You guessed it. Too much off center tightening can tweak your vise  off to one side....

Please look at this forge chimney link:  http://www.beautifuliron.com/chimneys.htm

Thanks Bigfoot!!! Guess I never gave the reason for "the old saying" much thought! I've thrown a bunch of the darn things out! I'll try the grinding soon!!!!

KYBOY: I make my strikers REALLY hard like you do,BUT some still won't strike a spark at all!!!! You mention grinding the edge? Is there something remaining on the edge after quenching that keeps tool from sparking??? Is my question clear? Thanks, Eric S.

Bill Apple over at Northwest Blacksmith Association site has repaired more anvils than anybody I've EVER heard of. Has has brought them to our conferences for twenty years and sold them. NEVER a return. He uses MG710 rod. Bill has said many times on the site to call him at 360 710 2248 and he will help anybody with their project. Call him!!!

I'll try to get one of mine finished, but you can see it on the Kayne and Son website...under Hammers..

 Here are pictures. It is not as balanced as Brazeal/Hofi/Chec etc. style hammers,but is a darned good one and moves some metal!!

I have a new Papa Rhino. Made in Spokane,Washington. Steve at Incandescent Iron has them made. Double ender like you want. Made of wonderful steel.My only objection to lots of the new anvils is the blunt tip!!!!!! Drive me nuts to have to go over to one of my other anvils to do small work at the horn tip.  His email is: stevem@incandescent-iron.com

I just bought a DANDY hammer. It is a German Farriers hammer. One side square faced and the other round. I had to put in a good half an hour making the round side rounder and dressing up the square edges on the other side,but that is what  we do with store bought hammers. It weighs three and a half pounds and cost $60! I t moves some metal. I've been using the same Heller Rounding hammer since 1965,so nobody can say I'm one of those folks who jump on every new fad. I'm frugal and everything I have is paid for. Wanted a heavier hammer and found a good one.

Looks great! Maybe follow Grant Sarver's suggestion and put an upward extension on your tuyere so that clinkers won't be as prone to plug it up.

Any power hammer smacking steel is going to be heard 100 yards away!! Will cause neighbor problems at some point. Sorry-just the hard truth. Would a Fly press suit your needs?? They are quiet.

Beautiful apron. Does the "Y" configuration help keep weight off the neck?That bugs me in my apron sometimes.  Wonder about a poor guy in a "my wife won't LET me" situation!!! My wife and I are both very frugal and everything we have,including home, is paid for ,but I wouldn't Dream of asking her what she spent on the new industrial sewing machine and she wouldn't think of asking me what that new Papa Rhino anvil cost! I guess everybody is different,but I had to say something because the "my wife won't let me" thing seems to pop up here a LOT!!! Maybe it's just in a joking manner?????

Frank: I'm a little confused(not too hard to do) by your description. My saddle is a piece of very thick walled square tubing welded to a pice of 1" stock to fit my hardy hole.. Did you draw out your axel flat and make it rectangular? Sorry for not understanding...  Eric Sprado

Bad thought! Don't even try it...

Grind off that stupid added on clip horn or whatever it was for, and you'll be where you should.

Turning that down at that price seems a bit odd to me....  Your deal though!

Thanks Scott: Have you met Jim Bolinger in the Bitteroots? He is around Stevensville and a really good smith.

Frosty: Who is the Kodiak blacksmith? I was up there in the 70's and was the only guy in town with  a forge. There was a complete old shop down in Dead Man's Day or there about on the South end of the island from the San Francisco steam ship days when they came up to get salt salmon. We salvaged some stuff from there,but it was pretty costly getting anything from that end of the island. I welded for the Coast Guard there for a while and there were TONS of pretty decent coal left from WWll days. Spent a few more years there welding around the docks and canneries. I was the only horse shoer on the island too and kept the few horses there taken care of.

Do you have a name???Or is Tilaru your name? Seems strange to log on to a person's site and not have a name.. I guess I'm too old to have gotten used to the choice of anonymity that I find on the internet.

If you want good neighbors BE ONE. I've drifted all over the West and always got on with neighbors just fine.

My favorite leaf curling fuller I made from a railroad clip. Straightened out most of clip but kept the end curved part to make the fuller. I clamp it in my post vise.