eric sprado

Love it. I've been trying to make a friction folder with no luck. Any chance of seeing your blade before it was inserted into handle??thanks, Eric Sprado

Whoa!!!! I've gotten so sick of twists over the years BUT those twisted scroll ends are GREAT!! Okay if I copy(copying being the best form of flattery)??? Eric in Deadwood Oregon.... So far out you have to have your own tomcat...

I have a 90# Wilkinson that is my "travel" anvil. It is a dandy! With that thick waist it acts like a much bigger anvil because of the mass directly under your hammer! I'll bet the Ebay one is a dandy too with that same shape! If I needed another one that size I'd run it up to a thousand bucks in a heartbeat!

I think it's just bragging... I am not a "real" blacksmith but crawled under probably 20,000 horses and spent all day making shoes and never heard of an anvil "overheating".... How can 150 degrees hurt an anvil?

I put a picture of my swage block cut on a CNC machine on here a week or so ago. Can't remember what the subject line was,but it was a discussion about swage blocks.

if it is old English system the second number can't be 4. The first number is 112 #,the SECOND is fourths of that(28#) so the second can't be over three or it would be moved to first spot... The third number is simply pounds. For example an old English system written 324 would be three times 112# plus 2x28# plus 4 pounds or 396#.

Painting an anvil is gilding the lily....

I think this thread is split between two threads.. I replied with pictures of my CNC swage block in thread called " Swage Block Question"

Here's a couple of pictures of a nice little swage block I got from Jake James up on Vancouver Island.I believe it was cut on a CNC machine.
It is 13"x13"x 3 1/2" thick. All slots go through and it has LOTS of fuller sizes. Use it often.

Did blacksmiths wear white dresses then too??? Hmmmm!

I have a really nice swage block that a fellow up in Vancouver B.C. had cut,probably by CNC machine. Lots of holes,slots and concave surfaces. Don't know about costs but it might be worth looking into.. I can post a picture if you'd like.

Thanks Frank! I was going to throw in a similar 1.5 cents worth. Another "beat to death" word is "Ecology". Ecology is a science,NOT a political stance.It belongs to no political party,but is the STUDY of the interactions of parts of systems. Read Fundamentals of Ecology by Adams. When someone asks "do you believe in all this ecology stuff I have to give a "HUH?" answer. Sorry to bend the thread,but it really is important,when talking about ANYTHING that we have a definition that we all agree on.
The Hofi "Ergonomic" hammer,as he blatantly calls it on YouTube,is not based on ANY kind of study of which I'm aware. It is a current marketing fad word.

Don't forget all the old bicycles around. I'm currently adapting an old Schwin exercise bike to power my Champion post drill. I'll put up some pictures when it's done. Bikes can power grinders,blenders,and all SORTS of things.

What's the mixture ratio of Beeswax/turpentine/linseed oil ??

I have four of them(not stamped but feel like 5# each) as arm weights on my #2 fly press.

There is a discussion about this very hammer on NWBA site today. It is for sale by the man's widow.

If I don't haul one standing up,I put down a pallet,put a tire on the pallet to protect hammer's working parts,lay the hammer down and strap it. That is a REALLY good way to haul one. Keeps center of gravity of your pickup nice and low. Learned this from Scott Epselin in Butte Montana when I bought my LG 25 from him.

MOblacksmith: Funny-I do the same thing with one inch bolts. I was at a local recycling place last year and found a bunch of them. SO handy to have some all shortened up and be able to make a new tool in only a few minutes.

Frank: Thanks for referring the book. I found one online that is a two-in-one book " American Blacksmith and Twentieth Century Toolsmith and Steelworker" by Holstrom and Holford.. Apparently Holstrum wrote his "American Blacksmithing" and combined it with Holford's book.Odd! There are a number of them on AbeBooks from just a couple of bucks to around forty dollars depending on age and condition.
Thanks again, Eric Sprado

Can't really see the working part of the forge. What does the Tuyere look like? Is the fire pot the whole length of the split tank? Maybe some drawings to show its innards.... thanks

I just had a class with Gordon Williams at the NWBA Spring conference. He showed us a flux called Black Magic that is great for propane forges because it does not harm the refractory in any way! Nice stuff. I tried it at the conference but haven't sent off to buy any yet.

My wife keeps an emergency bag current and ready to go out the door. Medical supplies that include MORE than band aids..i.e.. splints,wraps,pain killer,blankets,water,etc. In an emergency of large magnitude you should be prepared to help someone who fell and has a gaping wound.
There is a relatively new product that all EMTs carry that absolutely stops arterial bleeding called Quick Clot. It is not cheap but I wouldn't be with out it. PLEASE,all of you, get some and keep one in your shop!!!! The need to stop arterial bleeding could come up in anybody's shop.I believe this product was just recently developed during the Gulf War.

If you are in Portland Oregon you should be posting on the NWBA (Northwest Blacksmith Association) site. There are probably a couple of hundred members within half an hour drive. The Spring conference was in Kelso just fifty miles North of you. Eric Sprado,Deadwood, Oregon.

Congratulations Adam. I always figure that,in the end,if my kids thought I'd been a good dad,that trumps all.....

Have you two been friends long??????????????