keykeeper

NEW and RELAY RAIL PRODUCTS, Do a search for rr spike manufacturers. There are several listed. This is the only one with a website. Thomasnet is where I found a pretty comprehensive list. I have a few of the little ones, a couple medium sized, and some of the common sized. I'll have to ask the fellow that had the mini's where to get them sometime.

I have literally a half ton of various stock sizes of the springs from roll up doors, provided by my blacksmith friendly neighbor. He comes over and watches me work sometimes. He started bringing home the stuff that would otherwise be thrown out for the junk man-Springs, shafts, motors, gear reduction heads, long chains similar to bicycle chains, hollow tube, angle iron, whew, I'm gettin' tired listing it all. The small stuff is good for hooks, make an upright mandrel, heat several inches at once in the forge, drop over the mandrel and pull. Instant straight stock! The larger is good for punches, small chisels, etc. Good neighbors Rock!

Ian, I agree completely, I had a little trouble at first with Sponge Bob, but my 3 yr old daughter has converted me. There is a channel called Boomerang that has some great old toons on it also. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....Nice knife Flaming S!

You might be addicted to blacksmithing if you... ......find yourself going into DT's when the weather is bad, and you can't forge (I work outside). ......find yourself with the DT's again, when every used tool you have bought lately is rehandled or rehab-ed, having done the work in the family room because of the weather. .....once again find yourself going into the DT's, when you have exhausted all options to do inside that are blacksmith related, and IFI is offline for maintenance. Ugh.

Peyton, Is there gonna be a live webcam this time? Would make it accessible for us low-budget non-travelin' types. :D

This hopped in the trunk of my car yesterday. Belated Christmas present from my MIL. Fisher anvil, decent face, 162 pounds by the bathroom scale.

Sam, that is a very good looking piece. I love the way you leave the unground, as forged areas along the flats. Nice handle work as well. Should be a very good user blade!

Open Office is a good program. A fellow I work with gave me a copy. Works great. The way he explained it is, that it is an open-source program, so therefore free to distribute, as long as it is not sold.

Your right Steve, just the geometry of a graver point is mind boggling. Somewhere on one of those sites I linked to is a good explanation, but I can't remember where. Also, there's lots of discussion about the "heel" angle, which can be different for different needs, even if the point may be sharpened at the same angle. I know for fact that many engravers will spend a good deal of time just learning proper sharpening of the graver, although there are templates available for some of the different grinds that help.

Have a friend who is an engraver by trade. He turned me on to a couple of websites about it. Hand Engraving Tools and Hand Engraving for Jewelers and Artists ~ Steve Lindsay -check out the forum there, there is plenty about gravers, sharpening angles, etc. Sam Alfano's Tip & Tricks for Hand Engravers -check out the engraver's cafe there, also the tutorials on the main page Be advised, it takes many months of practice and study to become proficient at engraving.

Try this seller on ebay, his stuff is pretty good quality cast iron. I have some of his items, all have been worth the price. Blacksmith Tuyere Plate Iron Forge Repair Item - eBay (item 270326146205 end time Jan-11-09 17:41:07 PST) Disclaimer: No relation or affiliation with seller, although I did meet him at QuadState last year.:D

I would say the Tailgating section of this site would be a good venue to sell your wares. Either by auction or set price (Buy it Now). I know there are several members here that are from your area. Might not take long to clean out the barn that way.

Glad you are with us to tell us all about it, homesteader. I play the lottery pretty frequently myself, but I've never won.....yet.:rolleyes:

Right nice job you did there, Spike. Let us know how it works for ya!

Last time I bought some at a conference, it was $6.00/pound. So, $7 shipped isn't too bad. I have a line on some local beekeepers as a wax source. Know of one guy who wants to sell 200 pounds at $4.00/pd. I didn't have the extra cash to buy it all at once. If I knew I could unload it all and make a few bucks for my time, I could probably still get it, provided he didn't want an inflated price for it now.:rolleyes:

Usually farrier's anvils had two pritchel holes. Maybe someone else can find the age of it. Pictures, we need pictures.

Yep, sounds like a Trenton to me. I stand corrected.

Looks alright to me. Mount it and use it. Happy Hammering!

Nice forge, update us when you finish it. I like the concept of the disc, pipe reducer, and tee. Should be real cooker when you get it going.

Good deal then. I couldn't tell from the pics where the supports were located. That piece should last for many years. Good job, Dan.

Hmm..let me see, nope,nope, that won't work...send it all to me and I'll try to tweak it for you. Seriously, you have a good start, with some nice looking gear, both made and bought. Now, get after it and hit some hot metal. I really like the cart setup for the forge. GOOD JOB! -aaron c.

Right nice work you did there, Dan. How is the glass supported for the top? And is it tempered glass? It seems the glass is raised a little. If I recall, you have to be careful how the glass is supported, otherwise may shatter under too much weight if the pressure is not distributed evenly. I only ask, as my uncle owned a pretty thriving glass business for 35 years (now the cousins have it), and I used to hang out as a kid and watch them work making plate glass tabletops, windows, etc. If a piece flexes too much out of the plane of the glass, cracks or shattering would occur.

Here's another previous forum thread you might read....http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/new-forge-need-specifics-8652/ Lot's of info about firepots in it. Check out the links for plans, dimensions, etc.

Several new pairs of jeans, a bunch of new pocket T-shirts, new pair of sneakers, and still have stuff to open in the morning, after Santa makes his visit. I hope the anvil I've been wanting makes it under the tree, but I'm not holding my breath.:D

Ah, yes, there was a Charles Hall Co. that used a mark of an H in a shield. I know they made mechanics tools, so maybe made that hammer as well. There's also another company that made striking tools, but their mark was a "K" and some other letters in a shield. Anyway, go ahead and send it to James over at ironrosefarms, and when he's finished testing it, he can send it to me for a second opinion. LOL:D