keykeeper

My forge is COLD.:(

ROAM the flea market looking for bargains on tools!

Just so you know, that guy has been selling those "few anvils left behind" for quite some time. I know at least a year. Must have been a whole pile of them. Same listing, same picture, everything. I wouldn't buy it, just on the fact that it LOOKS like crap. There is an interesting write up of these ASO's over on anvilfire. It's a good article, worth the time to read. Later, aaron

And when the crane failed, the bridge had a DENT!

went, to a blacksmithing conference!

Rind, as in PORK!!!

A hybrid forge blower...awesome idea Jayco. If it works, it works. 'Nuff Said on the subject. I might have to try something like this.

Whoa! Good thing you saw what was going on, Jeremy. Glad there was no injury this time. Maybe this post will get everyone thinking about placement of lines, filters etc. out of the way, therey avoiding potentially dangerous consequences. I wonder how many others have a set up like this on their home-built air hammers?

Jakebob: Looks like you have heated, beat and bent a piece of metal. Congrats. You are on your way to being a blacksmith. Do you feel the itch yet? Welcome to IFI. Stop by on Tuesday night at 10PM for the Live Blueprint Session. There is a link on the opening page of iforgeiron.com Always a good time to be had there. Again, Welcome.

Candidquality: You are definitely in my thoughts and prayers. From personal experience, I know the turmoil caused by a flood. Growing up, my family and I weathered several floods. We finally moved away from that backwater/backup area and creek in 1985. Then, in June 1998, my mother and stepfather were hit with a freak flood. Imagine my surprise when, as a member of the local fire dept., I get called out for flood duty and someone tells you, "OH, THAT neighborhood is under water." Pretty sick feeling watching your families home serve as the split in the channel, with parts of other peoples homes from upstream piling up against it. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed in that one, although hundreds of homes were damaged and/or lost completely. Keep the faith, perservere, and remember theres always calm after the storm. When you are at your worst, things can only get better! -Aaron

You Might Be a Blacksmith if........ while driving out some quiet country road, you have an un-controllable urge to peek into every dark recess of the farmer's equipment shed you are passing by, on the off chance there might be a lonely anvil (or forge) looking for a new home in there!!! posted

All this talk about milk cans and such......... I was at a flea market a while back and picked up a stainless steel milk can. Pretty new one really, someone had made it into a stool. I ripped the lid cover off. I didn't know for sure what I would use it for when I bought it, but the price was right. I figured it would be good for quenching in oil, or make an annealing tank out of it, or even the body for a gas forge. Guess I'll figure it out when it comes time for one of these things.

70# Vanadium Steel anvil, 7/8" hardy hole

How about a hammer, anvil, tongs motif with the caption "Got Fire?" Or maybe a Joe Cool Snoopy, wearing old-school safety goggles and leather apron, standing behind the anvil with hammer in hand, sparks flying in the middle of a forge weld? For the ladies, an outline of an anvil, filled in with scroll work style filligree. Just some ideas.

Both of my Grandfathers were West Virginia coal miners in the depression era and after. I never met either of them, as they both passed away long before I came along. However, when I forge I look at the coal, and imagine what it must have been like to have mined it all day long, every day. The work had to have been hard, backbreaking labor. Using coal as a fuel, I feel a connection to them. I started a few years ago collecting the scrip tokens they had to use to purchase their families' necessities, from the county in which they worked. I have a few pieces from the actual mines they worked at. When I hold it in my hands, I feel like I'm holding a piece of West Virginia history. To think that maybe, one of my grandpa's had actually held that token in his hands, wow, what a cool thought. I'm sure my daughter will appreciate the collection some day, too. I appreciate coal miners, also.:)

What works for me is I like to pick a piece of metal, and then say to myself: "Self, what can you make out of this today?" Then I think about the techniques/skills I will have to use, or the techniques/skills I will have to learn to make that item. After I have a rough plan, I commence to making the item. If I mess it up, lesson learned. "Without failure, one cannot appreciate success" or something like that. If it comes out like I wanted it to, great. I then make another to reinforce the skills I just used to make it. Sometimes, I will look at the first piece, and incorporate changes in the second piece, etc. etc. The scrap pile is a great part of the learning curve, and I have my share of failed projects. However, when all goes well, it is nice to have the finished object to look at, show around and say "I MADE that myself."

As a former Volunteer Firefighter myself (5 yrs), I know the feeling Jr. Incidents such as this always weigh heavily on my emotions, also. The families of the fallen are in my prayers.

What happened to the head of the spike? Most people buy them for the "Hey, its a railroad spike made into a knife" appeal. Also, the head makes a cool pommel, without any extra work. Still a knice knife, although I would have used something with more carbon, and added some easy scale handles. keep on hammerin! Maybe the next one can have the head intact. Or Not. That's the beauty of forging, you can always mix it up like YOU want it to look.

Simmonds: BP0215 Belt Grinder BP0327 Belt Grinder Those are the only two I could find for ya. Enjoy.

patrick: Take Glenn's advice. Stan (Trying-it) would probably be more than willing to let you come down to his place and see his treadle in action. I have seen it in person, very impressive piece of equipment. The design is awesome, and I don't think heavy stock would be much problem for it. He is really not too far away from your area, so make a day trip down there if you can. You won't be sorry. Personally, I can't wait to get out there and see Stan's machine shop, I hear it's an experience in itself.

I would snatch that puppy up without even blinking. Good Luck!

Very Cool idea, JWB. I was trying to figure a good way to mount my post drill using something similar to this. I was going to use heavy 2" black pipe and weld on a plate near the top, with holes to mount the drill. Now I have a visual to help with my design. All my tools have to be mobile, so I can move them around my limited-space shop. Thanks for the neat setup pics!!

Nice, Very Nice, JWB. I would copyright it immediately, before it is stolen, and mis-quoted all over the blacksmithing world.

Looks nice, bet you can't wait to hit some metal on it. Wish my anvil was bigger like that. Have fun.

Use a good penetrating oil on the shafts, then lightly tap the wheel or cog you need to remove. It may take several applications to get the part to move at all. Sometimes, heat will free up frozen parts. Also see the blueprint on rust removal, that may work. Also, That is the wildest looking post vise I have ever seen, Most people I know call them post drills....WINK! All kidding aside, get it freed up, make a table column and table, and start using it. You'll like it, they are fun to tinker with.