primtechsmith

I have the czech and it is really soft.

One of our demonstrators was usign the swedish hammer in the head flew off the handle. Come to find out the handle is only in there half way and filled with red epoxy. I took the head and threw it in the forge and heated the whole thing up and then quenched it in water. It helped harden the head up a lot and I put the handle in all the way and put a wedge in it. I also sanded the varnish off the handle. It is now suitable for a beginner to use in the school...

The head is crooked on ours too...I think the mold is off....

I did not expect much from these hammers(I got them for about 17 bucks or so a piece from another seller). You get what you paid for I suppose.

my .02
Peyton

It was really cool to meet you and hang out! I am glad you all had a good time. We aim high, and we certainly aim to please. The turnout and smiles on everyone's faces let us know that it all came together!

Linda deserves all the credit for the day. It was her idea, and her prep for the stew. She is an amazingly dedicated woman with the best intentions for the blacksmithing community as a whole!


Peyton

Next Meeting: January 17 2009
10am-4:30pm

Location: Yesteryear School of Blacksmithing Crewe VA.

Elmer will be doing a demonstration on tool making. This will be a teaser demo for the upcoming classes he will be teaching at the Yesteryear School on tool making.

Come on out and join us for a great demo packed with a lot of knowledge!

Don't forget something for Iron in the Hat!

Peyton

If the weather holds John will be at our Hammer in this Saturday with a hammer running for anyone interested in trying it out and learning about Iron Kiss.

Peyton

This is one I did last year for my brother in law for Christmas. It was my first set I had done all on ym own. Usually Miek would do some and I would do some. He did help here and there with my questions and frustrations...

The pictures are a little dark...sorry.

Peyton

Blue Moon Press will also be there set up!

John Larson will also be there set up demonstrating his power hammer. Look here for more info on the hammer: Blacksmith Power Hammers - Iron Kiss Hammers, LLC.

Let me know if you are coming and if you are going to tailgate.
Peyton

Nah it is cool. Those boxes are Doug Merkels boxes. One is a BAM box, and the other is one he either made or did the iron work on. I do not remember. He had everything at our ABANA Appreciation Event in them.

Here is a link to those photos and others:
Blacksmith Guild of Viriginia - Gallery

Scroll down to "ABANA Appreciation Event 2008" pgs 1-5

Peyton

Saturday November 8th 2008 9am-4:30pm

PETER ROSS KEN SCHWARZ JIM SLINING CLAY SMITH (tentative) RICK GUTHRIE (tentative)

This is going to be a VERY unique Hammer-In. We are going to turn over the complete shop to the

Very beautiful work. I really like the style of several of the pieces there. Inspires me on a new fireplace set idea...

Thanks for sharing the link!

Peyton

I would suggest you take a look in the upcoming Anvil's Ring. There is a new insurance plan available for ABANA members. You can read up on the details there.

Peyton

I was the guy set up selling those things...
And yesteryearforge is the guy who makes them.
They are available on ebay. And they have run here on the auction page. Buying it here helps the site!

We now have in stock our Version II which has over 100 size variations with it. But I will not go into a sales plug here...you can go look on ebay or the auction page and read the description.

S Hooks:
At Yesteryear Forge we have prescribed sizes that we make our hooks from. Generally it is 1/4" round, but we also do them in other material. The length material I have set for production is 6", 8", 10", 12", and 14". These are the sizes we make a lot in...we do and can go bigger in length and material per special orders.

I have two main ends on my hooks. One is a curly Q, or pig tail...how ever you call it where you are in the world. And the other is a flat end...sort of like a mini fish tail. One end takes 4 heats(curly Q) and the other takes 2(mini fishtail). I set up and do runs of 6-8 in the fire at once to increase my speed. I can on average turn out 30-35 hooks an hour and they sell for about 3.00 USD a piece.

I will try and see if Mike has any photos at home of the hooks and stuff to post. I am in my classroom right now with my kids taking a test so I am limited...

I hope this helps.

Peyton

Jessie will be demonstrating the techniques of using a striker.

So someone, or a few people will be swinging some big hammers on Saturday!

Peyton

Welcome to the greatest state in the country!
We have a guy who sells 50# bags of coal at our meetings. It is pretty good stuff. A lot of our members buy from him, and the blacksmithing school where we meet uses it as well.

Here is a link for info on our next meeting: Blacksmith Guild of Viriginia - Home

PLEASE let me know if I can be ofany help to you on getting settled here in Virginia.

Peyton Anderson
President, Blacksmith Guild of Virginia

Also, Blacksmith Supply is about an hour from where our meetings are here in Virginia. You could purchase one from John and come up here for a meeting pick up the anvil from him. It would save you on shipping, and let you hang out with some of the smiths up here too.

Also Alwin Wagener and Elmer Roush use Euroanvils...along with the instructor's anvil at the Yesteryear School of Blacksmithing is a 500# Euro.

...just a suggestion
Peyton

Looks like the weather is going to be perfect for a great time! mid to upper 70s and NO RAIN!

Ye Haw!

I will be heading out with Mike, Linda, and Sarah Wednesday afteroon after Sarah and I kick all oyr kids out of the classroom. Will be there setting up Thursday, and ready to go for the weekend.

I am excited!!!!!

Peyton

I know the seller personally and his integrity is NOT in question. John is a very fair and reputable dealer. Those hammers are bought from an over seas distributor. They are extremely soft. I have one and was not happy with it.

I think we all need to keep in mind that sometimes the price of something will automatically tell us the quality of it. This hammer is great for a beginner, or someone who is not quite sure if this style is for them BEFORE they spend the big bucks on a Hofi or Tom Clark.

These types of hammers are sold by just about every blacksmith tool dealer out there. So it is not just him...

Peyton

SATURDAY October 18th 2008 10am-4:30pm

Where: !!!NEW!!!
Yesteryear School of Blacksmithing .
Crewe Virginia .
1918 West Virginia Ave (US 460) 23930

Lunch: Brown Bag it, or local eatery

Demonstrator: JESSIE WARD
Info: Jessie is an active instructor at the Jacksonville Folk School in Floyd Virginia. Her knowledge of not only blacksmith but shoeing horses lends itself to a very unique and extremely entertaining demo!

Reminders: IRON IN THE HAT! and bring a chair!

Directions: The School is located on US 460 in Crewe Virginia.
Google Maps

I hope you can attend this very special event!
Peyton

I have had the same issues in my explorations of my leaf making. I have had a couple of suggestions that have worked out quite well for me.

1. Work the piece hot, and stop early. When it goes cold it becomes more brittle and the vibrations will take its toll. It is kind of like bending a paper clip back and forth...small cracks begin to appear and then it finally breaks off. When hammering out the stems the end of the leaf is out there bouncing and vibrating around...

2. Leave the stem thicker at the leaf and thing that out last. This sometimes keeps the stress down.

3. The best thing for me so far has come from an instructor who lives around here. He told me to quench up to the point where I am working. It will harden it enough until you are done. That has been a saving grace for me...

3. Watch for cold shuts. I have to be really careful when I make them on the edge of the anvil because admitedly my hammer control is not as great as I would want it to be. A misplaced blow in creating the shoulder for the leaf can result in a lot of frustrations. I use a c frame guilltone tool to do all my leaves now.

I hope this helps. In no way do I admit to know what I am talking about, these are just some things I have been told when making leaves and have helped. Which if you ask Mike I make and put on everything. Truth hurts!! HA!

Peyton

I am going to be set up with a forge going all weekend demoing and selling Mike's tooling(c frame guillotine, and s hook jigs). Please come on by and say hello! We will also have some other newly fabricated goodies that you won't be able to turn down too! But those will be a surprise!

I will be beside John Elliott of Blacksmith Supply.


Peyton

On Saturday I had the chance to get out at the forge and light it up. I hadn't since mid-June. Things have been busy and there just wasn't a chance to get out there until yesterday. I spent a good majority of the day hanging out with my mentor and getting some things made up and ready for Quad State.

It was good to get some "time on the couch"...who needs a shrink when you can get out and release some pinned up energy at the forge with good people! Besides I would rather talk to my fire than a Dr. any day! HA!

:)Peyton:)

Time:10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Location: Yesteryear School of Blacksmithing 1918 West Virginia Avenue Crewe, Virginia 23930 Demonstrator: Peter Happny

Lunch: Brown bag it, or enjoy a local eatery!

Peter offers an information packed lecture complete with tall tales and bad jokes. His demo includes a smorgasbord of techniques from practical to highly decorative ironwork. He is a self taught smith who has made his living at it for over 35 years. Possible subjects include; reproduction techniques, sculpture, hardware, practical blacksmithing and large architectural commissions. "Tricks of the trade" include using simple techniques to make your work lightweight and economical to produce. Peter discusses working with designers, budgeting, pricing and dealing with squeaky customers. (from the ABANA Demonstrator List page)

DON'T FORGET TO BRING SOMETHING FOR IRON IN THE HAT!

Also for directions click here: Google Maps

Please let me know if you are planning to attend.
Peyton Anderson
president@blacksmithguildofva.com
OR just post it here...

Thomas.

Handles are a dollar a piece.
I will have as many as I can squeeze into the trailer along with everything else!


Peyton

I will be there set up working for Yesteryear Forge selling and demonstrating his custom tooling...The hook jig, and c frame guillotine that runs over in the auctions part of IFI and also on ebay. I will also have a good assortment of hammer handles available. So bring your hammer needing handles and find one that fits. There will also be some other stuff around too for sale.

At least just stop by and say hello. It is always good to see and meet all my internet friends.

Peyton

Kegs:
I have recently been on a hunt here in Virginia for about 10 of these things to turn into slack tubs. Here is what I have found out about kegs in Virginia.

The stores turn them back into the distributor who then turns it back into the bottler/brewer. They then decide whether the keg is suitable for another trip or a trip to be salvaged. Now the question I had was what about the salvage ones????Well here in Virginia the ABC laws state all kegs must be serialized and tracked at all times. SO when one disappears there must be a reason, and selling it to me was not one. I think they were scared I was going to make and sell illegal beer or something.

So that idea is circling the drain and we are going to plan B...

Peyton