KST1-Derek Fultz

This was found in a bunch of hammers, top tools, and other misc. blacksmithing stuff I picked up a couple weeks ago. Anybody know what it is or what it's for?

Nice job. Thanks for sharing the tenon mess up. You're human, we're human, and we all make mistakes. Overcoming them is the key and you surely did! Beautiful piece to be proud of for sure.

My wife and I took Don's copper class last spring. Got to know him a little and can say he was a friendly knowlegeable and very nice man. May he rest in peace.

The trivet is really nice (both of them, but I like the collared one better). Do you have any pics of the jig? -Derek

Ok you guys confirmed my suspicions. Didn't want my anvil ignorance to make me miss out on s good deal but that horn didn't look right. Thanks!

Anyone know what kind of anvil this is and if it is worth anywhere near $250? I have no additional information and no other photos at this point. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. -Derek

Caught the part I missed the first time last night, and watched it with my kids (girl 8, boy 10). We all thought it was cool. My kids can't imagine doing anything for 11 hours, let alone hammering on a peice of metal. About 15-20 min. is all I ever get out of them. Ric, your skill set is truly remarkable and your hard work is evident. I hope this program helps bring you whatever rewards you desire. Thanks for sharing with us here. -Derek

Just caught the tail end by chance. Came in from the shop to help get the kids in bed, popped on the tv, and there was Ric! Sword looked awesome, and the film presentation was top notch. Just like you would expect from NOVA. I'm going to try to catch the whole program later in the week.

Thanks everyone. I will run them by a local rental place later this week and see if there is any interest. I like Thomas' and Big Gun's idea about selling/trading for used up bits. Something about cutting up brand new tools just doesn't sit well with me, but I'm not going to spend a lot of time and effort on it either. Monster, thanks for the info. The clay spades are the ones I hate to cut up the most as they look like they would be hard to re-forge into useable form again. I'll let you know how it goes. -Derek

Thanks for your thoughts Volcano. Sure would be a lot easier to simply cut em up and use them rather than trying to sell em off. I'll probably go this way unless I hear diferent from someone.

Stopped by a garage sale this weekend when I saw a bunch of tools laid out on a tarp. Picked up these breaker bits (SDS bits?) thinking I could make some tooling out of them. Got 'em all for $20. But now, after I've taken a better look at them, I realize they are all brand new (except for the big breaker bit which has been used at least once). They are marked Kango -England. Are these things too good to cut up? Could I sell them to someone for their original purpose, and make some dough? Maybe an rental place? I don't mind repurposing tools for my uses, but would hate to destroy something of significant value/use without at least knowing more about them. -Derek

Yeah, it's a pin vise, but I thought it's similarity to a post vise was "striking" :rolleyes: The "post" (handle actually) has a whole bored through it (bolt too) so that a rod, wire, or "pin" of any length can be passed through. -Derek

Stopped by the thrift store over lunch and picked up a large square file, a pair of nice old pair of large dividers, and 3 peice set of large spring tubing benders for $4.

I made a base for my that is on a peice of verticle 2" tubing about 4 inches long. It fits in the "gonzita" (reciever) on my benches, and can also be clamped in a vise. I also have another gonzita out in front of my shop that I put it in when I cut long stuff.

Like most smiths on here, I am always on the lookout for a nice big postvise. I have a few of the average 4"-5" jaw ones around that I use all the time, but a monster vise has alluded me all together. Unfortunately, my luck continues. I haven't found a big one, but I might have found the smallest? -Derek

In the early nineties I met, and got to know a man who had been an underwater welder for a number of years ( well over 15yrs if I remeber correctly). He had done a lot of lock and dam repair on the big muddy Mississippi . His second job was repairing smoke stacks. He was healthy and fairly wealthy as well. And still is as far as I know. He had a cavalier attitude about the dangers, but could recite the safety regs from heart. And he often turned down jobs if he thought they were to dangerous or if the management didn't take safety seriously.

Wow! The filigree work under the "fancy work" section of her website is phenomenal. I can't imagine the time and patience her stuff takes to make. It's all cool. -Derek

Been there, done that, learned a lesson. Just the memory of that little micro-burr coming at my eye to get rid of the rust ring is usually enough to make me find my safety glasses. -Derek

Hi Fe-Wood, I am interested in learning to spin, someday. I simply don't have the room for the equipment in my current shop but hope to in the near (1-2 year) future. Spinning really interests me and I agree that it is a nice complementary skill to blacksmithing. I can say that I have read every post about your progress and any others regarding spinning that I have seen. Filing away information for when I make the step into spinning. So, while I can't really contribute to the discussion, or experiment as you teach, I am interested in learning more! I'd like to see a thread/discussion that starts from the beginning, ie; what is the best lathe set up to look for? what are the limitations in metal spinning (max guage of metal, max diameter, etc. {I know Frosty and his Dad did some big stuff}), do you have to use a certain kind of wood for a backer? etc. Please share (if other

Here's a page with a few ideas. Black walnut crackers I've seen the lever type made with a foot pedal so they can be used sitting down with leg power. My Grandad cleaned, cracked, and picked out 53 lbs. of black walnut meats last winter to keep himself busy (90yrs. old). We've bought and made him all kinds of nut crackers over the years, but he normally uses a hammer to crack them and a pick made from a nail... -Derek

And will dissolve your bones if you spill it on yourself. Hydiflouric loves calcium. Not good stuff to mess with on a casual basis. -Derek Oh btw, I love the bowl! What are the final dimensions?

Wow, what a surprise. I've been emailing Grant over the last couple weeks working out the details on a touchmark. I was supposed to call him tommorrow... I hope what ever happened was quick and painless. I've always respected his knowledge and willingness to share, and often opened threads simply because he posted. RIP Mr. Sarver. -Derek

Since starting my interest and learning in blacksmithing nearly 5 years ago, I have often been bewildered by the open and honest sharing that this community puts forth. The thread of knowledge that is passed along seems to truly be most everyones greatest wish. Self promotion and elevation is set aside so that the knowledge can be passed along to anyone willing to put it the time and effort to learn. Now, Mr. Jesse James, who is far more worldly and experienced than me has confirmed it. There is just something about the whole blacksmithing endeavor that makes it stand apart, and I'm proud to be a small part of it. -Derek

Found this one from a link from the door pinterest page: http://pinterest.com/TrinasCreations/iron-work/ I've never heard of pinterest, but I could spend burn a lot of time on some of those pages. -Derek

Hayden, Please keep this post up to date as you move along. I'm in a similar situation and am interested in what you learn/decide. Thanks, -Derek