Kevin Olson

Post some pics of the fire pot or at least give some dimensions and a discription. I have seen these little black un burning things too. It obviously is un burnable fuel and waste (clinker) that's not going down the ash tube. At this point I pull the fire apart (moving very fast so it doesn't all stop burning) and scoop out the center of the pot and out towards the edges to get that very small like burning sand out then push it back together adding some coke and hit the air and hope it comes back to life. Almost all of the time this works and I get that super hot fire back

I know what im doing today I've got the perfect anvil for this modification because it has alot of chipped edges. I got this from my grandad and have been using and studying its edges for 2 years. I didn't do anything for a long time then hit the edges with 220 on a sander then after awhile of using it I tryed 80 on the edges which rounded them a little. Last spring i got after it with a hard grinding disk on my angle grinder and really rounded the chipped corners but stopped short of perfect. It just didn't feel right at the time to grind on it to hard but today its gettin nice radiused and polished edges

Hey TC2 I meant no disrespect to your post. My fingers don't always type what my mind thinks. I don't usually pray for someone who is control of there own destiny. Like my first post its you and your skills that will get you in. I pray for things I have no control over like my sister in law fighting breast cancer. Mr. Sells sent me an incouriging pm along with a good story and I'm changing how I look at things. Thanks Steve! I pray God gives you the strength and courage to achieve your apprentiship

I think that looks like a pretty good 2nd hammer. Tell us exactly how you heat treated it.

Prayers for stuff like this don't work so don't do it. What's goin to get you in is your wit, personality, and skill. I'm sure all these attributes are in fine shape. Don't worry. Happy thanksgiving

I dont leave the forge while a piece is heating. I tend my fire(coal). Half the time I have no music. Helps me escape the world. I have a stereo that does the bluetooth thingy so I call up pandora. The stations I like when forging are the Celtic Thunder radio for when I'm mellow then the other I like is Thumbprint Radio when Im all wound up. It plays all the hard rock and metal. Wasp, Accept, acdc, voltbet etc. Goes good good with a barley pop. .

Hey JHCC. That blacksmith poem In old English is amazing. Hard to believe people talked like that. It makes no sense and sounds like jibberish. Kinda like Shakespeare. Studying your link is like a college English course. When I read the poem I can see different languages coming together to become English. Thanks for posting it.

Keep it up. Pics pics pics. Looks like you have a nice space now. Hope your new place is similar

He always said he stole that sign from his grandmother.

A swayback HB? Looks odd to me. Unless there's a pic of the stamping I wouldn't trust it being a Hay Bud

wow. A 60lb 4 1/2vise. I have a 5 1/4 indian chief that weighs 60lbs That must be a pretty stout vise

Beagle. Cool. Real blacksmith vise, very cool! Hardest part is mounting it solid so it doesn't move. A good bench attached to a wall is perfect but how many of us have that and don't have stuff under,on it,or beside it that gets in the way and is the right height for your cool vise. Not many. But any mount is better then nothing. Good luck in this addiction. You will be surprised how creative you will get to make it work. In the words of another smith here, Happy forging. :-)

That's a fine fork. I like the fuller at the tines. One thing I think I see is the handle gets a little wider near the tines. And base of one tine is alittle fatter than the other. But that's just nit picking. Veining on the leaf would be cool but it would have to be good veining . I would rather see no veining than bad veining. You have to make your veining tool just right to make them look good. Not to sharp, not to round, not to narrow, not to wide, angles of the vein on the leaf just right. Uffda. Leaves can get complicated. Happy forging

I have a metal 5 gallon bucket and sledge hammer. The hole in the top is big enough to put a scoop of coal through yet keeps the coal in the bucket when I'm smashing xxxxxxxx out of it with the sledge. Like a butter churn. Then I just pour it onto the coal staging area on the forge. Easy peezy

Redeagle. Your post are my thoughts exactly. :-)

Here's an article about chimneys and hoods. http://www.beautifuliron.com/chimneys.htm

Hey Chandler. Loved the edited video. That was great how you dubbed in thanking that guy for inspiration. I laughed my off. Your a hoot dude. Love your vids. Keep it up. Your an inspiration

Ok. I'll bite . How does a bottle of water start a fire. Ooh. I think i know. Magnifying glass affect?

I agree with Thomas. Try it out. After that the only rules are to have a stand that doesnt flex and move around and is the right height for you. Enjoy your new toy

I watched the vid. It passed the journeyman test but Chandler said if you went into the real test dont use a spike cuz theres better material to use. Lets drop this discussion. Lets leave it at that they make a knife but not a quality one. Im done reading about spike knives

Tungsten. Where did you get that beast? Post some pics with something to give us anvil envy drooling smiths a reference to it size. Like a soda can on it. She is beauty. Good score

How are going to use the crude. Second. What. It just runs out of a hill into a ditch. Where does it go from there. Im thinking tha EPA would be all over that.

Shes a beauty. An anvil for a realistic price. Nice. Fleabay would have that for 1500 :-( I recently looked at a no name beatup 4 inch vise with a bent handle no spring with heavy welding spatter all over it. He wanted 200. Ugh. I told him flat out he will never sell it. He blew me off.

Everytime I'm driving i look for cool old buildings that would make a nice smitthy......There's alot :-) Hey JHCC. Did you wake up with drool on your pillow. :-)

Wow. Your shop is 2-300 years old. Thats awesome. I wish i had a space like that. Post some pictures of it. Inside and out. It doesnt matter if its not pretty we just love seeing other smiths shops.