bigfootnampa

Hmm... I have a basket maker's froe that is pretty petite but still at least thrice as big as a RR spike! I'd like to see that little froe when you get it made Thomas! I use my basket maker's froe mostly for splitting shims on job sites. Pretty handy for that! I have split quite a bit of firewood using a large heavy froe and a small one hand sledge. Generally better than a wedge IMO... but dependent on individual log characteristics. I have a few old froes and a few newer ones... kind of a froe fetishist! The old ones are generally thicker at the back (struck) edge... mostly that is a good thing. The bevel is usually nearly the full width of the blades on the older ones too... also generally a good thing. For splitting shingles the older ones were usually fitted with a handle that curved slightly toward the blade... giving better split control. This feature just gets in the way when used for heavy splitting like firewood! It impedes the striking path!

As far as wood for handles... several threads have dealt with this before. Pecan, Hickory, Osage Orange, are ideal. Most Oaks, Elms, Persimmon, Ashes, are excellent. Maples are pretty and abundant but brittle. Hackberry (Elm family) is also ideal... strong yet flexible! Mulberry is pretty good IMO! Locusts are usually quite good as well! I don't know much about most of the understory woods (Dogwood, Redbud, etc.) but I would expect some of them to be good! Surely you have many of these to choose from!

You do NOT make charcoal with COAL!

Use powdered mortar tinter to color your wax. Any serious mason suppliers will have it. Most of the big box stores do NOT carry it.

I've seen dozens of these wagons in use on the rangelands of Idaho! Never thought to inspect the latches though! Maybe google for pics as they are quite photogenic... you might find one that gives decent detail! BTW, not many are as pretty as yours!

They like to nest inside my squirrel cage blower! They always use twigs when nesting in there! I dare not leave it open! It takes an hour to clear it!

I haven't. Here's an interesting article from the "Wisconsin Lumberman" though: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=article&did=WI.Lumberv1n06.i0055&id=WI.Lumberv1n06&isize=M

The steel in nails has very low carbon content! It will not harden! Cut nails or concrete nails have a LITTLE carbon and will harden slightly.

Uuumm... I'll take a guess... Hay Budden? If it is really 400 pounds and has good rebound the price is not unreasonable. I would likely try to bargain a bit though. Worth a look if you are needing such an anvil I would say. From your post here though, I am doubtful that you are really ready to make full use of an anvil of this size.

A really pretty knife!!!! Simple design contrasts nicely with the SPECTACULAR figure in the handle! Nice finish on that handle too! Just a truly lovely tool!

it is often a good idea to quench after tempering color is reached. When using an oven to temper it is really not necessary though. If you run the colors and desire a differential temper (blade spine softer for instance) then it will be important to quench quickly to halt the color run at the right point! Water quench is normally sufficient for this type quenching as you are NOT at a heat that could harden the metal... you just need to cool the metal and only little at that.

They still make scissors like that Frosty. They are knife edge scissors! Very good for cutting thicker stuff! Possibly the originals were intended to cut leather. Knife edge scissors are still favored by leather workers today!

Cast STEEL is actually a fine performing material!! It is NOT EASY to accomplish!!! CERTAINLY NOT for backyard hobbyists!! Cast IRON is a different material. Much more simply done... though still beyond the reach of most backyard guys. There are also several types/grades of cast IRON and MANY alloys of cast STEEL. Whether hot or cold rolled makes only minor differences in the steel properties! Many modern anvils are cast STEEL and very high quality performers! This technology is too new to appear in anvils of earlier vintages.

Better inappropriate abbreviations than BTR's! Birch tree reverberations! Ohhh that is SOOOooo BAADdddd! Sorry Frosty! I had to!

Pure nickel is probably extremely HARD! I have worked Monel which is about 2/3 nickel... it's REALLY HARD TO MOVE!!!!!

One big advantage of coal is lower ambient heat than charcoal. Coal is best added to the edges of the fire in a damp or even wet state... as it heats and cokes it will form large clods that sometimes have to be broken up a little... though a big one to roof the fire ball is useful. Especially if it has lots of dust, the moisture creates slurry and the coal cokes into nice chunks instead of just blowing out the chimney! Coal seems to need a bit more air than charcoal. I am kinda tight and usually keep a small hot fireball by sprinkling the edges now and then when the fire threatens to expand too much. When working large hunks of metal, though, one needs a larger, deeper and hotter fireball. It is also wasteful to keep a too small fire for the work at hand... wastes coal, time and energy!

Heavy bolts like that would likely have tied round a huge industrial chimney! The old Carnation plant in Nampa Idaho gave the scrap yard, where I worked at the time, some that were about 2 1/2" diameter if I remember correctly. They came off of a brick chimney that had been maybe 150' tall. The giant articulated loaders, that we used to move around bales of crushed cars, had all they could do to drag some of those around!

Pre drill and then heat the tangs a bit (low black heat) and they will melt their way into the sockets. The ferrules are still a good idea as they will help protect against the stresses of use!

Of the choices you had Walnut would have ranked dead last for a tool handle IMO. I prefer to use green wood for making handles! You can dry small handles pretty quickly in the microwave! Don't do the final fitting until after drying, to allow for some shrinkage/distortion. That type hammer is probably going to serve you well for many years with the handle you have on it though... keep this in mind for your next ones!

Vice grips were originally invented by a blacksmith for use as tongs... but they don't work well... fortunately they have other applications where they ARE useful. I have a couple pairs of wolf jaw tongs... I hardly ever use them! You are better off with tongs that have a narrower focus. A set of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 5/8" bolt tongs and 1/8" and 1/4" flat tongs will serve for about 95% of most smiths work... especially if they are in early stages of learning their craft.

You'll find yourself crippled with channel lock type tongs! NOT a good idea! You need 4 to 5 sets of tongs for most work. By the time you need 100 pair you'll easily make what you need as you need them!

While you have your drifts and punches at a dull red heat, lightly chamfer the corners with your hammer. Less grinding, more fun!

Medusa Hydra

We know one other thing... He's BEAUTIFUL!!!

What I know is that a knife manufacturing company that went bust in the Kansas City area was salvaged by some smiths for numerous large billets of 4140. I have personally made blades of 4140 that I consider GOOD blades (actually very good for their purpose as fighting knives). I would venture to guess that most of us are using blades which are not as good as can be made from 4140 steel and 4150 is IMO superior to the 4140 for most blades. Personally, I think that there is a lot of silliness about rockwell hardness ratings and premium steels for knife making! If you are a top professional knife maker then you needn't be asking any advice here... otherwise you are likely to get good to very good service from a well made knife of 4150 or even 4140! Your wife likely has far lesser knives in your kitchen right now!