Lysdexik

Petcoke is abundant here in Virginia, I was asked to do a feasability study on it's use as an enhancer for papermills useing "wet" wood as a fuel source. The problem was it's lack of density (hence the blowing around) hindered our ability to crush it to a useable product. You will always be faced with the problem of the volume required to become a viable fuel, it's a bloody shame really, because they will load it for you to haul off, it is a storage nightmare. The EXON refinery at yorktown has more of it's realestate under petcoke, than is occupied by the plant. I don't know about the carbon smuts either, all the furnaces we used it in had scrubbers in the flue, and as you probably have already found out it is some filthy stuff to handle. Paul.

Hey Wolf My wife is from Athens PA, and there was a guy from Elmira NY, who used to go to the stockyards in Athens every Monday morning, to a flea market kind of thing. He had worked for the Lehigh Railroad Co, and had a BARN full of smithing/engineering/metalwork tools. His name is George Millanich (not sure if the surname is spelled right), he new where to find just about anything! If you or anyone else for that matter knows of his whereabouts I would like to catch up with him. How big are the stainless disks? Paul

Thanks for the ISBN Mark, makes ordering real easy, I had never seen the (DX3) + (4XT) before, but I like those old "ready reconer" solutions. I love working with computer jockeys who have to run back to their office to find out how high is up. Sorry but it's my pet peave! I was teaching an engineer to make a windsor chair, he was trying to use a calliper to make his measurements, the seasonal changes in his elm plank seat amount to three sixteenths, why bother with five decimal places - AGAIN Sorry! but it's my axe and I'm gonna grind it - LOL. Paul

For Junior. In the Lakota nation, there was a chief, who had three wives. One wife sat on a buffalo skin, and she bore three sons. Another wife sat on a horse skin, and she bore four sons. And the final wife sat on a hippopotamus skin, and she bore five sons. Which proves - WAIT FOR IT - that... The squaw on the Hippopotamus, equals the sons of the squaws on the other two hides!! Ta dah, thank you. Paul.

Hi Guys. I have seen a lot of mentions of "Old Books" in a few posts lately, those old school books were realy good at explaining math and practical geometry for people who didn't have the luxury (or hinderance) of a calculator. Does anyone have a practical math and/or geometry book from the late18 early1900s, I use stuff I learned for my 11 plus every day, but, there was a pile of learning I was too green to see, I wouldn't mind a second shot at an education!!

Time for bed said Zebedee! It's A British Thing!! BOING!!! Paul.

Hi T.O.B.S. There was a guy down by Langenfelders place on 40, who sold 12" spiral wound pipe. There was another over in curtis bay (good luck with that!), near Henkels and McCoy, this info is fairly old, I lived in Overleigh a few years ago, but they were good sources for flue pipe etc. There is also a guy in Joppa near Egypt Farms who sells Pocohontas forge coal. There was also a guy in Joppa who was a truck & tractor breaker, who would let me pick through his broken axle pile for steel, you have to bring hard hat and steelies, but theres no such thing as bad axle steel. Good luck! Paul

Stop holes are a life saver on cast. Frosty, would you weld with Hi Ni rods? I have torch welded them with broken piston rings as filler, but never had a go at "Old Sparky". Do you pre heat? Paul.

ChrisB two of the MULES told me that too, but the third didn't agree Paul

I was going to post about sound proofing my building! Does anybody know if wool bats or solid foam are better, at Brown Lennox the British version of OSHA made us mount the anvils on sorbothane pads, they still ring but it doesn't transmit to the floor etc. Do the chains work? I'm sorry for horning in on your post, but it is sorta similar. Good luck with your move - STRETCH - I didn't, and I am still stiff as a board after two weeks! Paul.

Is there a maker or brand mark on them. Paul.

Hey Frosty. What type of hammer (helve, trip, etc) is this, I have been looking at the powerhammer posts and am unArtisticaly confused again. 8) Is there a link to a site for the "power hammer confused/illiterate. Paul.

I cant thank you guys enough for this post!! My kids made their own cookie cutters from the "Tin can toys" book, made my Christmas eve! Why did we stop writing such interesting stuff, not all kids are computer fools. Paul.

Hi Guys I come from a woodworking background (the dark side), I served an apprenticeship as a Joiner (the "workshop" side of carpentry) and the definition of a master in my opinion, is someone who has mastered enough of the art/craft to be able to pass it on. kinda like YODDA!! SOOOO!! _i _n _s _e _r_t_ am I (forgive me Mark) Asprey am I. Or Frosty, Glenn, Jymm H, Gerald B, mike T, or whoever masters it for your needs. One way to surely start an argument is to take 10 blacksmiths in to a room and start by saying "the only way to do this is_ _ ". Because, like wood, what you KNOW to be the truth about wood or iron today, will make you a liar by this time next week. Every job/process is different, everytime you do it, if it wasn't , it wouldn't hold your interest the way it does. My family were Coopers for 840 years, in the same location, so I am a big believer in tradition. Formal trade qualifications are every bit as valid as a degree to become a doctor/lawyer or any other profesion, but let's put it into perspective. Today how many of us ARE profesionals at this craft (granted on this site a lot, I know) and need the protection of a guild, as a Joiner I never did any turning, the turners guild did that, the "job security" of guild membership is not as relevant today as it once was. In this economic climate I'm not so sure it should be that way, but then even my wife tells me I am living in the wrong century, she says I'm a child of the sixties, and then qualifies that by telling her audience it's the seventeen sixties, so what do I know! Paul.

All the bolster chisels I have seen "proffesionaly" made, have the bolster wraped and welded, not upset and necked. I dont do much carving but I do make a lot of "saddled" chairs. If you have any prototypes or seconds I would be willing to take them, or I am possibly up for adoption. Paul.

Jethro says that Denzil Penberthy is driving a tunnel from the bottom of Wheal Jane to Nova Scotia, he uses one legged gibbons as labour (but it makes them hopping mad). So Mike might be able to get some of the cable cheap, my regards to all in the Kingdom of Cornwall. Paul.

What does a monkey tool look like? A "Monkey" wrench? In England they are known as Stillson's after the guy who marketed them, another example of "two nations divided by a common language". Would you use a butcher to make tenons. Off the subject, between Balto, G Burg & York. New Berlin? paul.

I have a stump (Locust) for my main anvil. The guy I got it from was a HVAC contractor who had it mounted on a pad that they use as an isolation mount for heat pumps. It is a thick cork mat with ribbed rubber laminated to it, it worked realy well. Paul

OK for us poor devils who aren't Artist Blacksmiths. What are Monkey tools, and Butcher tools. And if I don't get to say it again, Have a Very Happy Christmas, and the new year you would wish for yourself!!!! Thanks to Frosty, Jymm H, Mark A, Ice Czar, and everyone else who have made this the best new discovery of my 2008! Paul Hook.

I agree with Mike. My family were originaly coopers in my hometown in England, a man called Kilby wrote a book called the coopers trade, which is realy my only contact with the trade, I have a full set of coopers tools, and although I earn a living as a woodworker the coopers "art" is only one step off sorcery. I worked at a large chain and anchor makers for a while, it's gone now after 270 odd years. I wish I had had the foresight to make a record of the "old hands musings", some photographs remain - but once the personal account is gone, it's gone for good - Brown Lennox made the chain for the SS Great Britain, the first Iron suspension bridge, Titanic, as well as the anchors. All gone for ever, please don't let that happen to Terrys story. paul

Not smith related but..... I was at Brown Lennox in the late 80s, one of the apprentices was told to remove the valve from a 14Lb CO2 cylinder as it had a broken turnkey. So rather than empty it and uscrew the valve, he threw it up in the vice in a gas booth and took a hacksaw to it. It blew him out of the curtain covered in frost, breathless and the talk of the works for a week. But in reality he was lucky to be alive, the original white faced doofus. Paul

just a sugestion. Metso minerals, used to offer a pourable dampening material containing sorbothane for use in their rock crusher bases. Crushers weigh more than your hammer and have 5Tonne moving parts. The stuff was not too expensive, and I think they are a Finnish corp. Paul.

I just want to throw this in the discussion here. If I am doing a lot of grinding on blades like hewing axes, draw knives etc. I have an old heatsink from a computer, mounted on a stick, I just brush the edge with the heatsink and it soaks up the heat like a sponge! I was dubious when I first tried it, but it works. I have been meaning to contact Ice Czar to find out why, but I guess I realy don't need to know as long as it works! I don't see why it wouldn't work on dies too. And with the amount of old towers around heatsinks are common. Paul. It's not over... Untill we Win!!!

Wow! didn't know that. I was in the equipment business for a while, great fodder for the fire! I will root around and see what I come up with. I have good sources for cast off's, send me a PM with your location, and I will fish around for someone in your area. Mine and Quarry bone yards are realy good places to know, in the off season up your way theres always someone who can be "greased" with the threat of a skinning knife or a _ - fill in the blank- Later Paul It's not over.. untill we Win!!!!

I'll take it off your hands, and send you a working drum forge minus airsource! Paul I'll even split the shipping......LOL