Lysdexik

Hello People I have used disks from old agricultural "plow" implements with a lot of success, is there a grade I.D. on things of this sort, or is it the proverbial crap shoot. In my old job we had a phrase for this, it was known as a SWAG (scientific, wild xxx guess) but other than the good ol' spark test, how do you tell? Paul Its not over... Untill we Win!!!

Warning to Frosty if the cooking oil story gave you the heaves you might not want to read this. When I was a teenager, back last century. I inherited a motorcycle from my uncle, it was a British bike, made by a company called airel, it had a square four engine configuration and was 1000cc capacity. Because of the square four engine the back two cylinders ran real hot. I was riding home from Oxford down the A40, when the sump plug came loose and filled my riding boot with 50wt oil, the A40 is a twisty road and trafic is running at a fair lick. By the time I got to the side of the road and took off my boot,the foot looked like the contents of a can of red salmon. They gave me a tube of a salve called Percolium Picarate, ( any pharmacist or doctor will now know why my handle is Dyslexic-ish) stained like the devil, it's a sort of dayglo yellow, but it took the pain right out of the thing, and 28 years later you would never know! Oh by the way, does anyone know what colour adreniline is - It's brown and at high speed with a boot full of boiling oil it flows out of your pants cuff. Paul. Don't confuse activity, with accomplishment. And as always... it's not over... Untill we Win!!!

Hey guys I cut a 2" strip out of an old oldham plate saw (no tips) it was slightly hollow ground to allow a relief at the back of the kerf, so the thickness isn't consistent but I water quenched it and it would "skate" a file. I didn't try to temper it, kids want dinner, but I will be trying some edges in the future. I braze small blades onto shanks of air chisels for carving logs, and fitting cabin corners etc. Thanks for the inspiration I love all FREE steel. Paul It's always too soon to quit. It's not over... Untill we Win!!!

I kind'a like the anti freeze idea too. Ethylene Glycol is almost pure sugar chemicaly, and if you look at cut wood under a scope it looks like a colection of drinking straws, if you get the sugar inthere it will set, if the fibres/viods can't shrink the head should stay tight. Paul.

"Boiled" Linseed oil has never been boiled, but if you heat it, the mercury they put in it to make it dry will make all your hair fall out and make your brain shrink (google' mad as a hatter) use only raw linseed oil and soak the head and eye only 'cos it takes a dogs age to harden off. If you want to use a real boiled penetrating oil, use Tried and True Oil, its available on the net, works on all wood, will soak up the end grain of your hammer shaft like a rat up a drainpipe and will polymerize in about six weeks. then stop thr moisture loss with a dab of gymnasium "long oil" polyurethane. I have used this on my axes and hatchets for years and they stay tight even in the dryest winters. Paul. Don't confuse activity, with accomplishment. and always remember It's not over... Untill we Win!!!

Cheaper saw blades have induction hardened tips, the steel is kept soft for quick initial shaping useing CNC indexing grinders, then only the tip is hardened. But I believe the body is still the same soft steel. I have lots of these, and I will try hardening some and let you know, I have used Bosch branded 12" construction lumber blades to make realy nice meat cleavers for the local hunt club. There is always a pot of something venison on the stove at the woodshop, come hungry and let me pick your brain!

Hi guys. I am moving into a new (to me) house, and I am going to be building a 16x16 foot forge building next to my woodshop. I am building on a retaining wall, using comercial style steel wall studs, they are fire proof! and pre perfed for wireing etc. I am useing T 111, Fireboard (as in proofed) for the interior sheathing, and I am building a "rear tueyre" side draft forge. Because the studs are available pre cut to any length, any ideas as to a workable height for a smiths shop, group wisdom for a woodshop says 10 feet works because you can easily flip a 4x8 sheet of ply, I have umpteen questions about layout, and one of them is about chimney sizeis there a corelation between incoming air and flue size? there has to be, but all of my rule of thumb knowledge is about wood stuff. I need everyones help, I understand it won't be perfect but I would like to limit the "problems" to minor ones. Paul. It's not over... Untill we Win!!!

I love this holiday, no such thing as too much turkey, its probably the best thing about moving from England. the fourth of July isn't so hot for us! but remember we didn't loose. We came second!!!!!!

This is bloody scary! I moved from Cumberland county last year, and could never find anyone to smite with. Yesteryear forge, Amelia? I think I met the owner one time, he and his son manhandled a 5cwt brooks from the back of a truck! stout boys. I live in King George now, I would like to come to see a demo on tool making. I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET! Where in Crewe, I used to sell mineing equipment, and came through Crewe on my way to Luck Stone, down 460 (or maybee 360). Let me know. Paul It's not over... Untill we win!!

20 years ago I worked for a large chain and anchor maker in the UK. When we relined our rivet type forges we used a mixture of fire cement and diatamaceous earth, you can clean up on this stuff at the end of "POOL" season in your neck of the woods, it is used in some pool filters, and they sell it off at Lowes/H depot at the end of summer. It is used as an insulator in brick kilns also, I use it as the contents of my anealing bin, it is not flamable and does not stain anything. Kitty liter is fullers earth (the basic ingredient in a stick of dynamite) which is similar, but diatamaceous earth has two small holes on it making it a great insulator. Our anealing bins were a steel can about the size of a MilSpec RPG box, with a sealable lid, (like an RPG box, see where I'm going), filled with D/E, about a four hour cool, real soft.

I earn a living as a woodworker, and I buy ALL my hamers from Hammer Source, those guys may be a "one trick pony" but they know the trick supebly well.

Most "early" South African RR track was made in the track mills outside Barrow in Furness in England, other than that I don't know much about it, but a British scrounger ought to be able to help you.

Hello Folks I am new to this, computers and smithing! I am an Englishman living in Virginia USA. I am a profesional woodworker, who worked for a chain and anchor maker in the UK called Brown Lennox, as a patern maker. I got to strike for some prety good "old hand" profesional smiths every now and then, but my hammer time is limited. I started forge work because finding good soft nails (for clinch nailing) was tough, and good authentic hardware is always 10 days away. I would like to find some smiths in the northern Neck area who don't mind a newbie looking over their shoulder. I did an awful lot of large babbit work at BL, including flame hardening, so if there is anyone metaling bearings and needs a hand, I have rosebud and will travel. I would also like to hear from anyone who knows how to make tools like woodworking gouges and the like, these are hard to find these days, and I use them daily for coping window joints etc. Paul. It's not over... until we win...