LarryFahnoe

Last time I saw Dylan was when he was doing a tour with the Grateful Dead. The show was at the Humphrey Metrodome (since demolished) in Minneapolis. The Dead played their sets & the sound was only okay (the dome's acoustics were lousy) then there was a lengthy delay while the crew switched sound systems which was a head-scratcher given how good the Dead's sound systems have been over the years. The resulting sound for Dylan's set was really poor which was a shame as I was looking forward to hearing him. Seems like only last year, but it's been decades now. --Larry

If by the current dealer you mean Helmut Hillenkamp who has both irontolivewith.com and saymakhammers.com, then I think you'll get a good answer from him. I note on the current saymakhammers dies page that he states: --Larry MOD NOTE: Please observe that Larry has given website addresses without giving live links to the sites in question. This is acceptable, since it is essentially the same as giving the name of the company or something like "eBay[dot]com".

Good thing you followed Frosty's advice first! I think the local shop is going to be the more likely to be able to make you something that will fit an oddball thread. Mike's earlier suggestion of turning an adapter with a male JT (Jacobs Taper) is a good one. However the cost of a chuck & shop time to make the adapter will add up. You would likely get the best result by bringing the spindle and JT3 chuck in so that the shop can fit both properly. --Larry

Although I do not see the welds, I wonder if the corner bends were forge-welded on to the horizontal & vertical rods? The smith(s) clearly had the skills to do something of that nature, it is quite beautiful! --Larry

John, I for one am appreciating seeing your tooling for the bowls, very interesting. I've only briefly tinkered with shrinking and stretching & am intrigued to learn more. Have ordered Moving Metal by Adolph Steines as it sounds like it is a worthwhile reference. I have a few(!) more interests than I have time it seems though... --Larry

Greetings and welcome Phutman. I wouldn't qualify as any expert on post drills (I don't even have one), however I thought a bit about your puzzle and then thought to check McMaster-Carr. They have an adapter that might be just the ticket to be able to mount a standard 1/2-20 chuck on that spindle. This site doesn't like links to commercial sites, so go to McMaster and then look for their stock number 92499A243. 18-8 Stainless Steel Male-Female Hex Thread Adapter 1/2"-20 to 1/2"-28 Thread Size --Larry

Jennifer, with the contrast you've created between the wrought and steel I think you ought to name it the "ghost hawk". Really quite something! --Larry

A fancy tomahawk indeed Jennifer, it is beautiful! Hope you're feeling back to normal soon! --Larry

Alex, the first piece is very interesting, maybe for the corner of a building? I love your joyous & playful curves, particularly on the second piece. Beautiful work as always. --Larry

Aside from all the fasteners on modern "devices" being maddeningly tiny, they're often very specific like Torx or Tri-lobe. The iFixit tool kits are quite nice in that they provide the proper tools and are my go-to choice when I'm dealing with a laptop, tablet or phone. My biggest challenge is having enough light and magnification! Oh, & a heap o' patience helps too... --Larry

Alas, poor Yorick! Nice work Das! I think it will make a nice bottle opener & prolly be a big hit with the iron workers. --Larry

Beautiful work Dave. I think your fascination with the integral bolster shows well in the results. Given your introduction I'm assuming you probably turned the handles and made the ferules as well. Are the ferules sheet brass, silver soldered or turned from solid? Chisels for wood are another thing on my lengthy to-do/interest list... --Larry

Although I agree that the pipe shouldn't get hot enough to pose a problem, I wonder, would it be reasonable to strip the galvanize from the hose Centaur provides? Vinegar is one possible approach, search the site for other means as zinc removal has been discussed previously. --Larry

An excellent reflection! We don't know what we don't know (yet) & then that's often followed up with "if only i'd known..." The joys of learning by the seat of our pants... --Larry

Great to see your woodworking skills as well Alex. I think the table with the slices is quite nice. --Larry

Alex, what a wonderful stair railing, you have a delightful talent for the use of curves. I will also be interested in seeing what you make with the slices of wood in the epoxy. --Larry

Simply delightful Scott! I second Jerry's request for images from other angles. --Larry

Great pics and stories Jerry! The world needs more folk who love and respect the other creatures we're living amongst. --Larry

Very nice! I particularly like the way you used common objects but managed to give the surveyor a very human form. I'm sure it will bring a smile & be treasured. --Larry

Again, I'm NOT the MN person who was offering thoughts on the value. The prices mentioned seemed stratospheric to me. But to answer your question, 200-300 would be a lot for me to pay for the forge in its current condition. --Larry

Beautiful work Alex!! --Larry

& not that it matters, but I'm not the MN person offering thoughts on value! --Larry

I'm in the beginning stages of my journey in smithing & find it just fascinating to try to visualize the suggested approaches to this very interesting puzzle. Will be interested in seeing a pic of the tool you're thinking of Anvil. The natural world has always intrigued me & I'm particularly interested in the forms of growing things, but this is just a neat idea! Years back I collected a bunch of Ammonite fossils, so now to visualize making one. --Larry

Holland Anvil is one source. --Larry

Interesting, I never thought about gluing a grinder belt (never noticed bulk belting for sale). Are you gluing the belt because you've got a roll of stock, or is this a repair? Will be interested to hear how well (long) the joint lasts as I thought that cyanoacrylate glues were for non-porous applications, but I've got plenty to learn! --Larry