JHCC

Good advice for so many of our projects, really. I had some big pieces of steel that I was wracking my brain about how to wrestle into some kind of power hammer, when I came to my senses, sold them to the scrap yard, and bought some much-needed PPE, steel stock, and coal.

There's a place one town over from where I live. I just sent them an email and am waiting for a reply. Thanks for the tip. ADDENDUM: They're asking $140 for the sandblasting, which strikes me as a bit pricey for my budget. I'm going to contact the town sanitation department to ask their rules on lead paint residue disposal.

I've found that if I put it directly on top, it has a tendency to crack and spit. Putting it on the sides and pushing it in makes for less red-hot shrapnel, even if there's no need for it to coke. Thank you, @Laertius, @Will W., @51 Papy, and @Gerald Boggs; much appreciated. Good info, and I hope it will help others thinking about the same issue too.

The thing is, @Charles R. Stevens, that unlike some others who *choose* to ignore proper spelling and grammar, you (A) actually try to communicate and (B) genuinely have something to say.

The IFI community guidelines say nothing about correct grammar, spelling, or punctuation. If Glenn ever decides they should, it's goin' down!

Looking forward to meeting it in person!

I did much the same as this, except that I already had a 3 pounder I'd ground into a rounding hammer. Struck with a soft (wrought iron) hammer, it made a great fuller. Mine was 1.5" axle, upset and flattened with a *lot* of sledgehammer work.

No, I'm the one eating crow. Good catch!

As noted elsewhere, I just rescued a bunch of pieces of WI flat bar from the chapel roof renovation job at the college where I work. Most of this was from protected locations and is quite clean, but some (that were exposed to the weather) appear to have been painted with what I suspect (given the original 1908 construction date) was lead paint. I thought about burning it off in the forge, but I don't want to create any health hazards by putting lead oxide in the air. I've got some paint stripper, but that stuff is really nasty. Anyone have any environmentally friendly suggestions?

I think the technical term is "high-class problem".

A couple of years into this project of rebuilding my forge, I'm about ready to think seriously about doing some forge welded projects, maybe taking a shot at making some san mai blades. The thing is, most of what I read about solid-fuel forge welding is geared towards using coked bituminous (soft) coal rather than the anthracite/rice coal I've come to enjoy. I've done a couple of small welds, so I know I can get to welding heat, but I'm a bit apprehensive about trying something bigger in case there are pitfalls awaiting of which I am not yet aware. Does anyone here have experience forge welding with anthracite? Anything I should particularly watch out for? Any anthracite-specific tips and tricks for success that you'd recommend?

Not a Mousehole -- it doesn't have the ridge down the underside of the horn.

Don't be hyperbolic.

And how much less miserable the rest of us would be!

Ye poets who pray on the Hellican brooke, The nectar of Gods and the juice of the vine, You say none can write well except they invoke The friendly assistance of one of the Nine. Here's liquor surpasses the streams of Parnassus That nectar, Ambrosia, on which Gods regale Experience will show it, naught makes a good poet Like quantum sufficients of Nottingham Ale.

Vinegar turns galvy into zinc acetate, which forms a clear film over the remaining zinc. Scrub that off regularly, and it won't block the vinegar getting to the pipe.

Sweet!

What is this "enough coffee" of which you speak?

Oh, also found a handful or so of old copper nails, perfect for rivets.

I'm actually thinking about making something nice as a welcome gift to the college's new president. The outgoing president got a bottle opener made from a piece of rebar from one of the big construction projects started during his tenure.

Well, I went back to the dumpster armed with gloves, a crowbar, and a pair of vise grips, and got quite a good bit more of the iron brackets from the chapel roof renovation project. I suspect that there is more in there, but I think I've dug as deep as I can without risk to life and limb. Here's what I've got: This is all 1/4" x 1-1/4" flat bar. There are a total of 86 pieces (66 of them bolted together in pairs) ranging from about 3" to about 14" long. Pretty good score.

That's a very nice hammer, @Tommie Hockett. I have one very similar (although originally in much worse shape) that was a sledgehammer I found in our garage when we moved into our current house; see this thread for photos of it getting cleaned up and cut down for one-handed use.

Well, today was the all-town yard sale, and I was hoping to pick up some decent stuff. However, circumstances dictated that I had to stay home and man our table of my late mother-in-law's China and glassware, so not a SINGLE BLESSED THING followed me home. However, we did so well with the sale that my wife was okay with my keeping some of the proceeds for smithing purposes. There WILL be stuff following me home in future!

I'll never be a farrier, but I find stuff like this fascinating. Thanks, George.