JHCC

Interesting in those two videos how the head of the hammer barely gets above the head of the striker.

I have a retaining ring from the inside of a ball joint that I'm hoping to turn into a bracelet for my daughter.

I have one of these beasties in my own garden; nice to see how they're made. (And that's an interestingly modified anvil at 3:46.)

Story of my life, living in a college town. All those high SAT scores, and no-one seems to know what DON'T WALK means. Getting back to the title (if not the subject) of this post, my mom likes to say that the only things worth doing are "making things" and "making sense".

Adjust the head straps all the way out and squeeze them on over the wrap.

Whenever I'm going to do anything likely to make me sweat, I put on a kaffiyeh/shemagh/masarh. Does a fantastic job of soaking up the sweat, plus it makes the neighbors think you're a terrorist. This is the method I use.

Something like "((O x D x C)-S)/L", where: O = How many you already Own D = How badly you Desire a new one C = How much ready Cash you have on hand S = Spousal resistance L = How hard you're Looking Probably leaving out a couple of important variables, though.

When I was working as a theater tech, "HEADS!" (never "Heads Up!") was the universal warning that something was about to fall on yours.

Boo-ya!

You can get wool or silk base layers; "Smartwool" is one brand, but there are others.

Yeah, definitely a "Better to apologize than to ask permission" situation.

Also, as with any strenuous outdoor activity, two critical things: 1) Keep your core warm. Long underwear, especially. The more your core stays warm, the less your body will pull blood flow from the extremities and the less your hands will get cold. 2) Keep your skin dry. The more you sweat, the more the cold air will chill you. Wear a runner's base layer that wicks the moisture away from your skin, and then layer on top with wool for both warmth and fire/spark protection. Cotton holds moisture and is NOT your friend in the cold.

"What good is eternal warmth without cold to give it spice? " -- John Steinbeck

does that mean I can forward railroad spikes in a torpedo heater? ;)

I used to forge outside in the winter in central VT. Of course, I was young and stupid hardy.

Anyone who knows I don't have a welder.

I like that you can change the diagonal from NE-SW to NW-SE depending on whether you're splitting or cutting off.

It is rather upsetting.

So far, so good. Haven't cut anything really big yet -- we'll see how that goes. It's pretty loose in the hole and bounces a lot. Hence the clip: it just snugs things up a bit.

Made from a salvaged jackhammer bit. It didn't have enough metal for a squared-off shank, so I upset it to fit diagonally in the top of the hardie hole and jury-rigged a spring clip to keep it from bouncing around. Another view:

There are several blacksmithing classes located between the North and South Poles. Which hemisphere are you in?

Ancient Greek Language and Literature; professional fundraiser.

Good, I can use the big C-clamps I got at last year's sale. Also got a few ball pein hammers off the 50¢ table, about which the best thing that can be said is that they're reforgeable.

And a couple of hammers of the 50¢ table, about which the best thing that can be said is that they're reforgeable.

Not much joy today: just a drill press stand for a hand drill for a buck. Maybe more later.