manolito

I have retired and started visiting sites like this because I have a little background in metal and its uses. I know the difference between tempering to purple or straw and so on. I own an anvil and assorted tools along with a propane forge. Yet I am not a blacksmith. Having never made a rams head or a bottle opener nor a leaf I have decided I am a mechanic not a smith. The work I have done over the last 50 years has been to improve function or repair broken pieces of equipment. So I have decided I am a mechanic not a smith. Not having been born with a rounding hammer as a pacifier nor learning the trade while in the womb I have a great deal of respect and understanding for those that ask questions and never think less of them because they are trying to learn. The one thing a mechanic learns is if you treat people good they return the treatment if you treat them poorly you will have a life of misery. To quote a fine man that has passed "There is no excuse for rude" So for me at 68 years old I have settled on being a mechanic while trying to learn how to make something pretty. To the engineers who have brought about change thank you cars today travel 100K on the same spark plugs. I remember dong valve jobs on cars with 20K miles and they thought they were fortunate. Yes todays engineers have improved the life I iive by many fold. To all the blacksmiths now and in the future this Nimrod will try to learn something new so if my questions seem dumb please be patient. Mechanic Bill

When I couldn't afford a new piece of equipment I had to make the repair part because the roller was so old no body made replacement parts. Just as a side not I have that roller today. It sounds like me in the morning it creaks and groans getting started but it still works.

Just a side note our dump has a collection area for microwaves and they will let you take parts off them to repair yours. Also the magnetrons can be purchased on line and replace very easily keeping from buying a new one. This may just be in the California tree hugger areas that the dump separates them. That does look like a repair I saw in a Dorm.

That is the old Navy the new Navy has GME flour that nothing can live in.

My wife is Mexican find a market that caters to Hispanics and don't ask for lard ask for Manteca. I think you will find it is what you want. Sure would like to see a picture of the hand when it is being made. I have grandchildren at the age of sending all kinds of hand things with glitter or cookies etc. So I would like to send them one of my hand made of steel. I will give proper credit to those and their idea I have no artistic ability but I can copy most anything to some degree. I missed the religion part also.

I noticed the large pipe clenched in the teeth and the fast rate of hammering with the sledge. My guess is when he bit down you could put a large straw through the gap left by that pipe stem. Is the amount of fines to preheat the incoming air so no fractures appear? May be a dumb question I am very un educated in coal fires. Out where I live transporting or building coal fires is not done. To many fires started. Propane is portable to the broken equipment and shuts down for transport. Thank you for posting.

Possibly just a little to pragmatic for a first poster. Just my thoughts.

JHCC if you find out what those pliers are for with the screw driver head on one handle please let me know. I have had a pair for30 years and used them for everything but what they were made for. The jaws are serrated on mine also.

forbidden could make a guy say bad things

If they are roller pins they are harder than my wife's heart.

The common language is the metal thank you

What a cool picture the new dog hammer with you dog in the background. Very nice work.

CRS that is my plan just use the existing brand.

There is a saying that may help. Don't mean nothing. People are a great and wonderful experience. Most of the time. Most performers ignore the reviews.

Often a hot iron on the rear pocket of a pair of jeans with a piece of shale rock in the pocket so it doesn't hurt or leave a mark. Alcohol was often involved. The pants had to be hid from their Mom or your Mom would get a call you didn't want her to have.

I took no offense at all. I tried to answer the private message sent me but after typing for ten minutes I got the forbidden message when I hit send. I am no blacksmith nor did I sleep at the Holiday inn last night. I have Birthed, Castrated, doctored, and lost a fingerprint to the spawn of the devil you folks call cows. Not to mention the limp but that was carelessness on my part. Two things I will pass on to those thinking of branding get a temp stick it melts at the proper temp. (nothing more than a crayon that melts at a certain temp) and get a good two handed grip on the iron. It is as slippery as a toads bottom on a wet bar of soap. Four inches is the minimum size to be seen from horseback. The best gift you could give would be what we call a short iron. This is the four inch brand on a short handle with a forged cone on the shaft. It will fit across the back of a saddle and you can whittle a branch to fit allowing the brand on a new calf in the field. Again my comment was not meant to offend or relay hurt feelings nothing more than moving on now. I will be more careful how I respond in the future. I just got excited I finally found a subject I could comment on. Respectfully, Bill

Since I wasn't asked I will move on now.

I think it looks a lot better. I don't know about Texas My brand in California is only for the left rear hip. Others are located mid section or front left or right and often in conjunction with a ear slit. Draw file the end and you will get a good idea how flat it is. Smearing a brand is very easy to do with an iron like that the hair melts and the iron slips down smearing the brand. I would consider a twisted wire second hand hold or a sliding wood handle on the iron. Just my personal preference. The tapered material will hold the heat.

I have recently retired and started spending some quality time with my forge and anvil. I have kept equipment running and made parts that could no longer be purchased. Now I am looking at fun things and I finally understand I have no right brain. I can copy almost anything but to make a new object is beyond my ability. Retired from DOD and worked acoustic research for most of my career. I retired to a small town many miles from nowhere. 60 miles to a Costco and 22 miles to a store. Raise 60 head of haired sheep and spend a lot of time drowning a worm with my wife of 43 years. Thank you for allowing me to join your site and I will promise to listen rather than talk. Respectfully, Bill

The tractor is a must. I bought a 1horse electric motor and put a 1/2 in chuck on it and mounted it to the work table. It now doubles as a sander cutter and scotchbrite pads and flap disc sanders. The tool I am considering and have lived a long time without is a swedge block one is up for auction but I just don't know if I need it. I don't hear a lot of people using one but I see a lot of shops with one sitting mostly holding tools. Any comment would be appreciated

Very fun topic. I am retired now so I can have fun with the past. When four scientists showed up with a new side scan sonar pulsed array system the locator beacon was on top of the unit. Since it was autonomous it was not beyond the possibility of being lost and it was positive buoyant when not under power. A young intern pointed out that floating the transducer was out of the water and could not make a signal unless submerged in water. The PHD's laughed and deployed the item its propulsion failed and it floated to the surface with no way to locate it. At 10K a day for the research vessel it took five days to find the wayward piece of equipment. My favorite quote is I have been doing this for 30 years and the young one replied it is not my fault you have been doing it wrong for thirty years. Positive advice never put anything into the ocean that you care about. I would also say listen to the new and young they are a lot smarter than we were.

DSW hit this one out of the park. Also remember we double bolt our door and still look out through very fragile glass windows. Remember in a 6x8 cell all they have to think about is their next theft.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

When I make hoof picks out of old shoes they seem to go pretty quickly and fast enough I can give one or two to kids making the smile my payment. This is done at my ranch I have never done a public demonstration I am not at that level of competence.