mark hendricks

]I got my 12" at Mc Master Car.
They also have stainless.McMaster-Carr

Sorry about that, I'm having no end of trouble posting pic's.

I cut a door in the bottom of a 55 gallon drum. Then made a stand to hold the grease drum. Punched holes in the bottom of the grease drum. The drum is filled with chunks of wood and placed inside of the 55 gal. drum. A fire is started under the grease drum. When it gets real hot the wood gasses ignite and add to the heat needed to char the wood.

This is a paint image of my charcoal retort. I use a 55 gallon drum for the main body and a grease drum for the inner body. the white box is a fuel door. I punch holes in the bottom of the grease drum to allow combustion gasses escape into the fire and egnite.
I hope this makes sense.

I carry a friction folder I made a while back. I also keep a welded cable seax in my lunchbox for apples.
The folder is made from a hayrake tine, antler and a piece if copper wire.
The seax is made from welded cable, antler,with a stacked leather spacer, bronze bolster, and a copper spacer.

I should have mentioned they may be from the late twenties or early thirties. I see them on older tanks.

I found these at an oil facility. They are rivets, about 3/4 inch in diameter.

I dropped a stake on my foot and it's on ice. A little bruising but no swelling, popping or stiffness so I expect nothing worse than a little soreness. Thanks for asking.
Frosty

Arn't you sposed to put steak on a black eye? :confused: Hope it's not that bad. I've had some owies lately too.

I use two ac blowers, one bathroom exaust fan and a blower salvaged from a dishwasher.

Not sure this fits in this thread? Feel free the move it.
Longfellow's "Blacksmith"

I've been wanting to post this link for a while.
LibriVox

Fine work sir.
Could you post a refrence to the quote in the open book.

One of those burn barrels would make a fine replacement for the galvy tub. Most of the equipment in my forge were made from found items.

What did I learn the hard way? Everything.

We did a slope paving job for the BNSF railroad in 2004, and the inspectors told us that tresspass on railroad property is a Homeland security matter. I did get some good steel from that job, unfortunatly I left the coupling knuckle behind.

Glad to have helped.

I got your tutorial right here;
MakingSen
You can find lots'o good info on Don's site.

This is my first "anvil". I found on a job site a couple'o years ago.

I also have two post anvils that I made from scrap parts of heavy equipment.

They through out some great junk at work. I usually find bearings from heavy equipment, 3" pins from trackhoes,plough disks, but today i scored a wilton c-1 vice in the metal scrap bin. It needs some work on the pivot ring. I'll fix it or mount it solid.

Leah,u R In North East La.
What Do U Feed Your Sled Dogs????????

I'd bet she feeds them crawfish.

This was first posted by me in July on some of the bladesmithing boards.

I suffered smoke in halation on 6/24/06 while working in my forge. I’m better now, but I thought I’d share how it happened to hopefully help someone else avoid injury.

I use 2 solid fuel forges in side a small metal shed, with 6” flues attached to hoods made from a 55 gallon barrel. The incident happened when I was changing tasks. I finished working in a blade and wanted to weld some cable. I added some 2x4 scrap to make “rafters” for a cap of corn. When I added the corn the fire billowed a huge amount of smoke, filling the small space. I made a hasty exit. Not hasty enough, I inhaled enough smoke, that by Monday I was coughing up phlegm Tuesday I had coughing fits and trouble working Wednesday I went to see a doctor.

I think that larger flues are the answer to my problem, along with a roof vent to remove any smoke that the hoods miss.

Any suggestions are welcome.

As of today I have moved my forging equipment to a larger space and finialy ordered some 12" flue pipe.

I use a long narrow forge with a side draft. When I want a cave, i use some pine to make "rafters then add the corn on top of that and let it cook a while. The corn fuses and forms thr cave roof. I'll add corn on top and wood into the mouth of the beast.

You can form it into a "roof" and all of the combustion will be in a cave like fire and you can see your work just as easily as a gas forge. I burn it in combination with pine scraps. Can't make charcoal with the wild fire potential arround here.