Mark Ling

I didn't see your comment earlier Das, too bad you cant use the @ name and then Id have seen it the first day you had commented....anyways, pleased to hear you like it! Littleblacksmith

AggieBlacksmith - Under the covered pavilion with all the new steel they sell plate. I think in 4x4' and 4x8' sections if I'm not mistaken. the thickest they have is maybe 1/4" though. Mack bolt and steel just a little way from there sells whatever size you need, just a little higher priced. I have seen sheets of plate in the scrap section that I pass up, but the scrap yard changes so much that what's there one day may not be there the next day. Just give me a holler when you want some coke or wanna see the shop. Littleblacksmith

I think that's about what it costs for a 4x4' sheet of plate from Bryan Iron and metal for 1/8" though its actually a little cheaper, though its been a while since Ive bought any. If you are wanting 1/8" plate I know some one who has an over abundance of it that he would maybe sell too here in town. Littleblacksmith

Haha, Aggie Blacksmith, That picture of the forge looks familiar...Steep hollow? Go to Bryan Iron and metal and pick up some plate and put together a forge, though do you not have a welder? That would be the cheapest is to get scrap plate rather than new. You are more than welcome to stop by here and I can show you my shop and set up, and do some forging demos if you'd like. Also have coke for sale if you need some, looks like you are wanting a coke or coal forge. Mack bolt and steel most times has anything that Bryan Iron and metal doesn't. My particular forge is an old cast iron pot from about the 1920s, but if I didn't have that I would fab up a fire pot out of some plate and put that on a steel plate table that way I have a place to store extra coke and tools. Littleblacksmith

Das- Glad you like it, enjoyed making it for you! Littleblacksmith

paid a $150 for a 100lb Trenton off craigslist, was the first to call, that was about 3 years ago. Littleblacksmith

with the time I had I tried out my new brass brush on a key chain and letter opener, I like it. Then about a week ago I did a 1-3/4" bottom swage. And also I cleaned up a vice I got at the scrap yard a while back. Littleblacksmith

"It doesn't do anybody any good to copy anything. The result is never a copy, no such thing exists. It is either better or worse than the original" Samuel Yellin Littleblacksmith

you sound like my mom haha but it's true, she is hardly ever wrong. Littleblacksmith

The SLAG wrong??! Littleblacksmith

Ranchman- well if you make it down here sometime I'll let you know where it is. I like it alot, I would have to say it is probably my favorite place to go. SLAG- any reason why you think it is a rifle propelled grenade and not a mortar? Its just that everyone I have asked said it is a mortar, and the Rifle propelled grenades look smaller, mine weights about 20-30lbs. Reeltree- at first I was confused on what you were seeing, but yes it does, haha! Mr. Powers- seems like that's how things go here too haha. something will be popular, but when you need it you can find one of them. Just let us know if you find anymore. Littleblacksmith oh, by the way Das, if you look on the ground in the picture of the large drill bit, you'll see the 14lb straight pein you sent me

took a trip to the scrap yard, did real well!! a few hammer heads, a double bit axe head, a massive drill bit, a really neat Red Arrow vice, some other odds and ends, oh yeah, and a WWII era bomb (except im not sure if it was a bomb, or mortar, or really what it was, other than that it goes Boom!) If anyone knows anything about it, Im all ears. Also while I was there I saw a massive shear, about the size of a car, at least 1940's I'm guessing. Only thing I remember bout it was it was manufactured in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

Wow, wow, wow! That is amazing Chris! very beautiful, I like it a lot. Littlblacksmith

neat design, Similar to Haberman's tongs. ha, that center punch looks familiar. Littleblacksmith

Thank you very much!! Littleblacksmith

Hey, well we got two Australian kids at school who just moved here and they are something! quite fun to ask them about Australia and hear how different it is, and also some of the things that are the same. I had quite a few questions about Australia, but he said he didnt have any questions about America, that most people already know all about the US, which I thought interesting. Littleblacksmith

Welcome, If yer ever near here stop by. Littleblacksmith

Whoops, see, I told y'all that y'all would have to remind me! The Auction went good. I also included a center punch with a pineapple twist, sold for $60, included a pair of flat jaw tongs I think sold for $60, and last but not least the Damascus hammer sold for $160! I was happy. The demo went great, met lots of good people. It went really good, only thing that happened was I melted the flower key chain I was working on on the last heat, of course haha! luckily I had a second piece that was halfway finished so it was not big deal. The hot cut that we demoed was really nice, and the cupping tool was the best one yet. we brought probably 5 cupping tools and about 5 hot cuts for sale and sold all but one, these were our ones we practiced on for the demo. And the fish bottle opener I demoed went well too, but I had no worries about that. Like the owner of the shop said, it went better than any rehearsal. Here is some pictures and a video. The video I think you may have to have a facebook to watch though, yall let me know. Here is a video of us upsetting the cupping tool. https://www.facebook.com/mark.ling.731/videos/102190880610363/?t=0

as mentioned earlier, there was no way to make everybody happy. No matter where I stood I would block somebody. I was not standing at the anvil like that but for only half a heat to mark the bar to cut it off. Now, how we were forging did make it so that the majority of the crowd could see, and after each heat I walked around and showed everybody what we did and explained how and why. There were no complaints that I heard about people not being able to see, or now knowing what we were doing. Littleblacksmith

Thanks y'all! I didn't get any points off on this part of the project, if he was grading only this I would have gotten a hundred. There were three other parts to the project that didn't have anything to do with the cross that I go ten points off, but cause I turned it in early I got 5 extra points making it a 95. Littleblacksmith

Turned it in Monday and got it back today, got a 95 (a much needed 95 might I add)! did a Celtic cross with a copper rivet, a two piece Calla Lilly, on a mesquite base. Littleblacksmith

I wont! The humidity is supposed to be around 80%. I was getting things ready tonight and just gathering everything I got a little sweat. Littleblacksmith

The event is this Friday! I will also be doing a two hour demo there, I'm pumped! littleblacksmith

yes. looks like it would make a fine cone mandrel. Littleblacksmith

Ausfire- Was that a cone mandrel I saw in your scrap pile? Littleblacksmith