51 Papy

Thanks Marc. So far TPAAAT has yielded three 70-90lb ASO's, several pieces of RR iron and backhoe hammer bit all freebies. Half the fun is in the hunt. Perun anvils look interesting.

Asking price was $3.61/lb US. ($650). That's a great price for this area but he stopped responding when I asked what kind of rod he was using. There was a smaller PW but it was not finished and some "repairs needed more work". Pass! I'll find one one of these days.

Frosty don't look. Thought I may have found an anvil. It's a 180 lb Paragon. Notice the repair on the right side. Unless someone sees something I don't I think I'll keep looking.

Start with a square hole that's 4.5" to 5 " and build out. I didn't have enough scrap the right length so I glued everything together and then set the post and put sand in to solid up and quiet the post/anvil and fill the voids. It's solid and very quiet. JHCC kinda startled me with that pic. Still my main anvil.

Never had a forge hammer with an octagonal handle but had one on a 22 oz framing hammer. Loved it, fell off the roof and cracked when it hit the concrete slab. Never found a replacement . Might try one on the next hammer.

Wana be great job you maybe surprised home many of the family's babies get to use the cradle.

LBS. . After I reread the post I figured someone would get after me. Simple, effective and very relaxing. Always rewarding when you build something that works better than you had planned. Big Gun Thanks for the history. Old Tools still have a place in a modern shop.

Got to try out the draw knife I made a couple of weekends ago on the horse. The horse needs a proper seat and some finish work but everything works.

Not sure this counts but it will be the best tasting project I've done on the forge!

Huh guess my google-foo was not with me on this one. I missed it completely. Thanks moderators.

Always skeptical of things from the internet but... I saw a home brew made up of 450 ml muriatic acid used to devolve one pad of steel wool overnight. Next day 1 qt of hydrogen peroxide was added slowly. Let the reaction die down and use. I got impatient and tried it. It worked on a small billet of chain saw chain I made. It does seem to have a short shelf life. Has anyone else tried this or using a home brew? How long will commercially made ferric chloride last? And when etched how long does the contrast last. I took the chain saw billet and made the wife a bracelet. I hardened it and etched. She has worn it everyday for about 6 months (score for me) and the contrast is fading. The etch still shows the different metals. Fact of life or the wrong etchant? I have not done any more pattern welded billets so I still have not tried the commercial ferric chloride. Should I?

Thanks John. Can't believe how I ever got by without it.

After a couple of months it was good to sand/grind on a project. Thanks to all for ideas and help. Have to build the stand next and find a permanent home for it in the shop.

Daswulf. It's called hedge here in the heartland. Chainsaw and chain eating tree. Dad's got a corner post he claims was half rotten when he was a kid. It's still half rotten and holds four wires up. He's 83.

LB Does your Grandmothers property have any standing dead Osage on it. If so take a couple of chain saws and all the chains you can find and cut one down. Don't bother to try and split, burn up a couple more chains and cut. I don't ever pass up standing dead Osage. Hammer handles, wooden hammers list goes on. Also beautiful knife scales. Good hunting! Papy

My cheap manual charger has seen more use in the last 3 years than the first 20 years.

Thomas I was surprised by the Sparks when I cut it to check for WI. Probably six foot waded up. My trip to the river is getting better.

Thanks JHCC and Daswulf. I have a tub waiting from the last time. They are in a rust cocoon I knocked the cocoon off and I'll stick them in tomorrow when I can watch them. I hope all are WI. Also found some square rebar? To bad it's not WI.

I was down at the river around a bridge that was just torn down and replaced. I brought back several bolts (small) and the first one I tested is wrought iron. I did a little research and found molasses takes 3 to 9 months. How can I clean the rust and river crud off this bolt a little faster than 9 months without damaging the bolts any more than they already are.. I rapped one on the vise and the half inch bolt went to about a quarter inch. Electrolysis or vinegar or? And yes this is my first wrought iron find. Thanks Papy

Good question Glenn. "Not the way I did it" would be my answer. Most of my contamination was rust.

Moisture really messes up the blasting system. If you are going to recover the media it has to be dry. Got some water from compressor into the tank it took a while to get it cleaned out and dry. Water is great for cutting block and concrete. OSHA said they would start silica fines this month. I have not heard of any fines but my customers are taking it very seriously. The only way to use sand for blasting is to have a fresh air suit on. It's just not worth it. Coal Slag is about three times the price of sand but can be recovered and reused many times. Our local sand is dust after the second use. I'm watching my grandkids grow up now I really want to be around to see more!

I built mine out of OSB to sand blast an old truck. Everyone should do a body off restoration/resto-Rod ONCE! The top was removable and the view window was an old storm door glass. Lined with an old horse trailer mat. Sand dumped out the bottom back into a bucket. I used a HF dust collector and that worked well. Both are still in action. Son-in-law enjoys working on cars and made a home for that blast cabinet. WARNING!! Please use any media EXCEPT sand! Sand contains silica. When sand fractures durning blasting the silica becomes airborn and will cause silicosis of the lungs. Lots of law suits in my business. I used coal slag, its sharper than our local river sand and reusable if you recover and screen. The dust is cut down dramatically. 600 lbs did the whole truck. This is a real health issue. There is nothing anyone can do once you breath it in and your lungs can not clear it out. Sorry about the soap box! Papy

Maiden run of the belt grinder. Still have a lot to do but it works.

Thanks John and Frosty. I think the spring will last a lot longer. Turnbuckle sounds like a good idea. Papy

Another belt grinder build. I'm working off plans but have come to a stop. I'm not sure what to do next so I'm asking for oppinions. What are you guys/gals using, a spring or hydro cylinder? I have read that springs bounce and I have replaced a lot of cylinders on tool boxes vans ect. Not sure which direction to go. I have not built the tension/tracking arm yet so it's wide open. Thanks in advance for your oppinions! Papy