John in Oly, WA

Thanks billyO. The casting part, to reach a satisfactory level of success, has taken the largest part of that time.

George: Yes, I made the box too. The characters are Japanese Kanji characters, also represented on the box upper right corner. Left to right on the box, the vertically aligned pairs meaning (if my research is correct) is Abundance, Serenity, Harmony, Health. Those pairs are on the blade guard and pins of the knife - visible are Health on the blade guard and Abundance in the two pins on the handle. The pin in the darker rosewood has my initials in it - JAM. The pins I cast in brass from 3D print outs from models I made in a CAD program. They are essentially Corby bolts, each pin half having male or female threads. In this photo you can see the latches and hinges I made for the box along with the rough castings of the pins.

Just don't point it at yourself, or might not be completely safe. But most likely safer than melting metal, and definitely faster.

My latest blade has taken me about 3 years to make. It was/is a steep learning curve, starting with I'd like to know how to make knives. The photos aren't great, but here it is.

Forget the metal melting and tell your boss you need a handheld XRF metal analyzer. Much faster, much safer.

Nothing really exciting, but useful - a couple of CO detectors to put in my shop.

Merry Christmas! And now I'm wondering where it starts. Where's the International dateline? Coupled with, where are the areas of the world that celebrate Christmas? Who gets to jump in to celebrating Christmas first?

Merry Chrishanukwanza to all! (the inclusive version) Happy Holidays! (the PC version) Merry Christmas! (just my version)

Thank you for sharing those photos. Just BEAUTIFUL! And yes, it's special. And you had a hand in making it so. I really do like the old stone architecture. Even call it ancient by our American standards of what is considered old.

LittleBlacksmith, good to see you posting again and good to see more of your stellar work!

Beautiful work Tom7! Please take another pic when all the candles are lit and the electric lights are down low. And I second BillyBones' sentiment - beautiful church! LittleBlacksmith, good to see you posting again and good to see more of your stellar work!

Also, your D-backing plate is too thin. Way too much potential for flexing. Should be minimum 1/4" thick. 3/8" thick would be even better.

I don't know if they do or not. The last time I was in, I didn't see any glass for sale, but then, I wasn't looking for it either. You have a good start to it Sam. Just keep at it for the last part. The manufacturer's water to refractory ratio is a bit dry, but it works - just mix it thoroughly and pat it together like MCalvert suggests. I found a large dowel (like closet rod size) worked really well.

I knew that was the place you were referring to Mikey - just putting a name to it to make it easier for Sam to source.

That would probably do fine. I don't know the construction of your stove, but maybe just packing some wood ash in the bottom of the pan might deaden the noise.

Just don't let 'em grow up to be cowboys - least that's what I've heard. LOL Beautiful baby TJ. Enjoy every sleepless moment, and the sleeping ones too; they do grow up fast. Mine are 19 and 15 now.

Look up Clay Art Center - Tacoma. They also have Kastolite 30 in 55 lb. bags. But, hey, you can never have too much of that stuff.

I second everyone's sentiments - what a horrible nightmare of a situation. I'll also second George's advice - talk to a lawyer, if anyone can come up with ideas to help you with this problem, it would be a lawyer. It would be money well spent. Especially if you find one who has an introductory meeting is free policy - some do that, and you could get an idea of what can be done and where you stand.

Well, that's a start anyway. And it's got you thinking in a bit more detail as to what you need. Just don't be discouraged, a lot of projects start out this way.

Best thing might be to slow down, do a bit of research to figure out what you need a press to do and what size cylinder/motor/pump combination will do it. That press in Westport for $250 may have a 14" throw, but the cylinder diameter doesn't look like much and the motor looks small, plus to work for a forge press, it would have to be reconfigured and that's gonna take some work. Also depends on what... means. What kind of engine, what's wrong with it? Is it easy to fix? Hydraulics - is just the cylinder bad, or are the hoses, valve and pump all shot? Is the I-beam rusted out or is it structurally solid? And how much money are you willing to put into this project? It's not a small project building a forge press, but it can be done.

Been a year and nine months - this is 2019. Probably got it all figured out.

Look up the TW-90 belt grinder and the surface grinder accessory for it. That might give you some ideas you could work from.

American Jewelry Supply Rio Grande

If the top of your burner has a threaded rod centered on it, then that top disk (large washer presumably with a nut welded to it) should be spun open a lot. Then try firing it up. As Latticino has already advised - Open the ball valve all the way. Control the gas flow with the knob on the regulator.

B_Hoss, that looks like quite a feast of BBQ. Nothing like smoking and BBQing for yourself. Beats nearly anything you can get from a restaurant. Of course I say that from a Washington state point of view. Now if I lived in Texas, there'd be a bunch of great BBQ joints I'd have to try. Being in Washington, I smoke a lot of salmon. Also BBQ pork butts and ribs and the occasional brisket. For smoking, I use an old freezer I converted. For BBQing, I use Weber Smokey Mountain cookers. Just BBQed a couple of pork butts, some racks of ribs and a brisket for my Mom's birthday weekend before last. Tasty stuff!