Lou L

It's really cool and, as usual, I'm bummed you didn't take some "in progress" photos so I could learn how you did it. Really good on you for putting all,that work in to help someone else. Top quality!

All, I have a dilemma with the wacky hardy hole on my anvil. The hole is 15/16"...theoretically. I say theoretically because, while it is 15/16" as measure on the top of the anvil, I can't get a 3/4" shank through the hole. The problem is that, in the first inch of the hole, two sides belly out a bit and narrow the hole considerably. Inserting the shank from the bottom is smooth and easy up to that top inch. It also fits fine in the first 1/8". Here is my dilemma: I haven't posted this question because I know the easy answer is for me to make my hardy tools to fit the hardy I have. However, I don't want to use my 200 year old anvil as a striking anvil to form the shanks for the hardy tools and it would be hard to reproduce the same shape in a striking anvil. It seems to me I have three options and I'd like input on them (or a fourth option). 1). Stop whining and use my hardy to make the shanks (anvil is 150 pounds...can it take that abuse..) 2). Make narrower shanks that fit in the narrowest section of the hardy. 3). File/grind the belly from the interior of the hole. Deep down I'd like to find out there is a relatively easy way to reshape the hole because my flea market/tailgate finds will all be useless to me without serious effort. Your suggestions are desired! Thanks, Lou

For basic big hammer work I'd absolutely love to own that anvil. Thanks the for the ideas. I found my striking anvil in one solid chunk of steel at my steel supply place, only it has no hardy hole in it. The reality is that I have no room for it anyway until I get my new shed...so I'm not rushing.

Something's tells me that Thomas was a square in the late sixties. Then again, I shouldn't talk...I was just my father's libido soon to be realized. Sorry for helping the old-timers take this thread on a tangent.

The modeling clay idea is something not to be ignored. Recently I've been working on a set of dies for making two sided leaves and I started using my kids' PlayDoh to test them. The act of shaping the basic leaf I wanted over and over in PlayDoh actually showed me about how much stock I needed on the steel bar to get the same thing. It really helped me to see the steel for its volume rather than its two-dimensional characteristics. So, play with clay!

You'd be amazed at what kids can do sometimes. Iyuv pointed out that schools no longer teaching manual skills for the most part. The modern kid has a longer school day than previous generations with far fewer opportunities to be creative or have an actual product when they are done. Add cell phones to that and it's no surprise this generations appears to be willfully undermining their educations. Sadly, as money gets tighter, that stuff will continue being cut first. You could teach reading, writing math and history all in your bladesmithing course...no problem. Heck, I could write that curriculum easily. And the kids would be interested in doing the work.

I know I have to be able to make a passable knife just for the sake of credentials...if nothing else. I do plan to try my hand at some smaller bushcraft knives at some point. I'll take your points and make sure I choose a really simple design. Then, maybe the grinding won't make me hate myself

Cool pattern for sure. It's even better knowing you don't use a power hammer. That blade represents a thousand possible failures that should have happened while just hand hammering!

That last dude looks dangerous! Fun pics and a proud teacher. Nice.

Cool chopper. Every time I see the process photos of someone making a knife I become convinced that I don't have what it takes to make one. It seems so laborious and tedious and I find I get distracted by other things. I made one practice knife and got about a third of the way grinding the first side of the blade and put it down for a bit. Haven't gotten back to it yet!

In all honesty, I can't wait to show my wife this thread. She will love it! That's what makes her a keeper. She will argue that I have yet to display my "keeper" qualities.

Those are fitting awards for a sculpture competition. Well done. Unfortunately I have zero chance of winning one...and it's not because im not entered in the show.

I'm not aware of any. Sadly, most Greek knowledge was lost to the fire in Alexandria. What was left was sold to Turkish and Muslim kings who knew it was worth more than the gold, silver and silk they desired in Constantinople. The Eastern Roman Empire sold their libraries. It could likey be found in Arabic. I imagine some of the texts are still sitting in a monastery somewhere but they have never seen the light of day. Truth be told, in my Attic Greek classes they always focused on Homer, Plato, the historians, and the New Testament (easy Greek we hoped was on the test). Hated translating Thucydides! JHCC would know more for sure though.

Thomas, you seem to prefer thralls over apprentices. Are the the same thing? Ibor, that event looks like a great time. I'm even more impressed you made them "traditionally".

My wife would lie serve me with divorce papers if I brought home that awesome forklift. But at least I would have no problem loading all her stuff into the moving van!

That's EXACTLY what I was going to say when I read @GLEN's post. You beat me to a good one! However, he is right. I caught myself cold chiseling with my glasses on top of my head yesterday. It was only about two strikes before I realized it. Something felt "wrong".

And apparently one is an idiot if one disagrees with him.... According to recent research in neuroscience Mr. Meyers have an enormous amygdala at the cost of his prefrontal cortex.

Thomas, I'm not sure if you watch much YouTube but a machinist who runs a channel called Clickspring is currently rebuilding the Antikythera mechanism from X-ray scans of the original. He is doing the research and trying to use period methods wherever it is realistic to do so. He made his own files using the same resource. He also came up with a strong theory about how they may have layed out the gears. His argument is powerful and may be a legitimate addition to scholarship on the subject. I think you would enjoy watching his process. Lou

Honestly I'm not certain if it was my idea or if, in perusing the internet, I saw something like it long ago and the idea stuck in there. Either way, have fun with it! I tried twisting the handle the whole way on one of those but it didn't really work well or look good so I straightened and started over. Also, don't bother spreading out the mouth of the flattened side...it happens by default when you draw it out. I used a rounding hammer to dish it just because it looked cool to me. Lou

That is an amazing score. I'm oozing with jealousy over here!

Very cool. Can't wait for Thomas, our resident armorer, to weigh in.

It's not hard to identify galvanized...usually. The first clue is rust. If you see zero rust assume the worst. In Rust We Trust! On pipe, round and square stock it will usually have a grainy, flaky texture almost like water spots. Just stop by and ole chain link fence near you and take a gander at the posts. It will be silvery, almost white-ish, and won't have a spot of rust on it. Untreated steel will rust almost everywhere except in New Mexico according to Thomas Powers. Seriously, though, where you are it is humid enough for steel to rust a little. If you get the silver white steel soak it in some vinegar to see if it reacts.

Could be a camer angle thing. It just looks more stubby than the first. It has definitely seen a lot more use than the first anvil. Some serious cutting happened on the cutting face of that girl. Take a wire wheel to the sides and you will start hearing from the real gurus. Either way, they are both really nice.

You haven't accused me of corrupting the youth yet!

I'm no expert by any stretch and the knowledgeable guys will show up soon enough...but, to my eye, the first has some serious Hay Budden credentials and looks to be in great shape. The weld at the waist shows up quite obviously but I don't know if that's an issue. The second also looks to be a Hay Budden but is smaller and stockier. I'm just going by the narrow waist and long profile. Don't do anything more than wire wheel them and then put them to work! They don't need to be ground down, painted or made beautiful. The wire wheel will reveal any markings that are hidden. In reality, the only thing that matters is whether or not they work. Try testing them with a ball bearing or light hammer taps to see if they still have rebound. Lou