Dick L.

I have a Harrison lathe and Bridgeport mill that both came with zerks from the start but are intended for oil. The oil guns are simple linear action design but grease guns can be used with oil to as long as you take care not to lay it horizontal for storage. I'm not familiar with Logans but the headstock looks like oil bath to me.Lot's of info here lathes.co.uk Dick

Well I've been practicing Brian's horse heads and just working on hammer control but have been fighting the fire management a bit. Did a search and came up here. Glad I did , I want to say that this design with the 1/2" X3" slot works far better with my firepot the the original multi-hole design. The holes have a tendency to plug and the fire get very uneven in temperature. The slot hasn't plugged yet (only second session tonight) but does require closer watch and less blower. (HOT) HWooldridge Thanks for the info! Dick

Welcome to the group. There are more and more New England smiths joining up. Lots of info here and experienced smiths to draw from. Dick

They look great Mike ! I hope to someday take a class with Mark when he is in New England. Dick

Welcome to the group! Don't forget you have the Ct. Guild to draw from as well. Lot's of New Englanders hang out here as well. Have fun and work safe. Dick

Thanks Doug, I did get an E-mail back to say that it was all gone. Sorry for his loss I just figured there were a lot of people ahead of me. The blower sounds like a good find. Dick

Doug, Was there anything left when you went home? I put a call in to Tom last night but haven't heard back yet. Dick

Really came out great! The hammered finish really gives that type of piece a lot of character in my opinion. That's a great part of the world you live in. The wife and I did several motorcycle trips up to the provincial park for camping vacations years back. Dick

Donnie, Great job on the forge ! Is that a 10" stack or 12" ? I need to put one on mine. I'm still working outside the shop until I get better organized inside and handling the smoke would be a big plus. Be sure to post your work, looking forward to seeing it. Dick

Archiphile , your on the list. Hope you get it sorted out fast. Dick

Looks great Doug! Wish I could have made the run up. I'm going to the spring meet for sure. Dick

Blood Hound

Hi Brian, Thanks for the photos. I saw the hammer rack but missed the side arm and shear. Very clever ideas! I'm going to keep watching for a crank blower but if I don't find one soon I'll build one. In the photos you posted there is very little coal in the forge around the pot. Is this the way you keep it all the time? Do you just put a pot full and a little on the side. I think my problem is I put to much coal in for what I'm doing. Not sure where I got the idea I had to do that. Dick

My full time job is toolmaker and fixture design for a Glass Forging + Finishing shop. They do forged blanks to finished polished and thin film coated. Been with them 26 years and still enjoy it. I have a pretty decent shop at home and have done lot's of home machining. Been flying RC planes since 1997. Silhouette shooting has been squeezed in there as well. My wife has always enjoyed shooting to so it made it easier. Blacksmithing is something I tried to get back into for years and now the family is grown and youngest is in sophomore year at U Mass it is what I'd like to focus on to see if I can achieve the level of skill I would be happy with. Time will tell :)

maple syrup

I will add the pass through when I get to that point of needing it, but the hook on extension is a keeper for me. It will save me starting over for more space. Glad this thread was started, Thanks ! Lot's of useful information. regards, Dick

That's a nice looking hammer Frosty ! I must agree with the others though , the scenery in those road pictures is absolutely outstanding! I hope to someday get there to see it first hand. Dick

Hi Bill, Years ago when I first tried forging I had a Buffalo forge and never used the whole thing it seemed. The one I recently built is 20"X24" and I wish I had made it 24"X30". It seems I'm always knocking coal on the ground. I do have a 3" lip on three sides as well.Mainly an issue when I'm shutting down and taking the fire apart.My firepot is about 8" ID and 3" deep. I made it from a Cast Iron mold used in forging glass.It has about 1" thick walls. No clinker breaker yet but I do plan to add one. One last thing is the blower which is electric. I'm still forging outdoors because I haven't decided on the location in my shop yet, it's a pain to run an extension out each time for the blower. I think a hand crank or treadle powered would be just as good. Dick

Welcome to I Forge Iron ! Ralph if you go to your user CP you can let us know where you are from which wil make it easier for people to help. There are many groups and organizations worldwide plus there might be someone in the next town . Lot's of knifemakers here so I'm sure someone will respond soon. Dick