Tubalcain2

Yes, we musicians do it with our instruments.

Hey, Das. Having recently gone through (and still coming out of) an ultra miserable period of my life, this is the best i can give you from what i have learned. 

Personally, I would stay away from doctors and more specifically their drugs, but that is just the way I am. The drugs might alleviate the symptom, but they cant eliminate the spiritual/mental root cause.  

Dave Ramsey often says that if you want to get ahead financially, you should stop taking financial advice from friends that are broke. Same applies here. if we wan't to get over depression, we can't take advise from people who are always depressed. instead, we need to talk to someone who has fought the battle and won.

Find someone older than you who has there there life together and ask them mentor you. and when i say ''has their life together''  i don't mean someone who has a fancy car and a nice house. find someone with a servant's heart who's family is close and strong. Who loves his wife and kids out the whazoo. Who follows God wholeheartedly, is industrious, and preferably, who has gone through a bunch of crap and overcome it. It seems most people like that have.  

Be vulnerable with him, ask him questions, and pray with him. It sounds ridiculously simple, but when I started talking over my crap with someone who had been through the same junk and overcame it was when my  situation started turning around.  

Drugs will make you situation less painfull, but they won't get you out of it. Ain't nobody yet had their life turn around 'cause they got hooked on a new medication.

Above all, don't loose hope. 

God loves you brother.

                                                TC2

You had me excited for a moment. A forge quench would be the biggest thing since bar stock.

Hey, I wasn't too far off.

Possibly a wax carving tool or something of the like?

You could do that, but you would have to forge weld it to itself, which is a much trickery skill. Your best bet would be to upset it first. upsetting means to squash it thicker by hitting it on the end.

It's a mousehole.  Wrought iron with a toolsteel face plate.  pretty good anvil. the bottom markings are english  hundredweight.  first number stands for units of 112 lbs, second number stands for units of 28, third number stands for units of 1. you add all the numbers together. 

1x112= 112                                                                                                         

+

1x28= 28

+

4x1= 4

=144 pounds.   it is normal for stamped weight to be a tad off from actual weight. 

Insanity is hereditary. You  inherit it from your kids.

 Really nice!

32 minutes ago, Cade-o said:

I would like some input on how to my my loops more round.

Several more hours of practice forging loops, of course.

Not bad at alll. I usually don't like antler handles, but yours is really nice.

My soderfors is too busy tossing ball bearings through the roof to do any talking.

Like a bird from these prison bars I'll fly...

I like it a lot.

Don't ditch the bath water with the baby. 

A doctor a day keeps the bedbugs away.

Jellied toast always  lands on the wrong side of the bed.

1054 is a medium carbon steel that would, IMHO be perfectly acceptable for an anvil. 55-62 seems to me like a pretty big range, but If it has good rebound and don't  dent when you smack it with a hammer, the numbers are pretty irrelevant. The proof is in the bearing. 

the lack of a real step is kinda odd, but other than that it looks like a serviceable anvil. Just do a rebound test to be sure it is really cast steel and not CI.

4 minutes ago, Frosty said:

My pleasure Simon, we'll get you up and running right pretty quickly. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Man, you curmudgeons ARE mean, heartless people.  

C-mon folks, really?

Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

As far as blades go..

 The devil is in the details. Finish each step 100% before you move on. take your time.  

Oh, and don't use and aggressively domed hammer when beveling.  not from personal experience, of course.   

What lyuv said. Fill it in with silicone caulk or something.

Super nice. That sheath is amazing too.

Cute. 

Massive congratulations!

Super nice!

Thank you very much.