Adun Clebr

Awesome stuff Mr. Powers, thanks for posting this. I learned from that study. Back to the breaking issue; I may be looking at the pictures wrong, but I see 1) an obvious break, and 2) a separated forge weld on the poker tip (and the visual copperish hue). The break- this part had to be sparkling/burning, right? This was covered above that it looks like it got too hot. It may have survived as a linear shaft until the twist got it. The separated forge weld- just practice some more. Like I said, it looks like a good start on the poker. Personally, I ended up cutting a dozen pieces of 10"-12" long, 1/8" thick, 1" wide mild steel stock as forge welding test "coupons". I paired them up & practiced forge welding them together. I am not a professional forge welder, but this practice made my fourth (or fifth) poker actually be a user.

Olydemon says, "a while back I melted some copper by accident and once in a while i get it transferred to my parts, often with cool results so I don't generally worry about it." -edit- OlyDemon the poker looks like you were off to a good start. Possibly do the desired twisting on the handle prior to the forge welding of the poker on the next try. The twisting action, in itself, is one of the most harsh tests of/on a forge welded area.

Hidiy Josh- On your topic of "what did I miss" ; I've been where you are (literally & figuratively). You need to get as many pairs of "combat loss" Nomex Flight gloves as you can. S/F Brad

Thanks for sharing your work. Your son will have a very nice addition to his dining room.

A woodworking bench & a metal working bench are two separate things. The height of both depends on how you work. Do you use hand tools (i.e. hand plane), or machine/electric? You need a metal surface for welding/spark creating, and you won't want to accidentally dull a woodworking saw on a metal surface nor have a 5000° torch flame run across oak grains. You can always adapt your bench to the project you're on at the time... My woodworking bench is 33" tall. My metal bench is 36" tall.

I've had zero trouble with my imported home-center purchased Porter Cable drill press. I picked it over the rest of the imported drill presses because Lowe's is closer to my house. 3 yr Porter Cable warranty & out the door for $240-something. I don't remember how I got it for that amount- I see they're more now, or at least priced more online.

I only added the running $ tally because 1) people always axe why I haven't seen the show, and 2) we just didn't have the money & had to cut somewhere. Cable was low hanging fruit, in essence. It looked like the history channel website required a subscriber/cable login, so my question still stands.

Is there a way to watch this show if you don't pay for cable or the History channel? (Edit - so far, I have 3,145 one dollar bills as a reason why I don't get cable)

I wouldn't spark test much more than a cigarette lighter whilst drunk... Good deal on the left behind treasure; should be some decent materials to work with.

Blake, I'm making a coat rack for my son to keep from having to buy/purchase one. I measured the one I am not having to buy to get my spacing. Brad

This has not been an issue, but thanks for putting the info out. It hasn't been an issue for me but that doesn't mean someone shouldn't consider it when they're building. Brad

Wye fittings can also be used. (Inverted from the way the diagram shows them, of course) Brad

Thanks, Mr Turley- your answer concerning the location of your "bluing" is where I was wondering about. Did the torch heat alone perform the "camber", or was there any mechanical coercion involved? (Hitting, bending, et cetera ). Going behind someone else's work to do what you did is a class in itself; thanks for taking the time to answer. Also, Peter Gott was giving a log making class, with people in attendance, so I see his tactics as some to emulate. That is all. JHCC - yes sir, there's a heap many types of these axes- modifying the one I've got to be a bit more forgiving is where all this is headed (but no time soon/ no rush ). Thanks Brad

I'm hand hewing a hickory log in my yard right now. The idea is for a mantle similar to the one at the Hermitage, supposedly made by Andrew Jackson. That 1/8" rise on each end of the broad axe blade sounds like a really useful tip. I'm a long way from atempting to do it myself, but can you share any more info on this particular broadaxe "cambering"? Thanks.

Thanks for 'splaining all that Mr. McPherson - Hopefully...you picked up on the fact that I have NEVER seen any metal tripods (in any of my reading, museum visiting, et cetera) from an "antique" timeframe. I have several dozen pictures of wooden tripods, however. And I was not being a smart butt by not specifically saying the ones I'd seen they were all wooden (replicas) construction- I just did not know if metal ones were out there. My family never had any money, so that explains why we never found any around the place. We can't spell Italian loafers & cuff links is what the Sherriff puts on you. Anyways; The tripod set I hope to make will be made to be here way long after I am gone (plus, the pot is probably 30 lb. or more). So I'm making a future antique set, I 'spose , sort of like what AZguy made with his material, incorporating what TPowers says about weathering, and the TPowers/CRStevens O/U leg/pole connection advice. I really appreciate everybody's time & ideas- that's what makes this fun. I don't mean to step into your thread either, AZguy. Brad