easilyconfused

Always remember heat rises, so you'll get much more heat, and less oxidization closer to the top of the heart of the fire but you still want to stay in it. Have you tried moving the metal around with a constant blast and finding the hot spot? I'd also suggest backing off to one hairdryer, especially for the size of work you're doing and see how that helps with the fleas.

What wood are you using for the charcoal? You said hardwood but is it a fairly dense charcoal? Some woods are notorious for fleas apparently, and soft wood charcoal burns down faster than good hardwood charcoal, leading to more fleas. How deep is your fire? Is there a good white hot area for you to put your metal around/in? What size stock are you using? I'm assuming not too big from your previous posts but I could be wrong. What are you using for the air source. If you're not exaggerating about the fleas distance, you have some pretty good air pressure to push them that far.

Makes you glad our forefathers went through stuff like this, not us. youtube video

I don't think I'd like it calling me an idiot when I did something stupid...:(

I don't have the links handy but there are a few tutorials floating around on bladesmithing forums if you do a search for them.

In my experience with charcoal, the bigger the pile of charcoal, the bigger the fire since it requires less air to burn than coal. You have to make sure to keep it wet on the outside to keep the fire from spreading and too much water douses the fire down. It's definately a fine balance that comes with experience and I still can't say I'm a master at it. I just let it burn usually and keep the fuel pile the size I want to burn.

Great work Sam! Ain't it a great feeling when you can come up with the materials and turn them into something else? Not extremely viable as a buisness but xxxx fun as a hobby. Good for the environment and stretches the mind after a long day in the box. Mine definately ain't as pretty or well planned out as that one.

Pretty much, how much wood is used to the amount of charcoal made or the amount of ash produced. The less efficient the method is, the more wood you have to chop and the more burns, and time, you have to make a certain amount of charcoal. IMO it comes down to what you want. I have an over-abundant supply of wood on the farm and a wood burning stove that I use all winter when I'm in there. For me to waste the valuable time I get on the farm during school isn't worth me making a more efficient method when I'm already having to find new storage methods for the charcoal I make during the winter. On the other hand, if I didn't have that and was scrounging for wood or having to pay for it, I would be more interested in efficiency.

I would look into some metalcasting info. melting metal in a home foundry, backyard metalcasting, metal casting is a good one and links to a forum too. There are many different ways to do it if you don't want to make it in metal. Depends on the intricacy and detail you want.

I love going around to yard sales. Especially on sunday since the stuff I want is the junk nobody else wants and they are likely to give you a better deal closer to the end, just to get rid of it.

Given what we know today, I would take: 1 hammer, likely a 2.5 or 3# ball peen. For most basic repairs you wouldn't need much else since many smiths start out with one hammer anyways and a cross peen really isn't necessary if you can make a simple fuller out of round rod or use the anvil edge. Look at many Japanese and cutler's hammers. They get by with a single faced hammer. 1 20# sledge to be set in the ground for an anvil or sledge against something else hard if needed. At least it's duo purpose if you need. Various metal to make whatever I need, including chisels, tongs, fullers, punches and whatever I'd need and then reuse the tools if needed. Some leather to make bellows out of a pit or two dug in the ground close enough to the the firepit to just poke a hole through the ground to connect them. I'd just use the campfire after it's burned down a bit from cooking supper.

For me, I try to keep it level but it's like a hammer handle or face. It all comes down to your individual swing and customizing it to match your tastes.

Was that something wearing a beaver pelt?

Bitter butter might fetter your consumption, making you fitter

hopefully this one goes longer before the word becomes a fetter and we can't play anymore.

A team to repair the tear?

Just make sure you don't get suckered into buying the briquettes. Then you'd really be fighting fleas and not getting much heat out of the hassle.

Not just easier to handle but you can generally go a bit faster too which, while each individual stroke my not have as much weight behind it, you would think the cumulative difference would make an impact. Say for instance, you go up to a 10 pound sledge from the 6. That's an increase of 4 lbs. One extra swing from the 6 gets you 2 more lbs of weight moving metal. Another extra swing would be 8 extra lbs. Just shy of a swing from a 20lb sledge. Just thinking out loud. May or not be true but, to me at least it makes sense.

And that ties in nicely with the beer. Food and beverage.

I Crave something by I don't know what.

Anyone ever decorated a knife with a claw?

Another good use for left over shoes and rebar!

That put her in her place I bet ;)

My $0.02 is that for the longest time bartering was the way to do things, and is still common place, especially in rural areas. Money was and still can be a rare luxury, particularly for farmers, ranchers and such. All you are doing is bartering for you work. But what holds for money, holds for bartering. Don't barter your work away too cheap either. However, if this blacksmith is mad that you are doing charity work for a good cause, well lets just say what goes around comes around to those who don't help others.

Another thing you might want to try is a fine wire mesh as a bit of a hood so you can still see the fire but will keep a few of the fleas from getting out. Kind of like the lids to keep grease in the frying pan.