Irondragon Forge ClayWorks

Sorry about being late with the June BOA News Letter, here it is. 202606 BOA VOICE .pdf I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

We bought a small homeowners wood chipper on Sunday from Face Book Market Place. It cost $350 (new it's $599.99) and it's in very good condition. I serviced it on Monday, changed the oil, cleaned the air filter stuff like that. Runs good and starts on the second pull of the recoil starter rope. The main thing about it is the handles to move it around are too low, so I had to stoop over to move it. Kinda hard on the back. So I fired up the coal forge and took a 36 inch piece of half inch round mild steel stock from the resource pile and forged a new handle. Used the Star 30 pound power hammer to draw out the ends for mounting, then a hardy scroll bender to shape the bends. Worked out just fine and only took about an hour to make it. That turned wood handle in the second picture, I made by lag bolting a U bracket to a scrap piece of 4X4 then bolting the turned handle to it. Makes a good safe pusher to keep hands out of the blades and when the chipper is not being used it keeps critters (mice) from building nests in with the cutters blocking the entrance. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

I still miss Jerry and the conversations we were involved in, May he Rest in Peace knowing so many of us held him in high regard. Prayer of departed “Just close your eyes and you will see, All the memories that you have of me. Just sit and relax and you will find, I’m really still there inside your mind. Don’t cry for me now I’m gone, For I am in the land of song. There is no pain, there is no fear, so dry away that silent tear. Don’t think of me in the dark and cold, For here I am, no longer old. I’m In that place that’s filled with love, known to you all as ‘UP ABOVE’.” Randy Haven aka Irondragon Forge and Clay Works I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Welcome from the Ozark mountains The 101 would be the weight in pounds when it was made and the 7478 on the foot would be the serial number, which will tell when it was made. If someone has a copy of Anvils in America, they can tell you the date it was made. I lost my copy of the Hay Budden dates when my old lap top crashed. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

The May BOA News letter is attached... It was a great meeting. 202605 BOA VOICE .pdf Also a good article. Repurposing a Pickaxe.pdf

That sure beats cutting a chain length, like I've been doing for so long. Next time I have the forge fired up I plan on making a bunch, as bad as I am about loosing them. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Yep, Frosty called it buttering the wool insulation. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Welcome from the Ozark mountains. Seeing as this thread is 12 years old and the OP has not logged on since April 2018 and some of the responding members are no longer with us you may not get any replies. My knowledge of swagger sticks is very limited as I've not seen one in over 60 years. However my recollection is they were about 36 inches long made from wood with end caps, so a 1/6th scale would only be about 6 inches long. The only swagger stick I saw in person was carried by a Chief Warrant Officer at our Engine-man school's graduation in Groton CT in 1965 and it was tipped with a fired S&W 357 magnum shell casing that was nickle plated. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

BTW........Welcome from the Ozark mountains U.S.A. If you are looking to sell it, we have a Tailgating Section you should post it in. That way it would let folks from the whole world see it. More traffic increases the chance it will sell. Also it's against the forum rules to post email addresses or phone numbers on the open forum, so folks interested can/will send you a PM (private message). I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

To determine if it's wet or dry look for a reservoir for water at the bottom of the stone with a way to drain it. Also a drip system at the top to keep the stone wet. Mine has a stone that is not as wide as yours but a lot larger in diameter. I've never measured mine. Pictures of mine. If you can post some pictures it will help to identify yours. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Leave it alone is what I would do. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Over the past several days we worked on Debi's raised herb garden, filled the Black & Decker frame with dirt and I made a trellis for her climbing roses. Digging the rather deep hole for them was a job in our rocky ground then filled it with good potting soil. All in all a good day. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Thanks for the correction, I should have done some research before posting. Love it when I learn something new, first time hearing about William Jackson & Co. great article bookmarked it. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Yep, the main body is made from an old semi-truck rim that was donated and I cut it down, welded legs on and welded the tuyere to it. Since then I've modified the hood for a better draw/draft and added another tong rack. The rod that the coal rake is hanging on is a sliding air gate, when I first built it, I had an electric blower and needed a way to control the air blast. The Champion Lancaster blower was also donated and I much prefer a hand cranked blower. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Here is my simple ducks nest fire pot made out of clay and a grate. The table is an old manhole cover ring. Made it in 1986 and it is still going strong. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

The iron work looks like the work of Samuel Yellin and company. I have seen the Breakers, only from the water while in the USCG, Stationed at Watch Hill Light Station. Very impressive indeed. Thanks for jogging the old memories. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Sadly, I'm a no also. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Yes it is. Just have to be aware of the interior size of some toaster ovens. I have a toaster oven in the shop that I think is only 14 inches wide, I use it to to temper knife blades. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

I'm with Larry J-B Weld makes some very hard fillers. J-B SteelStik comes to mind. fill the holes after de-greasing the table and smooth them out with a 41/2 inch angle grinder with a flap disk. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

I just use a Black & Decker counter top oven set at 450F, it will hold 16 inch pieces. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

I found this on Vintage Machinery...old catalogs, might help. http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=11510&tab=3 I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Thumbs up ^^^^ sounds like a trip of a life time. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

I forgot to add this picture which I mounted it to a display board. Gives an idea of size. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

Our BOA meeting is this Saturday and the trade item is a door handle. So yesterday, I went through our extensive resource piles of steel. Surely, I can find something to make a door handle from. What I came up with was an old rusty large curved double open end wrench and 2 large matching bolts which measure one inch across the flats. I used the coal forge and the Star power hammer to draw out the bolts for mounting brackets, finished with the hand hammer and hot punched the holes, bent over and welded in. Please excuse the mess on the back of my work bench. Today I coated the handle with Marc Rust Away. That stuff is magic it converts rust into a very durable polymer coating that is weather proof. What looks like blood on the paper is dried Rust Away. I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970

The April BOA News Letter is here. A great meeting only the wind was cold. 202604 BOA VOICE .pdf An extra... Blacksmith hammer styles (1).pdf I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~ USCG 1964-1970