the_sandy_creek_forge

this is just a thought and by no means an informed opinion in anyway whatsoever:) I would think that the peak or bulge was to give more surface area for contact between the handle and head, providing a more secure fit. Also the peak probably adds some amount of strength to the hammer as a whole. Many modern ball pein hammers have a similar effect where the center section is flattened and therefore gives more surface area contact between the head and the handle. Again these are just thoughts. It might very well be as simple as "that's the way it's always been done" syndrome. -Aaron @ The SCF

Gobbler, Thanx for the info. It's still up in the air whether I will be there or not (and probably will be till sometime next week) due to the wife's work schedule and babysitter situation. If i do end up going it will definitely be the 60$ on site registration. Hope I can make itand meet some of you. -Aaron @ the SCF

sorry, shoulda added this to the other one. tongs: along with the box jaw/universal jaw bolt tongs, i recommend two sizes of pickup tongs. I have a set that have three "waves" to them (therefore three sizes of openings in the jaws) that work well for holding punches and some sizes of round stock when upsetting, as well as picking stuff out of the forge. IMHO, a smithin' magician/ guillotine tool is indespensible for alot of the work I do (and there are plenty of plans out there) This was one of the first tools that I made, and I use it on a very regular basis. This along with the fact that it can be made by anyone with a welder, drill press , and chop saw puts it right up there at the top of my list. There are so many different dies that can be made for the guillotine tool that I've never bothered buying/making their "real" counterparts (Ex: round and square swage dies , slitting chisel dies , flatter dies , side set dies, fullering dies , and various shaping and decorative dies). and best of all you don't need to bribe your buddies with beer to get them to swing a 10 lb. hammer for you, cause the tool lets you do the swinging :)

Ball pein hammers as far as ball pein hammers go, check out the five piece set from harbor freight. They take a little bit of file dressing, but they've held up pretty well for me. i think the sizes are 8 oz. to 32 oz, and they cost around ten dollars a set. great for the starter and the advanced starter.

also, what time does the whole thing start up and go on friday?? I am traveling from central Illinois (7 hours) so would i be better taking a half day on friday and getting out there about 7:30 friday night, or is there enough that goes on on friday to warrant the whole day spent there??

hey everyone, I've never made it to quadstate (mostly because of school and work, but now that I am finally outta college and have a 9-5 job, i was thinking of going this year. If i am only going as a spectator, do I need to register? or is there just a spectator fee? i was a little confused by the website's form. Thanx all. Aaron @ The SCF

I should remember what these are called, we did a day worth of optical illusions in an art theory class in college. Try "optical illusion" on wikipedia. The real trick would be if someone could repousse a similar pattern on sheet copper/aluminum/steel/brass that would have the same effect ( i am not volunteering )

oakwood, where can you still find ap green products? the dealer went out of business around here (central illinois) some time ago and have had no luck finding new products from them?? Thanx

that is not a truck, nor is it a van, THAT, my friend , is an EM-50 urban assault vehicle just waiting to be born!!! (see Stripes)

Just picked up quite a bit of heavy angle (2.5"x2.5"x0.25") A local antique dealer, knowing that I blacksmith, said "Hey, I have some old angle iron in the back of the garage, ya wanna stop by and look at it, there's probably 80 or 90 feet if I remember" Sure, I'll stop and look. Ended up being over 250 feet and I got it for about a dollar a yard...The kicker? the stuff has never been exposed to the elements, no rust , and straight as an arrow. Practically new! And of course there's always the beverly B-1 in excellent condition that followed me home because i was the only one at the auction that thought it was worth ten dollars :)

The little known 11th commandment: Though shalt not sit on the good parlor couch in thine workclothes in thine wife's sight, lest though be stricken with pain and suffering greater than that caused by the ram and springs flailing loose of thine trip hammer. If it ain't broke, tear it apart so you can figure out how the broken one should work!

Oh forgot to mention, the Dover books are not how-to's they are more along the lines of "OOOHHH there's a design that would be neat to make" and then you figure out how to make it.

Two suggestions: Anything from the Dover Pictorial Archive series (Lots of different subjects , but several deal with ironwork and blacksmithing) These books are fairly innexpensive which means you can afford lots! While you said that you don't need another beginner book, I'll still recommend "The Backyard Blacksmith" by Lorelei Sims 1) because she's from my neck of the woods and 2) because it's full of pretty colored pictures of neat little projects!! (some functional some decorative)

Tmone, There has been a lot of good comment here, (I haven't read them all, but most of them) as far as your research goes might i recommend the following website The Countryside Agency type blacksmith in the search box at the top right and you will get a return of several ebook in pdf format about blacksmithing. For your purposes these should be great references, and best of all they are free to view! As far as the interface and stuff goes, I have no advice as I've been so far out of the gaming loop that my PS2 has become nothing more than a DVD player for the past four or five years ...

on the subject: Northern Tool sells a tool for removing the heads of drums. Has anyone had any experience with these?? Price seem right, just wondering about the quality or if there was a better one out there?. Wesco Drum Deheader | Drum Handling Equipment | Northern Tool + Equipment

149 lb english pattern. made by the Kirkstall Forge , sometime in the late 1800s

I'm working out of 24' x 36' (give or take) pole barn that was built from another recycled pole barn. no insulation , big wood-burning barrel stove , cold in the winter , hot in the summer. I have a double swing out door (for nostalgic purposes) and a big double sliding door on the northwall , a sliding door on the east wall , and a sliding door and man door on the south wall. Sliding doors are between 12 and 16 feet wide , man door is 4x8. Me and my dad built it over the period of about 6 months. I am currently pouring a concrete floor in 4x8 foot sections at a time (plenty of stress relief cracks right?) so it is partial dirt and partial concrete floor. It is on the farm , so no big deals with the smoke, reclaimed metal pile , building code. These are things to think about in town though. I thought the building was plenty big, and it was when it was empty , but it has filled up pretty quick, and i even use an abandoned grain bin for stock storage. The moral of my story is , pour the floor THEN build the building!

ten hammers: what kind of property are you moving too? my family has lived on a farm for a long time. one of the handiest things my grandpa ever built was a kind of forklift that fit on the back of a Minneapolis Moline M5. If you are moving to a rural setting this might be something to consider. The lift would easily move a ton (although not as high up as a fork lift), and since you weren't using the bucket way up high you could get into the sheds and such. It also would provide a tractor for mowing , etc. If you are moving more urban ways probably a forklift (in my not so urbanly informed opinion).