BillyBones

Blue, i have the same problem with my barrel hood rusting out. Almost one whole side is gone. Figure i will fix it tomorrow.

So in the shop made a trivet, not my best but it is for mu own use so functional over pretty. Also started a door handle. Still need to do the thumb latch, and the inner parts. There will also be a basic lock. 

Paul, My deepest sympathies. 

George, i know most of that. I was just saying that here, even in the rural areas code is kind of strict. More of a comment on how things are different state to state or even county to county. 

There is no such thing as a wind dead zone here. It comes from all directions and many times all at once. When settlers moved to this area the native Americans who lived here then call this place the spot of big wind or something like that. So what did we do, built our county seat there. In my life time it has been devastated twice by tornados and a couple years back we had 18 touch down in one night in this area. Gets a bit breezy round here at times. 

I would start with instead of the scroll welded to the horse shoes rivet them together. Seeing as how it seems that it has been determined that is is a hat hanger, leave the horse shoe at the top. Add a coat hanger cause a cowboy also needs a place for his coat. Does the part that attaches to the wall have to be a a horse shoe? Or could it be the shape of say Texas? ( hope you caught that , funnin' ya)  

The crosses, if they do not have to be duplicates i would do something  like rivet them together but the rivets look like nails. 

You do not have to have a permit? Around these parts we have to have a permit to build pretty much anything bigger than a dog house. 

Wind is not an issue? is that a normal day or does that account for storms with high winds or maybe even a tornado? I have never been to New Hampshire or know anything about the weather there so i am not trying to be critical, just wondering. 

Thinking about it, with the way we have high winds and tornados may be one of the reasons we need permits to build just about anything here. 

TW, also got your card. One of these days i will get off my lazy but and send one. Still have the Christmas card on the table next to me that i sent to myself instead of you last year. 

I have never made icicles before but i am thinking maybe cut some sheet in a long taper kind of triangle about 5/16" maybe 3/8" at the top and make a nice long twist in that. Or some small flat bar. Something that would need to be that small and light could also be worked cold i would think. 

Looking pretty good. That is the same way i am doing my "office" in my barn. I had enough left over 2x10's from the porch i put on my house to frame in a floor. The kid next door to me moved out and left me about 15 2x4's i have been using for studs. The walls are from stock boxes i am getting from where i work, all pine board much like what you are using. 

One question though, how is it all anchored to the ground? Or is it all just sitting on those bricks? I would have dug down  couple feet and poured concrete pillars then anchored it to them. 

White fox, very nice hammer. 

NicZa, those look better than just about every set of tongs i have made. 

Got this years serving fork done. Get it's first use come All Saints Day. 

After a bit of work i cleaned out my forge. I found this huge chunk of forge glass in the bottom. 

Shut down and went to enjoy my home towns annual Halloween festivities. 

JHCC, yes i know that. I am not a fan of that online retail site named after the river so i refuse to actually use their name or use their services any longer. Long story but they basically told me that there was nothing they could do to help me get a refund on a product that was never delivered.  

I do wonder at times though was it named after the river, the forest, or the warrior women? 

I went from basically living on the street 15 years ago to owning a home and becoming prosperous, having a family with grandkids and even 2 great grandkids now.  I gave up most of my ill habits and completely quit associating with any of my old "friends". My only 2 vices now are a couple beers when i get home from work and the cigarettes i smoke. And if you knew half of the things i used to do... that is pretty danged impressive. 

Commercial links not allowed. Do a search on "chimney draft fan". 

They sell them at that website named after the giant river in S. America. Also chimney supply places usually sell them.

The in-line fans go on the outside of the stove pipe with the blades protruding into it from the side.  Kind of like a squirrel cage fan. On the outside it will be much less exposed to the heat. 

If you are really interested in one i would contact a chimney supply company like Rockford (they have a website with a chat function) and ask their opinion and what would work best for you. 

My thought when i contemplated one was using and old air pump off of a car with air ride suspension. Mount it to the wall then run duct to my chimney coming in at a bit of an upward angle. That way the fan is well away from any heat and the duct would be much easier to take off periodically to clean out any soot or debris that may accumulate. 

In my opinion i think you will be fine with just the 8" pipe. As long as you practice good fire management and not burning a lot of green coal. You will get the errant bit of smoke but it is negligible. I would try it with out a fan first then if you need one look into buying one.    

Gov't Mule, Widespread Panic, and Blackberry Smoke are the only bands now that i will go and see. I used to go to a lot of live shows when i was younger, maybe 3 a month on average, as i have gotten older i no longer want to deal with the crowd, getting clean and sober helped with that really, or the driving there and back, or the standing, or the... you get my point. So i decided if i want to go and see a show it will be a good one and close to me. If it is one of those 3 i always try and make it. 

On a side note me and my dad went to a local bar last weekend. For pizza and a couple beers*. I made a comment to him and said that coming to a bar makes me realize why i no longer like hanging out in bars. We drank our beers, ate our pizza and had a good time laughing at all the "kids" doing what we used to do in bars. 

*Alcohol was not my problem.  I do not mind talking about my past and my mistakes, i have spoke at NA meetings and have helped some. If you have a loved one or if you yourself want some advice, please ask. 

Those 3 little kittens in my watermelons are now residing in my house. The TNR ladies never showed up to get them and now that it is getting colder out the wife says we need to keep them inside. May be a good thing though. They are getting house broke and more domesticated. They do have appointments coming up at the vet to get their shots and if old enough neutered. My mom says she wants one of the kittens, finally talked my dad into it, and if i know her, her logic is going to be she cant take one becuase it will miss its sibling and if she takes 2 then the one that is left will miss its siblings so the only answer will be take all 3. 

The mother cat, Betsy, looks like she is with kittens again.  However if the kittens are born in the barn in late November i dont give them good odds of surviving the winter.  Dont get me wrong, it is a barn and there is nooks and crannies with plenty of straw where they can find shelter. 

Paul, good on ya helping out an injured little guy. 

I have never used one nor know any one who has but you can get helper fans to push air up and out of a chimney. You can get some that go inside the pipe, on top of the pipe, or inline with the pipe. 

I use 8" pipe as well. The only times i have a problem with  it drawing is when i first light my fire and if i have the windows in the shop open on a windy day sometimes it hits just right to blow the smoke out of the hood. I have an exhaust fan up near the peak of the roof in my shop that helps with excess smoke so it does not get out of hand. Even if you have a hood that draws all the smoke out i would still use an exhaust fan just to keep air flow through the shop anyway. If you do go with an exhaust fan get some kind of filter for the motor. I learned the hard way that soot will build up and cause it to quit working. A cheap furnace filter cut to size works rather well with a rubberband to hold it in place over the back of the motor. 

Make sure you get a good rain cap. Those elbows will rust out in no time when water mixes with the smoke and soot inside the stack. I am no scientist or chemist but i believe it has something to do with the sulfur in coal mixing with the water, acid rain kinda. Which may be one of the reason i do not know anyone to use a helper fan as well.  An inline fan, which if i was to use one seems the way to go, costs around $150 US. Not something i would want to replace often. 

A note about roof penetration. I used a 3' piece of triple wall pipe through the roof. The rest is single wall pipe. Code where i live says that is fine to do. IIRC code says 18" from flammable material for single wall, 3" for triple wall. Having 18" inches above and below, and 8" side to side from the rafters i was well with in code. Maybe an overabundance of caution but i also put heat sheilds on the roof and rafters. 

Southern rock, still alive and well. One of my favorite newer bands. First time i heard them was when they played with Gov't Mule a few years back. I have since seen them a few times again and they never fail to put on a great show.

Chi is what we called it when i studied Tai-chi. 

You summon it by quit trying to do something and just do it. 

Brian Brazeal did a youtube video a few years back on how to forge a mushroom. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr4H6RxwXQ

It is all about how you hold your tongue. 

I have always called it over thinking or trying to hard. Almost like your brain knows what it wants your hands to do but your conscious mind interferes with the connection between your brain and your hand. When you quit thinking about it your brain just makes your hand do what it wants it to do. 

Pretty cool.

I was talking with a smith at a period re-enactment and he was working on the hinges for the gates of a colonial period fort that is being built somewhere around here. 

A few years back there was a documentary made called "The Devil's Blacksmith" about the smiths who re-made the hinges on the North door of Notre Dame.  

Some of the colleges have some really nice iron work as well. I was commenting to someone the other day about the gates of Harvard. They are worth taking a gander at. 

This song actually hits quite close to home for me. It was a rainy Sat. in Dec. my dog, Ziggy, got up and could not use his back legs. I laid with him in the living room floor and just before he passed he had a moment of lucidity turned and put his head in may hand. I told him i loved him, he was a good dog, and everything would be ok. He gave little gruff "umph" and took his last breath. I cried like a kid. Absolutely tore me up, i am getting all teary eyed thinking about it now. He was my best freind i have ever had. Always by my side. Smart as a whip, never had a leash on, he would not even go past the property line unless i told him it was ok to do so. The kids on the street loved to play with and he loved playing with them. 

That was 5 years ago this Dec.  He was just an old mutt. The vet said by looking at him he was German Shepherd, Boxer, and Lab. Imagine a brindle strip GSD and that is what he looked like. 

I would suggest a couple tissues for this. 

On 10/6/2023 at 6:21 PM, LarryFahnoe said:

"too much of everything is just enough" 

"one more thing i gotta say,

I need a miracle everyday."

TW, if they were drinking Coor's light, i cant blame them for passing on to the next world.

Goods, Nice knives. 

Frosty, yes it is free machine steel and from my understanding it having the "L" means that yes it does contain lead. it is pretty much the most common material you will find in the shop i work. I turn ether 12L14 or half hard brass usually with a smattering of 303 thrown in. 

Getting ready for Halloween and the festivities. Made a couple coffee scoops and a serving fork. Got some 3/8" round from work that was left over from another job. Not much 5 bars about 20" long or so. Tried making and S hook from a piece. It is 12L14 steel. Was not sure how it would forge being machine steel. Soft, moved like butter. 

And to attract attention to my wares i started a new sign bracket to set in the front yard. Beats the piece of wood and a hunk of carboard. Got one rivet done, my minion did not come over and i could not get all 4 set with out a hand. 

Kind of looks like the frog gigs we used when i was a kid.