BillyBones

We used to have a huge Rotti, great dog with the family especially my daughter. He was absolutely devoted to her. We would have to put him outside if we had to punish her for something or the dog would have attacked one of us. 130# of Rottweiler is not something i want to tangle with.

So glad i live in Ohio where we have no giant centipedes or huge spiders or roaches the size of a small car. I got my ponytail caught in a drill once and a circular saw another time. Also a creeper will teach you real fast to make sure you got it tucked out the way.

I know many who seem incapable of using that tool. I am usually behind them on the drive to and from work. P-nut, i did not know that the herd was that big now.

The most important tool for a blacksmith? It is the same tool for any profession. That big hunk of grey matter behind your eyes and between your ears. Since it will be a game and i am assuming that there will be levels. I would say something like level 1 a wood block for an anvil, 2 a flat stone, 3 a piece of bronze maybe, then 4 a wiley coyote style anvil. See how each is progressively better than the last. Same with hammers and other tools. Green sticks are still used as tongs in some remote areas of the world. Also it is not that hard to do some searches for modern blacksmiths equipment, 18th century, medieval, Roman, etc., etc., going on the premise that the newer the better the technology. Anyway good luck and give us a holler and we may give it a go and give some feed back on what needs improved or what is right.

to be used against us in a court of law. I am so glad yall got that reference. Anyway out to check for damage after tornadoes ripping through here last night. I was actually between the 2 spots hit worst so i should be alright. No downed trees or anything but the wind was pretty bad and there is a gaping hole in the shop wall. So...

Doc, that is what i call it to...thin. My daughter accuses me of wearing a hat to cover up the bald spot. I say to her "Never had the top of the head sun burnt have ya?"

We had a coal mine at the head of the hollar. Us kids would go out and pick up the coal that fell off the trucks. My grandpa worked the mines when he was younger. He worked with Loretta Lynn's father for a time. Fun fact, in the state of Ohio there is a law that says "If 2 trains travelling in opposite directions come to an intersection, both must stop and neither can proceed until the other has cleared the intersection." Whaling is also illegal, not the kind that comes at 2 AM in the bar but actual whaling with harpoons and such. So i was cleaning out some more coal yesterday and found this. Just seemed odd thing to find. An old porcelain door knob.

Irondragon, that was my plan. I have an electric blower so it will just be a matter of turning a switch. Also if i need to fix anything in my vents it will be easier to let the fire die. I know most of the coal in this area is anthracite and it has a shale appearance, which if memory serves is anthracite. jlp, that coal has been in my basement for i would bet close to 80 years. There was tile, plastic, styrofoam, insulation and whole bunch of other mean and nasty debris on the bench there next to me,(sorry Arlo Guthrie took over for a second) the water also helped the smaller pieces come to the top. That layer of coal was about an 1 1/2 deep. Then came the sifting. At least another small bucket full. That pile of coal and the barn were the 2 deciding factors when i bought this place.

Isnt that how we get clean coal? No seriously though, there was a bunch of dirt, wood, and general debris mixed with that. I used a water bath to slosh out all that would float and the coal being lighter than the rock it settles on top. The larger stuff i picked out dry. Grandpa taught me that trick when i was a wee lad. We had no chute and the coal was left outside and would get all sorts of stuff mixed in with it.

There is the Florida Artisans Blacksmith Association.

I used to run a Davenport 5 spindle screw machine. They use the same brass bushings. The ones we used were removable cause i had to replace enough of them. They were not however that big.

Sorted out some coal from trash from what i have in the old chute. 2 small buckets worth to try out. I believe it is anthracite. It has a shale like appearance. I have not tried my new ventilation out so that may be a plus seeing as how it burns cleaner and harder to keep lit so any flaws and i wont choke to death at least. I can let it idle out, clear the air and repair any problem areas. Thought i had about a 100# of coal in the old chute, after this i would say 200# is more like it.

The last time i had them filled 3 20# took about 12 1/2 gal. The bill came out to just about $33. So around $3 a gal, a little less. A couple places around here charge a flat rate to fill the tanks. $17 for a 20# no matter if it is empty or half full. Needless to say i do not go there. TSC i have found is about the cheapest in this area. I live in suburbia and i would bet a dollar to a doughnut that i am not allowed to have a residential tank on my property. Heck i am supposed to keep the grill 50' from the house. That is a long walk to flip a burger.

No clue as to what a bangle is, but that is cool. My dad asked if i could make him a hasp. i saw that Swedish guy on youtube that we cant pronounce his name do one a while back. So i made something like it.

Oh, lord no. I was meaning i got the idea of running the plumbing from my NO2 set-up. Not using NO2. Nothing put propane and propane plumbing. 100# for $60, i am guessing i am paying about the same per pound. Is that the price for delivery? Cause my old bones cant see hoisting 100# of propane in and out of the truck every couple weeks. Oh, another thought i just had, i live in suburbia i may not even be allowed a tank that size.

I aint sure about cabin creek, but i do know that Paint creek is in Johnson county. I was thinking cabin creek was more North towards Ohio, around Portsmouth. When they built Paintsville lake they had to move my family cemetery. Nice lake and good bass fishing. There are also elk there now for hunting. By the way, Know what ya can do with a Buckeye ya cant do with a brier? Wipe your ...!

Frosty, i actually got the idea of running in series from my drag racing days. We would run 2 NO2 bottles in series to keep pressure from dropping when you hit the juice. A pressure drop will cause a piston to blow. Anywho, one of the other ideas i was floating was the heated blanket. We would wrap the bottles with a bottle heater, a heated blanket. That was also to keep the pressure up. I actually almost posted here asking if you could do that. I was going to get a 40#er but my dad gave me 1 tank, my boss the other, and only 1 i purchased at $30. The hoses and fittings cost all of $20. So $50 bones or shell out another $90 for a 40# and have 3 20# just lying about for who knows how long. Oh, i consider it a sin to use a propane grill so no cooking with them. I am by no means saying my way is best, just what works for me. If my ideas help i am happy to have helped.

I think there is something in the Bible about the glove. I aint no Bible scholar but i seem to remember: "To every thing there is a time a time to be gloved and a time to be bare. " Seriously though, my neighbor came over today and asked if i could show him how to make a knife. To which i said i am not a bladesmith but i will show you what i know. I gave him a piece of coil spring, a set of tongs, a hammer, and said here ya go. The only real problem i saw, besides hammer control, was not standing straight. I showed him how to punch a hole also (4 tries and he got the hole through) but for never putting hot metal to an anvil i think he did pretty well. The plunge is not as deep as it looks and can be easily corrected. There is also going to be a weak spot on his hole obviously. But all in all not bad in my opinion. His old lady come and took him home so we will finish the grind and heat treat later.

P-Nut, i am from Johnson county, Paintsville is the closest "city". Lindy branch holler (thats Linda branch hollow for those who do not know hillspeak) . Love them old KY women. And that sounds exactly like something grandma would have said to me. Anyway something grandpa used to say: "an open mouth, gathers closed fists" Forgot to hit the notify button so another post. So another from grandad "close your mouth and open your ears"

Bill, are you floating that tank in water? Helps keep the ice down. This past winter i froze my ice bath one day so i invested in another tank. For a while i would bounce from one to the other as they would frost. About 2 months ago my boss gave me a 3rd tank. Rather than try and bounce between 3 tanks i looked into this a little more. From what i gathered it is all about surface area. I invested in some fittings and plumbing and ran all 3 in series. When they get very low, i mean like 1" in the bottom they will get a little bit of frost but not much at all. I do not have to run near as much pressure and my gas is lasting much longer. I went from about an 8 hour run on 1 tank to close to 40 on all 3.

Das, i used to work flat rate but in the past couple years buisiness has slowed down so much i would starve now. I have found a couple smiths on the youtube that i watch. John over at the Black Bear forge was the first sub i ever made on the youtube. I like his teaching. I also like Roy over at Christ Centered Ironworks, although some find him kind of condescending and my way or the highway type, i think he gives a lot of good info. The great thing about the youtube is most of the time you will learn what not to do. Cannon, love those bracelets. Me and the old lady are huge Reds fans.

A nice thick coat of lard, then put it in your chimney for a year. (far enough from the fire as not to burn it of course.) Seriously though, my grandpa taught me how to use a shillelagh when i was younger and how to make one. And that is how a traditional shillelagh was made. I do not stick it in the chimney but i do put a nice coat of tallow on it then set it in a dry place for at least a year or longer. Depends on the thickness of the wood. General rule is 1 year per inch of diameter. The tallow or lard will give it a deep brown "stain" and leave a coating on it. It also keeps it from drying to fast which leads to cracks. You can just use tallow or even wax on just the ends or wherever you removed branches but with tallow you get brown spots. That's why i coat the whole thing. Do not put any kind of poly eurthane or similar coatings until completely dry. I will also cut them 10 or 12 inches longer than i want so if i do develop a crack i got enough to cut off and get back to good wood. One of my favorite woods to use, and it is a lot stronger and flexible than people think, is honeysuckle. Oh one more thing some people will attach them to boards to dry. Strapped in the middle and ends. This will prevent them from bending, warping, or twisting while drying. Make sure you flip them every 6 weeks or so and move the strap locations to expose those surfaces to the air.

Das, i assume you work for a dealership? We do not have consultants, but every once in a while we get someone from home office come and tell us what we are doing wrong and how to fill out our work orders (again). How i dread them days. I get paid partially by work done, no work from me sitting in an office being told how to do my job (again) means it effects my paycheck. Oh yeah i work for AA(beep, beep)MCO.

Thanks for the input guys. I of course chucked it. I may of heated a zinc plated piece once, but that was a while back ago and i am provably lucky i was outside. But i have since learned my lesson and if it dont look right, smell right, or feel right, i do not use it. Have not tried taste test yet, may hurt my fillings also.

Finished a coat rack i started this weekend for my daughter. Juts had to screw it down to the board after staining the wood late last night. Had a pretty bad day so after i just sat down opened a beer and turned on Dr.John.