Pat Roy

Could mean anything. Did you google Illinois Steel?

Irish drinking songs and sea shanties, I need some of that.

My first cut off hardy was a piece of heavy angle. I sharpened one edge on the grinder and welded a piece of square tube on the bottom to fit the hardy hole. Still in service.

I always have music on. I thought this would be a good way to get through some audio books but that didn't work out. I get too focused on the work and miss too much of the book. Back to music, either a local FM station or CDs.

I'd think about having the door in line with the forge if you think you might work with pieces longer than 6 feet. Depending on what kind of work you do, you might need an assembly area for garden gates etc. My first shop was 12 X 20 and that was quickly too tight. My current shop is 20 X 24 and after two years in it I still have room to move around. Good luck.

I'm with Big Lake Forge and Frank: no kindling, no charcoal, no accelerants. Just newspaper, 3 full sheets balled up, light it add air and rake in the coke from a previous fire or green coal. Works either way. I give it plenty of air and find some busy work for a few minutes while the fire gets itself going (I have an electric blower). I only use plain newsprint. The glossy advertising gets recycled, does not burn well due to the coatings.

For bathroom hardware, especially the towel rack, since there will be lots of moisture, I would use multiple coats of clear lacquer. Even then it may eventually wear, keep an eye on it. For some things I use a mixture of beeswax, boiled linseed oil and turpentine, this isn't one of them.

We have the nasty brown recluse spiders here and that's about it for poisonus biters. No poisonus snakes. We do have an abundance of deer ticks that carry several diseases including Lyme. Other than that there are the pesky black flies and mosquitos.

My first shop had a wooden frame floor. I didn't have a problem with burning the floor because I put down cement board in the area where the forge was and where I might weld or cut with the torch. The problem I did have was the bounce when I was hammering forcefully on the anvil or treadle hammer. The whole building would begin to flex, floor and walls included. Loose items would bounce around and items would fall off shelves. My new shop has a 6 inch concrete floor. I have very comfortable work boots and haven't notice a back, hip or knee problem. If it comes up, I have a pad to put down.

Just wondering if this operation is more successful with a ten dollar bill in the picture.

I'd have to say Lorelei Sims' The Backyard Blacksmith is a very good start for a beginner. Randy McDaniel's A Blacksmithing primer was used in the introductory course I took at New England School of Metalwork and it was a good resource. I am sure that Mark Aspery's books are also very good although I haven't read them yet. It's good also to buy more advanced books and challenge yourself.

Nice job Peter.

I don't use up time doing unnecessary work. Only the working surfaces need to be dressed. Polishing the sides to mirror finish is a bit out there.

The second listing was deleted before I had an opportunity to look at it. How big and how much were they asking? I have two H-B's, 112# and 163# in good shape that I paid $125 and $250 for; of course that's in Maine.

My $0.02. My forge table is 14 gauge sheet welded all around to the angle iron perimeter (about 36" x 36"), no additional support needed. The fire box is 3/8" plate welded with a thin support frame around the top. I cut a rectangular hole in the table top and dropped the fire box in, so it sits nearly flush with the table top. I can pull it out any time it needs repair but that hasn't happened in 8 years yet. I don't use fire brick or any kind of refractory and there has been no distortion or erosion/corrosion of the fire box. Good luck with yours.

you might have scared him off.

Gee now even I can forge weld on a regular basis? What is the brand name? Where can I find it? Who is this "most respected blacksmith?:" "

I asked the same question earlier this month, good luck.

I like them Peter. Do it your way. That should support any plant you are likely to hang from it.

I've got some rakes, now to find some golf balls. Almost too bad I gave up the sport.

I started out with a Lincoln 135 then sold it and moved up to a Miller 210 for the increased power and duty cycle. It's all the machine I need. I also picked up a small stick machine at a discount store but I'm not very good with it since it doesn't get much use. I am doing more forge welding lately.

Mine points up slightly and it is not an issue. This occured because the guy who cut the stump did not make the cuts parallel and I'm no better with a chain saw than he is.

Well, I wonder where the picture went! Sorry.

Here is one of my butterflies, made from steel sheet. I also make them from copper. This one is 5 1/2 inches across but I also make therm much smaller as pins and barrettes. I found images through google. These are not forged of course, repousse.

I've only had two teachers and don't feel qualified to offer an opinion. They were good but many others are as well.