Pault17

Sometimes I have been called "wierd" but the "headache - lifesize and functional" scares me to no end.... I like the flippers tho. wouldn't need a weight belt. maybe good for underwater welding when you need to get down there quick?

Very Nasty! Smoothe and crisp Welcome to IFI

Jimmy and Mary, The both of you have all eight of my children praying for a speedy recovery. He hears kids better'n us older ones, it seems sometimes. Paul

Favorite band is Rush. However, I will listen to just about anything with the exception of (k)rapp. I used to 20 years ago, but the new stuff makes me wanna use their sub woofers for an anvil. I have lately picked up a taste for spanish/flamenco guitar as well as country:o (its the only music that doesn't use the Lord's name in vain). I always have no problems dropping in some celtic (waterboys, paul brady, christy moore, ashley macisaac, etc) and the Jolly Rogers (pirate music with a sea-faring beat. very easy to rhythmically swing my 4-pounder to)

Mende that's what it's all about! great day

Frosty, Instead of the jack (although "free" has been my favorite price, even when it didn't work out) what about a hand crank similar to that on a small drill press? Of course, now you would have to find an abandoned drill press. you could easily move it up and down. at least my non-machinist mind would like to think so. Overall though, way cool idea

I was making an attempt at doing a faggot weld on a piece of shqre 1/2 inch last night and noticed a really "pretty" green coloured flame above and below the piece after it had been initially fluxed with borax. is this normal or should I run screaming to the woods?

Hey Mike, where are you located? If I had an address, I might be able to convince my wife to let me go or even come along. maybe. you can pm me if you wanna

my helium tank forge, using a Rex price shortly model, on a BBQ tank gets about 16 to 17 hours. that is running at 4 to 5 psi through a regulator I bought from Larry Zoeller I have had a cold tank but never a frosted one, even when running at 10 psi

very nice show with crisp lines. purty

Jayco , love the idea h really like your choice in dog feeding appliances. where did you find a bowl shaped like a bag?:D

Aaron, I have a piece of leaf spring that has a hole punched through it with a spike. in the last heat, I used a spike as a die and drove it into the bar to create a "spike underside" impression. Now, anytime I want to make anything from a spike that will need to stand up, I just drop a hop spike into the hole and drive it flat. The spike drops out and doesn't require grinding to stand up.

My parents 43rd anniversary passed while I had taken a sabbatical from banging iron, so I had to get this to them a little late. Not real refined. Made from a spike drawn and split. I worked the heart sides one at a time and opened them up together in the last heat. My forge is not large enough for the whole thing to fit. The face and outer edge of the heart were sanded down to get shine, the heat oxidized for color. The whole thing was coated with interior/exterior laquer and clear-epoxied to a chunk of busted up countertop. To use, I just cut the picture to fit and secure it with a couple of rare earth magnets. That was a pretty cool idea, i thought.

FFF, The angle iron idea was my first homegrown hardy tool. I made one side rounded and the other sharpened. I also drilled a 1/2 inch hole through each side and just bolted it to my anvil when needed. Also, my first handheld hot cut was a 1-inch wood chisel with the plastic handle removed. I still have both and occasionally use them too

hibjib, whereabouts in fuquay do you live/work? That is my home town as well:D

along the "expensive at the hardware store" line, I was surprised to find that a 4-foot piece of 1 by 1/8 flat was only $0.20 less expensive than the 6-foot piece of the same stuff. I prefer to scrap and scrounge, but sometimes it is easier to just by the bar and square stock than it is to make it from 3/8 round, of whick I currently have more than my wife likes.

Golden eagle, I have a little benchmade that I can flick open faster than my little bro's switch. He is an LEO and is allowed to have one. when I first showed him, he thought he was gonna hafta take it away.:D

110# russian sub from HF (actually bought two, one for me and one for little bro) $95 +tax each - no sale 75# un-marked english style cast steel dug out of a hillside - free. also came with a 40# 4-inch leg vice also dug out of hillside 55# RR anvil I made from a piece found under the deck of a vacant house. Gave to friend/heighbor.

Valentin, truly amazing. you should show that to all the "wannabee blacksmiths that wanna make a sword!!" just to show them what can be done. don't know if that's a good idea or not though.. John B, thanks for the information. I did similar with the exception of just using a can of minwax spray-on laquer, semi gloss, for a couple of rr spike door knockers. haven't heard any bad news from either recipient. yet...

Thanks for the info. I had seen pictures but did not make the connection with the knife-making trade. I am defintely not there as yet.

How many IFI'ers have vertical or upright gas forges, or have used one? What are the benefits, if any, of an upright vs. a horizontal? I have seen pictures of a few made from things like 5-gallon pony air tanks, 10-inch heavy wall pipe, etc. Usually, the burner is mounted near the bottom with an opening approximately 1/2 to 2/3's up the side of the tank. I am guessing that there is a corresponding opening on the opposite side of the tank for long stuff. Also, the top is usually hinged. I have several tanks of various small sizes that I am wanting to experiment with. I am even tossing around the idea of making my own burners as well. Any Ideas?

Frosty, thanks for the tip on cutting rails. I never thought about that part of things. I cheated and went with a cutting blade on my skill saw, but had to hack throught the rest of rail that the saw wouldn't reach.