Pault17

Sam, you are an inspiration. Thanks for the pics.

I may be called lazy, but I think they would make great Christmas presents:D

All, I searched the forum with no luck in finding what I was looking for. The same place where I dug up my first anvil and leg vice, my father in law gave me the remains of an old manure spreader wagon, along with any metal dug out of the side of one of the hills on his property. Among other things, I have two rims about 3 to 3.5 feet or so in diameter, 1/2 inch thick and three or so inches wide, with rounded edges. I cut out and brought a ten inch piece to the blacksmith shop at the fair and all of the "old" smiths said that it looked like wrought. I gave it to one to check out, as my forge is no way big enough to heat the piece up. Is there some way I can test to see if it is wrought. cutting and bending to break? thanks for the words

I bought this one at borders and really like the way it is written out from an experienced point of view that seems intended for the beginner/beginner-intermediate. She really shows how things can be done and the tips and tricks are great. The photography is really well done as well.

I made a hook at a country fair about twelve years ago at an outdoor demo a local smith had set up. He invited anybody to come up and give it a try using 1/4 inch round. He had his two young sons acting as apprentices and blower crankers. I made a hook that he thought his son had made:D and asked if I wanted to give it a "real" try. I wanted to but didn't follow through at the time. About two years ago my in-laws retired down out way and one day as I was walking sround their property, I dug a little worn out 75 lb anvil and a small 4-inch leg vice out of the hill side. Pop said I could keep it and that is where I began.

Terrible. I wouldn't show those in public to anyone!! Send them to my house and I will dispose of them quietly for you:D I llike you style. reminds me of some of the old Randall knives. Very functional and beautifully made! thanks for sharing

I had a chance to stop by the fair this afternoon after work. worked from about 5 until about 9 or so. I had two of my older children with me, so I had to get them home. Coal can get metal hot quick. I have never actually seen it sparkle like that:o I worked off to the side and leached off the heat of the main demonstrator. I made a handful of hooks, leaf keyrings and small overhand knot keyrings, which I handed out to various children whe kept asking "what are you doing now". I even had the (mis)forturne of being interviewed by a college radio show reporter. She asked all kinds of questions about why "we" liked blacksmithing, isn't it a dead art, etc. I pretty much answered by quoting the forward in Charles McCravens "blacksmith's craft" book without knowing it, mixed in with information I have long gleamed from the Forum here. Thanks all of you for the answers to her questions!!! One of my daughters snapped a few pics of "me in action" It was warm and a little muggy there too

ecart, I will be there satruday morning as well. I talked to Parks Low this afternoon and will be finishing the day out tomorrow afternoon as soon as I can get there. It will be interesting to work with coal. never done that before.

lisp, list, fist, fast, fact, pact, pace, face, race, rice (I like this), mice, mace... brain just quit:o I know I probably broke the rules, but I needed a change of pace from regular work :)

I have two. The smaller one was a seriously abused one that I dug up froma hill side at the inlaws retirement home/property. I also dug up my leg vice from next to the anvil. I stubbed my toe on one of the feet of the anvil and started digging. This one is my russian special. The stand is a full sheet of 3/4 inch plywood. The center block is wide enough to hold the whole anvil. I had to add 3-inch blocks under each of the feet when I realized that my back-aches were from leaning over the anvil.

I have three - two bean cans and a "balloon time" forge. The bean cans are lined with one inch of kaowool, while the balloon forge is lined with two inches. One of the beaners has a 1-inch brick floor and the ballooner has the same. burner for the beaners is a propane torch from home depot and the ballooner has a rex price shorty

Another good idea for a gasser body is an old 7 or 10 air tank, new for about $25-35. cut the frotn off and hinge it. cut a port in the back, bolt or weld on legs/supports, line the bottom with a layer or two fo fire brick and fill the rest with a double layer of kaowool. You could also just kaowool the whole thing and do that neat poured refractory floor thing. I like to coat the wool with several layers of satanite or like material, then coat every thing with a nice layer of itc100. To dry out/bake the inside I did the expedient of putting a bare 100-watt light in the cavity for a day or so. It was really amazing how hot it got in there and how little heat got out.:)

Amazing M. you are way ahead of the curve as I see it. At the last local abana chapter meeting I went to I met two programmers, one database manager and one senior chemical engineer. All of them make the money to allow them to "play"

I semi-regularly use a small flat 3.5 inch wire wheel in my drill press to quick-clean scale off things. I have a few things grab and leave my grip, but so far have been luck with no loss of limb. I have read many of the various stories and the one with Paw-Paw was the scariest to me. I don't have a bench-mount grinder yet, so the temptation is not there. I also typically use a flap-disc for rapid removal, on my 4.5" grinder.

John, thanks for elucidating some of my feelings for me. Tom, I envy (in a positive, non-covetous way) your collection and ability to grow it. M, Thanks for setting the story straight. I have been getting more and more curious about your wants and desires regarding iron-banging. I lurked for almost a year on this site, following conversations and threads, going through the blueprints, trying my bestest to absorb all of the knowlege and experience I could from this site and anvilfire, before even working up the guts to post a question that wouldn't make me look too much like a total wannabenoobie. Reading through some of the past questions you have posted, I realize that you are looking for the quick answer and instant knowlege. My suggestion is to pretend you're a doctor and get some patience. You are young and have a much easier time and better cranial capacity for learning new stuff than an old gasser like myself. Make use of the time wisely. My first set of tongs link removed at the request of anvilfire, which I still use on a very regular basis were designed by a then-10 year old. I figured if he could do it, I most surely could. (Thanks Sean, yours was a brilliant work of simplicity.) Be cool and say a prayer. Answers are out there

KevinD and all, I have mentioned, in the past, that I went with a rex price shorty (Welcome to Hybridburners.com) burner. Looking at his price list, it is the least expensive of his line ($118 for a complete burner). I have been using mine since just after christmas with absolutely no problems. I could have built one but had to make the decision of "build burner or bang iron". Eventually I may build my own or just go with a coal/charcoal forge.

solvarr, there is a local ncabana group based in the triangle. I went to my first meeting with them this past saturday to clean up and prep the smithy at the fiar grounds. Stop by if you get the chance. The local group meets every even month on the first saturday. pm me if you want more details.

Thanks Peyton. To all the Va smiths - consider it borrowed. thanks for the recipes:D

It's not a personal demo, but I am part of the smithy crew for this years' state fair! NCABANA booth/forge next Saturday in the a.m.:cool: no pun intended, but Iam stoked.

WD, The back is 1/4x1.5 bar stock. The pivot is a scrap piece of 1/8" plate that I cut into a cross or + sign. I bent the two sides to match the thickness of the knocker plus a hair. The pivot is riveted top and bottom to the back with 1/8" rivets and the knocker pivots on a cutoff piece of 5/32 drill bit shank. The bottom of the knocker hits right over the bottom screw hole, and yes Bentiron, I will give them some blackened screws:D. Using an idea I read about in the blueprints, I used a thin cardboard shim on one side of the knocker that burnt out, allowing a little play in the knocker swing. When I asked my wife to hold it and said "nice knocker, huh?" she only smiled a little:rolleyes:

Sam, I regularly tell people that my biggest hobby is banging iron. They always seem amazed that someone would actually still do that kind of stuff and ask if it's hard. I always tell them that I work in the 1800 to 2100 degree range (this gets the look) and at that temp, it's like hitting hard clay. The biggest problem is the potential for burns.

Fp, I thought the same thing at first. but the colors look like Ti-tanium. Could it be an etched or layered Ti?

For a "hobbyist" I am awed. Thank you for posting!!