Winston

I do not have a pic handy, but it is made of railroad spikes welded together. I tried using a mig welder and welding a small wire loop to the back, but it either burnt up the loop or would not burn into the spike. I can attach something in an inconspicuous way at a weld. If nothing else, I will see if a copper wire wraped at a weld is pleasing to people. Does anyone have a source for something to weld on the back to accept a wall hook or nail? Thanks.

Winston

I have been making some new wall hangings for friends and family. They are not forged, just fabricated, and weight about 5 lbs. Now I am wanting to start mass production, but I cannot figure out how to most efficiently design it to mount to a wall. I have so far just put 2 screws in a wall and hung it on them, but people have complained that you can see the screws. I thought of just drilling a hole in the back and screwing a picture type loop hanger to the back, or soldering some loops to the back. Anyone know of some trick that is quick and easy to allow a hidden wal mount? I am trying to cut construction time to an absolute minimum to keep it at my price point. Thanks.

Winston

Would most consider 3/4" thick dies to be optimal?

Thanks for the answers.

I am going to try 38". I was thinking about hammering on it and it made sense. I need to be able to hammer down. I do have a box vise that is mounted higher already and it is not confortable for hammering, so having it lower would be nice. I might try and make it adjustable as someone mentioned.

I just bought my first post vise. It is a 6"er, but the leg has been cut off. I figured that since I am puting a new leg on it I might as well make it the best height for my size. Yet since this is my first I have no clue what height that would be.

So, for everyone who is around 5'10" tall what would be your optimal general use vise height?

Thanks,
Winston

Thanks for the swift advise. It was for naght though. Somebody wanted them a lot more than me. He paid way more than scrap.

thanks,
Winston

The shanks are very long.

Thank goodness for iPhones

First make sure that they are not galvanised or plated with something really nasty. Check the top of the head for markings, if there's nothing there they are probably M/S. Spark test them. Do you know what their original purpose was?.If you do there will be someone on here who will know what type of steel they are likely to be. Are the shanks long enough to be of any use?

I have a chance to buy some big bolts (about 1" diameter and 18" long) I don't know what grade they are. In general are bolts good for forging? Maybe hammers or chisels? I will not hold anyone responsible if they end up worthless. Are normal everyday bolts good?

Here is a tomahawk I made on accident. I was really just beating a spike for hammer practice. It just took shape as I was hammering. This was my first blade of any kind. I had some help on punching the hole from another blacksmith. In this picture I had just shoved a handle in it. I have since shaped a handle and attached it.

Thanks! That was what I was looking for.

I am going to make a couple of things for the wife to go in the bathroom. One thing will be a towel rack. I do not have any experiance in finishes. I read about finishes for damp environments, but they related to outside. This is a small bathroom and everything sweats when taking a shower. She wants a dark brown or black finish. I could just clear coat with something. Ok to the question:

Do I need to worry about rust? What finish will not rub off with towels rubbing over the bar? Will a clear coat wear off?

I know I could just paint them, but I was wondering if I could do something better?

Thanks.

I know you said you were to cheap to buy a 100lb, but it is not that expensive. Definately not worth the hassle to me. The only reason I would not have a 100lb bottle would be for portability. I dealt with freeze ups on my first fill of the small bottle and immediately got a 100lb. Walmart has them for $117 shiped to their store for pick up.

Walmart.com: 100# Refillable Propane Cylinder: Grills & Outdoor Cooking

Thanks for the answers.

I was not worried about where I got mine, but in being able to prove where they all came from. I have gotten them from many sources. I was just wondering if I needed to try and keep up with documentation of where every spike came from. Even if I had a legit receipt how would they know if it is for 'x' spike? It appears that while it is illegal to steel spikes they do not try and prosecute such petty theft when it would be impossible to prove whether they were legal or illegal unless you were caught in the act.

First. I know that there are legal and illegal ways to get railroad spikes. I know that the railroad scraps their own or contracts it out. I also know that there are people who say "who cares" and others who are really worried about using spikes not acquired in a legal manner.

Questions:
1) Has anyone ever had problems selling railroad spikes? Has anyone ever had someone from a rail road question them?

2) Has anyone ever anecdotally heard of anyone getting into trouble for selling rail road spikes?

I am wanting to sell some pieces made from railroad spikes. Not all of them are forged some are spikes just welded together. very easy to recognise what they are. It will be in a large craft show setting. I do not want to get into issues with trying to verify where every rail road spike I have comes from.

Thanks,
Winston

Hello Winston,

Should this not work in the US you could be sneaky, send a letter to a decent law firm asking them what it would cost to copyright your design (asking, in passing, if they thought the design was suitable for copyrighting). Their reply, regardless of content, should be pretty good evidence of your having created the design by a given date.

G.

Philip, since your in China this advice will not work for you. As for those in the US why not aslo register it as a trademark? I am not saying a blacksmith list would not be important. But, I hope people realize the importance of registering their mark. Someone could duplicate it, and you would not have legal recourse. Most people do not realize how easy it can be to record a trademark (google is your friend). It could be done for as little as $500 last I checked.

24x24 @ $3.13/sqft and 24x16 @3.64/sqft. That would be 50% more shop for 30% more money. If you ever think you will need the space it is cheaper and easier to do it now. But you have to do what money permits.

Are you factoring in storage? I mean not just for normal stock but for those "it followed me home" things?

By the way both prices would be a good deal for this area.

I will say you can never have too much shop. You can always find something to fill it. My house came with a detached 30x50 block building with a 13x50 wooden addition all with concrete floors. That is 2150 sqft. (Bigger than my house ) It seemed huge at first. Now I am thinking off adding on all the time. (I need more storage) You will always use what you have and want more. My friend has a garden home with a single car garage which he uses for his shop, and he gets more done than I do.

Brian,

Thanks for giving so freely of your talent. Every picture you post helps tremendously.

And with every new picture I think one thing...

Where can I find a table like that??

:D

Yes you could, and it would work well like that. And you would have infinite length, you could slide the piece through as far as needed. At present it works, but that doesn't mean it could not be improved. Most of my tools are to be considered "first drafts" anyway. Critiques are always welcome, that is how we improve. I think you may be onto something there.

Well I tried to get the tools. Someone wanted them more than me. I hope it is someone who will use them and not just a reseller.

Looks good. But I hope you do not mind a critique. I have to wonder if it would work better if you put slides on both sides instead of putting the single slide in back. Now when you hammer, it wants to rotate down as well as slide down. This seems like it might cause binding? Also using the slide on both side would provide a more stable alignment. I assume it works fine, but I think it would operate smoother with side slides with about the same effort to build. Just my 2 cents.

That last listing is located 15 minutes from me, and here I am without any extra money. Maybe I can find some. At the current price it seems a good deal.

I am just starting and learning the prices of equipment. What would be the most total you would pay for listing number 3 with all the tools? I know it is worth different amounts to each, but I am just curious.

I have an opinion on this topic that not many have. Most people tell young people to find what you love and do it. I say, do something you like that supports what you love. If you do what you love it becomes work. Everyone I know that ‘does what they love’ has mixed feelings as you have expressed. It is not so much doing it everyday. It is the having to do it everyday to survive. It is the dealing with clients on the mundane. It is the never having time to fulfill your own dreams because you are trying so hard to fulfill someone else’s.

While in college my love used to be in a field of work that included metal and creativity. I was working for myself when I had a wealthy client that wished to invest in my business. It would have meant quitting school and taking the business seriously. It sounded great at first. Yet I had seen others try the same. I knew that if I could make enough money elsewhere, I could do my loves without the having to deal with what was mentioned above. So, I stayed in school, and I have been happy with my decision. I might be happier though if I would have picked a profession that supported my loves better.

I have a friend that is another example. He grew up in the country and loved the outdoors. He loved the woods and roaming large tracts of land. He had dreams of lots of land of his own. So went to school for his love, and became a forester. He now manages other people’s property and cannot afford any land for himself. He, himself has said he should have chosen another profession he liked that would allow him to support his love of the outdoors.

I know there are people who do what they love with no regrets. I know this does not work for everybody, but I think it would for most. Also I want to make clear that I am not advocating doing something you hate. There are lots of things and individual can like. I like my job very much. But I would not call it a love. Just my 2 cents.