George N. M.

Bull, you can probably get one made at your local tee shirt shop but I doubt that there is one in Westcliffe. Pueblo? Salida? Alamosa? I had one made for Martha, my late wife, that said, "If I am talking you should be taking notes." It was true most of the time. G

Here is an article about Danish Bronze age iron spearheads that are decorated with gold: https://www.thehistoryblog.com/ When I first looked at the photos I thought the gold disks were rivet heads of rivets that Penetrated through the blade but on closer inspection it appears that they are gold disks that were inserted into circular depressions (punched?) in the blade and then upset to grip the sides of the depressions. Also, look closely at the quality of the forging. Doing a socket like that and the medial ridge on the blade is not something you give the apprentice to do to keep him busy and out of trouble. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Mike, I think that you are overthinking/over engineering this. All you want is something to keep the anvil from bouncing or walking, that is all. It doesn't take much to do that. It sounds like you have a steel stand. A thin sheet of rubber between the anvil and the stand should deaden any excessive ring and a low lip or wall should make enough of a hole that the anvil doesn't walk. if you want to tie it down vertically you could drill or cut a few holes in the top of the stand and insert a bolt or eye bolt through to attach something to tie down the feet of the anvil. I have a Peter Wright which has steps under the horn and heel on the base and I just have 2 lengths of angle iron over the steps which are attached to the stump I use as a stand with lag bolts. It has worked well for many years. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

It also depends on the quality of the WI. It can be single, double or triple refined (reforged to drive out more of the silica impurities). Thomas Powers, of blessed memory, was the real expert on the grades and qualities of wrought iron. You might check eBay for how much folk are charging for WI. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I once used fine silica sand as a flux (basically the same as crushed glass) and it worked OK but was sticky and didn't melt as readily as borax. I have always thought that a mixed silica/borax flux might have virtues but I have never tried it. G

I'm of the no gloves (with exceptions) school. However no one has mentioned an aspect of gloves that I consider important, cuffs. I don't like the gauntlet cuffs of many welding gloves because I feel that they can catch hot stuff and channel it to your hands. I also don't like tight cuffs because while they may eliminate the catching effect of gauntlets they can be problematic if you have to snap them off your hand quickly if they get too hot or in the case of fabric gloves catch fire. IMO, the best gloves for blacksmithing have a slightly firm elastic cuff that protects against catching things but can be quickly removed. BTW, the catching hot stuff hazard applies to boots too. I had a friend who was wearing cowboy boots with his jeans tucked into them and a red hot drop from cutting on a hardy went down his boot and gave him a severe burn on the front of his ankle. IIRC he had to have reconstructive surgery because there was tendon damage. Moral of the story: Don't tuck your cuffs into open top boots. G "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Bull, one of the best decisions you have ever made is to retire to high altitude. We're at 7500' here in Laramie. My wife is originally from Florida and when I told her that the all time record high in Laramie is 94 degrees and that she would never ever see triple digits again unless we travel she had some difficulty in processing that fact. That said, if it gets into the 80s I find it a bit too toasty in the shop. Both here and where I used to live (Ft. Morgan, CO) I have used your wheeze of getting out in the cool of the morning and working until 10 or 11. I have thought about a swamp cooler for the shop though. G

In Wyoming a 3 foot length of log chain fastened to a fence post is a "Wyoming Wind Sock." You can judge the force of the wind by how many links it is lifting, e.g. a one link wind, a three link wind, etc.. You can also use it for other weather conditions. Dripping = rain, icicle = freezing, fencepost on fire = lightning, gone = tornado.

Billy, is the triple wall a smaller inside diameter than the double wall? If so, by how much? G.

One thing that no one has mentioned is that oxidation colors are very thin, probably only a few atoms thick. So, they are not as durable as chemical patinas which penetrate deeper into the surface of the metal. They will not last long on something which will see any wear, e.g. a knife blade, but will last longer on something which is decorative, e.g. an iron rose. Also, differing alloys of steel will demonstrate different oxidation colors. A low carbon RR spike will show a different color pattern than, say, some odd alloy used in springs. I suspect the amount of chromium in the alloy may have a major affect on how the metal takes oxidation colors. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Nobody, I had never heard of Jefferson Davis pie but after looking it up it sounds tasty. Custard pies are my favorite.

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I agree that you should NOT do any grinding, etc.. on this anvil. It will work fine as is. The loose hardy hole can be lived with. Or, you can make a sleeve to go in the hardy hole and use hardy tools with a smaller shank. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I just checked one online auction site for forges within 250 miles of your location and found 3. Maybe needing restoration, maybe not. I suggest that you research the various online auction sites to see what is available near you. With an auction you can drop out if the bidding gets too expensive. For portability I'd suggest a propane forge, either homemade (lots of folk like the Frosty T burner (designed by our own Frosty) or a commercial model. If you are set on a solid fuel forge (charcoal, coal, coke) many of the ones you mention would work just fine. If you want to work on long objects, e.g. swords, a smaller forge will work just fine because you only heat and work on a small area at a time before the work cools off. Also, you will have to decide whether you want a manual or electric blower. There are a number of new blowers on the internet and there are older blowers at auction sites. If you get a new one read the reviews. From what I've seen there are plenty of POS blowers out there but some decent ones too. It also depends on what you mean by "portable." Do you mean able to be dragged in and out of your garage or small enough to fit in the trunk of a small car? Like all tools get the best you can afford. Cheap tools are never a bargain. That said you can forge on a really basic setup that can be inexpensive. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Nobody, I hung out with some Korean Marines in Viet Nam in 1971. Once, they took me to a Korean restaurant in Da Nang. It's been 54 years and I still hope to someday get the taste of kimchi out of my mouth. A formidable food. G

There are lots of skills the military teaches that even when you learn it you really, really don't want to be in a situation where you ever have to use that knowledge. One of my cerified skills which I spent 2 weeks at Ft. Sill, OK learning and do not put on my resume is "Nuclear and Chemical Targeting Officer." Fun times. G. Nobody, you never know when you will need a couple 55 callon drums of fougasse around the house. No home with children should be without it.

About 10 years ago I walked out of the house and realized that I was seeing double. They did CAT and MRI scans and found nothing and concluded that I had had a "micro event" (little bitty stroke) which effected how my brain processes vision. The double vision self corrected in about 6 weeks but I now have to take Plavix (a blood thinner) to prevent a recurance or worse. So far it has worked but as a result it takes longer for minor injuries to clot up and stop bleeding. I'm more careful than I used to be to avoid injuries that would result in major bleeding. If I sustain something that could involve internal bleeding, e.g. a closed head injury, it would be off to the ER to make sure nothing bad is happening internally.

From the numbers and weights indicated in the 19th century manuals it looks to me that they were very hefty. The parts that would be needed for carriages, limbers, caissons, and battery wagons would have been large (and heavy), particularly for the vehicles expected to travel cross country, sometimes at a gallop. You might research the specifications for these vehicles and see what size washers, bolts, etc. were called for. There also should be specifications for modern nuts body and washers. You could see how much 1 bolt, 1 nut, and 2 washers would weigh for,say, a 1/2 inch by 6 inch bolt and see how close that approximates the given weights. IIRC Dixie Gun Works used to sell plans and books about building reproduction Civil War artillery. Are you planning to building a reproduction battery forge? ". . . and the caissons go rolling along."

Jerry, I'm thinking and praying for Deb, you, and the furry folk. Keep us informed. BTW, did you get the PM I sent you a day or two ago. I haven't gotten a reply and that is unlike you. George

Frosty, your dad sounds like mine. Mine could never understand why I didn't want to live and work in Chicago because "that is where the money is." He could never get his head around the idea that there were things that a person might want in their life besides a paycheck. I guess that living through the Great Depression had that effect on a lot of folk.

In the 1920s and '30s (before the advent of battery farms) chicken was comparably expensive, roughly the cost per pound of steak today when compared to other meat. I have seen old grocery ads where chicken was 29 cents per pound while certain cuts of beef were 5 cents per pound. That is why Sunday chicken dinner was a special occasion. Also, that is why owning a chicken farm was a big deal in the 1920s. It wasn't that hard to make a very good return on a modest investment. Post WW2 industrial size chicken operations made the relative cost of chicken to fall dramatically, probably through economies of scale. G

Frosty, the same is true with pronghorn antelope as with moose. If they have been eating sagebrush the flavor is pretty harsh and gamey (steak sauce is your friend). If they have been feeding in hay meadows the flavor can be very mild. I used to hunt an area where the ranchers wanted a lot fewer antelope in their hay fields and the Game and Fish Department obliged them by issuing a lot of doe/fawn permits (half price and as many as you wanted after the season opened). It was basically an all you could shoot buffet. You could fill your freezer pretty easily.

John, have you had occasion to pick a lock yet "in real life," e.g. a need to get into something where you or someone else has lost the key? G

Chellie, we used to have friends in CO who raised goats. There was a market selling to folks from the mideast for whom goat is a traditional dish on certain holidays. However, most of these folk were from the city and had no idea how to slaughter a goat. So, after hearing of some unfortunate experiences would only sell goat carcasses, not live goats. They had raised these critters and wanted them slaughtered humanely. The purchasers would happily pay extra to have their goat slaughtered, dressed, and skinned.

You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Sending healing thoughts to you. George

Hefty, one thing I learned years ago when I was teaching myself to make nails (pre internet) is that the nails release from the header much more easily if the hole has a slight reverse taper. That is, the hole is wider at the bottom than the top. I also had to learn the hard way about forging a shoulder at the top of the taper of the stock. When I am in the groove I can often (not always) taper, cut, and upset the head in one heat. To do this I have to make the decision of whether I have enough heat left to forge the head after I have cut the stock almost all the way through but have not bent it off from the head of the nail. Also, I will have my cutter in the hardy hole, head the nail over the pritchel hole, and knock the nail out of the header on the edge of the anvil and let the pile of nails build up on the floor or have a can on the floor to catch them.