George N. M.

I did some swag calculating and assuming that the water bottle is 8" tall I estimate the diameter to be about 30" and I am guessing the piece is about 5' long. Allowing for a 12" long hole through the middle I calculate it to be a bit more than 20 cubic feet of steel. At 491 pounds/cubic foot of steel that comes out to a bit north of 10k pounds or 5+ tons. That would be about $2500 to the scrap yard at .25/lb. Plus probably thousands of dollars in transportation costs. But can you put a price tag on uniqueness? However, if that is a 20 oz water bottle which is taller than my estimate (a 16.9 oz bottle is about 8" tall) this could be a piece of a 14" or even a 16" gun barrel which ups the numbers considerably. I have seen photos of complete 16" gun barrels being transported on rail cars and truck trailers and it is impressive. Thomas, have you thought about tailgating it at Quad State? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Billy, I know you are "just funnin'." Actually, where I'd like to see it end up is at an old coast defense fort which is now a museum, e.g. Fort Worden, WA near Port Townsend, which was armed with 12" guns and mortars but they were all scrapped after WW2. This would give folk visiting an idea of the size of the guns. And, yes, it would be a great lawn ornament. No one else would hve one. ;-) "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thomas, I am estimating that the piece of gun barrel is about 12" caliber based on the water bottle being about 8" tall. 12" guns were used on US Navy battleships from the 1890s to about 1912. There was also a class of very large cruisers in late WW2 which were armed with 12" guns. The US Army also used 12" guns for coastal defense from the late 1880s up through WW2. This could be from either source. It could have been from a gun that actually served or from a spare barrel. Large caliber guns tend to wear out their rifling fairly fast and the military always acquires spare barrels for each weapon. I would guess this piece is from near the breech because of the thickness of metal comared to the bore. Have you noticed if there is rifling in the bore? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thomas, I was using the lay, rather than statistical term. And, yes, I know the difference. My mother had an electric mangle or "ironer" to press sheets. I had an old girlfriend whose left forearm was covered with scar tissue from having her arm sucked into one as a child. The thought still gives me the willies. TW, your porta potty delivery man may have been, as my grandmother used to say, "not quite bright." "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

There are an awful lot of VERY clueless folk out there, even those who are knowledgeable in their own area. And, let's face it, half the people out there are of below average intelligence. And for some of them it is really a wonder that they can dress themselves and function in the world. TW, you were dealing with a Bubba who delivers porta potties, probably not the local intellectual giant. One thing I have noticed that modern, very electronic savvy, folk often do not understand is mechanical and analog gadgets such as a forge blower or a mechanical apple peeler. They see it moving and what it does but have no idea how it does that. I have had plenty of folk at demos who were mystified by the blower handle windmilling by itself. If I had told them it was invisible spirits or a captive demon turning the crank they would probably have believed it. And, as a result of not understanding machines, they do not realize that machines can hurt you in very bad ways that electronic devices cannot. Once, my late wife, Martha, was recruited to demonstrate a collection of old time, mechanical washing machines which had exposed gears and machinery at a historic village event. She would warn people, both adults and children, to keep their fingers, etc. away from the moving machinery or they could get hurt and some could just not resist the temptation to try to touch the moving parts. In the military, we called it "situational awareness." It is being aware and understanding the world around you. Many people just don't have it. It is too bad but I am glad that I and my people are not walking theough the haze that surrounds many. I think most folk on IFI are more aware than the average bear. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I used to work at a flourite mine and mill in Colorado which had the same attitude: "Run it till it breaks, then fix it for the lowest possible cost, and if it can't be fixed replace it with the cheapest used item." This was in the mine. The mill had a smarter maintenance program. They could have saved a bundle if they had hired one maintenance guy to go around with a grease gun and a wrench and lubricate and tighten things on a weekly basis. They would have paid for his salary many times over. A classic case of "penny wise and pound foolish." "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. As others have said what is setting off the radiation detector (and how low is it set?) could be any number of things. The bricks could have been made from clay with a higher than average natural radioactivity (although U does not commonly bind to clay particles but it can happen). I have even seen natural gas which has measurable radiation. (sidenote: That was the problem with the experiments in the '70s using nuclear explosions to fracture tight natural gas reservoir rocks, it was great at fracturing the rock and mobilizing the gas but it made the gas radioactive.) Also, are you and your boss sure that it is the firebricks causing the elevated radiation? The first thing I would do is check the alarm to make sure it wasn't regestering a false reading. Also, where are you, generally, located. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Proves the old adages of "too much is never enough" and "anything worth doing is worth overdoing." "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I find 1/4"/6mm square hot rolled to be useful for small projects such a S and J hooks. Flat stock such as 3/4"x 1/8" (18-20mm x 2-3mm) is useful too. Unless you need very crisp, clean right angle edge cold rolled stock is more expensive than hot rolled and is the same metal. Cold rolled is sometimes sold as "key stock" and comes in 12' (scant 4 meter) lengths. Once it is forged you often cannot tell whether you started with hot or cold rolled stock. That said, I have found that recently manufactured stock can vary in quality and attributes along the length of a piece of stock. This did not used to be the case. It is not as bad a the variations in rebar but I have noticed it. I suspect that bar stock may now be made in the same continous casting method as rebar with a bit more control on the feed stock. I suspect that much of the steel in NZ is imported. There may be a difference in steel coming from Oz and that from Asia. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Back in the '70s when I was a young and eager US Army Lieutenant I spent a number of years as an Aerial Observer to adjust artillery fire. When I started we had OH-13s (the kind you saw on MASH with the big bubble front and a radial reciprocating engine) which were later replaced by OH-58s (Bell Jet Rangers with a turbine engine). Both were pretty loud but we had flying helmets which attenuated the sound pretty well. The pilots taught me enough to fly and get back on the ground if something happened to them. I never bent the skids but I also never set it down very gently either. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

It would be a little presumptous and weird to use your SCA titles in mundane society but I'm sure someone has. There is a formal place for titles, rank, and honors but I've never been one to put a string of letters after my name or use rank or titles except in appropriate, official situations. Even in legal correspondence I seldom use "esq." after my name or use my military rank except in places where it is relevant. (He said in splendid humility ;-)) Frosty, in many states it is the County Clerk which grants motor vehicle titles, the DMV handles drivers' licenses. I've known either the county clerk or county treasurer to handle registrations and license plates. It may be different in Alaska. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Actually, Thomas Powers and I are long term members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a medieval re-enactment group, and are both "Masters" which is the equivalent of "Knights" in the group. Prior to this achievment we were "Lords." Thomas has a power hammer. I don't except for my leg powered treadle hammer. If you haven't already, I strongly suggest that you look into joining Rocky Mountain Smiths. They are a really good group and have very good gatherings. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Good anvil, very similar to my larger anvil. DO NOT try to machine or smoth the face. It is perfectly usable as is and you run the risk of cutting through the hardened steel face plate and ruining the anvil. You have a very good chance of turning a decent, usable anvil into an unusable anvil shaped object suitable only for a boat anchor or a large door stop. A little irregularity on the face will not affect how well someone can forge on it. There have been too many anvils ruined by someone thinking that they should machine the face perfectly smooth. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Nice anvil but the probability of it being former US Army from WW2 is lower than it would have been for WW1 because of the higher proportion of animal transport in WW1. However, the Engineers in WW2 could still have had anvils and forges as part of their equipment. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

It is a truism that you will work harder and in worse conditions for yourself than you would for any boss. Ask any farmer. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Yes, a paycheck and benefits can become a set of "golden handcuffs" which make it difficult to break out of a situation which has become unpleasant. I have known plenty of folk, myself included, who have stayed or tolerated bad situations because the alternative looked worse. Sometimes it is other folks' expectations that send people into situations they would not choose for themselves. I knew people in law school who were there because of their parents expected them to be there. Or partners/spouses who expect/demand certain things. Or a feeling that you must provide for your children at a certain level (usually the maximum possible). That said, exploitation, like abuse, takes two people. A person may decide to tolerate it because the alternative seems worse. This is not an uncommon dynamic is careers or relationships. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

My Thor's hammers are a bit different than everyone else's. They are actually miniature hammers, kind of like the movie version, but the twist is that they are "Thor touched" because the wood of the handles is from a tree struck by lightning. Some years ago Martha and I were camped in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Wyoming and a big thuderstorm came through. The next morning we discovered a ponderosa pine several hunderd yards away had been struck and blasted off a piece of wood about the size of my leg. I've been using it for Thor's hammer handles since. When I explain how they are "Thor touched" at my sales booth many folk think that is very cool. I probably sell more than if they were the usual inverted T shape. I've been in the SCA long enough that I can do "creative anachronism" with the best of them. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Depending on what you need you might check out how much international shipping from US suppliers. Don't know how timely it might be though or NZ customs. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I've always heard the campfire cooking setup with 2 verticals and 1 horizontal as a "gallows frame." I make something similar but with the tops as open spirals (think a turn and a half of a coil spring) so that they can be locked together as a tripod or unlocked for a gallows frame. When my son, Thomas, was little he would pretend to be scared and run away when I was making "tommy stickers." Also, I always sell miner's candlesticks with a candle in them. Without would be like selling fire steels without a piece of flint. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Here is the link to the heart project, if you haven't seen it:

Boy, that is a tough one because kids vary so much in maturity, attention span, situational awareness, and physical coordination. There are 8 year olds who make good students and 12 year olds I wouldn't let in the door. The safety concerns are enormous and appropriate supervision is really tough. I hate to rain on the idea but I wouldn't think of it unless each child had an adult with them and they all had proper PPE. It might work as a parent and child activity but it would ahve to be pretty structured and small numbers. The standard beginner's project is S hooks but others may have other suggestions. There was just (within the last 48 hours) a recent posting of a heart shaped stake for flower/garden decoration which looked like a cool behinner project. Good luck but keep safety highest in your mind and don't be afraid to back off/down if there is any possibility of child getting hurt. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

One interesting thing is how the same item can be used in different ways. A leaf with a key ring is a key fob but if you put it on a thong or a chain it becomes a jewelry pendant. I have sold a lot of Thor's Hammers with my touchmark (Anglo-Saxon G rune) the back and when folk who have bought one come back to the table they are often wearing it touchmark out. When I told them they are wearing it backwards they have told me they like it that way better. I'd have never thunk it. I always have a stack of business cards out but they have seldom resulted in a future sale. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dave, a definite improvement over your last outing. I don't have much to suggest except you might thing about hanging some items, e.g. pokers or dinner triangles, from the top of your booth to free up table space. You cannot have too much inventory. Whenever you sell one of X, replace it with another one from the box under the table. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

TW, if you were fewer than 900 miles and 13 hours away I'd think about it. I do have hopes of meeting up with some of the IFI folks once my wife thinks it is covid safe. GNM

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Nice score, probably a fair price. You are just the current custodian and it will probably still be in use when your grandchildren are old. I hope you find the craft as rewarding as I have for the last 44 years. It is a great stress reliever and has gotten me through both good times and bad. Like many forlk, you have been initially attracted by knife making but there is a lot more to the craft than just that. I, personally, don't make many knives because knife making involves lots of bench work and I'd rather be hitting hot iron. I suggest that you invest in some good reference books (plenty of suggestions on IFI) and watch good videos on You Tube. I like Black Bear Forge, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), Crist Centered Ironworks, and Torbjorn Ahman (from Sweden). There are some truly bad and dangerous blacksmithing videos out there. If it looks sketchy, even to a novice, it probably is. Contact you local ABANA affiliate. There is nothing like in person instruction or watching somethng live. But if you see something demonstrated try it yourself as soon as possible. That develops both muscle and mental memory. The kinesthetic muscle memory will last much longer than just a mental impression. And, most importantly, be safe. Use proper PPE and keep your wits about you. Any distraction can contribute to an accident. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand.