Hello folks. It has been a very long time since I posted on a metalworking forum, but I stumbled upon the IFI Forum by accident, and enjoyed what I saw here. So I have joined the group and hope I might contribute to the group in the future. I built my first forge on the shore of the China Sea (Okinawa) in 1958, and I have been working iron ever since, with time outs for the Vietnam War, an attempt to sail around the world, three careers, and living life outside of the smithy with family.
I have my web site posted on the ABANA server, a gift to them that they will hopefully keep available to the smithing community after I am taking the long dirt nap. Below is a link to my site-map in case anyone would like to explore its extensive knowledge base in just about everything smithing related, especially burner and forge designs. I should add, however, that I have never spent much time making knives, but have helped many knife makers with their forge and burner design issues. So please don't ask me questions specific to making knives, that simply is not in my area of skill.
Here is my site map if you are interested.....
https://ronreil.abana.org/sitemap.html
My smithy is located in the beautiful high mountain valley of Garden Valley in south central Idaho. So if any of you are located near me you are most welcome to visit. Once I left Boise to move up here to the mountains about 15 years ago my steady flow of apprentices, 48 to date, almost stopped, and I miss the contact with others of like interests.
I hope to meet many of you on the forum in the future, and in at least one case, to rekindle a very old friendship with a very fine smith I knew many years ago, "Frosty," or Jerry Frost. I suspect many of you have enjoyed tapping his extensive knowledge. It is great to cross paths with you again old friend. :-)
Yours,
"Idaho," better known as Ron Reil in the metalworking world. :-)
