Les L

MJ, did you anchor the shelf to keep it from tipping over? And always remember that heavy goes on bottom and light on top

Thanks for the advice on the side hole. I cut mine to length with a band saw, or my side grinder, and then grind the top round. I don’t heat treat and have turned them over and used the struck end for a different effect on items. I’ve never had any mushroom problems or change in hole size with them.

I built a steel tripod stand and mounted my Soderfors with silicone under it. It is very quiet now, just a dull thud, no high pitched ring. When I tested the rebound, before buying, it hurt your ears dropping the ball bearing on it.

I use the drills from pneumatic rotary hammers to make mine, the ones I have already have a 1/4 hole through them so all I have to do is cut to length and change the hole size to what I need.

TW, That looks like the same fire pot in my forge, that I have not been able to identify the maker of. Does the clinker breaker swing in from each side, kinda like a curled hand, to clear the airway?

Great work everyone! I just got back from the Crossroads Blacksmith Conference in Texas. It was a huge success, and I'm pretty sure it will be the first of an annual conference. I advise everyone to be on lookout for future ones. There were two demonstrators each day and all three days the had free "teaching tent" for students. All material was supplied and the students left with what they made, most were making hammers and hot cut hardies. Brian and Ed Brazeal and Mark Ling were three of the six teachers there. Mark Ling, "The Little Blacksmith" was the Saturday morning demonstrator. Part of his demonstration was on how to efficiently move metal. He made a 2 1/2 lb founding hammer in 4 heats using a striker and a hot cut hardy in 2 heats, then made a large tack, from a piece of 2" round, in 3 heats, which included hot cutting it with the help of two strikers. The first two photos Mark is showing how to make a hexagonal ball on the end of a coal rake, the other three are him beginning the tack, unfortunately I didn't manage to get more pictures or one of the finished product. Frosty, Mark said hi to you and all the other members.

I’ve used torches with fuel using natural gas, propane and acetylene, all have their use as far as cost/ production and task, I use oxy/propane and oxy/Acetylene in my shop depending on the task, but if you need to gas weld you need oxy/acetylene as Frosty stated.

Enjoy them youngsters while you can, because before you know it they will be grown.

Thanks TW, we’re very proud, 13 years between the two grandkids we have. I dropped the wife off at the airport at 4:45am this morning to go hold him while I go to the blacksmith conference in Denton

Just saw this , so I thought I’d add the newest addition to our family 11 weeks old now Mods, the picture may be too large, I apologize, but I couldn’t figure out how to resize working from my phone, please correct if needed

Wicon, thanks for taking the time to post this, this type of information helps new smiths like me on how to do things

When I worked in a shipyard, building and repairing barges and push boats, the interiors and exteriors were coated with coal tar epoxy , anodes were welded to the exterior of the boats, but not barges. I can’t say what it smelled like when applying, but it wasn’t pleasant when burning it off to make structural repairs.

Alexandr, beautiful work, as usual, you are a very busy man! Do you ever take a break and just sit back and relax?

It’s perfect for that, John hit on most of the reasons, easy to redress with a grinder when something gets messed up.

Would make a great travel anvil or a striking anvil

I made a set of the Kens custom when I first started and recommend them as an inexpensive way to have a set of tongs, plus learn how to move metal here is a link to a picture of someone showing off the tools he made, and will be bringing home, during a three day class with Mark Mods, I apologize, I didn’t know a FB link was against the rules. Anyone interested in Marks work can look him up on FB.

I made a set of the Kens custom when I first started and recommend them as an inexpensive way to have a set of tongs, plus learn how to move metal here is a link to a picture of someone showing off the tools he made, and will be bringing home, during a three day class with Mark FB Link removed

Mark Ling sells everything, Nathan Robertson hammers. Mark also offers classes where you learn to make the tools and go home with the education and a set of tools worth more than the cost of the class.

PB, The gong looks good, she’ll love it. I’ll see you in Prarieville, Buddy works with copper, it’ll be a good meeting. You can’t see the house from the road, take the path through the woods, between the mail box and electric pole, and follow it to the end

That"s going to grate on their nerves!

Will do

Yes, I talked to him about that in March 2021 when he came to our LAMA conference, he did say he was pretty busy and hadn’t been on IFI much. He was very surprised when I showed him the post he started and how much activity is on it. I heard He was getting set up to start going to other countries with Brian Brazeal, with his blacksmith training program before the pandemic, but the pandemic shut everything down. I’ll try to get pictures at the conference to post here, especially of his travel anvil, that will show new people the quality of work you can do with very basic inexpensive equipment

Frosty, you won’t regret the trip, he’s a very respectful and talented young man. Get the RV running on coal this week and you should be able to make the conference in Denton

Mark is the Little Blacksmith on IFI, he gives classes also

Look up Mark Ling in College Station. There's going to be a conference, Crossroads Forging, in Denton May 12-14, Mark will be one of the demonstrators there.