Les L

JHCC, Do you have a pipe fitting supplier in your area? Style 40 dresser couplings for large diameter pipe use bolts like you are looking for, they are b7 if I remember correctly. 18" style 40 uses 5/8 x 22 bolts.

Don’t forget they have a lot of spring steel on those old plows in the junk pile

Watch for the old barns while you’re on the country roads stop and talk to the farmers and stop by the grain elevators. Put the word out face to face, make some cards with contact information to leave with them.

Chris, Have you stopped by some the Co-ops or farm implement stores to talk to some of the old farmers? TPAAAT worked for me, talked to a few people and told them I was building a blacksmith shop and need some tools and an anvil and I started receiving calls. Talked to a retired farmer, I haven't seen in a few years, last month and he asked me when I was retiring and what I was going to do after I retired. Few minutes later I was following him home to pick up a 128# Mousehole. So far I have 3 anvils, the mouse hole a 112# Fisher with a broken heel but a good face and a 80# Vulcan in good shape, 10 pair of tongs, a 5" 90# post vice, 2 blowers, a coal forge and several hammers for a $160 investment. TPAAAT works, you just have to have patience and talk to the right people.

80 deg. at 4:30 this morning with 93% humidity. It's going to be a looong summer!

Frosty, thanks for clarifying it for me

JHCC, Your frame is looking good. I have one suggestion: add a vertical gusset between the two v shaped gussets on the top member to ensure it doesn't twist under load.

Daswulf, They look great, I always enjoy seeing your creations and wait impatiently for the next one, I wish I had a fraction of your imagination. Les

Both are good pots and will cook great meals. You can cut a lid out of a piece of aluminum

Gazz, send a picture of the cast iron pot from the side and an estimate of how much liquid it will hold. There may be a number stamped on the bottom. Measurement across the top and height will help. It resembles the style of an old wash pot, but looks smaller. Best thing to cook in, the rounded bottom makes it cook on the sides, like a wok, great for slow cooking rice, beans, gravy, etc. fry fish or chicken all the crumbs fall to the bottom center and doesn’t burn your oil.

Congratulations Lou! Enjoy the misses and the time in the shop with the little man while you can, he will be grown up before you know it, but you will always have a memory in there to bring a smile to your face when you look at it. I'm still using the bookmark my youngest daughter made for me in Pre-K, 25 years ago and still get a smile every evening when I pick up my book to read.

I had a little time yesterday morning to work in the shop. Made a stand for my post vise and straightened the handle then fired up my coal forge and made two flower pot holders and a wall bracket for my wife, all out of 1/2 square. This make 4 things I have forged, I'm having fun learning. The second picture is upside down,(I can't figure out how to rotate it on my new Chromebook) it's the wall bracket that will hold two items she currently has hanging on a piece of junk bracket.

Lou L, Thanks, that explained it to me. I was thinking it set on the ground, not stuck in it.

Lou L That’s a grape looking leaf, I’d like to see a picture of the complete stand

The ones I have seen did not have a ratcheting mechanism, the chain just wrapped around the cross pipe and the crank had a lock to prevent turning

Jennifer, i like the videos that you do. As an extremely new person to this craft, I’ve lit my forge twice and forged two items, I learned how to do everything from this site and watching a few videos, most of which I did not finish, except for yours and one other person’s. You are the only two I view at this time because these are the ones I can learn from instead of hearing someone claiming they can do something, but can’t show you how. Thank you for all the time you spend helping us. Great job on the tomahawk, I cant wait to see the videos.

I love it when I can start my workday with a smile on my face. Congratulations to your workmate on a good one.

Max goes by season, blackberry, fig, pecan. I'm glad my grandson doesn't like tomatoes, not really, but if he did he would give the dog one and then he would pick them before I could. I don't have a persimmon tree, but I'm sure he would eat them if I did.

Nico, I would search online for other other opportunities for the butcher block brush. I have one that I have used for over 20 years removing scale from cast iron pipe and various coatings on steel pipe preparing the pipe for repairs and welds and it is still going strong, but I misplaced it for a while. When I recently searched for a replacement I found prices all over the place from $12-$65. These are pictures of the toughest hand brush I have ever used, it is called an elevator rail brush, I have been using them for over 20 years and have never lost a bristle. They are thin, 5/16 wide, 1 inch bristles, 6 inch long, but they get in tight spots where any other brush won't reach, and they work good on wide surfaces also. They work great for cleaning your BBQ grill off too, you won't have to worry about the wires falling out like on the other brushes. This one is a Fulton #58755

No, that’s blackberrys, their in a briar bush and I have to spend about 15 minutes picking stickers out of my arms every time I pick. He just closes his eyes and goes by smell.

Welding supply stores have one called SilverStreak small accurate line, marks on wet or oily metal, doesn’t wipe off like soapstone and is very easy to see

Very nice work.

I had a chance to work on my uncle's old forge this weekend, the bottom of the legs are rusted and splitting, but I wanted to leave it original instead of replacing the legs,so I built a stand around it, with wheels so I can move it when not in use. After mounting the blower I fired it up. First time it was fired up since the mid 50's and the first time I ever built a fire in a forge. Thanks to all on here who have supplied instructions on how to light one up, everything went like I knew what I was doing except my paper mushroom looked more like a squashed zucchini. Then forged my first object, my coal rake. The forge has been leveled in the frame since I took the first picture and I still have a few adjustments and tool racks to add on before cleaning it up painting it, but I had to try it out.

Great work Ted.

Max has grabbed my arm when I threw a punch at my grandson shadow boxing, he just set and watched him punch me, and knocked me to the ground one day when I was hiding behind my truck to scare my grandson walking up the other side. He blindsided me, hit me a my shoulder and “whoof” at impact then stood over me until I told him to sit. He’s only 55# but pushes off on impact and will knock you down playing if you’re not ready