billp

This is why living in Tennessee I am starting to think of going to gas. I really don't want to, I enjoy using coal even though it's dirty & smelly when gas is cleaner, I enjoy useing coal. I like the smell and don't mind the dirt, to me that's what make blacksmithing, blacksmithing. But with no suppliers close by and it costing more to ship then what you pay for the coal, I may not have a choice. I found a supplier and just got some coal from him after driving over 3 1/2 hours one way but he is closing up and retiring at the young age of 82, so easy come easy go. Now I'll have to go back to mail order and the high cost of shipping. The only answer I can see is a group of smith in a given area getting together and forming a Co-Op kind of thing. Maybe that way we could find and get a supplier that would be willing to do business. I don't know just a though. BillP

I'm not a good judge on how much is a ton but when I was there a ton or two maybe about all that he has. It was just kind of piled up at the end of the end of the building outside of course. I do hope he has enough for you may intice him to get more if he can then I'll take a trailer insted of buckets. BillP

OK first the chuncks are any where from baseball size to 6 to 8 inches long to 3 or 4 inches wide and 1 to 3 inches thick. i have been useing a hand sledge hammer to just wack the heck out of them in a heavy wood box. it will make a number of very small chips 1/16 to 1/4 in size along with dust. I have been using pieces as large as a tennes ball to golf ball size to make my fire and it did OK mixing in as much small stuff as I could. I'll defently try mixing the dust with water for coal mud balls even coating the fire pile sounds like a winner. Thank you all for your input I never would have thought of it myself thanks again BillP spell checker still not work sorry if there are to many that's why I'm better with my hands then in my writing.

I live 30 miles north of Memphis 3 miles west of the little town of Brighton

As I mentioned in another pose about buying Tenn. coal I just got 16, 5 gal. buckets of coal from a gentleman who used it to heat a shop and another building. I have only made one fire with this coal which seems to be good coal compared to a batch I got from New Jersey. Only problem is the majority of it is in large chuncks and have to be broken up creating a lot of dust. When I made my fire I did not try to remove the dust which did I feel help get the fire going very fast but also produced a large number of fire fles, kind of annoying when wairing a sleeveless shirt. I spent quite some time sifting through 20 gals of coal to get 4 gals of dust. My question is what can I do with the dust? I believe it will make a great fire starter, but is there any thing else I can do with it? Like the other post about Tenn. coal it is hard to find and I would prefer to use coal but may have to go to gas which is easy to get but not very cheep. Any way if anyone has any ideas about how to use the dust please let me know, Thanks Bill P PS please forgive any miss spelled words my checker does not seem to be working

I just made a trip last Thursday and brought home 16, 5gal. buckets full of very chuncky coal for about $120.00. Bad news Mr. Gobble, now 82 is no longer in business. Just by chance I got him at his shop after several phone calls. I made a half set arrangment to meet him there explaining I would be driving over 3 hours to get there. Problem was he is only there on Tuesdays and Thursdays and only long enough to do what needs to be done the gone on to other things. But as the good Lord must have been looking out for me I got there around 11:30 still at his shop and we started filling my buckets. Now he told me at 82 he was ready to give it up and as all his children are of retiement age too he had no one to take over the business. He was not quite sure just what he will do right now may rent the place or something like that but would always keep coal around as that is how he heats the building. He also told me he got the coal from somewhere in Alabama but did not mention where. He did give me his cell phone number to call if or when I need more coal I could call and see if I could get more. He did or does sell by the ton or half ton if his loader is running which on my day it was not.The only hope I can give you is if I decide to try and get more coal from him I can get in touch with you and see what arangements we can work out. I am relunctint to give out his cell number with out permission as mose folks froun on that. Maybe if you call his shop on tuesday or thursday mornings early maybe you can work out something with him as well. His full address is: 504 Holtsford St., Lawrenceburg, TN. 38464 phone (931)762-5123 I got directions from MapQuest went right to him from that. Only problem is by the bucket I feel is not as good a deal as by the ton or half ton, as the big chuncks do take up a lot of room. Good luck if you give it a try I may go back to mail order for my next batch or try Kentucky next. BillP

Thanks guys I got the info and have started making inquires. billp

I was wondering if anyone knew how or know where I can make or have made a touch mark. It's a simple one using my three initials from my name so not real complicated. Any help will be grateful. Bill P

Thanks for the video Sukellos that really did help as I learn better by watching the reading. I was trying to make my nails without a header with no luck and I see why now. So I guess the first order of business is to try and make one like you all have suggested. Thanks again guys I knew I could count on you for help. BillP

OK I think I got the idea will see what I can work out thanks billp

I have tried every idea I can come up with up and am just having trouble making nail heads. What I wanted to do was make a Crucifixion spike about 1/4 the size of a real one to go with some little crosses I have made. Now I know with Easter just about to be gone it's a bit late for it but where I live in the Bible belt of the U.S. things like this tend to make an impression. I have made several real size spikes and gave one to my daughter's church which went well with the pastor's sermon. I just though a spike with a cross might make up a display to help keep the memory alive, and yes something that might sell real well no matter the season. Any help or advice will as always be appreciated and thankful to receive. BillP

Got it Thanks I'll give it a try Bill P

Will on what you have told me John B, I think I'll leave the motor oil alone at least for now. I have enough linseed and tung oil I think I'll try first along with the gun bluing. But thanks for your advice never thought of the extra trash in the used motor oil but I understand what you're saying. Thank again BillP

I like the idea about the oils as I have not tried that yet. I have used gun bluing or I should say browning before when I first started. It was left over from when I treated a black power rifle barrel as I was looking for a more time realistic finish on my rifle. Used it on an old hammer (an engineers cross peen) I got at a flee market after I buffed all the rust off it. The hammer came out with a copper like finish and really looks good now, and not a bad hammer to work with. I'll have to get some bluing and try it. But for now what I'm making will only hold hats no food so I don't have to worry about toxins. Has anyone ever tried old motor oil? Seems like I heard of someone using that before but not sure and could be wrong. Thank guys for your help BillP

Just how is the best way to get a good dark finish on metal fresh from the forge with out painting. Right now I brush my work down first by hand then on a wire wheel then maybe use a hand grinder with an medium to fine abrasive disk then apply a wax. Most of the time it's Renaissance wax or a premium grade of Chrome & Metal wax by trutle wax. Now this is mainly for indoor type of items not outdoor as I may have a deal to make a type of hat holder for a man in town who makes custom hats. I'm doing up several proto types and want to have several finishes to go along with each for him to chouse from. So any ideas will help Thanks billp

Will here is my new shop it's small and it's tight with a half finished floor but it's mine all mine. BillP

That's the one thanks Grafvitnir Glenn is there still any way to access the bluprints as there are still several things there I would like to try as well.

How can I access the blueprints or can we? Now that I have gotten started back up in my half completed smithy there are several things I want to try but can't find the blueprint to do so. Any help please especaly on the cross brianbrazealblacksmith showed us back on 04-16-2009. Help BillP

Thanks folks these are some good ideas I'll try today. I am using 3/8 stock for the handle and I did try the half on half blow on the anvil edge I was shown that in my last class. But I never thought of using the ball pein instead of the cross pein or of building up the end before spreading it out. These are all good ideas and well worth trying out so I'm writing this all down and will give it all a go. I'm going out now to light up my fire. Thanks again help like this makes me glad I found this sight. I do appreciate it. BillP

I got a few shovel blades for fire place sets but I'm having trouble attaching the blade to the handle stock. I tried to spread the end and attach with rivets but did not spread it out enough and it seems like it would be to thin if I spread it out any more. I finely just spread it out then arc welded it together. Looks like junk so I'll shorten the handle and will use this one at my forge. A late though did come to me to possible split the end of the handle about a 1/2 inch then turn and flatten that and attach with rivets? Any ideas would help as I'm still learning. BillP

Hay!!! that looks an awful lot like one I bought from a friend of mine a while back. Only I payed him that price and got a 100 lb Fisher anvil and about 35 lbs of coal in one lump deal. Some one told me that forge could possibly be a rivet forge from back in the day. As for the blower mine works fine no complaints. If you could get the price down a little would not be a bad deal. On mine I changed out the legs put two big 18 inch metal spoked wheels on it and made it portable with the idea of using it at fairs and such. The picture is before put the wheels on it. BillP

Will my shop is no where near finished as you can see but I did get my forge installed and had to build a fire to test it out. Here are my first shots of my first fire in the new and still in progress shop.

I have no problem with drainage and the dirt is good top soil type dirt. Before I put the building up I had no problems. I'm just not sure if the metal building is keeping humidity in or maybe it just needs to get hot for a few days to dry up some. Maybe I'm just being inpatient as I have never tried to build in this cold of weather before as it is a bit below normal for us here in Tennessee. Just though someone may have a trick or two up there sleeve to help me dry this up a bit faster. Because I can't work till I get it finished and so far it's been delay after delay and driving me nuts. Any how again any advice will be helpful and thanks to all who have put in so far. BillP

I got a question about dirt floors and thought I would ask it here. I just got through putting up a metal building on a block foundation leaving the center in dirt, this will be my new smithy. It's my plan to put down 1 foot square block with cement filler to hold it all together for the floor. But the problem now is we have had snow and ice with below freezing temps for a number of days. The snow and ice has started melting off and temps back into the high 40's but I can't get the floor to dry up it's like a sea of stick clinging mud. I tried heat, even blowers but no luck have had to put down planks so I could do my wiring. Is there anything I can do to help dry the floor up so I can start leveling out and putting down? If so please let me know, Thanks BillP

I had a small welder that sounds a lot like the one you described and it was a royal pain in the back side. Extremely hard to strike an ark and keep it going and couldn't do anything with it. Packed it up and took it back to Norther tool where I got it. I then found a small 220 welder off brand that went up to 110 amps for about 170.00 give or take on line sorry can't remember where. I just plugged in welders and searched till I came across this one. So far it's been OK have done a lot with it big and small projects. Only problem is it has a short work time the higher the amp you use and it takes up to 10 minutes or so to cool down to start up again. Other then that I have used it a lot with no big regrets. Just that now I wish I had tried to be a bit more patient and saved up more money and got the bigger Lincoln welder. BillP