pnut

The barrels made at the cooperage I visited in Bardstown KY didn't have anything connecting the hoops to the barrels. They drove them down tight with a dull chisel like a caulking chisel and hammer. They started at one spot and worked their way around the hoops until tight. Pnut (Mike) You can watch it done If you Google brown forman cooperage.

JHCC, excellent resource. Thanks for posting the link. Pnut (Mike)

It's got a high volume of volatiles in it that have to be burned off in the coking process. Pnut (Mike) It's extra smoky They fall off the cars during loading and when the trains start moving. Have you ever heard the cars slam together as they stop or start? You can hear it start at one end and work it's way down the line like dominoes Pnut (Mike)

That's what I was about to suggest. The mines here in KY don't take kindly to non employees roaming around active mine sites looking for loose coal. You may get blown up depending on if there's gonna be any live shots that day. You probably would get arrested for criminal trespassing at the very least. I don't know anything about mining bituminous, but with anth if it's above ground they use anfo filled drill holes to blow apart the active face. Be careful. Pnut (Mike)

The biggest daily problem I have is just losing words. They usually pop up sometime in just a moment other times after a few hours or days. I blank on common words sometime. The example I like to use when trying to explain it to someone is I'll be talking about Harley Davidson s and the last time I took a ride on my..........uh two wheels Harley Davidson , you grab the handle bars........ MOTORCYCLE .... that's it. During the whole time I'm trying to remember the word motorcycle I'll be pantomimiming steering the handle bars and kickstarting a bike. It's worse some days than others. It's gotten much better over the last few years. In the beginning right after my injury I couldn't put names to many things. It's so frustrating knowing what something is and does and looks like but not being able to put a name to it. 'm talking about everyday things forks, apples, a glass. It's improved drastically since the beginning though so I feel lucky. It could have been much worse. I have had my sense of time affected also. Everything seems like it happened about two months ago whether it was yesterday or ten years ago. I was assaulted and robbed so the other lasting effect has been PTSD. Hyper vigilance insomnia depression but I try to make a little progress every day. I feel pretty normal now most of the time. Fatigue , hunger, low blood sugar,stress makes it all worse. I notice my emotions get a little more ragged and closer to the surface. I have to be careful or I can be a bit short with people and come off much harsher than I mean to. Enough couch time thanks doc I'll see you the same time next week. ;-). Pnut (Mike)

I love songs that tell stories also. I'm a junky for words and vocabulary etymology etc. That's why the word selection anomia is so frustrating. Nothing gets to me more than not being able to find a word I know in the middle of a story or conversation. I've gotten better at faking my way through it though by describing or pantomiming the action of the word. I'm sure you could play percussion instruments If you can tap your toe. When I'm playing the congas and everything is right it feels like dancing. It's a strange feeling. Pnut (Mike)

Yes sir. I'm familiar with his collection. What I think is kinda fascinating is that the southern Appalachian region was/is so isolated and insular that many old ballads remained somewhat pure in their nearly original forms with slight variations between family and social groups until now in some instances. I try to collect old songs myself but am not doing it in a scholarly manner just as a music lover and a poor excuse for a musician. Pnut (Mike)

There's many early and proto blues songs that go way back too. Specifically songs by Huddie Leadbelly leadbetter and son house w.c. handy and blind lemon Jefferson. I have a pretty diverse taste in music. Folk, traditional,old English and Irish ballads, gypsy music to punk rock. Variety is the spice of life. Pnut (Mike) Charlie Patton from dockery farms is the proto blues musician I was trying to think of. He taught Robert Johnson to play blues guitar. Word selection anomic aphasia is frustrating. Pnut (Mike)

That's what I like about traditional songs. They get adopted and changed and rearranged by each new musician that plays them. There's a long history of folk songs in KY that goes back to the 1600's . Like froggy went a courting started out as a ballad called the frog and the mouse.or the mouses wedding or frog at the mill door. It's an old Scottish ballad whose earliest reference was around 1640. I love old songs and the way they've mutated over time. Pnut (Mike)

Jerry Garcia used to do a song titled Tell him I'm gone that was a version of the ballad of John Henry. I seen him play it many times. The ballad of John Henry was done by many different musicians. Joe Bonnamossa was another. Pnut (Mike)

Whether it's homemade or not I don't know but I've seen anvils with similar stepped horns. Pnut (Mike) I think I seen a new anvil for sale that looks a little like it. I'll post the link if I can find it.

If I can find a cheap wire feed or stick welder I may try to put together some scrap art. My welding skills are nearly non existent but I think it would be a good way to build my skills since it's all non critical welding. I've been reading a couple books over the last couple weeks I borrowed from the library and seeing your croc sealed the deal. Pnut (Mike)

Cool, he'd make a great central piece for a collection or display. I'm sure your visitors will be impressed. I know I am. Pnut (Mike)

Outstanding. I hope someone gets him that knows how much work went into him. Pnut (Mike)

Chris, If I was you I'd take them to the next meeting and ask the more experienced Smiths to help you make a punch or chisel or slitter or drift or scribe or........... I'm sure there's something you could do with them. You've found yourself in a good situation to learn a lot fairly quickly. Many folks just starting out would love to have an opportunity like yours, myself included. Good luck and have fun. Pnut (Mike)

It looks like a lot of drilling hammers I've seen around old coal mines and mining museums. Eight pounds seems a little light for drilling shot holes though. Pnut (Mike) The striking the ad refers to may be striking a drill. The other hammer on the page is for breaking rocks. Just speculating about that though.

Alex weygers was an artist in many different fields and did a lot of traveling to places that it was simpler to make his tools than pack them with him. Pnut (Mike)

I agree Thomas, the complete modern blacksmith is another great book . I think the op was talking about the art of blacksmithing by Alex Bealer.

Charles, yep they're called long rod penetrators. They're made from tungsten carbide or depleted uranium usually. Also called Kinetic Energy Penetrators

I wonder if there's a risk of depleted uranium contamination. I suppose he knows what he is getting. I used to live at Edgewood Arsenal adjacent to Aberdeen Proving ground and they used depleted uranium in live fire exercises and testing at APG so it would make me nervous.

Of course. Great book. If you haven't already I'd suggest New edge of the anvil by Jack Andrews, Practical Blacksmithing compiled by M.T. Richardson. There's also a whole section on books and book reviews. Happy reading. Pnut (Mike)

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere In this thread. I couldn't find it but if so it bears repeating. "The beginning of wisdom arrives when we realize how little we know &begin to remedy the situation." - Slag

I also use a vertical rail and have been mulling over welding a piece of square steel tubing to the foot for hardy tooling but a stump with the tube mounted in it may be a better idea. You can grind tooling into the rail also. Lots of options. Pnut (Mike)

You may want to post a for sale notice in the tail gate section. More people will see it. Pnut (Mike) I wish I was a little closer.

Me too. I love Appalachia and most of what comes with it. Unfortunately I haven't been to the home place in a few years.