pnut

In regards to blacksmithing, I wish someone would have told me how low the bar is actually set to enter the craft. Instead of wasting time looking for the perfect this or that I should have used whatever I had until I could get what I want. I'd be a couple years farther along had I known this. Pnut Pnut

Same thing here in KY. Apprenticeships etc. I prefer it that way. It keeps the less than dedicated folks from acquiring raptors for the "cool" factor. The laws here limit which species you can keep until you become a master falconer. They also restrict the length of time you can keep an individual bird. I used to hang around with a few members of the Kentucky Falconers Association and helped out with their birds and go on hunts with them. I thought about going through the process of getting licensed when I was younger but it's more time than I had to invest. Pnut

We used to wear heat resistant sleeves when working on the mills at the rubber refinery. I dont know how well they'd work while grinding. They looked like very thick socks with the feet missing. They worked well for the heat but I don't know how well they'd work against flying metal bits and bristles. Pnut

A lot of people confuse the words want and need. I used a vertical rail for about a year and a half and improvised a couple hardy holes using stumps and steel tubing but as soon as I got a post vise a hardy hole wasn't really needed anymore. Pnut

I only tried a bottom blast firepot with charcoal once and it burned through charcoal like nobody's business. I'd reckon a side blast jabod would be your best bet. I have a propane forge and still use my JABOD regularly. Pnut

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Before I started making my own I ordered charcoal through the commercial distributor that the hotels I work at use to purchase their bulk restaurant supplies from. I don't remember the name right off the top of my head but it was much cheaper than a retail store. Pnut

That would be perfect for a JABOD. I have to turn my Buffalo 700 veeerrrryyy slowly or I blow all the fuel out of the firepot. Nice find. Pnut

HF purchases are nearly the only time I actually pay for a warranty. I just look at it as part of the price when I'm comparing prices. Pnut

Hot rasping is the only type of filing I actually enjoy. I'm too impatient when it comes to hand filing. I believe I'd benefit from making a sen or other cutting device that's a bit more aggressive than most filing. Pnut

It says mob Peddinghaus on the sticker. I just looked it up. It's a subsidiary of Peddinghaus Handzwerkeuge sp? Pnut

A Three Mile Forge incident because a piece of scale worked it's way into your shoe. Pnut

On line. It wasn't much I was trying to spend every penny on a gift card. I believe it was 12 or 15 dollars. It says Peddinghaus but it also says made in France so I'm a little confused. It seems okay though. Pnut

I'm at work so I'm doing more than one thing at a time. I read rat hole but heard mousehole hahahaha. Pnut

I thought you were near Columbus or Dayton. Sorry about that. Pnut

The gift card fuelled mini shopping spree is nearly over. It's tricky trying to put together orders that get close to the amount of money left on the cards. Anyway I got a 2lb Czech style hammer and a hot slit chisel. Pnut

I'm pulling for you. Hopefully she can see the beauty of the continued service of an old tool. Pnut

Absolutely about money. You can't run at a loss and stay in operation long. Pnut

You're close enough to Cincinnati to maybe know what goetta is. If not there's an annual Goettafest in Covington's Mainestrausse Village that has goetta in every possible way you can think of Have you ever had it before? Pnut Pnut

You might like the Cincinnati German version called goetta better. It's all meat trimmings, spice, and grain. There's a local company called Gliers that makes the best version. I did always joke about the mortuary across the alley from their Covington KY location though. Pnut There's a meatless version that's just grain called groeta that's pretty good sliced and fried crispy too.

Maybe he meant CU mai. Pnut

I'm not sure but it usually means that all the easily accessible coal is gone and it's not financially viable to extract what's left since natural gas is so cheap. Methane seepage could also contribute to closures since mitigation drives the cost up further but I'd wager it's more to do with natural gas competition. That's what shut down a lot of the mines in KY. Without strip mining the site (mountain top removal in KY) it wasn't profitable to operate any longer. Have any coal fired power plants shut down in the state? Sometimes the power plant is the only thing keeping a mining operation in business. I'm just guessing based on what I know from the KY coal industry. It could be a completely different set of circumstances in Oklahoma. Pnut

I wasn't paying attention to the dates. I was actually replying to the op. A crack like that would definitely make me worry. As said by others if there's not much of a change in pitch around the crack I'd just try to avoid that spot. Welding an anvil takes some specialized procedures. It's way above my pay grade. Maybe someone with actual experience using the Gunter Schuler method of anvil repair will chime in soon. Good luck. Pnut

I think working apprenticeships are pretty rare these days. There's some smiths from the UK that are members here that might be able to shed some light on the actual situation on the ground in the UK. I'm sure it would be easier to find work in a shop with a certificate though. There may be internship work programs you could look into as well. I'll do some searching and see if I can find anything you don't already know. Pnut

There's a small herd of bison at Big Bone Lick state park about twenty minutes away from my house. I love buffalo horn handles. I had a little fixed blade with buffalo horn and antler handle scales when I was a little boy that my great uncle who I idolized gifted to me. I believe that's why I like the material so much. I haven't worked with it though. Pnut