pnut

I think I'd go with a fine brass brush to remove the shavings and a coating of oil to keep the leather supple and wouldn't worry about it looking dirty. Pnut

Nice hammer. I'm sure you'll get plenty of use out of it. I have a couple of smaller dogsheadish type hammers and I like them a lot. The small face moves metal nicely. Heres a picture of the smallest of the two. Pnut

I've had many different breeds of large and medium sized dogs throughout my life and while the breed plays some role in their behavior I've found that there's a pretty good spectrum of personalities in dogs. I think training and the individual dog plays a larger role in behavior when talking about dogs bred for confirmation or pets. It's a bit different when breeding working dogs though. I don't think you could stop a border collie bred for working from herding things if you tried. Pnut

I made the mistake of overthinking it the first time I built a jabod. Any clayey soil will work. I don't usually even add sand but I think I got lucky with the local soil. I'll be building a new forge in a few days when I get back from a music festival. My last MARKIII type grill jabod got thrown away mistakenly by the guy who cuts the grass. I'll post some pictures when I get back and have a day off. If it's not raining. Pnut

Hydration is of the utmost importance especially if you've been ill. I was recovering from a bout of pseudo colitis brought on by antibiotics and thought I was over the worst of it. I set up all my equipment and lit the forge. Next thing I know I woke up staring at the sky. I drove to the hospital and was informed I was so dehydrated my kidneys were shutting down. It's easier than you would think to become critically dehydrated. Pnut

If you're allergic to ragweed stay away from pyrethrin containing sprays,shampoos, and ointments. Pnut

I started with a piece of RR rail weighing ~113 pounds and bought a cheap accaio 66 pound anvil for $109US and have been able to accomplish any project I've attempted or perhaps I should say I haven't had the anvil stop me from accomplishing any project I've attempted, my skills on the other hand..... Here's a link you might be interested in. Onu

I always offer a hundred or two less than what I think it's worth to leave room for haggling and when I get to the limit and still haven't made a deal I tell them to contact me if they change their mind. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Pnut

I thought I posted this response already but upon review of the thread I didn't see it so here goes. Sash weights are good as wrights for chain hold downs if you don't like using a stirrup to keep the tension on the chain. Pnut

I've been thinking about using the concentrated sodium hypochlorite that we use in the laundry room at work to attempt to bleach a coyote skull. When I get around to it I'll let you know how it worked. Pnut

This is what the firepot on the very first JABOD I made looked like. It worked well for over a year. It's just a trench dug in some clay I got near the creek behind my apartment building. After you get the first one built you'll see how devilishly simple they truly are. Pnut

The cost is what kept me from getting a chile forge also. I got a two burner blacksmith model for $540 from diamondback. Pnut

I'm happy with my Diamondback forge. I bought it knowing what compromises I was making such as losing some fuel efficiency for ease of maintenance etc. If I need another forge I'll definitely be building it though. I decided to buy a forge versus building one this time due to a few reasons. I'd rather spend my time forging instead of building something to forge in, I only had minimal experience with gas forges and wasn't sure how well the home built forge I did get the chance to use was constructed. Turns out it wasn't a very good forge. Now that I know how a forge should operate and have gained some hands on experience I feel comfortable enough to build one on my own. Pnut

Keep an eye out for a deal on a drill press. More often than not trying to drill steel with a handheld drill ended in frustration and an unfinished hole for me. Pnut

I had them for years and brought at least one with me to every show. As for cancelled shows you're forgetting the blizzard in Cleveland prior to the Richfield coliseum shows. First night was cancelled. I had the same issues. I've been clean for going on nine years now. Pnut

Putting concrete backer board or fire resistant sheetrock on the walls and above the forge if you won't be using a hood would probably be a good idea and like you said keeping a tidy shop helps. Pnut

I toured pretty consistently from 88-95 then took a break for a few years after Jerry died before getting back on the road with WSP mostly. I thought I read a post you wrote about Mickey and Phil coming out to a drum circle in Alpine valley. I was there for that so we probably did cross paths. I was playing two wood grain congas with big cannabis leaf stickers on each one on a stand. You might remember the drums but I looked like a million other heads back then. Skinny with dreads wearing a tie dye and Guatamalan pants and hat Pnut

I can attest to the truth of this statement. I worked at VanMelle the company that makes Airhead candy. Pnut

Turned out nicely. I'd be proud to use it. Pnut

Welcome aboard, a good way to figure out if smithing is for you without spending a ton of money is to build a JABOD. You probably can build one for little to no expense and have a fire in your first afternoon. Once again welcome aboard, be safe, and remember it's supposed to be fun. Pnut

They're still playing. Hookaville is coming up September 3-5 at Brushy Fork Phamily Ranch in Newark Ohio. Darkstar Orchestra puts on a good show at Buckeye Lake (Legend Valley) every year too. Darkstar Jubilee is the name of the festival. I went this year. It was cold and rainy but I still had a blast. Truthfully I'd rather see Darkstar Orchestra than Dead & Co any day although I'm going to see them when they come to Cincinnati Sept 11. I'm only forty minutes away so it almost seems mandatory. Phil Lesh and Friends is still playing too. Have you heard anything from this young guy named Billy Strings? He did a few shows with Bill Kreutzman in Hawaii recently. If you haven't you should definitely give Billy Strings a listen. I try to do at least a two or three venue run of WSP shows every year if possible maybe we'll run into each other. Pnut

The little tiny ones? I'm asking because when I was a teenager they made them in sizes from 7 oz all the way up to a big 64oz jug. My uncle used to work at the Hudepohl Schoenling brewery. Pnut

As everyone said if it passes the rebound test and you don't hear any dead spots while tapping it across the face I'd get it ASAP. Pnut

Grateful Dead, Darkstar Orchestra, WSP, String cheese Incident, Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. Billy Strings, bluegrass, Dropkick Murphys, Dead Kennedys. I'll listen to almost anything depending on my mood. If you're still into seeing live music there's a great rockabilly band that plays around the Cincinnati Dayton area called Straw Boss. You might want to check them out. Pnut

Steel toes or at least safety toe boots are so ingrained into my work wear that I don't feel comfortable working without them even when they're not necessary. I wear steel toed boots to work in a laundry room . I tried wearing tennis shoes to work because I know the steel toed boots aren't necessary but it bothered me the whole day. Some habits die hard. Pnut