pnut

Most tools outreach the craftsman. Pnut Teaching surpasses doing in some respects. When teaching you have to explain the why and not just the how, which has always lead me to be more thoughtful about what I'm trying to teach and gives me a deeper understanding of the subject. Sometimes doing is nearly automatic. While teaching you have to explain why you're doing what you're doing. Pnut

I always thought that the Blacksmith deities were lame, disfigured,or handicapped in some way because of the general danger inherent to blacksmithing and also to separate them from " regular" society. To put them outside of the normal. I would think ancient blacksmiths were looked upon as both dangerous and powerful. Some ancient societies looked at smiths in the same way as they looked at shamans. Of the world but also outside of the world. Pnut

There's an episode of The Woodwrights Shop titled, "Forging the holdfast" that explains what makes a holdfast work. You may want to do a quick search and watch it. It shows a Roubeax plate that demonstrates the "cocking" of the long arm of the holdfast in the bench. Pnut

One example I can think of why designing something without a working knowledge of what's required is the numerous small towns around the US that tried to do something good by funding a municipal skatepark and then letting a concrete company design the skatepark with no idea of what a skate park needs. Lot's of wasted tax dollars, space,time, and disgruntled young people is usually what they end up with. Luckily I was involved in a skatepark being put in where I'm from and the city listened to the skateboarders and hired a contractor who specializes in building skateparks. It's a pleasure to ride there and people drive for hours to come and skate. The exact opposite happened when I lived in a town in Tennessee that hired a general contractor with no experience in the field nor would the city council listen to any skateboarders. They took bids like any other concrete job,hired the company who put in the lowest bid and they now have what is essentially an unskatable skatepark. Another one with the exact same story is about an hour and a half away from me now. It was actually voted the worst skatepark in America in Thrasher Magazine. Specialized trades/activities require a working knowledge of the field to set up a shop/space. We all really want you to succeed so my advice would be to take a course, talk to and visit in person as many instructors and practicing blacksmiths as possible so you can take notes on the setup of their classrooms and shops. Keep us posted and let us know if you have any specific questions. Good luck Pnut

Welcome aboard. First you should probably post the question in the correct forum. If you go to the home page there's a list of the forums and subforums. This one should probably be located in the finishes for metals forum. Utensils need a food grade oil finish put on at a black heat. They need refinishing periodically. For tools I use boiled linseed oil mixed with beeswax and turpentine also put on at a black heat and a coating of WD-40 occasionally. Glad to have you and remember it's supposed to be fun. Pnut

I'm in. Do you think we should notify the local authorities or embark on a commando mission under the cover of darkness? Any upstate NY members have a place to land it that won't draw too much attention? A swarm of 50,000 little Wal-Mart drones moving a barge would be a sight to behold. What do you think the local meteorologists would make out of that radar return? Pnut

Without a working knowledge of blacksmithing I would recommend you visit a school with such a program and talk to the instructors and see the layouts of the shops there and ask what would improve them. Incorporate the changes into the design of the classroom you want to create. Pnut

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I'm familiar with that debacle. It's a pretty well known incident. Pnut

I think I read somewhere that time at the pell was also compulsory. I wonder if it's still in the law books? Pnut

Substitute mistletoe

Have you cleaned the grate or other inlets entering the firepot lately? After you inspect it for heat damage check to make sure the air flow is unimpeded. Could anything have gotten into the outlet on the blower, like a mouse taking up residence? Pnut

Amen, weird makes life interesting. Pnut

That was one of the things that made me buy the hammers and top tools I purchased a while back. I also wanted to meet another local blacksmith. Pnut

Thank you kind sir. Pnut

I'm sure when I'm told what this stands for I will be feeling foolish and slapping my forehead but could someone please tell me it's meaning. Pnut

Be careful moving it. You can't use it in the hospital. Expect it to tip over during the move. I'm not saying it is going to tip over but if you treat it like it is going to happen you will be ready if it does. When you get into that type of weight injury is a real concern. Steel is unforgiving compared to flesh and bone. I would have had to get it also if it became available. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Be safe and use it in good health. By the way congratulations on the great anvil. Pnut

When it comes to scrounging, I seem to have better luck when I'm walking or the passenger in a vehicle versus driving. I have the best luck on foot though I guess because you have time to "see" what's there. Looking off the side of the road I find stuff pretty frequently, and I find smalls almost every day like weird brackets and bolts or pins, all types of little things. Just never stop looking and you're bound to see something eventually. Pnut

That is a weighty beast. I do not envy you having to wrestle it into position though. I hope you have a tractor or some other equipment for getting it to where it's going to be. Wherever I put it that would be where it was going to be for quite some time. I calculated the weight for a solid piece of steel with the measurements you gave and 672# is right. When I read 672 I thought it was a typo I think it's the biggest anvil I've seen anyone acquire since I've been a member here. Good luck with it. I don't think you'll need a bigger anvil than that one unless you start building battle ships Pnut

Are you sure it's 672 pounds or is that a typo? Pnut

This is true. Hat pins were used for protection. Myself grandmother had a large collection from when she was younger. Her father encouraged her to carry them and use them. He was an ethnic Greek man and any physical contact between unmarried people in public or married people for that matter was a no no where he came from. As to the laws you'd be surprised at all the laws that haven't been cleaned off the books after becoming obsolete. A hat pin assault law would not be the strangest law left over from the past. I think now it would be looked at like a knife and whatever laws covering the carrying of knives would probably apply. Pnut

If it's too bad I'd use it as a model to make a new one. A good place to get free leather is from old couches that are being thrown away. Pnut

If you don't repair that one you can use it for a template to make another one. Even if you do repair it i would make a template from the original just in case. Pnut

I realize that this post is over a year old but I was wondering if you built what you had in mind or changed the design and how it turned out. I'm just curious as to how it worked out. I've seen small natural draft forges built in small hills and slopes but not one like this. Pnut

Only if you remembered the annual battery change in your flux capacitor. Maybe that only applies to forge welding in the future though. Pnut