pnut

Looks like a success. Since it's sharp will you be making a sheath? Pnut

The institution it came out of if I'm not mistaken was called The Dixon Institute for curable epileptics when it opened. It was also called The Dixon State Hospital and The Dixon School. Ntryt2 can probably say for sure. It's first patients checked in in 1917. Pnut

Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit. We're only going to remove the parts that make you insane. You'll be much happier, wait and see. You'll be thanking us when it's all over. Pnut

Even better, lobotomy instruments!! Mwaa Haaa ha ha. (sinister laugh) Pnut

Well, let's hear the story. It's not fair to bait us like that and then not tell. Welcome aboard. Pnut

I've been keeping my eye out for some big bolts to make rodded texturing tools from. I might just upset the end and texture a piece of two inch of mild steel and put a rodded handle on that. Pnut

I respect that you're up front about the material, but I think they'd be worth more than twenty bucks even if it's scrap steel. A blade takes a lot of work from forge to finish. I've only gifted the things I've made but I wouldn't sell myself short if I did offer something for sale. I understand not wanting to charge anywhere near as much as an experienced Bladesmith using known steel, but your time and effort is absolutely worth more than twenty dollars. Just my opinion though. Keep up the good work I like seeing the progress. Pnut

It sounds like you did pretty good. If it's in as good as shape as you say. If the rebound is at least 70 percent I would be dancing around it in a fit of joy. You don't see anvils for less than two and a half dollars a pound and usually much more if they're in good shape around my neck of the woods. My advice about the building is go as big as you can afford. You will be able to fill it up no matter how big it is. Pnut

Clamp the delam In the vise and test the portion in front of it if the delamination is towards the handle. I haven't had much luck with mower blades. I think older ones might be better. I got a few from a repair place up the road from me and I didn't like them much. They were newer though. I found an old push mower. I can't think of what they're called. The kind with no motor. The blades on it sparked like medium/ high carbon. I think I read newer mower blades are alloyed with boron but don't quote me on that. Pnut

I wasn't sure if you were pulling my leg. I've read and I'm sure posted some questions that people have had to wonder about. No worries though. It did get a smile though. Pnut

I tried to find some info for you and haven't had any luck. It looks like an arm holding a scimitar, but I couldn't find any tools with that logo. I also looked it up using falchion instead of scimitar like Thomas said with the same result. I'll keep trying. Pnut

Does your phone have exposure compensation settings? It's tricky getting details with a backlit subject. Pnut

They're pretty permissive here it's just been unusually dry. It hasn't rained in almost two months, and this is an agricultural community. No rain plus unusually high temperatures equals bad news. Today is supposed to be the hottest day ever recorded in October around here. As soon as we get some rain I'll be able to forge again. The rain is likely to produce it's own issues because of how dry the ground is. I'll just have to wait and see. Pnut

When i forge drive hooks I bend the pointed end a Little past horizontal. I read somewhere that it helps lock the hook down when you hang something from it and I've been doing it that way ever since. I haven't tested between the two but it sounds right to me. Just slightly past perpendicular to the wall or beam it's going to be hung from. I don't have any pics or any hooks left seems like I give them away as soon as I make em. I'll post some pics as soon as I'm allowed to light the forge again. Pnut

Where I live they're pretty permissive when it comes to open flame. I live in the town part of a rural community. We can have burn barrels or whatever. No open flame is allowed temporarily due to the lack of rain for the last six or seven weeks. I have been hesitant to light my forge anyway because it's in the woods and the leaves have started falling. I raked them up but until it rains I don't think burning charcoal in tinder dry woods would be a good idea. It's supposed to rain Monday though. The burn ban includes charcoal grills. I spoke with a volunteer fire fighter yesterday on the way home from work. It really is scary dry here. Pnut

Its hard to see but there's a pipe in the wall on the right side about an inch above the bottom. It's just clay I dug straight out of the ground and filled the box and let dry. I did however flatten out the top and use a red brick on either side. The two little mounds started to crack off so I removed them. Pnut

I have put boiled linseed oil on my hammer handles and they darken over time. Some folks char their handles slightly. I don't personally but I might in the future,who knows. The pics I sent you of the dogshead hammers haven't started to get dark yet but you can see where I usually hold my three pound cross pien from the BLO and charcoal dust and general forge grime. I sand the handle down to a rectangular cross section and wipe it down with blo as soon as I rehandle or get a new hammer. Pnut

I can't capture the edit options. I think I may have to resize in my phones gallery. I double clicked on the pic and I guess I messed around long enough it turned it in to a thumbnail. I didn't pick any options though. Go figure. It started at more than a Meg and is now about half a megabyte. Pnut

I keep trying but my phone doesn't show those options. It's old. I even tried posting a pic earlier and resizing it but deleted it when I couldn't do it. When I double click on the picture it only shows four options. I'll post a screenshot of the edit options in just a few minutes. Pnut

I use charcoal most of the time so I don't have problems with clinker. When I use anthracite on the other hand there is some clinker. I'd like to have a go at a water cooled side blast. Can't do it right now though. Pnut

I think I would rather build one than buy one. Pnut

Thanks Charles those are some of the pics I was thinking of. The jabod is a proven design for sure. Pnut

Yep, a hole In the ground lifted up to convenient height. The African forges I've seen are usually two mounds of clay or termite mounds with a stone or clay pipe in one side for the air. I tried posting a picture of my forge but I couldn't resize it. Pnut

Look through the jabod threads. My forge is a night stand filled with clay soil with a trench dug into the clay and a three quarters inch pipe coming into the side of the trench. It doesn't stick out past the clay. Pnut

The Mandelbrott set also bears looking into for repeated patterns. It's a little hard to incorporate directly into blacksmithing but can help inspire ideas about repeated forms. Pnut