Chris C

I welded a "hammering pad" on the top blade of my fullering jig, so now it's finished and ready to put to work. Off and on today I kept applying moisture to the KOL30 repair job on the ceiling of my forge. Then made a wall rack to hang my 2x72 belts. I received an order of 8 different belts today and used them to decide how far apart to make the hanging pegs and what size PVC pipe to put on the stubs to keep from damaging the belts. I'm going to put the rack high up on my 12' wall because floor and wall space is so precious in my shop. (I plan on doing that tomorrow.) I'll get the belts down with a shepherd's crook. Finished up profiling 7 blades for my little wood carving knives. Also took the connector box apart on my 2hp, 3-PH motor to wire it up like Jose recommends. Turns out it was already wired the way he instructed. Now all I'll have to do is to connect it to the VR and the VR to the 220V outlet.

We're just watchin'n'waitin'! There'll be a lot of comments when you start putting blacksmithin' stuff inside.

Repaired the "ceiling" in my forge yesterday. Have to let it cure before firing forge back up. Guess I'll make some wood carving blades for stock today.

I like the stump base..................but then I'm slightly prejudiced toward them.

"parts wearing out".................man can I relate to that. I've been on the operating table 5 times in the last year and half or so and now they tell me I need to see the surgeon about my knee. Don't know if that means a minor surgery or knee replacement...................but the parts are definitely wearing out. Just a shame the warranty lapsed years ago, Frosty! The first rifle I bought myself was a 6.5x55 sporterized Swedish Mauser. I swear, I can drive a bridge spike into a telephone pole at a hundred yards with it. Something about those old rifles. Really like shooting it. Took it to the Whittington Center in Raton, NM and put 10 shots in one ragged hole at 200 yds. Love that rifle................but I digress. Mercury is, indeed, heavy stuff..............and a whole lot more dangerous to the human body than we like to admit because of how much fun it was/is to play with. I had a little bottle I took to school and we'd pour it on the teacher's flat desk and gleefully push the puddle around. We played hockey with it one time and a friend of mine missed it and when it sailed off the desk and hit the floor it shattered into 10,000-gazillioin pieces. We never found any of it.

How could you miss the good old days, Frosty? If you stuck your finger in mercury, unprotected, you must surely be dead as a door nail.......................and, of course, you shot your eye out when you pulled the trigger on your first B-B rifle. How did we ever make it all these years without the "powers-that-be" telling us what we could and couldn't do? It's amazing any of us could be alive today.

Marshal, I know other forums are lax on policing foul language, but I'll warn you before a moderator hits you with a penalty. Watch you language. The moderators are FAR from lax here on IFI. Just sayin'.

Well, that's debatable, IFC. Have you ever tried to roll a container filled with liquid..........especially if it's on fire and your are in a panic? It could slop everywhere. But I don't think he'll have any kind of a problem with that situation because it's got lids on both tanks and they would easily put out a fire, I'd think. The wheels will just be nice to be able to carefully roll it out of the way when not in use.

Got my new set of Bolt Jaw tongs in the mail today, so I fired up the forge and finished my Fullering Jig. Also heated up my cross and hammer textured it. Nice to be able to hold what you are pounding on! Realized my KOL30 ceiling was deteriorating and the ribbon burner was blowing UNDER the surface. Ripped out the loose ceiling and will re-do it when the forge completely cools down. Pretty bummed about it, but it was my fault and I had my doubts it would work right when I initially installed the burner. Think I'll close off the top two rows of holes to combat the problem. What is it they say, "If it's not one thing, it's another."

WOW!. That's pretty durned slick. I like it.

"Remember" watching the scene. And believe me, SLAG............I'm not a "lot younger" than a WHOLE lot of people.

Yup, we lost a lot of our flock to predators when we free ranged. Made a smaller, predator proof pen and all worked well.

Thanks, Glenn. Frosty recommended a piece of angle iron laying on the floor of the forge at the opening. But it raised the rod I had welded to the billet, so didn't serve the purpose. I'll figure something out.

I think I'll retrofit my forge with one of those. I like the idea. Gettin' mighty tired of "smoking" my good welder's gloves. The only thing that concerns me is I use two insulated bricks as my "doors". Not quite sure how I could effectively use the "curtain" and still have the bricks as doors. Hmmmmm.

Thanks for your perspective, Tommie. Get to communicate with CGL a bunch, but never you before. You need to stop by more often.

Thanks, Selph. My younger brother was 7 years younger than I and used to spend a lot of time at Grandma's house so Mom didn't have to mess with him. He was about 5 years old at the time of this story. One day Grandma called Mom and jokingly said "Come and take Kent home!" Mom said "Sure, but why?". Grandma laughed and said Kent walked into the bedroom while she was making a dress and asked her if she was making a tent. Said she'd never been so embarrassed in her life. She's been dead for 50 years now and it's still a story we tell and laugh about at family gatherings.

"Raising chickens is for survival.............not profit." My grandparents kept a rotation of about 5 hundred chickens. It was a real chore. I once asked my Grandma if it was "really" profitable and why they did it. She looked at me with a puzzled expression and said.........."Well, we don't make any profit as such, but we sell the eggs and a lot of the chickens, but the main thing is we always have eggs and chickens for our own table and the selling of eggs and chickens more than pays for the expenses we incur in raising and caring for them. Besides (with a big smile on her face) I get to make all my and your Aunt Lois's clothes out of the feed sacks". I'll never forget picking up chicken feed at the dealer with my Grandad. Back when I was but a wee lad, chicken feed bags were all fancy colored cotton fabrics. He always had a list with him of which patterns of "dress material" bags he was to purchase. Oh, and Grandma weighed 350 pounds, so a "dress" looked more like a tent and used a LOT of chicken feed sacks!

Exactly! Just another example of me not expressing myself accurately. Oh well, you know what you said.............and that's how I took it. I'll just do it differently next time. Thanks Jennifer.

Good idea, Thomas............but wouldn't have worked with this one. It was made with a 2" square tube. Drilled the holes and then cut a 1/2" slot out of the front. Made a lot of unnecessary work for myself..............and Frosty told me not to do it that way. I'm pig-headed. If I make another, I'll do it the way he suggested............and will add your suggestion. Thanks. Yes CGL, the cross was something I messed with recently. As soon as I get my new tongs tomorrow, I'll be able to hold the cross so I can texture it. With my stupid tongs, all I was doing was burning new blacksmith tattoos on my hands and arms from the cross bouncing out and around.

Bit by bit, one step at a time. One thing I know for sure. Purdy or not, e-e-et weel hold!

Very interested in seeing that pic, IFC.

Moosetrot, did you really have to recall that? Hurts to even remember it.

I finished my Fullering Tool today. Pretty pleased with it. Can't wait to put it to (good) use.

I like your title "knob thingy", myself, Frosty. I think it most adequately describes it.

I like that, Thomas. Will be keeping that in my "someday" file.