Chris C

Okay. I highly doubt I'll need to be welding anything that thick. Probably the thickest I'll weld is 1/8" angle making racks and things like that. This is a "fixed" Weldit lens. I don't see any way to change the shade amount.

Okay, I might add that I bought a flip-up #3 for my glasses to look into the forge. (Dr's Orders!) If I wear the #3 on my glasses when I'm using the #11, does that add up to 14 or does it not? By the way, thanks for taking the time to post that chart.

Well, I guess I'm okay then because my little EDC balances at the first brass pin behind the bolster.

So I take it, this lens will be satisfactory all the way up to a 225amparc? I really need to know because I've had two retina surgeries this past 12 months and the surgeon said I have to be really protective of my eyes. That's why I bought a #3 flip-up attachment to put on my RX glasses for use at the forge.

I've a question for those of you who weld............which is probably everyone on the forum but myself! This helmet that was gifted to me has an auto lens that goes from 2.7 to 11. Is 11 dark enough for any level I might be using this 225 amp welder at?

I can vouch it works! My anvil "find" came through a guy who had been buying some stuff from me. I talked with him, as I had everyone I met or knew and he called one day to say he'd seen one advertised on Facebook. I'm not on any social media, but he got me in touch with the seller. Deal made! Today I started a search for a 220v extension cord for my new (to me) welder. Asked all over the gym today when I was there and one of my friends said he has two that he used with his RV...........which he no longer has. They were both for 50 amp, so I'm assuming they are 6 gauge wiring. Said I could have-em for nothing. Ca-ching! TPAAAT in action.

That's what I bought, thanks.

Thanks, IFC. I did a search on-line and couldn't find a used one. New ones are $23 and up. I'll keep looking though. Nix that! I just found and bought it on a used textbook site for $5.37 delivered. I can handle that. Maybe this book will keep me from having to embarrass myself in front of some friend I'm asking to "show me the ropes", ya think?

That's what I'd planned on doing. But not knowing how to arc-weld, I think it's going to be a rocky road.

Solar. Been sittin' inside the building for a long, long time, so I'll take your advice.

Took them to my friend who owns the Welding supply and he recommended I just toss then. Said they probably wouldn't even serve to do tack welds. Said drying them in an oven changes their chemistry and is really a waste of time and electricity. Oh well. While I was in his shop, I bought one of those slag hammers and he gave me an automatic welding mask that was there when he bought the shop. So he just left in there with other things to have on the shelves so it looked like a business. Told me it's probably not a good one Had a $40 price tag on it. Better than nothing, I suppose.

INDEED! Will do. How sad. No parent should EVER have to endure the pain of burying their child! EVER!

I agree with pnut..........."Your knives are good enough to sell when people are willing to buy them." For me personally, there's another caveat. With anything I make, (I was a custom furniture builder for 17 years) I ask myself if I would be willing to take my hard earned money and buy it for my own use before offering it for sale to someone else.

Thanks. Just printed this out. Also have a good friend who owns a welding supply. I'm sure he can make suggestions.

Finally, after at least 9 months of searching, I bought a Lincoln 225amp welder...............in GREAT condition. Rubber looks brand new and was plenty pliable. Seller said the unit was around 35 years old but he seldom used it. I believe it. It's been sitting in an enclosed metal storage unit in his driveway. It's the old heavy copper coiled one. It came with about 40 pounds of sticks. I've got a lot of little projects in the shop I won't have to go "begging" friends to do for me. Have to learn how to weld with a stick first, of course. And the cable is only about 6 feet long. Won't even reach the plug on the wall because of other equipment. Will need to run 220 from my woodworking shop to the forge shop and then get a 220 extension cord. I have no idea the condition of all the sticks. There are several packages marked in such a way I'm assuming they are universal. Some of them I don't know. Should I put these in an oven and dry them before trying to use them?

Unfortunately, I seldom get burls. This one was a freak. That's why I'm holding it" close to the vest". Most of my friends are wood turners, so any time burls become available, I'm the last to hear about them.

Yup, an original ACME would be just the treat!

My heart really goes out to you, Thomas. Must be really frustrating. I can't even imagine. It must truly be painful. Now you do realize, don't you, that I DO have electricity and DO NOT (and more than likely will NEVER EVER) have even one single power hammer. Surely that fact must tug at the strings of your sympathetic heart.........just a little bit, huh? You do know I'm not really that far from you and would be more than willing to adopt one of those lonely hammers you have malnourished ...............right?

I don't think there is a more striking wood than Curly Maple. It's one of my favorite woods. Still have a bunch of it!

WOW, CGL, really nice work. Impressive. Keep going, Jennifer. I'm learning a lot about you I'd already suspected, but you are now confirming. Very interesting.

(Note: Do NOT believe Thomas Powers when he says "no more anvils".)

Mark, I'm a retired furniture builder and a wood carver. I've lots of woods left over from 17 years of that. In the case of the Elm burl, it was given to me over 20 years ago as a half log. Couldn't figure out what the heck to do with it, but knew I didn't want to let it go. (typical hoarder as my wife calls me!) When I got into knifemaking, I decided to cut it up and see what I've got. Needless to say, I was both surprised and happy. I've enough for about 8 more knives and then it's gone. Not letting go of a single piece of it.

Thanks, Les. I've LOTS to learn, but learn I will. Working on another right now. We'll see what I've gained from the critiques.

Thanks for all the compliments. It's funny, though................I didn't post the pics here for the "pat's on the back". There's a whole lot to learn about good knife making. My desire is to be a well respected knife maker. Part of that is to be positively judged by my peers, which is why I posted the pics. I've been an artist of one kind or another all my life. Therefore, I know to the untrained eye that knife is a beautiful piece..........especially since it's my first out of the chute.........but I knew it wasn't perfect. I'm desiring perfection and have appreciated all the honest critique from the knife site I frequent and from here where I got my start into this forging journey. I'm starting this journey mighty late in life and can only hope I've time to get to a point that my knives are sought after.............or at least well respected. sfeile, I didn't know if by mentioning "balance", you meant balance in design or weight. I was trying for the balance point of weight to be at the Ebony bolster. Turns out it was at the back edge of the 1/8" brass pin closest to the bolster. That was why I skelotonized and tapered. I realized it probably wouldn't make that big a difference on an EDC, but I wanted to give it a try. I'll say, once again, I sure wish I had your eyes. I had to use a 30X jewelers Loupe to find the exposed glue on the belly of the spine. Good catch. Actually, there isn't any uncleaned up epoxy at the Ricasso. I cleaned it up, but scratched the Ricasso in the process. I need to go back and correct that. The brass pieces were perfectly aligned..........at one time. I glued my handle block up and then cut it in half to assure everything lined up. Then I went to the stabilizing step. (wrong order of things to do) The week the slabs spent in the Cactus Juice (don't ask why!) must have attacked the Acraglas Gel epoxy because I kept having the two different woods breaking away from the brass. Cleaning up the surfaces to re-glue I lost the "match". In the future I'll do all of that after stabilizing. And, yes, I probably tried to "bite off more than I could chew" for a first knife, but that's my nature. I do that with every interest I have. Honestly don't know it its good or bad, but that's the way I operate. Once again, thanks for the honest critiquing. Just what I needed. I used to judge furniture and wood carving competitions and can attest that a mamby-pamby judge does no good for any competitor.