Raasmus

Hail and Well Met. I thank you all already for the freely given and most useful advices. I am a poor Danish Viking born 1050 years too late it seems, or, mayhapse I have dawdled about just long enough to enjoy the best of it. Times will tell. I have collected smithing tools for years always with the intent that "someday....". Recent events have shown me that someday is not guaranteed to arrive, so I am pursuing my interests with a bit more passion of late, and good deal less concern about making mistakes, I thinks that is how some of the best thingks get made is by mistake. Again me thanks for your helps. For those if ye not familiar with the Knowne World, I am living in Yakima Washington where we grow some apples and some hops and some mint, and a few of us keep bees and let it all ferment. Raasmus Bless the Blessed ~ Curse the Cursed Keep us from Evil ~ Save us from Harm

I am not a smith, but I have a handful of projects I would like to attempt and one of my fellow junk collectors has a portable forge he would like me to buy. It is marked Champion Blower & Forge Co Lancaster PA USA. It is a hand crank blower with v shaped drive wheel that runs between 2 leather? wheels, one of the leathers seems to be worn or misaligned so it goes bump every time it spins around, and the drive shaft for the blower itself seems a bit rough as well. If I give it 4 or 5 good spins it will run for another 1/2 to 3/4 revolution before it stops. Based on that I would think it needs some work, the fella wants 150.00 for the forge. I intend to make or at least attempt to make some of the things I have seen in my Viking age books and museums. Would I be better off buying a newer forge possibly even a gas forge, (I like to play around with glass for bead making as well) or are parts and such available for old forges? Thanks Raasmus