Ridgeway Forge Studio

Thank you all for helping me feel safer- I'm very glad it was not zinc. I am blessed to not know the color of burning zinc, as it stays very far away from anything remotely warm in my shop.

This is not strictly a question about my gas forge, as it has never done this before and I do not believe it's function plays into the question. Today, upon first firing up the forge, a distinct green flame curled up from the gas forge door. I have never put copper or zinc in any form into this forge. I avoid anything but plain steel. I was working on the same pieces yesterday, with only the good orange flames licking up. The only variable today was a full night of rain. My shop has concrete floors, but water comes in through the bottom and through a couple of pinholes

Jhcc- thank you! I suppose if no mineral transfer would occur, it could still help in the way that any additions to largely clay soil would help- to break up the soil and provide an additional substrate to allow water in. Purely hypothetical, though.

I was thinking that over time it could help- talking years, not months. I guess its worth a try, or to save... maybe there's a Potter that wants it for glazing around me?

I've been collecting quite a collection of scale, and, being the hoarder I am, I wondered if anyone had horticultural uses for it. Would it give iron to my plants if I crush it up and sprinkle it in the garden?

She'd take anyone provided they chop wood in the fall for her

Not so much followed as slid down the river of drool- I've been wanting one of these for a while, and my grandmother found out and ordered it for me!

I always appreciate a good, simple and effective tool- finally made myself a holdfast for the Anvil.

Finally finished up the shop, thought I'd post it up here for viewing pleasure! Thanks to all who gave me advice, it was all very helpful!

Made some progress on the shop yesterday!! Now all it needs is a roof and the walls.

Frosty, setting the ridge into the wind was not really my intention, more my consideration as to aesthetics, at the request of my grandparents (whose property it is! however, I just wanted to be sure that I would not be making a suction system by angling it the other way- had a problem in one if my old shops built the same way. As far as i was able to check, legality will jot be an issue. I will not be running electricity into the shop, and if needed there is an exterior plug on the adjacent carriage house that I have run my bandsaw off of. some of the design elements of

This has given me a lot to think about- I will be using purlins between each rafter, as well as 45 degree bracing on the corners and tied to the center posts. The walls will not really be framed, just 2x4x8s with metal roofing screwed to them, so only coming up 4ft off the ground. Regarding the wind, we get a prevailing wind towards where I have planned the high end of the lean to. Would it be better for structure to swap it so the prevailing wind rides the angle of the roof instead of being against it? My main concern isn't the roof weight, as I have done this style several t

After a month delay due to snow, I am preparing to build my 10x16 lean-to shop. It will have 3 4x4x10s across the 16ft length in the front, and 3 4x4x8s in the back. I plan to be open air, with the two long sides covered by half walls and one short side by a full wall of metal sheet. The roof will be sheet metal corrugated roofing. I am building it on an existing 25x35 slab, with 4" thick concrete. Regarding anchoring the posts into the concrete, I have researched the premade concrete anchors that sleeve the 4x4 and have bolts set into the concrete. I wan

IronDragon, thank you for trying! I did discover a few things that I am trying to follow up on. His business was called the Charles Hess Company Inc, with a shop on Flushing Ave in Brooklyn. The tag line on his maker's mark was Artisans in Iron, and he did the hardware for the Yale Fraternity houses, as well as all the ironwork for Northeastern University and a number of other places. I am still trying to discover his full product line, and any business records I can find. Its a shame the shop closed, but before closing it went from an ornamental iron company to larg

I don't know if anyone has ever complimented your shelf-building abilities, but I imagine you could put an elephant on your display shelves without them even bending!