IronPuppet

I was at a local clearance shop today. They sell all sorts of used tools and stuff like that. They also have a nice selection of new hammers for a good price. So I got me a 2 lb sledge and a cross pean. They have fiberglass handles with a nice rubber grip and drop forged heads. The heads have a pin through them to secure them to the handles. I think I did good for my new forge. What do you hammer experts think? Christopher

Hi Steve, I'm afraid I'm not so savvy as to know what you mean by MT1 or MT2. I think you refer to the taper that holds tools in the tail stock. There is a taper, but I'm not sure what it is. The chuck comes off with 4 screws that hold it to a plate that i think is screwed to the main shaft. I didn't try to take that apart because i didn't want to damage the shaft and it could all be machined from a solid piece, but I doubt it. No visible signs of threads though. I'm currently working out the headstock frame. A bit of a challenge, but I think I have it now. It came with a head stock with big pulleys made from wood. I hope to cast pulleys once I get my forge going. It only has 2 pulleys, but there is a gear drive that reduces the speed to 4 to 1. then there is a hole to put a pin through and hook the pulleys directly to the drive gear to make the speed as fast as the pulleys. Thanks for the interest. Christopher

Aaron, I just so happen to pick up just such a bolt while out for a walk with my dog the other day. Thanks for the tip. There was also a piece of track just laying there about 7 feet long, but I don't know how I would wrestle that home by myself. (ha ha) Christopher

Thanks, Thomas. Very interesting. What do you think of re-bar? I happen to have quite a bit of stuff as big as my thumb. I could upset it and make a hammer and tools from it. Should one use a spark test to determine carbon content? Christopher

Seems to me a spike would make an interesting hammer, using the head of the spike as the hammers face. How does this use fit for low carbon stock? Christopher

Thanks so much for the replies, lads. I will make use of it just as is after a clean-up. Christopher

Hello there. I have been wanting a mini metal lathe for as long as I can remember. About 25 years ago I owned one for a short time, but was forced to sell it. Boo Hoo, that's the way it went. About 5 years ago a new neighbour moved in to the house to the south of us. I helped him move in and we get along fine. A few years ago I was telling him I was looking to buy a mini metal lathe. He said he had one his cousin made. I was like "yeah right, how good could a home made lathe be?" He showed me this little machine screwed to a piece of 3/4"plywood, no motor, but by gum, it had the parts required. Last fall he was cleaning out his basement and he gave it to me along with a box of assorted tools and goodies. He said at the time it was useless because it has a 4 jaw chuck. But I know better. So last week I started to rebuild the thing. It is all cast iron. It looks like it was a school project of some sort. Some of the castings are not so good and the machining on some of the parts is rather poorly done. It has been idle so long that the iron had oxidised and turned black, no rust, just a black dull appearance. Someone had taken it apart and put it together wrong and the gibs were in backwards. 2 of the 4 jaws are broke and have an ear on one side broke off. So I cleaned it up as best I could. Lapped all the gibs on wet/dry sandpaper to make them smooth again. Took the whole thing to pieces and cleaned everything good with Varsol. It had never seen paint so I painted it a nice green. I just put her all back together as I have other chores and I need to figure out what motor will run it and what pulleys to use and how it will set up, etc. Upon the whole it doesn't look like it was run much. The head bearings are not in too bad a shape. No gears to hook the head shaft to the main drive screw, but perhaps I can rig a motor on that somehow. It has a longer bed than other mini lathes about the same size that I've seen. The chuck is 3.5" and the working area on the bed is 14". Could be a sweet little machine. Has anyone seen a lathe like this before? Christopher

Hello there, I'm so excited! My brother-in-law found me an anvil. It's from an old farm shop somewhere in the Melville area. I asked that if he happened to run across one at an auction, that i would reimburse him if he would pick it up for me. This was last Wednesday. On Sunday he was parking his combine over at a neighbours place because they don't farm any more, so he rents the shop to park his equipment. A whole pile of tools just laying around, rusting. He saw this anvil and asked for me and got it for FREE! Well, I'll be dogged! I got it home today and sanded off the surface rust and welding splatter so I can see what I'm working with. I would like your opinions as to weather I should repair the surfaces and edges or just use it as is. there are some rather bad dings and some broken edges. The hardy hole in particular has broken edges. It must have fallen at one time because the tip of the horn was mushroomed and is now missing. Also, What is the hole through the middle of the base for? As well, what is the small hole next to the bottom edge for? any idea what the "V" shaped marks mean? The 99 on the side, is this the weight? Can I use my Lincoln welder to fill in the dings? Is it worth taking this to a machine shop for refinishing work? Any help would be very welcome. I can't wait to start pounding on this thing. Christopher

What about Hockey Stick handle tape? IronPuppet

Hi there. I was planning to build a coal fired forge, but this turns out to be a bad idea around here due to the smoke problems. I read on this forum about this lad who made a small gas powered forge out of a propane torch and a 6" pipe. Sort of a portable job. I read the article and it seems like the answer for me. Small and clean burning. The question I have is about the fluffy looking white stuff that the forge was lined with. I have not seen this before and have no idea what it is called. It is cut and rolled up and inserted in to the pipe as a heat shield. If I can just find out what this stuff is called and where I can find it, I will be in business. Can you help? Christopher

Seems there is a need for blacksmiths on the prairie. Hi Rain. I am encouraged by your interest in this art form. It makes me think there is hope for the future of it. Perhaps it's not a lost art after all. Your off to a great start. Keep up the momentum. Christopher

Greetings, fellow smithees. I happened upon this site by accident. A happy accident, I might say. You see, I have more than just a few hobbies and sometimes they overlap. One of the things I like to do is carve wood. I seem to gain the most satisfaction when I carve wood with tools I've made myself. When I was a lad I spent my summers in Barkerville Historic Park, a goldrush mining town of the 1860's in the center of British Columbia, Canada. One of the things that has been restored in that town is a blacksmith shop. It was run at the time by an old fellow named George who had a thick, almost indecipherable, German accent. George was quite the metalsmith and would make fantastic things out of steel to exhibit his prowess. I remember once he made an iron mushroom with a wrought iron butterfly perched on it. I used to hang around and help when I could and he was kind enough to tell me a thing or two about being a blacksmith and tricks of the trade. And that is where I cut my teeth. Things being what they are, I grew older, other interests took my attention until I was in my mid 20's. I built a forge at my friend's shop and made some tools. My friend used to work on Model Ts and Model A Fords. Some of the steering parts need to be worked in a forge to align them properly and we used my forge for that. I also had a go at casting aluminum parts with the lost wax casting method, which turned out to be a disaster due to my lack of experience with this technique. So recently, about 20 years on, I've taken up wood carving again and I am about to set up my forge again, too. I'm going to have a go at making my own carving tools, like "U" gouges and "V" gouges and fishtail gouges. I am also going to have a go at making some small hand adz (sp.). I'm still gathering parts for my forge. I got a big old truck rim I'm going to use for the hearth. I have an anvil but it isn't very big. It should be big enough for what I'm going to do, though. And, of course, an assortment of hammers and things. Last summer, I got a good job and was able to acquire a mig welder and a set of torches and a cutoff saw so I have my steel working tools back after a long absence from my life. I know I could probably buy these tools for cheap. A dandy fishtail gouge from Lee Valley Hardware is only about $15 but where's the challenge in that? I also plan to make some gardening tools for another one of my passions. So here I am eager to learn. Please fill my head with knowledge and grant me the gift of technique and I will be forever grateful. Yours sincerely, Christopher, a.k.a. The Iron Puppet