Dutchmancreek

Drill or punch them and then assemble them with a nut and bolt the same size as your rivet. Then you can see how they fit and take them back apart for adjustment. Steve

The signs are the property of the particular campaign. Around here, couple of years ago, a person was prosecuted for theft when he was caught taking election signs from the public right of way. I'd contact the campaign headquarters and get permission, in writing, to collect them or ask the campaign to give them to you after they collect them. Getting arrested for minor theft would not be a good thing. The same goes for picking up spikes, plates, etc along rail road rights of way. It's considered theft. Steve

Thomas, I used to go to Socorro all the time...up on the mountain at the school. Did trace and self destruct testing on medium caliber ammunition. Steve

Frosty.....I have found that if heat up and quench the corners of a dinner bell triangle it rings a lot better than if left alone. Your theory is probably right. Steve

Places that sell farrier supplies usually have strong flat magnets that the farrier often uses to hold tools. Put a strong magnet under the heel of the anvil and it will make a big difference. Without one , I'd have to wear ear muffs when I use my Hay Budden. Steve

I always wear prescription safety glasses with side shields. Anything can happen though....I was doing some chain saw carving wearing safety glasses with side shields AND a full face shield over that and still ended up in the emergency room with a chip in my eye. Steve

It depends on what I'm doing, but I usually wear an apron. It keeps your clothes in a lot better condition. You can get a decent one (welding apron) from Harbor Freight pretty inexpensively.

Looks great! I usually make lid lifters with a hook and cross bar (like lodge) or the "chicken foot" style something like divermike's picture. I really like your design though. I hope you don't mind if I make a copy of it (actually for my own use). Steve

Also get with the Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association. IVBA - Illinois Valley Blacksmith Association Steve

He's right.....a good switch can be made from the foot controller of a discarded electric sewing machine. Just take out the rheostat, or whatever in in there and wire it into the blower circuit. I use one from a machine my wife was throwing away, but you could probably get one from a sewing machine repair shop. Steve

If you have an electric blower make sure the air flow is adjustable and that you hit the off switch whenever you take your workpiece from the fire. Steve

Mine's at elbow height. Steve

It's one thing to get the metal to welding heat and another to make the weld while the heat is still there. I think that this is one of the biggest reasons that welds don't take. Don't piddle around getting everything lined up on the anvil while the anvil is sucking the heat out. You only have a few seconds before the joint is too cold to weld properly. And don't hit too hard or use too big a hammer....you want to make the weld, not forge the joint down. Do a dry run to get the movement right before you try the weld and when you do it for real be quick and positive. I really believe attitude counts. Fretting over it causes delays and delays let the steel cool. For small parts (they cool real fast), I keep a small rail road track anvil and a piece of steel plate right on the forge so I don't even have to move the step and a half to the anvil. Timing is very important. Steve

I paid $150 for my 300 pound Hay Budden......is that rare enough for you? Oh and I have a 131 pound Peter Wright that I paid $75 for. Steve

I've got one of those HF benders and haven't used ti much at all. The manual for it is crap and I never seemed to set it up right. I've got stubs of various sizes of pipe, up to about 6" that I use for bending radiuses (radii?). The smaller sizes are welded to angle iron so as to fit in the vise. I can bend rings very easily around the pipes by securing one end with a scroll wrench and wrapping right around. Make several wraps, remove the coils and cut through and you have a bunch of rings the same size. (The same way you make jewelry jump rings or chaim mail rings.) Steve

Well now that I look at it I have to disagree with my wife... I think I have a lot more hair than that avatar, although the beard is probably right and I do have several log benches here and there. Steve

I really need to change that avatar cartoon. My wife says I'm starting to resemble it too much. I must admit I have some jugs, and they don't have coffee in them. Steve

What's this about shine?

3/8" stock seems to me to be a bit small. I've got a scrolling wrench in 3/8 but I made it special for some light work. All my others are made of 1/2" stock. The legs are about 2" and the gap between them runs from 5/8 to 1". If you need scrolling wrenches you probably need to make some bending forks for the anvil (or vice) too. I make them by putting 1/2" posts in a 2x3x1/2 block and welding on a piece to fit the hardy hole in the anvil. The posts are from 2" to 3" long and are in various spaces apart, but 3/4 and 1" spacing are my most used. I also have a post mounted on each of two pieces of heavy angle so I can use them in the vise as an adjustable fork. Lorelei Sims has some good instructions for the bending forks in her "The Backyard Blacksmith" (an excellent book.) Hope I helped, Steve

MoleDoc....remove the resistor (or rheostat, or whatever it is) inside the foot switch so that it is only "on" or "off". Then wire it up. I even have a foot switch on a belt grinder so that I can put the work piece in place and then start instead of pushing a piece into a moving disc or belt. It keeps from screwing up a delicate piece when I'm wanting to put a flat surface on a handle scale or something. Steve

I have had trouble being distracted by shiny objects and burning my work. You always have to watch it. Some things that might help... 1. Have an air gate or rheostat to control the amount of air from the blower. 2. Run your electric blower power through a foot switch so that when you step away from the forge, the air blast goes off. I use a switch that used to be the foot control from a sewing machine. Steve

I don't thread the stock or handle. I just put annular grooves in the stock, drill the antler, and use epoxy. It holds fine. I also make aluminum or brass caps for the ends of the antler (you can see it in the photo in the first post of this thread). For neat looking lanyards on the flippers, braid up some paracord (or use leather bootlaces like you do) and add them. I make some decent lanyards with round and square sennets and lanyard knots. I guess I should post a photo or two of them. Steve

I got one like that in excellent shape. I bought it at an auction for a portable forge in case I might do a demonstration, but it's been sitting in the corner of my shop for well over a year....I need to get it out and play with it. Steve

I have a 300# Hay Budden and it rings like a bell. A large magnet under the tail will help a lot. Check your serial number in Anvils In America and find out when it was made (in Brooklyn N.Y.) Steve

Don't buy any...find a farrier and ask him for some used ones. My farrier saves his used rasps and drops them off when he comes by. I've a whole pile of them now. I haven't used them for much, but they're free. I don't think all rasps are equal....some are surface/case hardened and some are high carbon steel through out. Steve