ptree

Power restored about 30 minutes ago. Now that a hot shower is a reality, off I go to chainsaw. Thanks for the concern.

I am still without power, and they project 2 to 6 days for power to be restored. Been out since Sunday about noon. A very good hearted guy at work took me to his house and loaned me his generator and power cord, and offered his truck to haul it 46+ miles. We strapped it on my 99 Cavilier, and off I went. We saved the food in the freezers, lost everything in the refrig. My ladies are getting pretty desperate for a hot shower, my plan is that I will enjoy a LONG LONG hot shower when I arrive Thursday at SOFA. I hate cold showers, but when you are chainsawing one has to clean up. Cold showers are sure a water saver I have 22 major trees down, but have clear acces down the drive and street now. Only missed 1.5 days of work. Of 22,000 customers on my REMC, 20,000 were out Sunday. Yesterday only 7300 still out. In my area many streets have 3 to 6 poles down. I am very lucky, there were 4 deaths in my area from windblown debris.

My plan for the widowmaker tree is to hire a 955 cat crawler with a 4-way bucket. He has been to my place before. He will push it over center and down. Then on to pushing the fallen trees down further into the forrest and followed by every @#$% pine tree with in 150' being pushed over and into the forrest. I am still without power, and they project 2 to 6 days for power to be restored. A very good hearted guy at work took me to his house and loaned me his generator and power cord, and offered his truck to haul it 46+ miles. We strapped it on my 99 Cavilier, and off I went. We saved the food in the freezers, lost everything in the refrig. My ladies are getting pretty desperate for a hot shower, my plan is that I will enjoy a LONG LONG hot shower when I arrive Thursday at SOFA. I hate cold showers, but when you are chainsawing one has to clean up. Cold showers are sure a water saver:) I have 22 major trees down, but have clear acces down the drive and street now. I am very lucky, thre were 4 deaths in my area from windblown debris.

Guys, thanks for all the help. Since we had Ike to visit, with much wind damage, this is on back burner for all concerned. I personally lost 22 BIG trees and I had lighter damage then many. We had 3 dead in our community, and more in the north of Indiana due to flooding from Ike. My power/phone etc has been out since Sunday noon. My shop took minor damage as did the house. No one hurt in my imediate family/neighborhood. I have about 6 widowmaker trees to deal with, with one BIG one leaning 15 degrees towards the house. Anti-skater features are probably several weeks out. I like the plant hangers at intervals.

Jayco, suggestions, 1. Large sliding or verhead door to allow entry of bigger items. 2. Gable fan in one end, with closable entry vent in opposite end near floor. 3. Large hunk of steel with a flat surface flush with floor near forge for upsetting. 4. Go ahead and put that frostproof hydrant in, right by the door. 5. Figure what size electrical service you need, and put double that in. 6. Sign that announces that this is yOUR shop:) Enjoy

Found some ideas on line called SkateStoppers. They are indeed gentle nubbins that allow use of the rail, but stop the grinding.

A local church has asked me to modify the top rail of the rails on their steps. Skate boarders are grinding on the top rail and the church is wanting to not atrack them, and to stop damage to the rails. Ideas?

I often get the My grandpa was..., and try to remember that indeed many were. Last year I was doing a demo and a lady said just that, and I asked what kind of smith and so forth. She said Ohh he had a shop with lathes and other machines and it ran froma belt in the roof and it was still on the farm with those old rusty tools!!!! I asked politely if she was interested in selling and she asked did I want the whole farm and all, and that being rusty the tools were no good. She took my card and said she would go look and see about what was in the shop and call, but never did, and she was reluctant to give a phone:( From her description i feel certain it one time several lathes and mills belt driven and a full forge set up, and it was only about 40 miles from my shop:( I almost cry when I think about it. I have a photo album with photos of my daughters forging at 8 to 16 years and show these to the interested girls, and indeed they do ask more and often better questions. Oddly, when a show a split cross, and the blank, most guys(85%) can't figure out how, but about (65%) of the girls do figure out how, and in only a moment.

A good and long friends 9 year old daughter has been diagnosed with an in-operable brain tumor, and has a life expextency of perhaps 18 months. I told him I would ask for prayers for this young girl. Thanks all Ptree

Key keeper, I am bringing the Fold-a-Forge trailer full of forge lube and other goodies to trade or sell. The anvil will have to stay home for weight reasons. Come by and I will show you the forge.

I plan on arriving on Thursday, leaving Sunday. I will have the safety Blue Fold-a-Forge trailer, and you may expect to see the worlds smallest powerhammer on my head as well as perhaps another new unusual hat

Shuggs, Another industrial safety guy here. In you job risk assesment, (required by OSHA for those who don't do safety for a living) You would need to address the issues for each threat. For instance, eyes, With the forge and hammering etc safety glasses with side sheilds required for all operations. Polycarbonate naturally filters the ir. A flip up shade 2 or three is nice for brightness control when looking into the forge. If a power wire wheel is used, a face sheild over the safety glasses for face protection. Same for grinding. Thermal, I would look to at least a 100% cotton outer layer, and perhaps if uniforms areprovided a flame resistant cotton uniform same as for welders. If short sleeves are worn then kevlar sleeves for the arms. Farriers need an apron for protection of the thighs when shoeing, and an apron is also good to protect the groin from hot stuff. When shoeing the darn animals step on the feet so steel toe, and strongly consider meta-tarsel protection as they often step above the toe cap. The meta-tarsel guards also protect against dropped tools and hot scale and so forth. I would think electrical threats small if all electrical equipment is properly wired to current sode and GFI protected. Noise will be a threat, and hearing protection should be choosen the suits the wearer and has NRR suitable for the Db level. Hand protection is an issue. It is very difficult for most to wear aglove on the hammer hand and retain a safe grasp. Tong hand most wear a glove and either a leather palm or kevlar is most used. Trips are an issue if good housekeeping is not maintained, but not much different than any other shop. Hope this helps. If not ask.

Polycarbonate lens naturally protect from UV with or without tint. face sheilds are designed to protect the face. They are not tested for eye protection the same as safety glasses. I always prefer the heavier windows for face shields, as the thin ones are not much protection from a burst grinding wheel.

Hand crank on the shop and demo coal forges. AC blower on one propane forge, naturally aspirated on smaller second forge.

I am an industrial safety guy and have been thru this manny times. All of the major makers ahve anti-fog glasses, and all offer versions with a "Hardcoat" that is scratch resistant. I get mine from Hagermeyer, 502-962-xxxx, Mike Morrison. AOSafety makes a nice wrap around, witha frameless style, and soft nose piece, hard coat and anti-fog, called the Virtua V-5. I think I pay about $3.50 each for thes when I buy a box of 12. I also use many many Varrati 2000. These are an all clear, hard coat, antifog for $1.18 each for the box of 12. These are very well accepted with about 85% of my shop employees wearing these. Scratching. All safety glasses will scratch if abused. When you clean them you start by using an anti-fog lens cleaner to wet them, then move the fluid around the lens with bare fingertips to float the crud off and then use a clean lens tissue of CLEAN soft cloth to polish dry right? For the sweat in the eye I use a strip of old tee shirt tied in a band as a sweat band just above the eybrows. phone number not working

Oh and I forgot, a junk yard hammer.

6 each 4.5" grinders, a 7" wth a 4" wirecup wheel, 6" bench grinder with flap wheels, a 8" bench grinder, a 12" disc sander, a 2.5" by 60 belt sander, 2 each 4 x 6 horz/vert band saws, portaband, 12" drill press, 15" floor drill press, 21" buffalo drill press, 14.5"x56" lathe, Miller thunderbolt stick, lincoln mig with gas, Lincoln SA-200 gas engine welder,OA torch set, OA carry tourch, 36" bending brake. For wood, 10" table and 10" radial saws, 12.5" planer, 4" jointer and a rash of hand drills skill saws etc.

I make lots of those little split crosses for demos. If I may, once in the form of a cross, use the hammer to flat down and put a litle side to side taper on each arme. Then use a somewhat sharp peen longwise to give a wood texture, and also fuller and spread the ends. Then brush and follow with a soft brass brush and bingo, you will be amazed at your own work. Keep at it. Everything gets easier after the first hundred:)

I have a 70# Vanadium anvil on semi-permanent loan. Hard as woodpeckers lips and possibly the loudest ring of any anvil I have heard. I use it for demos and folks can hear it from way off:) I wear hearing protection:) I doubt that you can improve that anvil by either milling or welding as the thing is soo hard. I would expect the inserts to mill that hard face will be VERY expensive. Also I do not know how deep hard they are, but think you may have a soft face after. Similar problems welding to very hard cast steel. I would use as is and see how that works.

Phillip, I would offer the following; If all the chemicals are stored are fuels you plan sounds OK. If you intend to store Oxygen bottles for an OA system, the Oxygen needs to be seperated from the fuels, as a small leak of the Oxygen will be a diaster in the making. Pure O2 and Hydrocarbon fuels are a really bad mix. I think if O2 is to be stored a divider wall of solid, say even thin steel or masonary would be minumum. A small seperate storage with a bit of difference would be better. As an Industrial safety guy here in the US we are reuired to plan for either seperation by distance or an impermable wall. I would also plan for some tank chains if that is in the future. These are to hold the tanks securely upright. Also a requirement in the US, and a really good idea. I have seen the after effects of a knocked over bottle that had the valve knocked off.

I built a Ball bat resistant box, and I thought it looked pretty good. I told the lady it would be a target, but she was determined. I used 1/4" square tube, witha bent U welded under that, and the vines are forged steel. The rose flag is also steel. No damage in 6 years, except for the red paint fading and requiring a repaint. I made every part removable to allow repair, but none yet. Here is a link to across the street where it is on the gallery. Blacksmiths Gallery

You have little to no chance of finding yourself laying passed out on the floor from Carbon Monoxide, as you will very probably never ever wake up! Get a CO monitor. Set up a cross flow ventalation that will supply the make up air for what goes up the flue. Better a little cold from a draft than dead. Remember that CO is colorless, tasteless, and has no odor. It is a quite killer that suckers you in. Once CO is in the blood the Hemoglobin in your blood likes it better than oxygen and sort of refuses to give it up. You can get over exposed to CO, be found, be awake and placed on 100% O2 and still die.

At the Henry vogt Machine Co. in louisville Ky, we had a somewhat similar press. It was a BLH, 1100 ton. Ran on Water hydraulic fluid, and was built in 1913. Scrapped in 1993 or 1994. Every Liberty ship and victory ship ever made had the steam headers made in the HVM press.

Like finnr, I occasionally see a deer poke a head in. I like at S. Indiana woods,and my passive solar house. I can't see another house.

ThomasP, one can never tell what will strike my fancy exactly:) I will try to live up to the expectations:)