pkrankow

I like my Trenton so all HB look like a Trenton to me. The face weld is dressed to invisible, so likely a HB. What is the supposed weight? Phil

Coarse and fine sand on canvass with water, soap and water, or oil has been an abrasive with regards to boats for centuries. "Sand" seems to range from beach, crushed stone, dirt, washed dirt... very generic material that is easily sourced. No reason to not use forge scale, or play sand, or commercial abrasives for a demonstration. Phil

It was the apocalypse for the turkey tonight. After all the carvings were eaten, my guests stood around the carcass picking the last of the meat off! I am rather dissapointed about the lack of leftovers... Phil

Chain helps quiet my Trenton considerably. Fastening it down tight to the stump helps quiet my Trenton considerably. Having a close fitting bolt dropped into the pritchel hole can also reduce ringing considerably. Getting an obstruction between the forge and the neighbor is another way. My neighbor doesn't believe how much 3 little pine trees quiet my noise down. Happily I have a good relationationship with most of my neighbors. Phil

You can make a bolster plate if you are worried. The plate can be backed up by a wood stump with a clearance hole drilled under the hole you are using. Use 1/2 inch steel or thicker. I used 1 inch. I chiseled the hole similar to a video by Mark Aspery on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxTdbC5MLRQ Make yourself a diamond point chisel out of some coil spring before making the bolster plate, if you plan to chisel. With the proper tools, and a pre-drilled hole it took me about an hour to make and clean the 1 inch square hole in 1 inch mild. You can also hot drift like Brian Brazeal. Phil

How is sculpture not a normal useage of the term "metalworking"? Scratch that. At your age, 15 according to your profile, you need to absorb information, practice what you learn, and learn all you can. Yes intense learning does slow creativity, but it opens many more creative options. Does your school offer a vocational program? Can you take an introducton course in ... whatever you are interested in? Remember there are other directions than a strictly college bound education with your formal schooling. Sorry if I am starting to rant. Phil

You don't need a clinker breaker with any fuel. You can use a shovel and poker or rake to clean clinker out of the fire quite well. Phil

I bought fixins for a party on Saturday. Stuffed turkey, squash with apples and cranberries, green beans. Oh yea, I did make sure the cars were topped up so I don't need to go into town tomorrow. I am expecting all kinds of vague stupidity. I'd say you are all welcome to the party, but it is only an 11 pound bird. I am not expecting leftovers as it is :( Phil

It is nice to have when I need it. I am learning on my own and getting fairly good with just reading and practice. I am building a new forge with it. I built a vise stand with my Dad's before getting my own set up. I plan to build an anvil stand at some point, but have a perfectly good stump for now. O/A would be nice to have. Maybe eventually. Welcome aboard! Phil

Google "charcoal retort" there is a lot of information available. Indirect is supposed to yield more than direct, but the complexity is much higher. Direct charcoal conversion has been done with pits filled with lumber, and covered with dirt for centuries. Phil

While it is the size of a berns-o-matic, it doesn't look like one, at least not a current one. The size seems right, sorta. That size is frequently used by jewlers. You can try taking it to a jewlrey shop that makes and repairs jewelry to see if they have an idea. Phil

Lets see...my poor cavalier (Glad its gone!) separate trips here: generator hanging out the trunk by straps (actually only about 150#, but comically large) 10, 50# bags of sand 40 1x4x10ft boards (this made the stearing quite light actually) more bags of topsoil that the trunk could close on (the only time I was close to bottoming out the suspension) I am sure I did a few others comically overloaded runs in this poor car. I'll get picture up later. Phil

Get an American and a Metric for the common profile (it is slipping my mind now the name) in the size range you are typically using. If you get into small stuff make sure there are no obvious gaps in the range (I have a set of gagues that skip 28 TPI from a tap and die set) You can measure other types of threads with the standard set, but the set specific to the thread you are measuring is better. You just line the points up with the same edge of the threads for square profiles. You can also do some creative measuring and use the half size finer to measure large thread pitches with accuracy...just be careful that you are counting the right number of points between each and every thread. Phil

Cracking pecans sounds like a very good childhood use for it! Nice vise. Phil

That pot is set up for a triangular clinker breaker. Find a "long" round rod that completly fills and turns freely in the space through the tue joint in the assembled picture. Then cut some plate that is a similar thickness as the firepot (probably 3/8 or 1/2 inch thick) so it is smaller than the tue opening so there is an even gap. This gets bolted or welded to the rod, which will end up having a handle bent or attached. The weight of the handle hanging will keep the breaker level. The triangular back is not needed, but can be made and welded on. You can also use a piece of pipe that fits over the selected rod, drill and tap from the "cold", and have the breaker adjustable in case your bends are off. http://www.centaurforge.com/Rod-Clinker_Breaker-Ball-Assembly-for-all-Centaur-Firepots/productinfo/RODBALL/ Alternately you can take some 1/2 inch stock, bend a U or O that fits in the opening (cold or hot) and weld that to a rod that fits the openings in the assembled picture. This will give you a 3 bar grate, with about 1/2 inch spaces. All measurements should be adjusted to materials available and dimensions of your equipment. You will also need a flap or cover for the bottom of the ash dump. I don't see that pictured. You can use heavy sheetmetal as this may get hot, but it is not containing a fire. Phil

Two nice anvils. That little one is not an ASO. ASO's have less than 5% rebound typically. 50% rebound is actually pretty good historically. You did good. Yes, there is a lot better out there, but that is a good little anvil for the right uses. Put it up safe when you are not using it. Phil

He has the horseshoe right, the luck is running onto his work! Phil

One nice thing about a bit taller is you can build a low platform and step up effectively lowering the anvil by raising the smith. Step down for fine work and raise the anvil by lowering the smith. Of course the platform needs to be big enough that it is not a hazard Phil

It would be nice to see the stump fitted to the anvil a little (squared up at the top) and the chain taken over the sides so the lag bolts go perpendicular to the load so they are less likely to pull out. You can put bolts with nuts betweens the chains on each side to add tension if needed. Of course there is no need to mess with what isn't broken. That is a nice setup. Phil

If it doesn't work, how hard would it be to add the extra lenght later? Phil

Some things are kept because they ARE worth the time and effort to repair, but not to the current owner. The current owner however may see a significant residual value in the broken item... Timothy's example of selling a damaged anvil to someone to do simple work themselves is a good example of this. Power hammers in disrepair that appear regularly for sale at much greater than scrap value is another example. Phil

I'm sticking with Mousehole, or similar. Phil

I have tried using a shearing blow to cut small stock near the heel of my anvil, but over the body. A shearing blow is where the hammer is exactly off the anvil, and strikes the stock that is on the anvil. This parts the material. I have only been successful with real small stuff, 1/4 inch, if you find references to this in old texts they only recommend it for small stock, less than 1/2 inch. I use a hot cut because my hammer control is not always perfect and dressing a hardy is easy. I also fear damaging my anvil do to a mis-strike. I have also tried pinching the metal into a deep fuller in the same manner, but since my anvil does not have perfect edges the result is not very neat or quick. I use a hot cut because the results are better and quicker. As for dressing an anvil there is a nice FAQ on Anvilfire.com Phil

Very nice. Good usable condition. Since you are not selling it matters little. Compare to new anvils of similar weights if you want to list it for insurance. Price varies by geography. In an anvil rich location, like Ohio, $2/lb since it is not perfect. In Alaska that might go for more than a new anvil would cost to have purchased and shipped in. Phil

Hit it harder Hit it hard with a heavier hammer Punch the corners down into a blunt taper, and when they crawl out, punch them down again. Problem is you are upsetting metal into the metal you are drawing out..2 steps forward, 1 step back. Punch one side of the part down into a taper and let the other side crawl up. The effect is one lip becomes the edge. Straighten when you near completion. Again, 2 steps forward 1 step back. Cut one or both lips away as you near completion and before you push the lips together, which would form a cold shut. Weld the lips together, or weld a bit in between the lips as you close them. Working larger stock by hand is difficult. The limit for most people is 5/8 to 3/4 inch, maybe 1 inch without a striker. Phil