Frosty

I like them. I'll BET they sell well. A good demo project too. Here: Moose, Dahl sheep rams, musk ox and caribou would be popular. Thanks for the look, consider it adopted. Frosty The Lucky.

Grant was marketing his Omnianvil and tooling. The things wouldn't be that hard to make but they're equipment for a production shop rather than a duffer hobbyist like I am. I'd love to have one but I'd no where near work it like it should be. Frosty The Lucky.

One pickup truck axle will make your hot hardy and other bottom tools, most top tools and a raft of hammers. There's a point where looking for the "perfect" . . . anything becomes detrimental. Perfect doesn't exist, even the "best for x" isn't practical. Good enough is usually a bit better than good enough. Outside of certain artistic elements shooting for perfect or even best is a bad thing. Charles has laid out an outstanding hardy that's easy to forge or just saw and grind one made from leaf spring. What you forged from rebar, if made from on old axle and refined a bit would be in your tool kit when you left it to your grand kids. No fooling. We all go through the finding the best tools we can find phase when getting into a new craft, it's normal human behavior. It's just something to unlearn so you can get on with it. Seriously, do you think legends like Samuel Yellin, etc. spent a lot of time making tools perfect? I'll bet he had shelves, boxes and piles of close enough tools he left to his kids. It ain't the tools that do the work. Frosty The Lucky.

I have a "Kukri" question. What are the notches in front of the guard for? They seem to be a pretty common Kukri feature. Frosty The Lucky.

I read it as triage. Of course that's just me, I could be wrong. Frosty The Lucky.

The CBC news clip is pretty extraordinary. Lucky lady and with a traumatic brain injury it isn't surprising if other motorists couldn't get her attention to stop and get 1st. aide. In 43 years here I haven't seen that happen and I've seen a lot of moose vehicle collisions. Usually a moose goes over the hood and roof, IF you're lucky. Occasionally they get hit hard enough and or just right and flip to go through the windshield feet first. This is very BAD for the passengers. Frosty The Lucky.

1952 makes me OLD!? Frosty The Lucky.

I think this is from another mid-east company, probably mid level management looking for who knows what. I'm thinking maybe a translation and misunderstood technology. For example, translate "Hydraulic ram" into Chinese and translate it back and you get "Water Sheep". Of course I'm just speculating but it sure reads like mid level management speccing out fab projects I had to unravel and build back when I was the fabricator on the drill crew. You have NO idea how tempted I was to follow directions literally when the Chief BRIDGE Engineer told me to just get some steel and weld it together. An ENGINEER! Go ahead wonder, I do . Anyway, that's how this OP strikes me but what do I know. Frosty The Lucky.

Valid points all. In the last couple years I've had several students who have never driven a nail. I had to start them out on basic hand skills, one I had driving roofing nails in a birch block. I didn't want to make a sword as a kid, I wanted to build a submarine and had I actually been able to cobble something together even knowing it wouldn't even hold air you can bet your booty I would've figured out a way to get into deep water WITH me in it. I wouldn't bet anything on a teen NOT taking a sword down and trying it out on things. Probably trees, shrubs, etc. but would expect a few to try it on the neighbor's dog, etc. naw, kids are kids. The ones who actually do more than talk about wanting to be an apprentice and show up. I talk to politely, I'm not VERY POLITE to them unless they're special needs kids. Kids like dogs and horses will live up to your expectations, treat them like delicate flowers and that's what they'll become. Treat them like adults who need to learn things and they'll behave like adults. There are always exceptions but that's life. Up front and honest, I tell them the shop rules before they get in the door and spell out the consequences. Everybody makes mistakes but deliberately break a rule and you're out. Period. I'm a nice guy and a good instructor but I put the responsibility where it belongs. My #1 job is keep them as safe, as practicing any inherently dangerous craft can be. #2 present knowledge and supervise their activities. Their job? Learn. I can't TEACH anybody anything it's not like I can take a stick to them for getting it wrong. It's up to the student, it's on their shoulders. Those are the conditions of learning in my shop. I'll show anyone everything I know but I can't teach it to them. I'm instructing a special needs kid now, I had to threaten with sweeping the floor if he wouldn't just SAY he didn't know a thing. Said it with a grin but leaned the broom against the table next to me. About the second time he said "I don't know" he opened up and a good session began. He needs more help than most but he's polite, listens and tries. We're golden, I'll go the limit for him. There is only one attitude that will get a person anywhere in life. Frosty The Lucky.

True Dave, I guess I painted too rosey a picture. I've only dealt with the same 6 in South Central Alaska, 2 in the interior and one on Kodiak island so my sample is pretty small for blanket statements. Heck, I haven't dealt with one of the Anchorage yards in almost 20 years so management and attitudes may have changed. I know if I asked at the desk about cutting lengths in half to haul or looking through the rems I got charged per cut and full /lb. price of the rems. That's why I suggested talking to the guys in the yard first and let them fill out the invoice. That was just the one yard back then though. I guess you gotta feel the yards out where you live. Frosty The Lucky.

That's about the norm dealing with folk at the steel yard M. They're working Joes and a little consideration and courtesy goes a long way. I've always gotten along great with the guys in the yard and the desk. Frosty The Lucky.

You stopped her? Spoil sport. I didn't bat an eye when our pastor invited the senior Rabi here in the Valley to our annual BBQ. The look on Duane's face at the pig roast when he realized he was offering a plate of roast pig to the Rabi was a Kodak moment that'll stay with me for good. The Rabi about died laughing and still ribs Duane about it. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Joe, glad to have you. I grew up in Sylmar but didn't get to your neighborhood very often. We moved to Simi after the 71 Sylmar quake. Not that any of that really matters the name Uplands rung a bell is all and it's been 43 years since I left for regions north wester. Oh yeah, we love pics, tools, equipment, projects, pets, whatever you'd let a little kid look at is good with us. Frosty The Lucky.

The notches in the horn looked forged rather than cut, ground, etc. I'd speculate it's a repeated work injury. Frosty The Lucky.

It's normal practice for most steel yards to cut stock in half for pickups gratis. Just don't ask in the office or they'll mark the cut request on the bill and . . . If possible always deal with the guys in the yard before taking the purchase list up front. The yard guys are working stiffs and don't give beans for bean counters so long as you don't take advantage or cause them trouble. The drops bin is usually where I shopped, they'll almost always sell drops just a little over scrap price if the yard monkeys just don't notice it fall into your truck, don't get greedy. Doughnuts (even if Thomas abhors the things) are good PR as are a little forged somethings. Frosty The Lucky.

Less steel in the handle will help too. A simple pass through with a second hole part way through from the top in line with the handle. Pass the gaff shaft through the handle and bend it into a square staple so the free end will pass into the second hole. A little epoxy in both holes and pull the shaft down tight and let it set. Oh you want a little groove between the holes so the staple drives flush. Frosty The Lucky.

Now I'm forbidden here!!! Okay so I spent too long describing Bun Bun and Gurhkas! The Adenata seeries is the one with the Posleen invasion, Bun Bun is a nuclear powered tank the size of a shopping center with a souped up 17" Naval gun and worse. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Bifrost, glad to have you. That's a plenty workable anvil. Even someone experienced refacing anvils puts one at risk. Just running rod on it is a BAD thing,more likely to cause HAZ failures at the bead edges. Like Glenn says, put that old lady to work and in a year or two you'll have enough time under your hammer to be able to judge if it needs some tweaking. A good solid skills set is much more important than a smooth, straight, etc. anvil. It's the smith's eyes, hands and mind that do the work. Leave her be for a while. Frosty The Lucky.

Sounds like you've had outstanding luck so far. I'd still try to stick Ebay with their fees, you have legitimate authentication, not gum flappings. I know how it smarts when a long run of good hits a pothole like this. Just laugh at the fool for missing out on such a great piece of history. He deserves himself. Frosty The Lucky.

I hang a light bulb in a cast shell to speed drying without checking it. I think you're curing your liner material correctly it's better to go too slow than too quickly. I recommend stainless steel stove pipe for pipe forge shells. It's more IR reflective, tougher and . . . well, shiny doesn't really count. It doesn't need special tools and you can buy things like wall brackets off the shelf, they make excellent legs. A little drilling and bending of sheet metal for mounts, hinge points, etc. and ss poprivets and it's golden. A 24" length of 10" SS stove pipe needs to be trimmed and there's all the stock you'll ever need for accoutrements. I've got an old forge made from galvy and though it's nearly 30 years old and never given a whiff of smoke I've had guys turn and run. Literally. That's the only forge I get out if they wanted me to teach them anything. Some folk shouldn't be allowed to use tools. Frosty The Lucky.

Salt doesn't penetrate the steel, clean it and finish it like normal. No problem. Frosty The Lucky.

I like everything about your blade. We gotta talk about lighting a subject to photograph though I want to see ALL the pattern. Frosty The Lucky.

Good grief man a 5lb. hammer is for prisoners to break rocks with! Look for 32oz. as a max weight till you develop hammer control, then decide if you want a heavier or lighter hammer. A too heavy hammer will do damage you'll have to live with later in life. Of course you may call me Frosty, been my nick name all my life. Frosty The Lucky.

IIRC, Cal. changed the allowable number of employees and Dad didn't know it till it was too late. I think the newest piece of equipment Dad had was his pickup truck and the Sears Robuck buzz box welder. Everything else was made pre-1935 and I got to learn at a young age how to start one and keep the flat belt on the pully. OSHA would've just locked it up. Frosty The Lucky.

Attractive flower, I like it. Just tell me you angled the files so it spins in the wind. The tangs might be a little pokey though. I don't make knives so good job! Pretty raspy pun there Tristan. Frosty The Lucky.