Frosty

Welcome aboard Big Mac, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI family live within visiting distance. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Timothy, glad to have you. You be in luck there are a number of outstanding blacksmiths and bladesmiths in your general vicinity. If you go to the Iforgeiron front page and scroll to the bottom section you'll find the "regional organizations" section and a little looking will put you in contact with the club in your area or at least close. It isn't going to take long and some of the guys close to you will be speaking up anyway but there's already contact info in this forum. Frosty The Lucky.

It'll work very well as a coating over the ceramic wool insulating refractory. If you mix the first coat fairly wet and wet the ceramic blanket so the refractory actually soaks in a little it will make a much better bond. Then you can lay on stiffer mix for strength over the first stiffening coat. Remember, many thin coats is FAR better than one thick one. The thicker the wet refractory the more likely it is to shrink check as it dries, like mud in the sun. You're on the right track brother. Frosty The Lucky.

Saying "good score" is a serious understatement. You a lucky dog! Good on ya for cluing the lady to it's actual value, it's good karma for sure, no guilt for great deals following those rules. Frosty The Lucky.

NICE job! Frosty The Lucky.

Laying something heavy on the project to keep it put is indeed old had or should I say Hold hat? I think all of us have done the heavy, "gravity clamp?" thing too many times to count. I like your set up as maybe a proof of concept model, for my use anyway. I'd put a wider flat under the rail. "table?" I'd seriously think about another rail for the table section and experiment with which works better flange or rail up. I think it needs hips from the legs to the posts, it'd get wobbly in my shop too fast. I'd also experiment with putting the shanks off center in the clamp bar to see if it'd jam in the holes like a holdfast does. They would stack for storage as they stand with a minimal offset to one side or the other. Put some SMALL feet on the legs and they couldn't tip when stacked. I'm thinking 1/8"x2" strap stock for feet and maybe a smear of dry silicone calk on the bottoms to make them no skid feet. I vote this is a darned good idea, a head slapper for me for sure. Lots of potential without getting all fancy. Well done. Frosty The Lucky.

Ayup, that's a fine mount. You don't really need to try making it like the factory mounts though. Frosty The Lucky.

We're not only a young club but Alaska is so spread out it's hard to get together if you don't live within say 50-60 miles of an event, say meeting. for most of us networking involves getting together with maybe one or two other guys. club meetings with more than 10-12 guys is a HUGE turnout. <sigh> There seem to be plenty of clinicians (Yeah, a farrier term, lots of our guys are farriers and we try to schedule clinicians in conjunction with the farrier's guild, it's a win win for both groups.) willing to come to Alaska but scheduling for them is usually pretty tight. Of course most folk coming to Alaska want to look around some,maybe do some fishing so they need another week or so free making it a little harder to find the time in a schedule. Lawn Jocky guy: I didn't mean to come across like a lecturer, I was trying to commiserate, I know and feel your pain. Here in the Mat Su Valley if a guy wants to take a few lessons guess who they call? Yeah, ME. I'm mostly an old duffer at the anvil, until the internet went public I was entirely self taught and hadn't even found a book till maybe 1979, "The Art of Blacksmithing" to put the name on the first title in my library. I didn't know ABANA existed let alone other organizations, heck the only blacksmiths I knew were sill working were farriers. As it stands I learn from everybody I watch forge, good, bad, average, every single one. I always learn something and the "DON'T DO THATs! are for sure the more valuable on average. You've probably noticed I spend a LOT of time reading Iforgeiron, I read everything I can get a hand or monitor on. One of my best good fortunes is to have a nearly eidetic memory for the written word, not as well organized and accessible since the accident but most everything I've ever read is in there somewhere. All I have to do is find it. <sigh> Anyway, I'm a font of book learning, I'm literally full of IT, <smirk> Before the accident damaged the nerves to my left eye I was pretty good at the anvil and had enough experience to adapt and apply book knowledge. Mostly now I try to put it in language other guys can get a handle on and apply. Criminy! I'm starting to get maudlin on top of windy. Think I'll sign off for now. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Ian, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. I'm having trouble thinking of any advice I can give you other than: Take a course in casting, read something other than blogs and view youtube videos for research. You just don't have enough knowledge to even attempt casting without serious risk. Seriously, you're at the casting fishing weights and bullets beginner stage and even then you're talking potentially crippling risks. Ian buddy, I don't know you from Adam but I don't want you or someone close to you coming to harm. Casting any metal is extremely hazardous, even with the proper safety gear. You're choking over having to maybe buy another $25.00 bucket of refractory. If you added two more zeros to that cost it wouldn't be something to bother you if you have any business casting. A couple numbers to think about. 1 gallon of 212f water changes to 1,600 gallons of 212f steam. The higher the temperature at the phase shift the larger the volume increase. So, 10lbs. (about a coffee mug full) of 2,300f molten iron has the same energy stored in it as a CASE of 40% dynamite. Consider what's going to happen if a 50 lb. crucible (pretty small, one man pour) of molten iron spilled on damp soil or bare concrete, globs of MOLTEN 2,300f iron are going to be flying for yards in every direction. It's a welcome to hell scenario. Frosty The Lucky.

Everybody has scheduling problems, good instructors are almost always booked in advance, some a year or more. We find ourselves trying to book clinicians close to a year in advance unless they're already visiting Alaska and then we have to book them months in advance. In short, welcome to our world, good instructors aren't everywhere. Frosty The Lucky.

That is a funky cool post apocalyptic zombi whacker axe. An outstanding display or movie prop piece. I like it, well done. Frosty The Lucky.

Sorry for the really slow reply. Pat's probably THE go to guy for casting art bronze in this part of Alaska, he's getting more and more commissions for plaques and memorial castings. Frosty The Lucky.

I should've looked at the link. I don't think our new fellow knows the difference between refractory and insulation Thomas. I suppose at some level they are synonymous and he's using a translation program. The refractory you are looking at using is NOT an insulator. It is a high alumina refractory which is good as a forge liner, it is resistant to welding fluxes and is tough at working temperature. It is no better insulation than an inch or two of concrete would be. You need to use either an insulating refractory and accept the reduced toughness and flux resistance or a ceramic blanket like Kaowool and accept the fact it is outright fragile at temp and molten fluxes dissolve it like hot water on cotton candy. You can coat an insulating refractory with materials designed to armor it against most abuses. You can even make a double wall liner, think 15-20mm of hard refractory like the Secar and wrap it with Kaowool or surround it with an insulating refractory. Frosty The Lucky.

Starting a session with a couple three nails makes that sound like a decent run of sessions to me. Since the accident I've changed my introductory lesson from a leaf coat hook to nails. Seems that after the kids make about three, their nails are better than mine. Frosty The Lucky.

What make is your anvil? It's no secret here I LOVE my 125lb. Soderfors, if the power hammer is the same kind of quality it's a gem. Frosty The Lucky.

Faint orange tips on the dragon's breath is right. Is 10" the inside diameter of the chamber? That makes it a bit more than 1,700 cu/in and a candidate for 4 burners if you want welding heat full length. It's unlikely you'll ever need welding heat on 22" of stock, right now my imagination is running away trying to think of what I'd do with a piece that long that hot let alone how I'd handle it. Sounds like fun though, probably a fun ONCE thing though. <wink> Do you really need that much diameter? The length is easy to adjust, a movable back wall is common enough, I can and do move side and end walls in my forge as a matter of course. Frosty The Lucky.

I dont intend to hijack the thread but I have to speak up for ball peins as outstanding stock for making tools. I'm to the point about the only thing I look for at yard, garage, etc. sales are old ball peins. One of the guys up here makes Brazeal style slitter punches from ball peins. They're born top tools but you have to heat treat them to be struck or you may get to eat chips. ON the reshaping issue Ausfire, I can see by the mushrooming your tool is soft on the struck end, that's a GOOD thing. Now if you chamfer it it won't mushroom as much and the force will conduct better. That's all , Frosty The Lucky.

I'm with Thomas, working through an injury can indeed mean crippling yourself. An American institution to "working through the pain" is in the news here for that very reason. How many billions are the football leagues having to pay for permanent crippling injuries to players? Sure the ones that really catch my eye are the TBI sufferers, I have a personal interest in TBI but there are knees, wrists to darned near every joint that have permanent disabling injuries from the culture of playing through the pain. It is a culture or tradition, medically it's a B-A-D THING TO DO. We're not talking about keeping an injured joint flexible by moving it we're talking about repeating the injurious activity. How on earth is that a good idea? In the world of folk who'd like to use their joints their whole life the basic first aid is: STOP doing that. Ice the joint, 20 minutes at a time max, Take an NSAID Ibuprofin is good a is aspirin do NOT over do them. Gently flex the joint after a while and loosen it up but be gentle about it. If it's still stuck the next day a doctor visit may not be a bad idea. Of course that's just my opinion. Anyone reading this can do what they want to their bodies, I did I have the scars, dents and odd moving joints to prove it. Frosty The Lucky.

Not thinking of you, different Eric, only a maybe at any rate. Frosty The Lucky.

Oh darn, where'd I put my pins? Sorry, I'm afraid I can't burst your bubble at this time you'll just have to finish the forge and forge me a pin. Good score! Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Prof, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header I won't have to keep bugging you about it. <grin> Good job on the vise. Mine only needed some cleaning and lubing to work. Both are worn and not terribly smooth but functional. Frosty The Lucky.

Nice score Mike. Is the guy you got it from named Eric? Frosty The Lucky.

Any word on how it works? For the most part blowers aren't complicated machines and they were built very robustly so unless there's something broken they can be rebuilt with care and patience. Can you lay hands on it? You will be better able to evaluate it's condition if you can look at it in person, turn the crank and put some water in the parts that hold water to check for leaks. I don't know if that's a good price on your side of the planet. Were it me I'd consider how available coal or even coke is and how much I was going to use it. For me $300 wouldn't be too steep if I had decent coal available. If the water tray and bosh, if it has one, hold water, the blower blows and I used coal I don't think it'd be out of reason. I just can't say what's reasonable for you. I think I've laid out what I'd factor into the value. I hope it's some help. Frosty The Lucky.

Looks like a commercial side blast to me. What's the name on the blower? If it turns free it should do exactly what it was designed to do. What's the asking price? Frosty The Lucky.

Isn't Crescent City where folk go who want to view tsunamis from the beach? Frosty The Lucky.