BIGGUNDOCTOR

Are there any tools of the trade that she uses, and could be forged? Don't know any speech therapists, so I am just guessing. Something else you may want to explore is forging some jewelery; ear rings, necklace. Can you ask any of her coworkers what she likes? Good to see ya back Frosty! How much is an out of state hunting license for Great White Birches?

I second Gobbler's thoughts, and I will add ask Dad first! While going through my folks estate my brother tossed the spare transmission for the Model A, because it had some rust on it. It was actually in really good shape, man I was mad at him:mad: Good USA iron headed to China now:( If the parts are beyond repair, or use, go ahead and recycle them the blacksmith way.

Lots of interesting items, but kind of a PITA to view the pictures. If you are into old locks the first gallery has a few.

That is why I have a TIG welder, doesn't matter how thin it is Not for the purist, but I think if the old time blacksmiths had access to one they would have used it too.

Get a good drill bit (not made in China), spin it slow (chips shouldn't turn color), keep enough pressure on it to keep a chip flowing, and that should do it. There has been a lot of discussion about water/oil/cutting fluids. Water and baking soda will work. but I use various cutting fluids myself. Been machining for 20+ years now, and different fluids can make a world of difference in how a piece cuts / tool life. What ever you use make sure you use enough to keep the bit cool. Learn how to sharpen a bit on a bench grinder, and you save time/money in the long run. It only takes a couple of seconds to touch up a bit, and have it cut 100% better. If all else fails, hot punch a larger hole, and weld a nut onto the end :rolleyes:

Could be any number of explanations; left over remnant from a factory that made anvils, broken anvil, customized by someone for a long forgotten project, or just something to make us go Hmmmmmmmm?

I am a little concerned about the statement of wearing gloves. When I was going through my machinist training we were told to NEVER wear gloves around rotating equipment-ever. If they get caught it could mean some serious damage to you. If it gets too hot to hold, that is what the water is for. I would look into drawing as much hardness (tempering) as I could, straighten, and reheat treat. If you have access to stainless foil for heat treating you could wrap it to minimize scaling, or use a flux to coat it, and anneal.

If it isn't too drafty a small wood stove does wonders. Add a blower/fan to really get the air moving. Either that or ya just aint working hard enough :p

I would also say pass. I bought a Columbian on Craigslist for $50 that the owner had cleaned up-looked new. It still had the spring, and original mounting bracket. Even though anvils can be scarce, post vises seem to be all over the place. Most shops had at least a vise in use. I would explore all avenues available to you such as Craigslist, asking around, telling friends, flea markets, automotive swap meets (more than cars get drug out of the barns), etc.

Mike was the man when it came to flint strikers, and you can see his work in his photo gallery. Unfortunately he recently passed away, but luckily his post are still available to help guide new striker makers. It amazed me that he had done so much research on such an item that most folks don't give a second thought to. I learned a lot about the humble flint striker from his posts.

Dies can be simple, or very detailed, how much do you want to spend? Dies have to match top, and bottom, be heat treated correctly, and be made from the correct type of steel, all of this costs. If it was easy , tool and die makers wouldn't be making the money that they do. Although a good tool maker can make it look easy to do. What this all boils down to is this. You can make your own dies, and they may do what you want. If they don't it will cost a fair amount to have them made. There are folks selling dies, so that would probably be the way to go, unless they do not make what you are looking for.

Yea that is a staged photo for sure; the hardy left in, the hammer position, and the color of the shoe being "worked" on. Can't help ya on the anvil ID though. Sure someone with more time studying them will get you what you need.

www.Tandyleaterfactory.com they have python skins, as well as others from time to time. Depending on what type of skin you want you may put a want ad out for one. Someone here may tan their own.

Aftist, no one said that all Damascus barrels are safe. There are some that are just wall hangers, but there are still a number of them that are safe to shoot. The gunsmith I worked for had plenty of newer modern shotgun barrels hanging on his wall that had failed for one reason, or another. A friend was shooting his Parker SXS when the right barrel let loose at the front handguard. Upon inspection it was found that the barrel was only .009" thick at that point due to an overzealous gunsmith who polished it. With any firearm it is wise to inspect it, or have it inspected before shooting it. Blanket statements like that harken back to Nader's attack on the Corvair which he deemed unsafe at any speed.

Just find the guy again who wanted to trade for the Hay Budden.

Besides the internet there is also the local libraries to get books.

For everyday wear it would work, but I am wondering about being around hot items. When we branded buckskin items at camp it really shrank up fast, and deformed, unlike cow hide. Buckskin is a lot stretchier than cow hide, so may not give the best protection from accidental impacts. What may be best is buckskin apron with a cow hide section where you need the most protection. I have seen a smith who forges with no shirt, no safety glasses, and a kilt with metal scales down the front. Choose your own level of protection.

There are trap shooting matches just for Damascus / black powder shooters. There is also a proof house in England that will test the shotgun for you, if you want it reproofed. The problem lies with rusting / corrosion between the layers. With modern testing techniques the barrels can be checked out, and they should be checked prior to shooting. It amazes me when I look at some of the patterns that are used in the old shotgun barrels.

Never OA welded aluminum, since I have a TIG, so I can't help you there. On potmetal there are low temp rods out now that use a propane torch. I usually see them at the automotive swap meets to repair chrome parts. Flows nice, and really strong. It can be used on parts as thin as a beer can on up to heavier castings. Works on aluminum too.

Nice job. Curious though, are there still a lot of bottles in Austria that need a bottle opener? Most bottles I see here in the U.S.A. are twist off caps. Matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I needed a bottle opener. You can also use the user control panel to update your location. Don't worry about your English. Even though my last name is Hess your English is better than my German :D

For the radius parts look into flap wheels in a die grinder. These are really easy to blend with, and won't gouge like a hard grinding wheel.

It sometimes depends on location for pricing. Where are you located? I recently bought out an estate and paid $5 a pair for tongs, hardies were $3 ea, hammers / handled top tools $5 ea. You can look at it this way too -- 30 items for $125 is just over $4 ea. Some stuff may be too high, some may be low, but the average is OK. I always dicker. Sometimes they drop the price, sometimes not, but there is usually some adjustment made.

Depends on if you can build another one for less money, or time , than it would take to repair that one. Sometimes it is easier to start over.

It could make a sander for finishing. The variable speed could come in handy. Look on Craigslist, I have seen some decently priced 9" grinders on there. I bought my almost new B&D Wildcat for $50 at a flea market. Garage sales are another place to find inexpensive tools. I would stay away from Harbor Freight grinders. Plenty of good used tools out there with the downturn in the local building trades.

Hey Tim, Whereabouts in Vegas are you? I get into Vegas quite a bit, even though I am not currently working there - company relocated to LaVerkin UT, uggggh. If ya need a hand with a project, I may be able to help ya out. I am a machinist, and fabricator with lots of tools, or should I say toys To test the leg I would get an Oxy Acet torch, and heat part of an edge red hot then quench with water. File test it to see if it gets hard. If yes, then proceed. If not, a lot of time ,and effort saved. Hardening it up some would make it last longer. Another option would be to hardface the top. Too bad you were not here for the high schools bonfire, it would have heated that up right nice, then let the fire dept quench it with their truck :D