DennisG Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 I was going out to dinner with the Mrs. Friday night when while walking thru the parking lot I came across 1/2 a truck leaf spring. Common sense tells you, "PICK THAT UP before someone else finds it!". The wife says "DON"T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" before you can say anything. So after dinner we walked back the same direction thru the parking lot and it was still there, no one had taken MY piece of leaf spring, and now it is in my shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svarttrost Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Wow, don't you just love those situations when a beautiful piece of steel simply walks on ya? I know I do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Countryboy39067 Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 (edited) When you buy a new set of bolt cutters to cut the spring wire out of the bottom of and old sofa someone dumped in a vacant yard near yor home.......yeah twisted but ......steel is steel right? Edited April 18, 2010 by Countryboy39067 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Dennis - now that brought back some memories - The wife and I were visiting her folks in Austin back in the 90's and on our way to have dinner there was an old building being redone - What's peeking over the edge of a dumpster but a double scroll with a collar holding it together - so I climb up to take a look ( I couldn't resist - could you?) and the whole thing is full of sections and parts of a cut up wrought railing - now being very conscious of what waited for me when I got back down to the ground, I grabbed the smallest piece I could - When I got back to the wife and parents she's standing there with "that" look . . . "Put it back" . . . "Nope" . . . "Put it back" . . . "Nope" . . . I finally compromised by asking the hostess at the restaurant if I could leave it by the coat rack . . . I still have that piece of iron - the wife is gone though . . . Never pass up good iron that's looking for a home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Roy Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 . . . I still have that piece of iron - the wife is gone though . . . Steel is more durable than some wives. I've noticed that too! Sometimes I run out to do a few quick errands and get some funny looks from the clerks at the bank or post office; oops I forgot to wash my face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Pat, yeah, I've done the smudge-face thing a number of times - I really like it when you get home and discover that the biggest smudge was right under your nose making you look like you put on the worlds cheesiest fake mustache. To give her credit, my ex really was a good sport about the scroll thing and it became a running joke during the 3 block walk - We had great fun with her doing the "put it back" thing out of the side of her mouth - Her folks thought it was hilarious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Dennis - now that brought back some memories - The wife and I were visiting her folks in Austin back in the 90's and on our way to have dinner there was an old building being redone - What's peeking over the edge of a dumpster but a double scroll with a collar holding it together - so I climb up to take a look ( I couldn't resist - could you?) and the whole thing is full of sections and parts of a cut up wrought railing - now being very conscious of what waited for me when I got back down to the ground, I grabbed the smallest piece I could - When I got back to the wife and parents she's standing there with "that" look . . . "Put it back" . . . "Nope" . . . "Put it back" . . . "Nope" . . . I finally compromised by asking the hostess at the restaurant if I could leave it by the coat rack . . . I still have that piece of iron - the wife is gone though . . . Never pass up good iron that's looking for a home! I think you did real well!If it had been me the wife would have had to talk me out of driving home and getting the truck to load it ALL! I could see her putting "The Face"on after I said something like"You go ahead inside and order and I`ll be right back"... :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 "You go ahead inside and order and I`ll be right back"... Now that's the mark of truly brave man!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainely,Bob Posted April 18, 2010 Share Posted April 18, 2010 Don`t know about the bravery part but it sure opens you up to having to deal with new and challenging cuisine.Sometimes we must suffer in pursuit of our craft. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astygma Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 that should be the name of a book.... I was laughing so hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted April 27, 2010 Share Posted April 27, 2010 You know you're a blacksmith when: you make a Lively style forge just to take camping with you, obtain a small rail type anvil, for size considerations, and start planning projects to do, long before you actually start packing all the other stuff. My wife definitely thinks I've lost it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Lost it eh? It's sure hard to hide things like that from the missus isn't it? Heck, Deb was coming to that conclusion soon after we married and were building the house here. I think she might've been becoming a little concerned about just how easily I was taking the winter camping we were doing during construction. I won her over though by scratch making and baking a pizza over the camp fire. You shoulda seen the look on her face when I handed her a slice, shock, then awe, then wonder when it actually was not only properly baked but tasted darned good. Well, I managed to convince myself I'd won her over with my three decades of campfire cooking expertise but THAT didn't last long. Heck, right after the house was painted she reasserted I was a lost cause and MADE me get the anvil and tools out. I mean, really a wood stove is a fine multi-tasker. <sniff> Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 Going on a "family" vacation with your parents and siblings and finding a scrap pile by the rotted remains of a cabin around 9000' in the Rockies and having a 90# carry-on bag for the flight home as the airline didn't *weigh* carry-ons and did weigh checked luggage. (before security was a problem and yes I did weigh the carry-on just to see what I was hauling.) Bringing a billet and flux to Europe for a business trip. (and yes I did find a forge at an open-air museum where the smith demanded I demonstrate billet welding for him.) Carrying scrap metal home *from* Europe---real WI found in a creek... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wassomeoneelse Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 I can honestly say this all sounds very normal. It is everybody else who is crazy. Not us. Love hearing all these good stories. Keep them coming. Bryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecelticforge Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 Normal? I have never been called normal, but taking a forge and an anvil on a camping trip seems extreme to me. I seldom carry over 50 pound on my back when I go camping. Take a section of pipe and a small bellows and use charcoal and a small six by six half inc plate for an anvil instead. I think your shoulders will be happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 29, 2010 Share Posted April 29, 2010 Not everybody who goes camping *hikes* in. I typically don't go camping without a forge, 2 anvils, 80 pounds of tools, scrap metal, raised firepit, forge tarp, canvas tent, downhearth cooking gear. Coal oil lanterns and hand forged lantern holders. When I attended "Real Viking I" I used two single action bellows and a campfire for the forge with a cubical lump of steel for the anvil and various hammers and tools I could document to pre 1000 A.D. Our tent was a 10x20' piece of canvas over ash saplings we lashed together and my bed was a stack of sheepskins. I had a blast! Doesn't make one type of camping better than another; though I will admit that folks in huge RVs watching TV in air conditioned splendor makes me scratch my head wondering why they just didn't stay home and watch TV. I should be at Grand Outlandish (an SCA event) with my forge for 5 days the end of May and at Battlemoor Crusade, (an SCA event), for another 5 days leading up to 4th of July weekend. Going camping without a forge? How *Silly*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 ha! i do the same thing only different time period ! i do the pasific primative and the rocky mountain nationals (mountain man rondesvous) . i do injoy setting up and forging away in the great outdoors . you know your a blacksmith when your summer travel is based on shows your selling at and friends places you can say at and use theyre tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astygma Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 You know you're a blacksmith when: you make a Lively style forge just to take camping with you, obtain a small rail type anvil, for size considerations, and start planning projects to do, long before you actually start packing all the other stuff. My wife definitely thinks I've lost it. Been there done that. I once got so desperate I built a little forge out of river rock, some scrap piping,and a air pump for a mattress. I found some steel some very basic beating stuff and whatnot t was ridiculous! but fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Best description yet of running a Y1K bloomery: "it was ridiculous! but fun" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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