Metalsmith21 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Just wondering when yall got the time to smith, and if you'd recomend going local or owner operator. As for my self I'm 21, company driver with Werner, no bills besides a student loan, and for now ive stashed my belongings at my parents place. I currently drive all 48 states, at 3-4 weeks at a time. Cant find much time to do more than cold worked quarters into rings, and some gav steel gauntlets. at home I've got 125lb anvil, while on the road the tools I've got are 12oz ballpien, and a 4lb short handled sledge (that i use as an anvil for the coin work) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Just wondering when yall got the time to smith, and if you'd recomend going local or owner operator. As for my self I'm 21, company driver with Werner, no bills besides a student loan, and for now ive stashed my belongings at my parents place. I currently drive all 48 states, at 3-4 weeks at a time. Cant find much time to do more than cold worked quarters into rings, and some gav steel gauntlets. at home I've got 125lb anvil, while on the road the tools I've got are 12oz ballpien, and a 4lb short handled sledge (that i use as an anvil for the coin work) While not a long haul driver I did have a job that had me out of town 3 weeks out of four for a little better than 20 years. And I live in one of the OTHER two states. <grin> Living in a tent in the Alaskan bush allowed me to practice the craft more than one might think but knocking back a half rack of beer every night after work is pretty boring to me so I did a lot of camp fire smithing. So, what rig you drive? Does it have a dog box? If so you can put together a pretty complete kit that's small and not too heavy, the tongs and propane bottle being the hardest to pack. However, if you have the room a bean can forge and stake anvil will do fine knife and small work, you can get away with pretty short tongs and a "Bernzomatic" type torch for heat. My last 15 years operating I drove other folks rigs, drew a wage and didn't worry about a shop, shop maintenance, repairs, insurance, payments, etc. I just did my pre drive checkout, kept the fluids up, didn't get tickets, pushed it where needed and drew my check. That's my preference but I know a bunch of guys who like being their own bosses and are owner operators. Lots of shippers like passing the above expenses off on the owner operators, saves them headaches and hassles. Even when I nearly lived in a rig in my drilling position, I kept the cab as empty of heavy stuff as possible, even my thermos fit under the seat. It's almost impossible to predict when you'll be involved in a wreck and if it's a roll over, heavy hard things like hammers, anvils, etc. are just NOT good playmates. What I did carry was my "go to he!!" Or "bug out bag" containing a couple days' worth of gear. In winter the game changes some, we worked in some pretty remote locations and heck, even here near Anchorage you can disappear a semi in the trees running off the road in a bad place. Seeing as a wreck usually happens in seconds there's NOT time to put on a coat, or other cold weather gear so I drove in my gear from bunny boots to parka and had my sleeping bag in the right seat. There's another cold weather reason for wearing your cold gear, there's no rig I've ever seen with a windshield defroster that can keep ahead of freezing rain, sleet, etc. and worse yet is when it's cold and the warm windshield melts snow/ice and it refreezes instantly. Bye bye visibility. So, with your cold gear on you turn off the heat to the defroster or turn the heat off completely, open the windows a little and let the wipers do their thing, the air blowing through will keep the fog off but the windshield won't melt and refreeze the wet. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Tried driving and quit real quick. OTR turned out to be more sitting than rolling if you weren't a company driver with a company truck, and the prices for food were ridiculous. Best thing I could suggest would be to get your 2yr OTR experience that most companies insist on and then hunt for a local gig that will let you stay home most nights so you can have a life. Even as an O/O, a local gig can pay well and still allow you to be home at night. Forging on the road? Frosty has it right. If you want to get some time in, you have to think about simplifying your gear, but that doesn't mean simplifying what you make. Many a top-shelf blacksmith and knifemaker uses a post anvil with no horn or hardy. Stock-removal knives can be as complicated as you want to make them and require little in the way of tooling. Here's a great piece that shows what type of tooling you need to do some seriously great work. http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=25866 80% of what he does could be done on the road, and I'm sure the other 20% would just take more thinking than I'm doing right now. The important part is that he's able to do some truly great work without the benefit of a shop full of funky modern technology. If you can heat the steel up, you can form it. If you don't have the tools to make an ax, make the tools and then make the ax. A bean can forge with a torch for a burner would be awesome. I don't recommend using a large propane tank, though, as they can be hard to find storage room for. A dozen torch bottles, though, can be stashed all over the place. More expensive route, for sure, but easier to manage and fine refills for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Large 20 lb propane cylinders might be hard to store, but they aren't the only size available. They sell little 5 lb propane cylinders as well that have the same standard valve as the bigger cylinders. You can't easily exchange them, but you can get them refilled at any place that will fill the 20 lb ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 where does this fall in relation to the recommendations (or laws depending on jurisdiction) against storing propane cylinders inside an enclosed vehicle? or am i confusing them with acetylene tanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Running the "road" is great fun when you're young, and unattached, ... but for most folks, it grows "old" before too long. And while the money can be more attractive than some other "blue collar" jobs, ... the risks are much greater too. Being an "owner operator" is an excellent opportunity to drive a $100,000.00 truck, ... to the Poor House. Working for a Freight Company, isn't much different than working in a Factory. The best, most honest advice I can give a fellow of your age, ... is to go to School, and learn a different way to earn a living. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Amen, Smooth Bore. I hate to sound jaded, but.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalsmith21 Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 I drive a 2011 kenworth T660, it has a sleeper on it, as far as taking propane its a no go period, huge safety issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 Is there an exterior tool box? A couple soldering torch size bottles are what I was referring to, not a 20lb. tank. I realize I didn't say it but I was most certainly not suggesting carrying propane bottles larger than a Bic lighter in the cab or sleeper. I wish Grant were still around, this is making me wonder what it'd take to rig an induction forge to run off a truck electrical system. Any ideas guys? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalsmith21 Posted August 30, 2013 Author Share Posted August 30, 2013 Naw its all compacted in the sleeper compartment, to be more "areodynamic" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 3-5 gallon bucket, made into a side blast forge, hair dryer, a second bucket to hold tools and act as slack tub. 20# sledge head, 40# stump and a stool. Hmm, didn't I just say this befor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 where you going to find enough space to store solid fuel? :) might be onto something with the induction rig though frosty, small gas/diesel generator might work so long as you are responsible about leaving yourself enough in the tank to get to the station to fill up again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 3-5 gallon bucket, made into a side blast forge, hair dryer, a second bucket to hold tools and act as slack tub. 20# sledge head, 40# stump and a stool. Hmm, didn't I just say this befor? We're gonna start calling you Ditto if you keep it up Charles. <grin> How about finding an ammo box and chaining or clamping it between the frame rails in front of the 5th wheel? Unless they've really changed trucks there's lots of room in the frame and if you're careful no harm no foul. A popular set up was to bolt expanded metal on the lower flanges of the frame rails and just bungee things to it. Tool boxes, lunch boxes, luggage, etc. Saved room in the cab and the under step boxes. It'd be easy to bungee a couple plastic buckets between the frame rails, one for lump charcoal, tools, etc. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 Just fallowing your leed Frosty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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