Marc1,

I googled abbey hoist and got a boatload of junk ads.

Can you suggest a web site that would have an explanation and perhaps a picture of it.

    Have other i.f.i. members noticed that Google and Yahoo searches are dredging up a raft of ads and often with no other information or web sites.

Or am I just hallucinating for a change.

(I have host of imaginary friends and I do not need to host any more.)

Just sayin.

SLAG.

4 hours ago, SLAG said:

Marc,

What equipment do Australian linesmen use instead of spurs?

Hardwoods, generally, are reserved for more expensive uses in North America. (like furniture, building construction etc.)

Strangely I was not even aware of iron bark, black butt, stringybark , merbau.

Mr. Aus. what does a Cobb & co. hitch look like?

Life is a learning experience and I'm still learning.

Regards, to all Down Under,

(and everywhere else).

SLAG.

I don't know about linesmen, but competition axemen use climbing spikes for the tree-felling events. Just yesterday we had a pair of those spikes donated to our museum. They are now in a display devoted to competition woodchopping. In competition, the poles used are either milky pine, white beech or candlenut - all soft timbers, so the spikes get a good bite. Competitions and pole climbing demos are still held regularly at our shows, but not as popular as in the old days.

And the Cobb and Co hitch is simple but very effective. The old timers may not have had nails but there was always some fence wire available. And, done properly, a C & C hitch can be neat.

7 hours ago, SLAG said:

Arkie,

Thank you.

SLAG.

That is a wonderful hitch. If after tying the knot you pass the two ends through the loop it becomes a prussic loop. and is much more secure

I'm gonna have to try out the Cobb & Co. hitch after reading up on it.  My attempts at using wire to tie stuff together usually results in the stuff slipping.  Cobb and your Prussic loop sound like they will solve the problem.  Thanks for the addendum.

Ordered 5kg of 300x8mm nails. I have had some difficulties on the "what to do while at a fair" topic so this is a big help from you, Aus! Thanks again for the idea! I intend to tell people this is coming from OZ.

Bests:

Gergely

5 hours ago, Gergely said:

Ordered 5kg of 300x8mm nails. I have had some difficulties on the "what to do while at a fair" topic so this is a big help from you, Aus! Thanks again for the idea! I intend to tell people this is coming from OZ.

Bests:

Gergely

Thanks for the acknowledgement! Tell them we forge them upside down here, of course.  

 Not only telling but when I'm in the mood may try to show them. I wish I could find a better way to secure my anvil that way

 

OK, while we're on about using nails, here are a few little swords made from duplex nails today. That's about the extent of my hammering at the moment ... nothing heavy till the back eases up a bit.

Those duplex nails (formwork nails, scaffold nails) make good little swords. We have all been asked innumerable times at demos, Can you make a sword? These are very simple of course and take about 10 seconds to make before cleanup. I guess the possibilities are limited, but anyone have any variations on these? I know of one idea of wrapping the handle in copper wire.

And thanks to Vaughn for sending the nails to me.

They arrived today! Boy those are big nails! These are 9mm/3/8" thick. Prototype experimenting on Ausfire's path :

Nice! A friend just brought me over a handful of rusty ones. The ones I find to buy are galvy. coated and need an acid dip to remove the coating, then neutralized. 

Das, the ones that Vaughn sent to me were not galvanised. They are a bright steel and they seem to be a bit harder than mild but nowhere near as hard as stainless. Vaughn might reveal where he sourced them.

And nice hook, Gergely. Your punchings are very neat.

26 minutes ago, ausfire said:

Das, the ones that Vaughn sent to me were not galvanised. They are a bright steel and they seem to be a bit harder than mild but nowhere near as hard as stainless. Vaughn might reveal where he sourced them.

There are a few more places I havnt looked at yet. If they don't pan out I will have to ask. I'm probably paying more for galvanizing that I have to strip off anyway. 

The ones sold for landscaping tend to be galvanized in my experience---if you are dealing with good landscapers.  Ones for construction might be clean.

2 hours ago, ausfire said:

Das, the ones that Vaughn sent to me were not galvanised. They are a bright steel and they seem to be a bit harder than mild but nowhere near as hard as stainless. Vaughn might reveal where he sourced them.

And nice hook, Gergely. Your punchings are very neat.

Thanks, Aus! Interesting to hear about harder nail material. I always tought nails are made of pretty soft steel. My nail sure moved like butter while hot.

11 hours ago, Gergely said:

Thanks, Aus! Interesting to hear about harder nail material. I always tought nails are made of pretty soft steel. My nail sure moved like butter while hot.

Yeah, maybe it was my imagination. I have been hammering very lightly since making a slow recovery from a back injury, and maybe the metal just seemed harder.

On 1/13/2017 at 6:53 PM, ausfire said:

And the Cobb and Co hitch is simple but very effective. The old timers may not have had nails but there was always some fence wire available. And, done properly, a C & C hitch can be neat.

Hadn't heard of this, but googling shows me some good photos and instructions. Very neat indeed.

Actually, I've been using a variation of this since I was little. The version I was taught (which I was told originated in southeast Asia as a knot to tie bamboo together with straw rope) starts as a long, wide "U" of wire with a small loop at the very bottom. This U goes around whatever you're fastening, with one leg on either side and wrapping all the way around. You then stick a spike (or long bolt or whatever) through the small loop, catch the ends of the two leg wires with the end of the spike, and twist it up, just like the Cobb & Co. The whole thing snugs up nicely.

Made another one as an opposite piece, can't say I'm very pleased, but learned a bit again:

23 minutes ago, Gergely said:

Made another one as an opposite piece, can't say I'm very pleased, but learned a bit again:

Chiseling the veins all the way to the edge will make things a bit more leaf-like. 

I'll try that! Thanks

g

Or at least chiseling all the way to the edge on the ones closest to the stem, and then going less and less as you move towards the tip has a nice effect.

                                                                                                                    Littleblacksmith

Yes. I was also thinking of making a slightly curved veining chisel - nature doesn't like straight lines that much. And maybe a bit sharper edge on it.

I see you have bent them in opposite directions. They would look good on the wall together.

Thanks, Aus, that was the idea you mentioned earlier. Funnily I left the first piece in the house, so they don't match. But as I said I learned a lot about this thing: I won't do another without a jig. At least the big hook part has to be done on the jig, but I consider making a stem-bender, too.

Today it hit me, I should mix my small flowers with this design: the two stem variation could get a leaf and a flower head. I still have a couple of those to spare:

Bests:

Gergely

4 hours ago, Gergely said:

Thanks, Aus, that was the idea you mentioned earlier. Funnily I left the first piece in the house, so they don't match. But as I said I learned a lot about this thing: I won't do another without a jig. At least the big hook part has to be done on the jig, but I consider making a stem-bender, too.

Today it hit me, I should mix my small flowers with this design: the two stem variation could get a leaf and a flower head. I still have a couple of those to spare:

 

Bests:

Gergely

You could indeed. Looking forward to your post of the result!

stopped by a hardware store to get shop keys cut for my minion; while waiting for him to get some chip keys done as well I wandered around a bit:  10 and 12" bright steel (unplated) nails, check; boric acid (16 oz roach powder---99% boric acid!), check; 100% Lye, check----nice to have a hardware store out in the farm country...

On January 19, 2017 at 2:45 PM, Daswulf said:

The ones I find to buy are galvy. coated and need an acid dip to remove the coating, then neutralized. 

I had the same problem till I stopped in at an Ace Hardware.  They didn't have the 12" in stock, but they were happy to order the non-galvy "bright finish" for me.  And when I showed them what I was doing with them..... they said they'd order a bunch just to keep them in stock for me!

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=30652636

I use their 6", 8", 10" and 12" bright finish nails for making hooks.  The 12" version gives you plenty of room to play with, but sometimes you just want the hook to look like the nail it began life as.