contraption maker Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Hello all. Looking forward to learning from all the knowledgeable folks here and making some new friends. Have done a bit of forge work through the years but am by no means a professional smith and just like tinkering and making stuff in my shop. It`s my therapy. LOL. I am basically in the middle of nowhere and so my materials either must be bought online or scrounged. About an hour and a half out of Grand Rapids but don`t make that trip very often. Few scrap yards close and none that I know of where they will let a person look around for stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firegirl Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Hi! Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 1, 2019 Share Posted March 1, 2019 Any fleamarkets? I've gotten a lot of tools and even stock from those. (I particularly liked the 100' of spring steel strap stock for US$7 IIRC---old sewer snake makes good steak knives...) Any "shade tree mechanics" ---source of scrap and often can suggest other places. (They tend to really like bottle openers made from UNPLATED wrenches.) Any medium sized ornamental iron places? One used to let me have anything I wanted out of their scrap bin. (Little ones tend to use *everything*! Big ones can't be bothered.) Any building demolition businesses? I once bought 10 tons of wrought iron plate from one. If you are out in the country; check where the trash goes. We have a place we haul our trash too and the guys out there have given me a LOT of metal for just a few handforged trinkets. Look up GTTS: Go To The Source Population density of Michigan is about 10 times that of New Mexico so there must be a lot of stuff out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraption maker Posted March 2, 2019 Author Share Posted March 2, 2019 Actually during the flea market season there is 1 about 20 miles from us that usually has between 3 and on the best weekends maybe 10 vendors, but I have picked up a few items there. Other than that there is one about 60 miles from us. We are in the sticks. I am able to hit a few farm auctions once in a while. Even yard sales are not especially plentiful . I have bought a little steel from an Amish fellow that has a small machine shop about 25 miles from here. No ornamental, no demolition. I have picked up a few truck axles and a bit of front end parts from a couple of repair shops but a lot of them scrap the junk parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Good to meet to you, What kind of projects do you plan on making? I'm sure everyone would love to see your forge. You are in the right place. I'm pretty new to smithing myself but The amount of info here can be a little overwhelming and the combined years of experience among the membership is invaluable. I've learned a lot in the short time on the forum. Good to meet you, Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraption maker Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 Right now I`m working on some rivet sets as I want to build some steel chests. The forge is actually on hold at the moment waiting on a bit warmer conditions as a good bit of the work to be done involves working outside on the stack and at 15 degrees out I`m not willing to take it on yet. The rivet sets I`m doing on the lathe. Don`t have a camera just now but will pick one up before to long and take pics of the forge. I will be using a 55 gallon drum for the base and going from there. I have an outside brake drum forge but found I was not happy with it`s limitations. The new one will basically be a squared box of approximately 24 x 32 that is built onto the top of the barrel and will have a bit deeper fire pot. This one will also be inside the shop. Have an old vacuum that I will using as a blower with a valve setup to control air flow. Shop is 24 x 35 pole barn with 2 roll up doors and one walk in. As far as future projects to make it`s whatever I get interested in. I have had several smithies over the years and use to make and sell items at black powder rendezvous . Lost interest in making that kind of stuff and do whatever catches my fancy now. I have perused the site quite bit and see a whole lot of knowledge and wisdom here and even though I have had prior smithies I am by no means a pro. Looking forward to much learning here. I also want to say thanks for the kind greetings I have received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Sounds like you've got it together. I've been using a hole in the ground . I have a box to raise it up but the ground is too wet to fill it right now. It'd take forever to dry. It's deep so I don't think it will dry all the way through if I used the dirt , I guess I should say mud right now. Anyway good luck and keep us posted. Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 If the wife wouldn't kill you, Mike you can dry soil in the oven. You aren't looking to drive off the hygroscopic moisture so keep it under 200 f. Bear in mind some soil has a lot of organics in it and can get pretty stinky. I'd test maybe a cup in the toaster oven before risking the wrath of Deb! Contraption Maker: Are there any old dumping sites? Not official dumps but those old roads or gullies folks used as dump sites back when. Your old timer neighbors might know of a few. Hmmm? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraption maker Posted March 3, 2019 Author Share Posted March 3, 2019 Frosty: I had not thought of that and it just might be one to check out. Used to be a lot of logging in this area and then it moved to mostly farming. Now even a lot of the farming is gone. I can sure ask around about any old dump sites. I`m originally from Washington state and can remember as a kid a lot of the farms had their own dump somewhere on their property. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 A lot of that stuff has been buried. When we bought our 60 acre place in the woods, it had been logged off in the early 1900s for a RR line the bulldozer turned up a lot of metal axe heads horse shoes and the like putting in our driveway. We figured out where the old logging road and several camp locations were, so I took my metal detector down it and found all sorts of buried goodies wagon parts, tools saw blades etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 4 hours ago, contraption maker said: I`m originally from Washington state Where? I was born in Everett but we moved to S. Cal in 1956. I've got relatives all over the Pac. NW. some I'll even admit to. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraption maker Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Frosty: Born in Yakima and mostly raised in Toppenish which is 19 miles from Yakima. It`s a little farming community on the Yakima Indian reservation. Spent some time over around Othello and Moses Lake. 2 1/2 years in Bellingham. Then moved to Michigan about 40 years ago. I do miss the weather out there and find it not so much fun during the cold winters here anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 East of the Cascades is more my kind of weather, I prefer dry. I really like exploring the Channeled Scablands. Pretty country Wa. I married a UPer and it turned out we'd grown up less than 50 miles from each other in S. Cal. I was living in Anchorage Ak. and she was in Ironwood Mi. when we met online. Small world and shrinking. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraption maker Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Yep Frosty. If there is one thing I know it is that there are way more connections in this world than most of us realize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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