What did you do in the shop today?

[pnut]

You could mix it in an old electric coffee grinder. It would make good punches and drifts if the welding doesn't work out. It would make a good rivet header and bucking tool set or all of the above and don't forget chisels.

Pnut

 

Edited August 13, 2019 by pnut

[GrumpyBiker]

Actually it ran pretty well. I plan to shorten the tube on the burner to see if anything improves. I’m also not sure of the positioning of the  jet tip so I’ll play with that as well.

I also have a bunch of Kaowool so I’ll be adding that to the top half as it only has 1” of it.

I’d not seen a clamshell design & while its not how I’d have gone its kinda interesting.

The air compressor tank on the floor in the post above was going to be the beginnings of my next forge and still may be made into a two or three burner eventually.

But I saw this setup for sale last year at a “Junk-tique” shop for $225 and laughed a bit as I couldn’t imagine who would pay that much for a lined propane tank.

This weekend I took a closer look at the “Oven with Stand” as it was listed as.

I now saw that the 39” tall red stand with 3” casters and propane tank shelf was part of the deal. The forge on the stand places the in feed & out feed shelf’s on the forge at 47.5”, perfect for me as I don’t have to bend over to look in.

Also I noticed the (side arm ?) Burner was disassembled and inside the forge and the forge bottom was made of castable  Refractory with a 1” lip on the hinged sides and Kaowool on the upper portion with rigidizer applied. It also included propane hose and a regulator.... 

I made an offer of $175 for everything and it was immediately accepted.

I know it’s far from perfect and not the design I’d have done but for the price I couldn’t have gone and bought the materials to make everything, Kaowool, castable refractory cement, steel , casters, regulator, hoses, burner parts, LP tank etc.. for the price I paid as I don’t have a metal supplier and Lowe’s isn’t cheap for buying metal. 

 

Also yesterday while running it up it up I noticed the 1” square stock welded between the front & back legs and realized it will accept a 3/4” square bar that I can weld into an adjustable material support stand. Maybe I’m out to lunch but I’m feeling better & better about picking this thing up. I don’t feel like I stole it for that price but I think I got more that I expected and am actually quite pleased I took a second & closer look at the “Oven with Stand” !

 

Video of the forge running 

https://youtu.be/Um7TQ5uoeB4

[CrazyGoatLady]

GrumpyBiker, thanks for the information. Sounds to me if you can tweak it to your satisfaction with minimal expenditures, you got a good deal. I know I've seen things marked as something that they aren't or you can tell they don't know what it is. I'll start looking at things more closely now. Maybe there are other hidden gems like your "Oven with a stand"

[jlpservicesinc]

 

 

 

 

4 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

 I'd love to visit a local group. The two closest ABANA affiliates are about 2 and 3 hours from me. 

Start a local group..  Advertise and contact ABANA and see about getting started.. 

There are some great people out there who are very willing to help.. 

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, GrumpyBiker said:

I made an offer of $175 for everything and it was immediately accepted.

And THAT's the secret of a good deal. The guy in the shop got more than s/he thought he would and you came away with a heck of a deal. That will tweak into a fine forge, good score. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[CrazyGoatLady]

Now there's an idea I wouldn't have thought about. I don't know anyone personally besides me that even Smith's. There was a guy on Forged In Fire a few weeks ago that was from Gainesville. High school kid. That's only about 15 miles from us. That's about it. 

Thanks Jennifer

[Chris C]

Well, at least that's a place to start, CGL.  Start small................think big.

[CrazyGoatLady]

Right on, Chris. I feel like the Lone Stranger sometimes. If it were not for you guys to talk shop with, It'd be kind of lonesome honestly

[CrazyGoatLady]

Thank you. I'll check them out

[Chris C]

Well, been looking myself.  You probably won't find much at that last one except shoeing schools or farriers.  Sorry 'bout dat!

[CrazyGoatLady]

The NTBA, I have looked at but it doesn't seem up to date. I may just contact them and see where it goes

I'm a little more drawn to your group. Salt fork Craftsmen. Wish I were a tad closer

[Daswulf]

Honestly, a lot of the blacksmith group websites seem out of date or minimal on info. I can't blame them because I for sure am pretty computer illiterate.  some rely more on personal contact and emails once you join. Sometimes a phone call, or personal email is the way to go. Funny, it seems that way for many metal suppliers and hands on businesses as well. Where I'd be more comfortable clicking buttons online others prefer a phonecall or face to face. It's a strange time with old and new still coexisting. Probably why a lot of the younger generation seems to not be able to find some info. Gatta be resourceful.

[CrazyGoatLady]

Yeah, you're probably right Daswulf. I don't think anything bad about NTBA. I'm just one of those people that is kind of bad with making actual phone calls myself! 

[Chris C]

Well, I can vouch for our group here in Norman, CGL. A LOT of great guys and only one grumpy, surly curmudgeon.   Not a bad deal overall.  You might give it a try.  You and your husband could drive up and visit the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in the middle of the day and then spend the late afternoon and early evening at the open forge.  If you decide to do that, though, wait until it gets active once again in the Fall.

I can't imagine being in an area where there were no smiths anywhere.  I'm amazed at how many there are in our area............and the majority aren't even active in our Thursday night group.

 

[CrazyGoatLady]

Oh yeah, we made a trip up to Kansas last fall and I wish we could have stopped at the cowboy museum but no time, dang it. I'm just a little funny about the D/FW area and that's where NTBA is located from. I've got a lot of bad memories from things that happened in that area and I'm not crazy about going that way. 

[arkie]

CrazyGoatLady, a lot of blacksmith organizations don't seem to keep their webpages up to date, but do it mostly by newsletter or Facebook.  Our newsletter is basically non-existant, website about the same, but it seems that a lot of info gets disseminated through a group Facebook page.  It's not the official news organ for the group, but at least SOME info gets out.  You might see if some area groups have Facebook pages.

[Frosty]

3 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

Oh yeah, we made a trip up to Kansas last fall and I wish we could have stopped at the cowboy museum but no time, dang it. I'm just a little funny about the D/FW area and that's where NTBA is located from. I've got a lot of bad memories from things that happened in that area and I'm not crazy about going that way. 

I hear you, nobody like to dredge up bad memories but here's the thing about blacksmiths. We may be: rough, dirty, smoky, scared and just plain kind of grungy but I've never heard of an instance were someone was rude or disrespectful of a woman, child or dog without having the wrath of the group come down on them. 

We have lady visitors at meetings regularly and in a short time they start feeling comfortable. A neighbor's dog used to come over and visit meetings but he started locking him up. Funniest visitor I've seen at a meet was the chicken that walked into the studio and after cleaning up lunch crumbs perched on a spreader under a stool. Stuck around for maybe an hour and then strode off. I think we just weren't crumby enough. 

Make a meeting, you won't regret it. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[CrazyGoatLady]

Too right, Frosty. Being an extreme introvert doesn't help. Thank you everyone for the encouragement. 

[Glenn]

Go to the meeting, just do not tell them you are an introvert. Someone will most likely come up and introduce themselves to you. Problem solved.

If you tell them you need some help, someone will offer assistance or build a fire and show you how.  Work with them one at a time and you can have fun and learn at the same time.

[CrazyGoatLady]

It would be nice to be around other folks for sure. I'm so countrified anymore, being around a lot of people kind of makes me shaky. A trip to town makes me feel like I need a sedative But meeting up with others with the same interests might be a cure for that

[pnut]

1 hour ago, CrazyGoatLady said:

, being around a lot of people kind of makes me shaky

I feel you there. I plan my trips to the Wal-Mart for about four in the morning. I had to go the other day to get groceries in the middle of the day and ended up walking away from my cart and going home. My heart was beating hard, I just had to leave. Anxiety or PTSD or whatever is wrong we me makes things like that hard to do.

Pnut

[jlpservicesinc]

I started out such a shy child I'd rather go play by myself or hide up in a tree than to visit with someone on the playground..  All thru my life I never understood what was so important or why people would want to conversate or socialize.  All I needed was a friend..   A being the key and I was lucky enough to find a few  A's. 

I did like class participation because it was about one subject or discussion in class though nearly always I wouldn't talk with others.  Embarrassed about everything. 

I started to demonstrate blacksmithing because it was Cool and not very well known back then. and I could not ever look at the crowds.. I had to focus on the work only or I'd get completely disorganized and would kind of fall apart until I could find my center again ignoring the crowd and focused on the work. 

30 years later I still don't understand many social cues, or expressions but have over a time frame tried to learn how to interact in as reasonable a way as I can.

Also to accept help from people like Frosty, my good Buddy Cutter from another group who has helped with getting the information better organized before being presented..   It's been a huge challenge.. I've walked away from IFI many times in one-day swearing I would never come back here again.. LOL.  I was feeling that badly and miss understood..  It's all part of the growth process. 

The days now demonstrating are 90% talking with people and 10% forging.. I miss the old days of 95% forging and a hello was all that was needed. 

So the short of it is this. I struggle and find it exhausting to keep a conversation up with most.  I'd rather go and hang with 1 like-minded person whom we seem to be able to understand each other pretty well. 

I converse with a blacksmithing buddy every morning and I usually have to apologize every few days as the comments I make are short and to the point but only if you see the information the same way I do (have the same understanding).  So it comes off like I am chastizing or completely disregarding what he is doing or wants to do which is not the case at all. 

Anyhow,  it becomes a choice and a decision for one to engage or not and while I seem outgoing its the exact opposite.  It's a coping function with each exchange. 

There are so many smiths out there that even within my own area there are 20 within a 45min drive in any direction.    I find this to be the case nearly anywhere I go. 

 

[pnut]

2 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Anyhow,  it becomes a choice and a decision for one to engage or not and while I seem outgoing its the exact opposite.  It's a coping function with each exchange. 

I agree 100 percent. I used to be outgoing and gregarious. After some injuries and being a target of violent crime I found myself isolated and not engaging with the world. About a year or so ago I made a conscious decision to get back into the world. I still have some issues but all in all getting back to work and getting around other people has helped both physically but even more mentally. When I couldn't work I felt useless and it had a serious effect on my mental well being. I still feel very uncomfortable around strangers and crowds but it's getting better.    I think I interact more here than in real life but that has as much to do with where I live as anything else.

Pnut

 

[Chris C]

This has been an interesting conversation.  As a youth, I yearned to "be a part of"...........but it never happened.  By the time I graduated from High School, I literally had only two friends.............unlike other people who ran around with a whole bevy of close friends.  All through Jr. and Sr. High School, I went to what we called "sock hops" and never took my shoes off and never danced.............honestly............never once.  By my Sr. Year, I use to cringe when the teacher would hand a stack of papers to a student to pass them out to the other students.....................because even though I'd been in school with them all those years I didn't even know their names!!!!!!!  Didn't make more than passing acquaintances during the 4 years I was in the military.  I've always been satisfied with sharing the time with my wife and I by ourselves.  I'm on my fourth wife (lon-n-n-n-g stories) and we still don't have people over, or go out with other people.  We live outside of town and don't talk with our neighbors.  

People will say "he's very outgoing"............but the truth of the matter is I have to force myself to "be a part of".  Don't know why that is.  I know a LOT of people, but can honestly only count the number of true "friends" on one hand...........my left one with the missing finger!  

It was really hard for me to attend my first open forge, CGL.  When I drove up to the shop building, there were cars and trucks all over the place.  I almost just turned around and left............................but I told myself my goal was to learn how to blacksmith so I could make my knives.  When I walked in I walked up to the guy who owns the place and shook his hand and said "Hi".  He told me to grab some steel and start beating on it, which I did.  But no-one helped.  Talk about an awkward situation.  Hundreds of hammers in racks all over the place.............and three times that many sets of tongs.  Didn't know which hammer to use or how to figure out what the tongs were all about.  I saw experiences smiths helping out newbies................but no-one was helping me.  On the third visit, I walked in, grabbed a piece of rebar and a hammer and looked over at the group of experienced smiths siting in a circle tellin' tall tales and hollered "I need some help over here!"  Couldn't believe I did it, but I did !  One of the guys got out of his chair and came over to the anvil where I was standing and we started talking.  Gerald has been helping me off and on ever since. 

Point being, I "get" being introverted, CGL.  Grew up that way.............and, honestly, still am.  I've had to force myself to "be a part of", even when it was uncomfortable.  But I've found more acceptance among smiths and have been helped by more smiths.....................and been willing to accept more from smiths than any place in my life.  I honestly think it's because I've not reverted to my introverted personality.

[pnut]

I think it has something to do with the personality of people who would be interested in blacksmithing. Not to mention a shared interest in something is a great ice breaker.

Pnut