ianinsa Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I wonder what led you to think that wives really believe what we tell them? Most are just too nice to contradict/disagree when the money is all ready spent........... Just be weary on what you tell them as Hell Hath no fury like the lawyer of a woman scorned. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 One of my most useful set of tongs came from an *old* farm forged set of massive nippers---WI with laid on steel for the cutting edge but very very rough; both in original design and weathering. Anyway I re-forged them to grab hot fire bricks with and so they seem to get used every time I run a forge gas or coal or charcoal. All of my students know of the Hot Brick Tongs as well as the "Stinky Hammer"---a rawhide mallet we use for adjusting forged work without messing it up with steel hammer dents. Smaller sets of nippers often make decent knife tongs. I generally take them apart to reforge them and remember to work them as high carbon steel! Having a bolt that fits the rivet hole helps as you tweak them to final shape *before* riveting them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironstein Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 The best scrolling tongs i have are forged from a set of old nippers. They have a good amount of "meat" at the cutter, so i forged them into a wedge shape, down to a round scrolling tong shape at the end. I often grab for those over some really nice name brand scrolling tongs i have, they just seem to work better. Oh, and by the way, Altusjg and Curly, nice hauls to you both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 This is the second time something followed me home without me coaxing it with a treat. When I came home from w**k today I was outside the house getting some things ready for the forge tomorrow and while walking past my outside forge I spied this little critter sitting there: It has been tucked away in the back of my landlords farm shop gathering dust. Patty said that she saw them outside near the forge with the backhoe this morning but she didn't know what they were doing. It has a 4" jaw and there are some weld beads on the top of the jaws. An easy fix with a file. The threads on the screw are in great shape and the spring is tight. It is mounted on an old truck rim and very stable. Blessings come in all shapes and sizes. I got my anvil the same way. One morning I went out to the forge and there was an anvil. I believe that it was Thomas Powers who said something like this: Tell everyone you know and encounter that you are looking for an anvil or whatever you need. You probably won't get them free but you will eventually run into a someone with a deal. Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Way to go Mark. Good on ya!! Glad that your shop is coming together. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordcaradoc Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Nice acquisition Mark. You make it looks so easy :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshua.M Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 i got a phone call from somone who had an anvil that they knew nothing about, it was this lady's fathers who was a collector she said it was mine if i could come and get it, it was a 15 minute drive and i am now the proud owner of a 105lb Peter Wright anvil made after 1910 i took the wire wheel to clean off the rust the edges are almost perfect, the face is 99.99% flat and there is only 1 chisle mark on the face, i owe her a set of garden tools josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Nice haul, Josh. That sounds like at least a set of garden tools. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 See Josh, You are on your way to catching up with Techinusjoe. Good for you! How goes the coal/coke hunt? Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 OH GOOD SCORE Josh! Yes indeed, a set of garden tools is in order. Rather than taking a wire brush to rusty tools have you tried Naval Jelly? It CAN bind up moving joints but a little water and movement usually takes care of that. I don't paint it on and let it dry as the directions say, this if for prepping steel for painting and leaves a black phosphate finish. Naval Jelly is phospherous a surfacant and something to thicken it so it sticks. A surfacacant is to break surface tension and light oils so the phosperous can come in contact and do it's job. What I do is mix Naval Jelly with water and soak heavily rusted iron over night if it's heavy. Thgen I rinze it in clean water and neutralize it with baking soda in water and rinse it again. Then comes the really important part, DRY IT right away and put a film of oil on it or it's gonna rust immediately. If there is a hinge joint like tongs or a . . . hinge the phosporus will perform a chemical weld of varying strength. Breaking it is done best with water and flexing don't get crazy getting it to flex or you may damage the thing. Flexing the joint can be done while it's in the derusting bath, you don't even really need rubber gloves, Naval Jelly let alone a dilution isn't very irritating UNLESS you're sensitive to it. Oh yeah, back to the congratulations. WAY TO GO Josh! Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Came home last week with a 300# HayBudden in great shape! Been smiling ever since!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Bruce, Greatlooking anvil. I wear overalls everytime I forge. Yours look like they were made by someone on LSD. Or, maybe its me . Either way I like em. Nice anvil. Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 they call 'em hickory cloth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Good score on the anvil Bruce. I'll bet the coveralls are really handy at demos for the smart alecs. Just undulate a little and watch them head for the outhouse. Frosty the dizzy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I wear overallls.... all the time :-) Camo when hunting. Like all the pockets and places to put stuff:-) Frosty, how you doin'?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 The corollary is that once you have *1* then they seem to attract others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I've also got overalls for forging. Blue denim for forging, Carrhart style brown for yard and real dirty under the house work. The lovely wife asked when I started wearing them if I was worried about burning holes in that 'nice new pair of overalls', told her where we live isn't rural enough to justify having a nice set of overalls, but someday, a place in the mountains, neighbors well out of earshot, I may end up living in my Carrharts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I wear overallls.... all the time :-) Camo when hunting. Like all the pockets and places to put stuff:-) Frosty, how you doin'?? Doing pretty well if not up to full speed yet, thank you Bruce. How're things with you and yours? Yeah, I like the pockets but overalls make me sweat too much, even in winter. Recently I started wearing Duluth Trading "Firehose" cargo pants. They seem tougher than most things I'm likely to run into and they're soft and comfy. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying-it Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 :ph34r: Last visit to the scrapyard I grabbed the usual goodies and then eyed this complete/unbroken little jewel-in-the-rough lurking on the side. After paying $0.17/lb for it (weights less than 100 lbs) it followed me home and got a complete salon day type make-over! After I got it home I did a little online research on the stove co. and ran across a Craigslist ad for same stove model with a $175 price tag; and have seen similar stoves in antique malls with price tags ranging from $250 - $400. So for less than a total $25 investment I can heat my aged bones, simmer the chili pot, and perk an old time pot-of-coffee! I think it compliments the new smithy addition to my old machine shop building quite well. (Disregard the dates shown on pics; still need to reset the date in camera! ggggrrrrrrr!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Nice score indeed! I have a barrel stove in my shop and if it were insulated (the shop, not the stove!) it'd be plenty of stove. Parlor stoves are excellent and this is a really handy size, large enough to warm a considerable area and small enough not to be a wood hog. Being able to slow cook a pot of beans, perk a pot of coffee and toast tortillas is icing on the cake. A little wire brushing on the top will clean it enough to cook directly on. cooking tortillas only takes a sprinkle of coarse ground salt so they don't stick. A spray of Pam is good for pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches are buttered or mayoed before they hit the griddle. Yeah, I spread a thin coat of mayo on grilled sandwiches, they brown so much better than buttered. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I put a new version of that stove in my mother in law's house a couple years ago. I bought the stove for $200. A problem that I was informed of was the side plates bolt together to the top and bottom and require sealing with stove cement. Taking the stove apart is the only way to do it. Place a strong light in the stove and turn the room lights off so you can identify if you have a problem or not. If you see light, you have work to do. The stove will draft better and use less fuel for the heat it gives if it is tight. We also mudded the stove tops into the stove at my MIL's using some yard clay so it can break out with minimal effort. If it lacks a rack, you can put firebrick or sand in the bottom. Nice stove. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Stan, nice score on the stove. I'd be too busy cookin and eatin to forge anything. Frosty, Mayo? Really? Ok, I'll try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 My future slave/apprentice arrived home yesterday... Sorry, couldn't resist! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calala Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Congratulations Matt, looks like your wife did a top job baby looks great must look like his Mum. lol Looks like you provide the cigars at Moony's Cheers John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregDP Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hey! That something to really be proud of. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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