Hans Richter Posted April 5, 2018 Share Posted April 5, 2018 Extra weight forklift? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 I didn't see your comment earlier Das, too bad you cant use the @ name and then Id have seen it the first day you had commented....anyways, pleased to hear you like it! Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Mark no worries, I'm not really accustomed to using it anyway. I could always use the quote feature to grab your attention. I do love it. Excellent work. I'll promote your hammers to friends. Faces haven't marked yet and so heat treat was good. Handle suits me well. Over all thanks and good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Went to a garage sale. Pulled the little post vise out from under some t-post behind the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Good rescue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Looks like a good haul in general and the postvise is a BIG BONUS---what gave it away as it was hiding? (And how is the screw on it?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 I could see the handle sticking out. The screw and box are virtually perfect, somehow still has wet grease. The pivot is seized but that’s easy enough to fix. A little wire wheel love, a little welding splatter removal, a little oil and she’ll be good as new. One thing that amazes me is that the original handle is still straight. Usually when I come across a post vise the handle looks like a snake on vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 What is the jaw width? Looks 4" or smaller in the picture. Nice that it is also complete besides being in good shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Looks like it was only slightly abused by a welder and not a guy doing lots of cold work. The old vises often have very soft wrought iron handles that bent easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Nice find Ben. It will clean up nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Picked up this nice piece of sheet from the drop bin at the steel supplier. I think it’s time to make a proper bosh and water tuyere. 48” x 13” x 8.5” with a 1” return x 16 ga. Together with another (slightly heavier) piece I already have on hand for the base, I figure about a 12-gallon capacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Was at the scrap yard this morning just in time to see them loading scrap into the truck with the magnet. Dang!!! I did mange to get 4 nice coil springs. I found a great pile of rake tines and started throwing them in the bin when the guy on the magnet crane yelled "Hey, those are mine!". He shut the crane down and came down to tell me he'd just purchased them to make flower hangers with. He's not a blacksmith at all, but hey, how was I supposed to know that this little pile on the big pile belonged to anyone We chatted up for a while and he helped me look around for bit before jumping back in the crane. I'm not posting pictures because, well, ya'll have seen coil springs before. A few dollars shelled out and I was on my way. This is one of the things I love about forging. $5 got me several large coil springs. In my other hobby of flintknapping, one piece of flint the size of your palm will cost your $5. Worse yet, some guys selling flint measure it now at a price per inch. $300 will get you MAYBE 3/4 of a bucket of high quality flint. I'm loving how cheap metal can be, even buying new is still much cheaper than flint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 Ever knap glass, like the bottom of a pop or beer bottle? Interesting stuff, and a new look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 A friend got my Dad a big chunk of flint from near Fort Hood in Texas. I cut some slabs off of it at school when Dad was playing around with knapping. Maybe see if one of out members could ship ya one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 American Indians were knapping points from bottles before the revolution. Old Coke bottles are nice and thick, good for knapping. If you have a glass place, ask if you can scrounge from the thick drops, I haven't given it a try but a place in the Valley had some 1" " scraps" in back. I'd like to try flint one of these days but it's uncommon here. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 John stone is another option... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 I was reading an article on the BBC website about a finding of indigenous tools in Australia; there were really excited about an "early" find till they discovered they were chipped from the flint ballast stones that were dumped from the English ships before the filled up in Australian trade goods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryCarroll Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 flint--chert--obsidian has been a part of my blacksmithing for a long time. Flint and steel fire starting used to be part of Boy scout training. I was born in eastern Ky. ---mining and limestone quarry's are still there but access to the areas where we could pick up good gray flint is not available anymore. I still find some chips and decent tips on the family property. Where I live now I can find some chert that makes decent striker stones. I used to build and shoot black powder arms---mostly flintlocks and use stuff I find for the locks after knapping. I bought a box of obsidian at the Friendship gathering in Southern Ind. back in the 70's and made some things for my buckskinning shop after learning to knapp from a couple from out west at a couple of the Friendship meets. Times have changed! Another Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 I have knapped just about any material that can be knapped. I don't particularly like glass or obsidian because of the smaller shards that always seem to get everywhere. I've knapped Jonstone or as we call it Thunderchert (toilet tank lids) and even such odd things as flint from North Korea and TV glass! No doubt there are cheap alternatives in the form of free glass, but when you are a flintknapper for a long time the free glass jar bottoms etc are viewed a lot like rebar is viewed with blacksmithing. Believe me, I've got no shortage of knapping material having a rock room full of 5 gallon buckets of flint and chert. It's striking just how similar the two hobbies are (pun intended!) We even have knap-ins which are what we blacksmiths also call hammer-ins. The main difference between the two crafts is that once a chip of flint or chert is removed you own that whereas with forging you can always reheat and try again in most circumstances. The mental games are similar in the fact you must plan your moves out 2 or 3 actions ahead of time. The other difference is that the tools cost far less than blacksmithing. At my first knap-in I had $40 and came home with the tools I needed and some flint to work. Granted, today that figure is more like $100. I bet Thomas Powers or Charles Stevens could probably whip up a $100 starter kit, but it cost me a lot more. I'm just still tickled pink that for $5 I have all the material (and then some) to start building my own chisel and punch tool set. Can't wait to have the right sized punch or chisel for the job at hand. I have a small bunch of each I've picked up at junk shops & garage sales but it always seems like I'm using a tool too big or too short for the task at hand. I'm thinking someday I'd like to make a knife that is half flint and half forged steel to reflect on who I am as a craftsman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 Actually the starter kit I did: forge, blower speed control, anvil, stand, basic tools was under US$25 And I could cut that in half if I was willing to use a hole in the ground and an improvised bellows... However the kit I built was a good one and I used that forge and blower as my billet welding forge for several years before I gave it away. Getting started in smithing before the net and smithing shows on TV (and even most of the books!) was a massive help as my thoughts were not constrained by "how things should be done" Studying historical smithing helped too as once you see what the viking used you are amazed at all the stuff you have already! The Neo-Tribal metalsmiths were a movement dedicated to using "primitive" methods and doing good work. Look up the: Tim Lively washtub forge for some great ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmox Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 On 4/7/2018 at 8:01 PM, Frosty said: American Indians were knapping points from bottles before the revolution. How do you feel about napping chert Frosty? It’s similar to flint. We have a bunch of that here, I bet I could go scrouge some up. Mox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 4 hours ago, Madmox said: How do you feel about napping chert Frosty? It’s similar to flint. We have a bunch of that here, I bet I could go scrouge some up. I have some local chert and it's okay it's kind of flaky so doesn't knap so nicely. You have to make a really deep strike to see a conchoidal fracture pattern. It's good for Acheulean type hand axes and such but tends to make leaf thin fragile flakes. Then again I was spoiled by excellent obsidian once I learned how to select it. I asked a rock shop owner who said he was an Indian medicine man. He took me out to one of the 30 or so tables covered with obsidian, picked up a piece and gave it a whack. The conchoidal pattern was extreme with tight close high ripples. He then picked up another piece and gave it a whack, it broke in a long straight fracture with a few ripples and clean relatively flat conchoidal pattern. He held it up and said, "good," pointed to the other and said, "bad," Boy was that embarrassing. Talk about not paying attention to the stock I was working. From then on it was easy to find good knapping obsidian. We have rock shops here, maybe I'll make a couple calls and see what's available. I do have a niece living in Oklahoma, maybe I'll give her a call. I can feel myself getting flaky again! COOL Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmox Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 On 4/7/2018 at 8:01 PM, Frosty said: American Indians were knapping points from bottles before the revolution. How do you feel about napping chert Frosty? It’s similar to flint. We have a bunch of that here, I bet I could go scrouge some up. 3 hours ago, Frosty said: I have some local chert and it's okay it's kind of flaky so doesn't knap so nicely. Well if you’d ever like to give ours a try from this neck of the woods I’d be happy to send you a box full Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC Hammer Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 He, he, heeee you are not a man unless you've knapped NY chert We have some of the toughest around. I love it though as you have to hit it like you mean it. I once watched one of the top knappers in the US struggle through a piece of NY chert. He was so used to the finest available. Us knappers get babied with heat treated burlington, flint ridge, and obsidian. Below is a picture of one of the toughest pieces of NY chert I every had to knap. My students brought it as a joke and I was determined to show them I could get something out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 Let me see if I have this right MC. NY chert is so tough it'll block off the old chips? Might be fun Mox, I'll have to think about it. Most of the obsidian I collected was Davis Cr. Mahogany off 395. I picked up a bunch of obsidian needles for the cool factor they're useless for knapping. Lots of good knapping stone in Ca. Though I did pick up some really nice black and silver on the rear obsidian butte in Oregon. The only piece of fire obsidian I found isn't knapping stone. Pretty though. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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