Scott NC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 They don't call them Cannon Ball Agitators for nothing. It agitates you when you find out you got ripped off... Thanks arkie, I passed on that one! . George, didn't they used to shoot cannon balls chained together for maximum effect? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 hour ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said: steel balls used in feed hoppers In chicken houses To add iron to their diet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Scott, yes, chain shot was a thing but it was used more for naval warfare to cut up the rigging and sails of an opposing ship. During the 18th century it was thought that it could be used in land warfare against cavalry but by the time of the US Civil War it was not an issue round for either the US or the Confederacy. Bar shot was similar in use which was 2 half balls connected by a bar, sometimes hinged. GNM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Nah, commercial farms put them in the feed hoppers to bust the clumps of feed up so the auger can take it down the feed lines, where I live there’s 100s of commercial poultry farms Tyson, Cobb, Simmons, George, ect… a single broiler farm is usually 5-10 houses 400 foot long and 40 foot wide, with feed lines running down both sides, we used to have 25k chickens per house but regulations have since knocked that down to 19k birds per house, because someone somewhere felt that chicken destined for the butcher plant in 8 weeks of life needed more space to run around for the farms to be considered “humane” anyways, you got feed towers outside every chicken house and there’s an auger at the bottom with a ball to bust the clumps, then a line runs into the house and dumps into a feed hopper attached to the feed line and there’s another ball in that hopper that bust up clumps again, commercial farms undergo retrofitting every so many years and there’s always a farm shutting down an goin under, so there’s a never ending supply of those things laying around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Ball stake material! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 That’s what I do with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Thanks George. I have never heard of the bar type. 32 minutes ago, JHCC said: To add iron to their diet? I worked for a short time in a feed mill for those chicken barns but I am signing off before I say too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 Twisted Willow, I think your whatsit may be ( with a huge emphasis on may be) a homemade log drag - they could hook the end of the log and hook the heel chain from the horse to the piece on the end of the device. Then hold on to the handle as the horse dragged the log. Or maybe for fence posts - but definitely a drag of a sort - the placement of the ring in the middle of the hooks says drag to me. Whatever it might be it's interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 Used bookstore find for $3: I love old-school hobby shop literature! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 15, 2023 Share Posted March 15, 2023 (edited) Copyright date, if any? Oops, I just saw that it was 1949 from your post about claying a forge. Interesting that no addition of sand or anything else was mentioned. GNM Edited March 15, 2023 by George N. M. additional information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masonred Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Found these, $3 at local resale store. A point is slightly bent but seems sharp, I'll try it before I do anything to repair. If it works, it doesn't need attention on the other hand would just a little time with stone or sander be best approach? These will be better than looking for can or something round when laying out cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Dividers like that have a lot of uses around the shop. If you take the bend of the tip down with a stone you should do the same with the other leg. Dividers work best when both legs are the same length. If it were me I would try to bend the point back into line on the edge of the anvil with light blows. It was probsbly bent out of line with a lateral force and should be able to be restored the same way. Good find at a good price. A person has to look through a LOT of junk but those rare nuggets like this one make it worth it. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masonred Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 I've stopped by this place many times and left with nothing. But have found a few gems and stuff I didn't know I needed. Like flea markets you never know till you look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Dividers are great for transferring dimensions from a drawing to a piece of hot metal and back. When Aislinn Harris and Mark Sperry (blacksmiths from Colonial Williamsburg) demonstrated at Quad-State a few years back, they were constantly using their dividers to check their progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 A business trip to Maine took me within visiting distance of both Liberty Tool and Hull Cove Tool Barn. Both were sadly lacking in smithing gear, but I did get a few goodies: a chisel with a very cool cross section, a jeweler’s riveting hammer, a barrette file, a replacement plane blade, a small punch, a spring clamp, two die holders (one with a rather cool set of square holes cut tap shanks), a set of small drill bits, a pipe reamer, and a drafting aid. About $40 for everything. The file has teeth on only one side and angled safe edges and back for detail work. $1.65 isn’t bad for a Grobet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 John already knows this because he picked up a pair not long ago but if anyone ever gets an opportunity to pick up a pair of proportional dividers do so because you will wonder how you did without them. You can use them as regular dividers or you can adjust them to get a fixed proportion, say 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 or 2.5 to 1. They are availble on Ebay and Amazon for prices from less than US$10 to several hundred. I first learned about them for map making in geology and the military. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 couldn't be without a couple sets of dividers of different lengths. Grobet: I saw it laying there and decided to "Grobet" before someone else did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 I’ll file that away for future use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.J.Lampert Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 these puns are the cutting edge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 I'm tempted to say something abrasive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Went to a farm auction today, bought a truck load of really cool antique junk but the one thing blacksmithing I grabbed was a Buffalo blower for $15, it’s missing the original gearbox and someone replaced it with a gearbox of one of those old hand crank bench grinders, which is actually a pretty good idea! Lol but i bought it for parts essentially, I wanted the stand for a canadey Otto blower and I wanted the impeller for another Buffalo blower project I got goin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Billy, remember, he who has the most stuff when he dies, wins. It looks like you are a contender. GNM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 11 hours ago, George N. M. said: GNM No sir.. but I do hope that I’ve repaired the most broken down blowers before I die, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 When you stop by the ReStore, it’s a good thing when (a) they haven’t yet priced the smithing tools and (b) they’re open to suggestions. (The $1 wire stripper was a nice bonus.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Six dollars for the hammer & chisel isn't too shabby either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.