It followed me home

[JHCC]

On 9/5/2023 at 10:05 AM, Goods said:

John, it there a max RPM shown on the paint stripper?

Update: Yes, 2500 RPM, which just happens to match the maximum speed on my Bosch. 

[Les L]

On 9/5/2023 at 9:03 PM, Brian Hibbert said:

I don't really know what they were originally used for,

In our area the pots were used for wash tubs, rendering fat and cooking big meals for large groups. I have two that I use to cook in, a 25 and an 8 gallon. They work great for jambalaya because they heat on the sides and don't burn the rice. I can add a gallon of oil to my smaller pot and fry several pounds of fish and never burn the oil, all the breading goes to the round bottom and doesn't burn because the pot is heating on the sides. In southern Louisiana it is traditional that Mondays are red beans and rice day because Monday was clothes washing day, where they used the large pots to wash the clothes, and the beans could be put cooking without someone having to stand over them while they cooked.

[Candidquality]

44 minutes ago, Les L said:

Monday was clothes washing day, where they used the large pots to wash the clothes, and the beans could be put cooking without someone having to stand over them while they cooked.

Wondered about the flavor of some of that jambalaya.  That might explain it. 

[Frosty]

How else do you think folks kept the pleats and creases in their Sunday go to meeting clothes?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Chad J.]

Needed a light demo anvil instead of my daily driver.   Here's the new cast steel anvil from harbor frieght.  Nicely  machined top, really good rebound,  but very loud and rings like a bell.   I figured out you can quiet it by 75% with a magnet under the heel.  Hardy hole is only 3/4 inch so I'll be making a couple tools for it.

[Brian Hibbert]

I bought one a few weeks ago to replace the sledge hammer head I was using.  It's a huge improvement and seems a usable tool, but then I've never used a Soderfors to compare against. 

Mine has a few minor surface flaws that I didn't see until it got soot and scale dust on it.  But considering the price and source, I wasn't expecting perfection.

 

[Daswulf]

Have you noticed the surface flaws to affect your work yet?

[Brian Hibbert]

No, but I can't say my work is at the quality level where I'd notice anyway. 

[Daswulf]

Haha, fair enough. Was just wondering. Lots of us use old well used anvils that have some pits, scars and other imperfections. I haven't had any issues with those things that I really noticed either. I more so notice if my hammer work was good or not lol. 

I do understand wanting new to be perfect but at the same time price point dictates the level of the final product. One of the reasons I do use older used anvils, Price was right vs. New, and these better low cost new ones weren't out at the time. ( to be honest at my level of understanding at the time I started I never thought to look into a "new" anvil lol) They are still great chunks of steel to hammer on. 

 

[Frosty]

Chad: consider making it a steel tripod it will damp the ring and quiet it down significantly. My tripod is just a flange up angle iron frame that the anvil slips into on 3 rectangular steel tubing legs. Mine aren't fancy, no sand in the legs, no silicone, nothing but steel on steel and it reduced my Soderfors and Trenton anvils comfortable to work at with only plugs or muffs. Before the Soderfors was dangerously loud, a missed blow could leave my ears ringing till the next day through muffs AND plugs. 

Tripods are also easily portable, are stable on uneven surfaces, have room to work close and mine make handy places for clip on hammer and tong racks. The racks serve double duty by wedging the anvil in the stand solidly enough I can lift anvil and stand with my engine hoist with a wrap of chain around the anvil. 

That's just my solution YMMV.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mothman_c3w]

I went back to the same guy that sold me the tin-knockers kit and picked up some of his jeweler's and repousse tools. Not sure what brand the stakes are, and there are no markings on the mini anvil. Of the hammers, there is a peddinghaus, two "Crafttools", and one marked with "C.D." inside a crown/spike sort of logo. Anybody know of the maker?

[Daswulf]

No idea on help with makers but Wow, what a beautiful set of tools!

[JHCC]

Very nice!!

[Frosty]

I think you win the score of the weekend prize! 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Mothman_c3w]

Thanks! Gotta be honest, not sure yet what I'm going to do with the jeweler's stakes other than admire them. I don't do much small work, but I have a soft spot for small tools so I couldn't pass them up. The guy I got them from gave me some advice: he said "Get the heavy ferrous forging out of your system now while you're still relatively young, then when you're older get into non-ferrous repousse work." Not sure I'm ever going to want to get away from iron as my primary medium, but I thought it was an interesting perspective.

[Daswulf]

That is an interesting idea. They look to me like they would be good for smaller ferrous work too. 

[JHCC]

23 minutes ago, Mothman_c3w said:

"Get the heavy ferrous forging out of your system now while you're still relatively young, then when you're older get into non-ferrous repousse work."

Good advice, and something I’ve been keeping in mind of late. 

[Frosty]

That is good advice. The basic concepts are close enough that you can take much of what you learn smithing to the jeweler's anvil and if you start now when the joints start telling you smithing is breaking them down it's time to get into lighter impact metalwork. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Julianb]

17 hours ago, Mothman_c3w said:

and one marked with "C.D." inside a crown/spike sort of logo. Anybody know of the maker?

 

Hi,

 

I definitely have seen this mark before and I'm pretty sure I have a tool or two with it somewhere. I am at a total loss about the maker though. I'll try to find out more about it!

 

Cheers!
Julian

[Mothman_c3w]

Julian,

Any info you find would be much appreciated. I did a reverse image search on Google which turned up an old antique ad that indicated it may be of German origin, so it makes sense that you have seen it.

[Julianb]

Could you post a link to this ad? My attempts on reverse searching come up fruitless.

[JHCC]

Live links to commercial websites are not permitted on the forum. Send it in a personal message. 

[JHCC]

Today’s mail brought something unusual: a replacement screen for my son’s cell phone and a kit with the necessary tools. Not really blacksmithing related, but the company I got them from is a big supporter of DIY folks and the Right To Repair movement. 

Good quality tools for the money, and a good library of guides and techniques in their website. Highly recommended. 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

First I've heard of them thank you for the lead.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[picker77]

iFixit (Google it) is a great repair resource. I've been a member for years, and they have helped me replace several iPhone, iPad, and Kindle batteries, rescue some dead PC and Mac notebooks and laptops, and fix several small appliances - saving a lot of $ in the process. They lead a global revolution against the now common "throw it away and go buy another one" concept. Just two weeks ago I followed iFixit's step-by-step instructions to replace the $3 Lithium Ion battery in my beard trimmer instead of buying a replacement trimmer for $40. A little background in soldering/electronics repair is helpful, but not required. You just need good eyes and steady hands. Oh, and the most important thing that's lacking in a lot of folks: the ability and willingness to [read the manual], an age-old but critically important engineering term.

Edited September 15, 2023 by Mod34
Inappropriate language