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I Forge Iron

It followed me home


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If a stone is brand new, never been used, I make declare it a water stone and NEVER use it with oil---even wiping down an oiled blade before using the water stone.  If it has been used with oil then it's an oil stone and never used with water.

Remember to not let your water stones freeze!

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I fished some C-Channel out of the scrap bin at work that had some spindles on it a few weeks back. Didn’t pay much attention at the time to the spindles. Turns out they were spindles for a simple wood lathe. 
 

I have wanted a small lathe to turn handles for files, wood chisels, etc. Cleaned it up a bit and scabbed it together today and it works well enough.  Not OSHA approved at the moment - but seems to work well enough for small pieces. 
 

I also scored this arbor press from my in-laws over the weekend - which will be perfect for pressing on ferrules/collars for the tool handles - what luck! 
 

As I have started down this road I am attracting more and more stuff.  I need advice on how to hide this stuff from my wife...

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So far she has been interested but not yet involved. As a surrogate I have managed to get the kids involved - so that provides a little bit of cover...

The deal we have now is that the garage is my space and we are fine with the two cars on the driveway as long as I take care of the snow/ice on her car. Good deal as far as I am concerned.  We live in the suburbs on a small house - so space is a premium both indoor and out.

With Covid going on our kids are going to be home for at least the start of the school year. So I am going to plan some “shop class” activities for them.  Again - good thing to do AND great cover for the hobby...

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Hah. Or maybe put the new stuff under the older stuff???  More work, but better strategy - also first-in-first-our inventory management...

”Honey, is your pile of junk getting bigger?”

”Why would you think that?  It looks like the same stuff as always to me?”

Then, like to proverbial frog in the pot, the pile slowly grows to envelop the entire side of the garage - yet inexplicably seems to be comprised of the same stuff.

And also a confession, this came home with me from work yesterday...  50 pound cast iron weight. I am making a stacked 2x12 anvil stand and going to slot the bottom out to hold this guy cut into two pieces. With my little 55 pound anvil I need some more mass to make it less tippy. 

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You do have a point about stacking the old stuff on top. Whether the extra effort is worth it depends on how much attention she pays to it!

I've been wanting to find a plate like that to make a stake plate from. I've got some assorted cast iron chunks that I use for counter weights, and am glad to have them when they are needed. 

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Picked up a new-to-me post vise from a fellow living a few miles away. At 4-3/4”, it’s not much bigger than my current Frankenvise, but the jaws and screw are in MUCH better shape. Needs a bit of cleanup and work on the pivot bolt, and then I’ll mount it up. 

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Vises also vary with some being a lot stouter than others the same size. The last vise I bought at Q-S was definitely Robustus with the leg being about 1/2" in diameter greater than the same width vise I had previously used.

I had my extremely old and light post vise apart Friday evening when I was showing a new smith how to judge relative age on a postvise: Tanged mounting bracket, wedged pivot bolt, assembled and forge brazed screwbox, forge brazed screw thread in screw box, etc.

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Finally, had a chance to meet up with one of the smiths in our IBA chapter. He was holding some blacksmithing books for me.  Aside from just really enjoying the visit (no metal working this time), I’m overjoyed with the collection he saved for me! They survived a shop fire and some are in pretty bad shape, but from what I have thumbed through so far, these book are going to be an amazing resource. Couldn’t thank him enough.

I did feel a good that, although I can’t make our meetup this weekend, he is going to bring two die guide posts to our iron in a hat for me. They could be used as is, or as a source of two 2” diameter by 10” section of 1045.

David

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  I should say it "follows" me home, after every visit.  I found a spot on a defunct rail line near me where a train hauling bentonite went off the tracks and they just pushed all the smaller debris off to the side and left it.  Spikes, sleepers, rail, springs, car parts... you name it.  It covers an area about 1/8 to 1/4 mile long and you can stand in one spot and scan the ground and take your pick.  I make small piles to come back for later when I have too much to carry.   I found a semi-buried coupler once.  I stubbed my toe on it as it was in a grassey area.  After it rains a few times there is always something new uncovered but you have to wait until it dries out because wet bentonite is slick and when you fall down in it, it's hard to get back up!  :)  I asked permission to scavenge the area and got some funny looks but it was worth it.  I found a rr spike so corroded you could use it for a toothpick but still tell what it was.  Sorry for all the photos but I compressed them the best I could.

 

Scott.

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It's the getting permission part that is usually the most difficult.  I salvaged all the wrought iron bracing rods from the remains of what once was a traincar and now is a pile of rotten wood and rattlesnakes.  1/2" Wi rod stock; well worth tracking down the site owner.

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  They want rid of it in most cases!  The problem lies in unloading it when YOU need to.  I've been downsizing big time.  I wish I'd have met someone like me when I was starting out.  :)  I quit picking that wreck some time ago but had fun there.  I should have stated that I suppose....

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Well, I thought this was a good idea, then I thought it was a bad idea. Then I took Mrs. Taylor out to see it, and she said it was a good idea. There was a lift truck on site and the price was "almost free".

It fit perfectly in the truck.  I will have to disassemble it to get it out of the truck. 20' manlift, est weight, 600 - 700#:

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