ThomasPowers Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 And to have several different ones so that visitors/students can find the *right* one for their use too. As I "de-accession" my kit I have been giving away stuff along with selling and the more they buy the more I load them up as well...an old family friend is due to come over soon. I hope his back is stout! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 John, I was thinking about taking the finish off and making the handle a little more rectangular, but the red is so cool, and I figured I should put some hours on it before modifying it. Thomas, I had you in mind when I bought this, as I know you have all sorts of different hammers for all sorts of different people! I also remember you talking about students complaining about their hammer and how it is the reason they can’t forge something, but then you use the same hammer and show them that a craftsman doesn’t blame their tools. And wasn’t it you who said that once you were demoing and were hammering something very small with the peen end of a hammer and someone in the audience was amazed? I found myself doing that the other week and thought of reading that here on the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 If the red is a stain with a clear lacquer over it, you can try sanding off the lacquer and leaving the stain. If it's a red-tinted finish, you could sand it off where your hand comes into contact with the handle and leave the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 You could probably sand it all off and mix some red dye into turpentine or another solvent. Then you can recolor it as you like.. It might be worthwhile to try your mix on a test piece of hickory (or similarly colored wood) so you can get the color right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim695 Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 On 2/5/2023 at 11:30 PM, Chad J. said: Nice find, I'm curious why he's wearing a lab coat in the picture though... Hey Chad, When i took shop in school, that actually was the coveralls of the time. ( I think I just dated myself) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 If it’s too slick, rub it down with beeswax first. That may solve the issue without having to sand it down. If it doesn’t work, only a couple minutes wasted. Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Brouwers Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 I’ll probably just end up sanding the whole thing down till it is fairly wood color. Having a red handle is cool, but is not worth the work of re-staining it, and it doesn’t match the rest of my handles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 10, 2023 Share Posted March 10, 2023 My first "main smithing hammer" had a red handle and so I had to color the replacements so I'd grab the right one. I remember using a red sharpie one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Today’s load: two big gears from a NC hydraulic bender and a box of bearings all from the same machine overhaul. If I got there before they started cleaning up, I could have gotten some more fun stuff… This is all they saved for me. (I don’t know how I could have handled them but the rotating tables were scrapped also. 4’x6’ 6” thick with 4’ diameter 6” thick ring gears bolted to the bottom. I never saw the table bearings… There was plenty of other small pieces though.) Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Came across this beast of a ball peen hammer at a new antique mall that opened nearby. Got it for $7.50! Also picked up these lightweight tongs for cheap. No cracks, no slip, seem to be in good condition! Then purchased a 12lb maul with new hand carved handle from someone on FB for twenty bucks. Not a bad haul overall! Been feeling pretty ucky all week so haven't done any forging. Felt good to do something shop adjacent today, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 What's the weight of the beastly ball peen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Looks like probably 3 lbs since this weight includes the handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 3/10/2023 at 10:07 PM, Shainarue said: antique mall That's a nice hammer and a good deal. It's satisfying to see someone get a great score on a tool at the expense of an antique store..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I was in an antique store yesterday and almost grabbed an old farrier’s bob punch for $2 — until I saw that it was cracked from the struck end all the way to the eye. Oh, well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shainarue Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Yeah, I love looking at all the stuff in antique stores even if I would rarely pay the prices they try to ask, lol But I've learned that if you look carefully, you'll sometimes find a gem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Shaina, That’s a sweet find! I’m jealous, I found an odd contraption at an auction this weekend, it was definitely hand forged riveted and the chain was forge welded, im guessing it’s some sort of log roller, cant hook or maybe a old time fence stretcher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 That's an interesting piece, TW. I like the fence stretcher idea, especially if the chain was for another person or animal to pull on while the user secured the fencing in its tightened state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 I have a few old fence stretchers an none of them look like this thing, but the jaws just don’t look like they would be very effective for any logging work, mall the old hand forge log Peveys I’ve found don’t look like this thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Nice. Are you going to hang it on the wall, Billy. Heres my rusty haul from my second visit to the "new to me" junkyard this morning. I can't drive my vehicle in so it's what I can carry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 It certainly has the look of something that a creative farmer would knock together in his own forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott NC Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 17 hours ago, Shainarue said: Yeah, I love looking at all the stuff in antique stores So do I and every now and then you find a good deal. There was one here that recently closed up and had a sale I went to and they had a "fossil dinosaur egg" marked down to $1200. It looked like eroded sandstone to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Scott, I think you nailed that one. Often you'll find the "dinosaur eggs" to be concretions; objects that have formed in a spherical or elliptical shape due to cementation or precipitation in a sandstone or limestone formation...not an egg, LOL The "eggs" are kinda like the "cannon balls" that are actually, usually steel balls from ball mills that flea markets try to pawn off on folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 North west Arkansas is notorious for that!!! People pick up the steel balls used in feed hoppers In chicken houses and then try to sell them in antique stores, Im settin here thinkin good grief people!!! The battles that happened around NWA were relatively small compared to the ones back east, y’all have more “cannon” balls for sell in the flea markets of Lincoln and prairie grove than the actual shots that were ever fired there!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Two ways to tell the difference between mill balls and CW cannon balls is size. The commonest calibers of cannon during the CW were 6 pounders (3.67" caliber) and 12 pounders (4.62" caliber). There were a few odd ball others but they were rare. Case shot fired a group of balls 1" in diameter. So, if a rusty old ball is other than these diameters it is almost certainly a mill ball. Also, modern mill balls are steel while CW cannon projectiles were usually cast iron. So, a spark test will tell the difference. Finally, solid cannon balls were minority of the ammunition fired or carried during the CW. Most were shells (hollow with a time fuze) or cannister (lots of small 1" balls). "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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