WELCOME to the anvilfire!Virtual Hammer-In! This page is open to ALL for the purpose of advancing blacksmithing. Please read the RULES before posting a message. NOTE: This IS NOT the Guru page! |
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WHY THREE FORUMS? Well, this is YOUR blacksmithing forum to use for whatever you wish within the rules stated above. It is different than the Slack-Tub Pub because the messages are permanently posted and archived. This page is NOT a chat - it is a "message board" Our chat, the (Slack-Tub Pub), is immediate but the record of it is temporary. DO NOT post permanent messages there. We refresh the "log" every 24 hours now and your message will be lost. The Guru's Den is where I and several others try to answer ALL your blacksmithing and metalworking questions to us. Please note that this forum uses an e-mail encryption system that prevents spam harvesters from collecting your e-mail address.
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| J. Dempsey <webmaster> Rev. 7/98, 3/99, 5/2k, 6/2k, Friday, 04/06/01 16:43:25 GMT |
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Canedy Otto Blower: The gauntlet has been dropped . . . if gears for blowers are tuff to find . . . I'll accept the challenge to come up with a replacement. Fortunately, all of the gears in this blower are straight cut teeth. I'll lay them out on our comparater at work & get a drawing made up. We HAVE the technology to conquere this project (don't bother me with details like cost vs. value, & that other dribble). I'll let you all know how this turns out. |
| Mike S - Sunday, 06/30/02 03:09:09 GMT |
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Canedy Blower: Mike you mentioned that the gear was "plastic" , could it be "bakerlite" . type of old fashined "plastic " brown in colour,(not sure what it was really was made from ), that was made into all types of things , mainly electrical equipment , old light switches ect .. You also said the gears are straight cut , not sure on U S cars but early 70's late 60's Holden 6 cyl(Australian car) timeing gears were straight cut bakerlite gears .might be a Chev or Dodge with the same type of gear arrangement , Worth a look any way , Good luck in the hunt ,from oz |
| - Wayne - Sunday, 06/30/02 12:59:59 GMT |
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Bakelite and gears: Actually many pinion gears are made of micarta. This is a composite using a plastic and cloth or paper. Gears are still made of it. There are many grades of micarta linen being one of the best for gears. Linen micarta is also made that is graphite filled for wear blocks. It is unusual to see a micarta gear react to something and swell up. I'd put money on someone either soaking the unit in solvent or pouring something contaminated with paint thinner in the box as lubricant. . . An optical comparator is almost worthless on replacing gears. Most of the work is done mathematicaly. Step one is to measure the center distance between the two shafts. This must be accurate to about 0.0005". Step two is to count the teeth on both gears. Step three is to use a gear pitch gauge to determine the diametral pitch AND contact angle. Many old gears and most change gears are 14-1/2 deg. Most modern gears (except change gears) are 20 deg. Now that you have the centers, tooth size and ratio you can make a layout and do your gear calculations. Check the tooth ratio verses what you measured. The pitch diameters are at the contact point between the two gears. This will probably a fractional number that is an even increment of the diametral pitch. I would guess this gear is a 10 or 12 dP gear. If 10 dP then the distance between the to shaft centers will be some even multiple of 10th inch. If 12 pitch it will be multiples of 1/12 to the last decimal. Check your numbers. If they don't come out even then you measured something wrong. Its easy to screw up. After you are sure of the shaft centers and dP divide the pitch diameters by the fractional dP. This should be equal to the number of teeth you counted. Example: Pinion 1.8" Pd * 1/10dp = 18 teeth. Gear = 3.6" Pd * 1/10dp = 36 teeth. Shaft centers = 2.7000" Ratio = 2:1 No? Go back. Always be sure the theoretical model matches the parts before going further with any gear replacement project. NOW, if you want to take the good gear and put it in the optical comparator you can check it against AGMA specs. Different precision gears have different amounts of backlash. The backlash is caused by cutting the gears in a slightly smaller pitch diameter than the theoretical. This is to assure that if the gear is not cut perfectly true that the teeth do not "overmesh". Overmeshing is when there is zero running clearance or less and the gears get VERY tight, are noisy and usualy wreck themselves as well as bearings. You are better off with extra backlash than being overmeshed. Sometimes. . . shaft centers can effect the pithc line and some tolerance may be put in for that. Most of the time we just work to the theoretical dimensions and specify "machine tool quanlity" which is not that great compared to the level used in auto transmissions and jet engines. I had to replace the feed reversing gears in my old 1916 SouthBend lathe. No problem. Had them made from a pencil sketch based on the theoretical. Measurements were the problem. The lathe had been dropped breaking the reversing lever casting that holds the gears. Then some red-neck half brazed the part back together very crooked. Then proceeded to use the lathe until the gears worn with a crown that made them look like tractor tires. . . The braze job failed and the guy kept running the lathe. . When I got it the casting was glued back together with metal mender. . All the centers were either broken or egged out. I had to figure out what the original designer did to make the parts. The tricky measurment was the drive gear. All that holds it on the spindle is a press fit. I had to hit the fit to less than half a thousandth. I didn't make the gears. Someone else did at significant cost. If I screwed up half a thou then the gear would be garbage. . and money thrown away. Most of the tolerancing was guesswork. The replacement for the casting was made by torching out a plate, welding on a partialy machined tube and a length of stainless for the handle, then finish machining and drilling the bores. The work was done ON the broken lathe! This included machining the handle to match that classic tear drop shape of the originals. Lathe worked great. Now all I need to do is finish the new motor and drive installation. |
| - guru - Sunday, 06/30/02 19:28:29 GMT |
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Guru, exactly which churches teach 4000-5000 year old earth? I am willing to bet it is not the Coatholic church. But it will be a Fundamentalist church. All I am saying is that yes the Popes at times held back progress in terms of technology, but not most. Now that tech was not usually disseminated down to the lower uneducated masses, but that is another issue. |
| Ralph - Monday, 07/01/02 19:36:30 GMT |
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PPW: Grease on the latch is bad enough but bells under the bed? thats just MEAN!!~>;) |
| - Mills - Monday, 07/01/02 22:58:57 GMT |
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Mills: That's nothing compared to what I arranged for one of my son-in-laws. When he came into the church, I fussed because he'd scuffed his shoe. Had him take them off and give them to two of my guys to take and polish. They brought them back to him, made him sit down in a pew and put them on for him, "so you won't scuff the damn things again!". His left shoe had the letters H E across the instep. His right shoe had the letters L P across the instep. When he and my daughter knelt for the nuptial blessing his shoes had the word HELP in plain site. The congregation cracked up and so did my daughter. Avis knew immediately what I had done. Take my baby daughter away from her mother and I would he?? I can be very cruel when the occasion requires it. (grin) |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Monday, 07/01/02 23:51:11 GMT |
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Ralph, I live in Jerry Fawells backyard. On Sundays there is often nothing but Jerry on the 3 local Network stations AND he is on cable. . . The Southern Baptists are staunch creationists and believe in a literal Bible (their interpertation of literal). Along that line they have a date of some 4000 odd years when God created everything including fossils to test mans belief. . . A number of years ago they had all their accreditations for their schools pulled because all they taught was creationism. Somehow they rangled around it and told the acceditors they would teach the accepted science also. . . Jerry also still spouts off about AIDs being the "Gay Plague" among other things. His sermons on it carefully run in the South and other places where he has a lot of support. Many folks localy are embarassed to say they are from Lynchburg, VA because most of the world knows that is where Jerry is from. |
| - guru - Tuesday, 07/02/02 02:59:19 GMT |
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Gentlemen: are we going to agonize our miserable selves into a lather yet again over some boring religious dispute? I say leave that to the likes of the Taliban. We ought better set our minds to devising a way to entice Cameron Diaz into taking up blacksmithing. To beguile Julia Roberts with the notion of learning to weld. Interesting endeavors like that. Hmmm? |
| miles undercut - Tuesday, 07/02/02 04:32:09 GMT |
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I agree: : |
| - guru - Tuesday, 07/02/02 12:39:03 GMT |
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Cameron Diaz: wears entirely too much clothing - not suitable for the hot environment of a forge. |
| adam - Tuesday, 07/02/02 16:01:37 GMT |
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The road to Perfection has no finish line... |
| Barney - Tuesday, 07/02/02 20:23:47 GMT |
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Canedy Otto Blower: I took the gears & parts to work & checked our gear catalogs. No problem on a replacement. The gear is 16 pitch & 40 teeth. A guy from a gear shop just so happens to be making a visit to our plant tomorrow & I'm going to see if he can make be a good deal on one. The McMaster catalog wants 23 bucks for one, & it has a shaft hole that has to be opened up a little. I'll let you all know how it "turns" out. |
| - Mike S - Wednesday, 07/03/02 03:34:40 GMT |
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Barney-- Undercut's Lapidary Theorem of the Crafts states that the more you know about what you're doing, the harder it becomes, the more you polish your piece, the more glaring the remaining flaws become. |
| miles undercut - Wednesday, 07/03/02 04:35:46 GMT |
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Folks, I'll be out of town from the 4th through the 7th. |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Wednesday, 07/03/02 22:54:42 GMT |
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Canedy Otto Blower: Well, the gear guys were here today & I'll have a new gear in hand for just over 16 bucks by next Tuesday. I'll have to cut the center hole a little bigger & shave one end off to make the width right. Sounds like I should make up a few for others who may have the bum gear blues with this type of blower. |
| Mike S - Thursday, 07/04/02 02:57:17 GMT |
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fire strikers: This is not a Blacksmithing question but someone may have some ideas. I am making a bunch of fire strikers to outfit some scouts, I would like to put full kits together with flint, char cloth, and tow for tinder. I have all the above exept the tinder. Would enyone know where I could buy/order flax tow by the pound or bail? Thanks! |
| - kdbarker - Thursday, 07/04/02 06:42:28 GMT |
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Inventions: In my humble opinion, I think the greatest invention might be the written word. Mankinds ability to learn by written language brought us to now. Just goes to show...no matter where you go, there you are. |
| R Guess - Thursday, 07/04/02 22:54:30 GMT |
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Kd Barker /// Tinder /// Arson Kits. One of the most effective materials, for tinder, for fire starting is fatwood. Yes there is such an item and it burns like crazy. It is a natural wood (or shrub, I'm not sure which). It is a wood with an amazing amount of heavy oil in it. It can be bought at specialty wood and tool suppliers like Lee Valley Tools (they do mail order) and probably Woodcraft, etc. But they are expensive. I recently got a lot of it, at a much cheaper price, at a local big box hardware store. (Reno Dépotin Montreal, Quebec, Canada.) There is a chance that Home Depot or Walmart etc. may carry it south of here. Also, search the net under |
| SLAG - Friday, 07/05/02 02:13:56 GMT |
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"fatwood" (using, for example, Google etc.). There are a lot of mail order sellers on the net. But watch the prices. Regards to all. And have a happy July 4 weekend for all of the gang south of us. Sweltering, SLAG> |
| - slag - Friday, 07/05/02 02:18:30 GMT |
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Achievement, man's greatest:: The greatest invention... the wheel, so you don't have to drag things around? Nahh.... Fahr, so you don't have to eat things raw?... nahhh. It's the Thermos (note cap T) bottle. Keeps your soup warm in the winter, your ice tea cold in the summer... and... here's the wonderful part... how do it know? |
| miles undercut - Friday, 07/05/02 03:49:55 GMT |
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Tinder: Slag, Thanks for the info! |
| - kdbarker - Friday, 07/05/02 05:18:10 GMT |
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Tow: Arlene down by Yellow Springs OH sells tow (probably both flax and hemp tow) at Fiberworks; her e-mail address should be fibrwrks@aol.com. She does do mailorder and is a great person to work with. (I've sold her hand made spinning tools and my wife has bought a lot of fibers, books and stuff from her---tell her JoAnn Powers suggested her as a source!) |
| - Thomas Powers - Friday, 07/05/02 15:33:53 GMT |
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Fatwood: Down here in sunny Florida we call it Fatlighter, if we're talking about the same thing. It is from the sapwood of pine trees. Years back they would cut the pine trees sort of chevron patterned and place a bucket underneath to catch the rosin to make turpintine. There are fatlighter knots all over the woods here and most folks gather a bit to start fires in the winter(it does get cold in Florida). It dosent take very much, and it burns like kerosene. |
| R Guess - Saturday, 07/06/02 01:10:42 GMT |
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charcoal how deep fire ?: how deep of a fire for charcoal ? generally thanks terry |
| terry tallman - Saturday, 07/06/02 12:11:53 GMT |
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Tow : Thomas Powers, I will email Arlene. Thank you! R Guess, Fatwood, Fatlighter - I think are the same thing. All comes from resin producing pine trees like longleaf pine, slash pine, heart pine, etc. It was at one time a big money maker in the south to collect the resin for naval stores (products made from the resin of pine trees ). |
| - kdbarker - Saturday, 07/06/02 14:03:13 GMT |
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Fatlighter: kdbarker, If you cant find a closer source, send me an e-mail with a snail mail address and I'll ship you 5# or so for the Scout kits. I have several nice straight grained slabs that will shave off well with a pocket knife, after it is split into smaller pieces. |
| R Guess - Saturday, 07/06/02 16:32:15 GMT |
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Deep Fire :: Charcoal I use. I find that 6" is good enough, but each one is different. Barney |
| Barney - Saturday, 07/06/02 19:24:39 GMT |
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Fatwood /// |
| Slag - Sunday, 07/07/02 04:11:52 GMT |
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name of a blacksmiths hammer: what is the name of a blacksmiths hammer |
| - verity - Sunday, 07/07/02 21:04:58 GMT |
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TINDER: OK, I am the self proclaimed ambassador of fire. I make fires with flint and steel, a bow drill, and also with a fire piston. I am also a flintknapper and get a lot of stone for my flint and steel kits. I haven't used a match on a campfire for two years now. As for tinder, what I use is Jute twine. It is a natural plant fiber. It is also used in macrame.{sp?] All ya gotta do is unwind it and seperate the fibers, then make a little mouse nest and insert your glowing char cloth, tinder fungus, or hot coal. Some jute is larger that others, so with the smaller stuff you just take a little longer section. |
| - Bob Harasim - Sunday, 07/07/02 22:51:36 GMT |
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Hammer: Verity, there are a large number of different types of hammers that blacksmiths use. Probably the most commonly used hammer for general blacksmithing, in the United States, is the cross-pein hammer. There are a number of different styles of crosspeins, depending on the country. If you click on the link for Kayne and Son on the advertiser's page, you can see many hammers listed in their catalogue. I call my hammer a number of different names, depending on how my day is going. After hitting things wrong, or hitting myself, some of those names can get very inventive! :-) |
| vicopper - Monday, 07/08/02 00:09:39 GMT |
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Hammer names and Charcoal: Hammer: I sometimes call mine Loretta. I don't know why . . . Charcoal fire: Usually the depth is based on experimentation with your forge and what kind of fire you want. In the side-blast brick forge at the fort, we probably didn't get more then 5" deep, but it was a pretty big fire in area. On the other hand, my junk bottom-blast forge at home (16" Alloy wheel with fire brick to contain and insulate) gets to about 10" to be useful. Deeper if I want to weld. I recommend getting some fire brick and start playing with your fire to get the kind you want when you want it. Practice, Practice, Practice. |
| - Escher - Monday, 07/08/02 15:36:15 GMT |
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Tinder: Bob Harasim, Great info, thanks. What are other uses for "jute twine" or where could I find some to try. I use flint and steel to start the forge fire in the Blacksmith shop at the Farmers Museum in Historic Cooperstown, NY where I work a couple days a week and I am always looking for new things to try. Thanks. |
| kdbarker - Monday, 07/08/02 17:08:46 GMT |
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jute: Jute is common as a macrame cord so try a hobby/crafts shop, I have also seen it used as a twine for packages so postal supplies may have some. |
| - Mills - Monday, 07/08/02 17:14:50 GMT |
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Jute Twine /// and Enhanced Flame Propagation. Jute twine soaked in a solution of potassium chlorate will form an effective fire starter. (I used to get it at the local drugstore, but these days, ....). I would NOT hand out this material to children. The surface of the twine can also be lightly coated with a layer of wax or a little oil. rubbed on the twine). If you do coat the twine store the stuff in an air tight metal box. Better still, use fatwood,instead, it's safer. Be careful, be safe, and have fun. Regards, SLAG. |
| slag - Tuesday, 07/09/02 00:57:09 GMT |
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Bradley Power Hammer Parts: I'm looking for dies and an Idler Pulley for a 150lb Bradley strap hammer. Any help would be appreciated. |
| - Dave Randolph - Tuesday, 07/09/02 01:02:56 GMT |
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fire start stuff: So far I have been lucky... For fire starter I have been using old rope caulking from log buildings.... works very nicely. Also dryer lint...... |
| Ralph - Tuesday, 07/09/02 01:34:03 GMT |
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power hammer: Dave, have you tried Bruce Wallace? If so disregard this. |
| - Mills - Tuesday, 07/09/02 12:47:58 GMT |
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Fire Starter: I used dryer lint. free and lots of it while kids were here. Every kid in the Cub camp had some at home for the picking..I just provided the striker steel. |
| Barney - Wednesday, 07/10/02 02:03:01 GMT |
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VIRUSES: All the old standards are still floating around. I am still recieving "Snowhite" from HAHAHA a couple times a week. SirCAM is still circulating and Klez has not yet run out. Our ISP has a filter that keeps me from seeing all the Klez and Klez bounce mail. It is pretty effective because I have not seen ONE copy since they installed the filter. Stay alert! Avoid opening unexpected attachments. |
| - guru - Wednesday, 07/10/02 19:14:42 GMT |
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viruses: speaking of viruses, one of the many "free" email servers I use seemed was hit hard with bounced emails. I recieved lots of undelieverable notices from the auto postmaster. For the kicker, the auto postmaster put a failed copy *with* payload in my inbox. Every time. A full inbox of bounced forged klez. *Sigh* Free sometimes isn't. Virus free for the moment! randye PS, it wasn't Hotmail! |
| - randye - Thursday, 07/11/02 01:40:19 GMT |
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Mail Systems: Yep, I got a ton of bounce mail that had the payload. Wonderful. . load up my box with return mail *I* did not generate plus send me the attachement! I wrote to several major companies about the problem and got responses along the line of "well, we don't want to miss any legitimate bounced mail". . . Apparently bounce mail that DID NOT originate from you can be be detected and ignored. My ISP (server host) does it and it should now be the industry standard. Now if they could just filter out all the SPAM. . . |
| - guru - Thursday, 07/11/02 18:19:57 GMT |
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Fatwood, Lightwood: When I was a kid in the Scouts we were taught to collect "Lightwood". It was as Randal mentioned the resiny knots of pine trees. In the forest you would look for rotted pines laying on the ground. Insects don't eat it and its uneffected by bacteria. It could be on its way to being some kind of amber type substance a million years from now. But probably not, since is does disapear eventualy. It burns better than oil soaked wood but it does take a flame to get it started. I like the idea of using dryer lint. It also teaches a fire prevention lesson. . clean out that lint! But for those of us that hang our laundry summer and winter it does no good. |
| - guru - Friday, 07/12/02 13:46:58 GMT |
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Laundry: Dear Guru; may I suggest changing clothes often enough that you don't have to "hang" them? Loved the typo; been trying to get my wife to hang out more clothes to dry---esp when it's *HOT* and the electricity meter is already spinning like a top---I usually get to hang them out when I mention it... Thomas |
| - Thomas Powers - Friday, 07/12/02 16:04:27 GMT |
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Trip hammers FS: Last Sunday I was tooling home from my parent's place in Joplin, Mo. and did a double take: Two trip hammers sitting out next to a farm shop. One 25# and one 50# older style Meyers Brothers Little Giants. The owner's mom showed 'em to me and they looked to be in very good condition. The dies looked new, if (very) slightly rusted. My shop being a whopping ten feet from my neighbor's house, I refrained from asking the price. . . The owner, Charles Comstock, is a farrier who is trying to expand into the tools business. He claimed both hammers had been used less than five hours apiece since they were rebuilt by Sid Sudemeyer(sp?). Mr. Comstock is on the highway between Fort Scott, KS and Nevada, MO. and his phone is 417-927-3499 From what he asked for an old self-feed flat belt drill, I expect he is asking every nickel they are worth. . . He showed me the hammers he replaced those with: Later style Little Giants modified with a brake band around the crank plate. Is anyone familiar with this kind of modification? |
| John Lowther - Friday, 07/12/02 19:00:42 GMT |
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I found fatwood in my local hardware store with the barbecue stuff. Been wondering what to do with my belly button lint collection. Next time I go camping I will be sure to astonish all with my fire making skills |
| adam - Saturday, 07/13/02 02:56:53 GMT |
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machine for sale: I have a couple of machines for sale, they may not really be blacksmith stuff but maybe there is some one with interest. L&J model #5 OBI press with a 50 ton cap. It has a 4" stroke, mecanical clutch, flywheel driven by a 5 hp motor. In working condition asking $1200.00 also have several dies for it. There is also a small obi press but I don't know the make or cap. $300.00 I also have a extrusion press with about a 500 ton cap. It was fabracated to extrude silver to make coins from. It is 3'tall, 4' wide, and 8' long. The billets are about 2 1/2" X 12". It has a billet heater with 3 elements 1500watts at 440 volts. It is powered by a 20 hp hydralic pump. If interested or knows some one with interest contact me a jandasimmons@hotmail.com or call 801)794-9526. Located in Utah. Jerry Thanks! |
| - Jerry Simmons - Saturday, 07/13/02 05:01:38 GMT |
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Lint: Adam, Just be sure you remove the lint from your belly button first! |
| - guru - Saturday, 07/13/02 05:20:49 GMT |
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Little Giant Brake: Dave Manzer highly recommends the addition of a brake on LG's. It is definitely a do-it-yourself affair as no LG came with brakes. Bradley Compacts and all Fairbanks hammers came with brakes. The Bradley used a wrap around brake on the crank wheel and Fairbanks has expanding cast iron shoes in the drive pulley. The Fairbanks is non-directional but the Bradley brake requires the machine to turn in the direction that self tightens the brake. It is the same on retrofit brakes on LG's. Upgrading from one type LG to another is a waste of effort unless there was something seriously wrong with the old LG's. The early design with the wrap around guide was actually better. The best LG guides were on the 250# and 500's as well the the rare "transitional" 25# hammer which has heavy wrap around cast iron guides like the bigger hammers. Someone in the tool business needs serious hammers with 100# being the minimum, preferably in something heavier than an LG. |
| - guru - Saturday, 07/13/02 05:31:40 GMT |
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Inventions and other stuff: The human brain! Creationism vs whatever: Take a peek at a little book called "Science Speaks" by Stoner and Newman ISBN 0-8024-7630-9 Fossils to test our faith? An allknowing God does not need to "test" anything. Because He already knows everything! Why would He test the breaking strenght of my/your faith if He knows it? -------------- Lastly, a bit of a conundrum: I have a workshop out of town, about ten minutes drive. No visitors, no customers, peace and quiet most days. I have a lot of work and am getting more. I need to employ a striker within the next month or so. Also need a larger shop, which can be done by knocking down a wall. My rent is about $60 a month. I can get a huge barn in town, half a mile from my home for $220 a month. 3 phase 380v power, about 25 x 25 m floorspace. It will get me more work as I will be right on main street. (Another nice thing is that it is not on town zone areas, sitting on farmland next to main street, so I can make noise and smoke and the town council can't touch me!) Should I take it? |
| Tiaan - Saturday, 07/13/02 21:57:33 GMT |
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shop: I would but double check the zoneing, also I would check if you can hang a sign out front are are allowed to use the building as a retail shop. (IE selling stuff you made couse it was fun not just custom work.) MP |
| MP - Sunday, 07/14/02 01:04:04 GMT |
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Shop: Tiann, As MP mentioned, I would double check the zoning. I also know you are in South Africa and the dollar amounts may be comparitively a lot or little. In US dollars the rent sounds good. You can never have enough space and the 82 x 82 feet is a lot of space. lathes, brakes, shears, weld plattens ALL take lots of space. I know you have been scrounging tools and space has probably been a consideration. More space also increases heating/cooling and janitorial costs. It doesn't matter if you do it or pay someone else, that area will need to be swept once in a while. Smoke and noise are a neighbors issue. Rules or legality aside, if you have close neighbors you don't want to upset them. However, it sounds like it was an industrial building to start with. Walking distance from home is nice. Visitors can mean more business but also more distractions. You can lose half a day per visitor easily. A sign on a public street is cheap advertising but you need to check the sign ordinances. . In the US you can get in all kinds of trouble over signs HOWEVER, if it is on the side of a building there is usualy nothing anyone can say. The monthly rent is almost four times what you are paying now. It is a big responsibility. Blacksmith shops also often need foundation pits for power hammers and you need to consider that or discuss it with the landlord. |
| - guru - Sunday, 07/14/02 23:29:28 GMT |
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band brake for LG: I built a band brake for my 50# LG as in the Dave Manzer video t to be a huge improvement in control as well as handy when doing things such as adjusting ram height and setting up tooling |
| - aaron - Monday, 07/15/02 00:23:42 GMT |
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JYH "rusty": has anybody here seen the plans for The Appalachian Power Hammer "rusty" I was interested in getting a set but no answer to my e-mails to them. I would be interested in buying a set of the plans if anyone has a set to sell. Rusty |
| Mark P. - Monday, 07/15/02 00:24:06 GMT |
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Power Hammer Plans: I'm also interested in getting my hands on a set of plans for the Appalachian hammer, or even a few more detailed photos. I have a concept I'm thinking about building, using some of the NC-JYH (the tire fricton drive) and some of the Rusty concepts such as the overhead leaf spring toggle. I have a feeling that getting the drive apparatus down low is a bonus interms of stability, and I like the friction drive for control and flexibility. I also like the simplicity of the leaf spring on the Rusty as it simplifies hammer guide considerations and allows for pretty decent adjustment, I would think. So, I 'm thinking of creating a bastard child of the two. Anyone have any ideas or input? |
| vicopper - Monday, 07/15/02 00:59:00 GMT |
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Tiann-- I just went through the same equation here, and decided to stay put. Only shop space I could find in the town I was considering moving to was located in primo commercial areas and I reasoned I did not need the exposure and the correspondingly high rents/prices. You say you have plenty of work where you are and getting more. So unless you're going to get $160 a month worth of impulse customers and sign advertising, I'd say stay put. (And how's the fire risk in a barn?) |
| miles undercut - Monday, 07/15/02 03:56:35 GMT |
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Shop location: Tiaan, when considering undercut's advice on exposure you have to remember that he is three times removed from his real identity, uses phrases like "in the town I was considering moving to" so no one would be able to have a starting point on figuring out who he really is or if he really even exists, let alone where he lives and what kind of work he does, and as far as the only one who really knew him, Cracked Advil, he time warped him out of this site to perpetuate his own treasured annonymity. What we all really miss is the pretty blue border his former boss and mentor had. I'm not triing to devalue Undercut's advice, which is always sound but wish you to remember that these are words of a shrewd recluse with a very well hidden scrap pile. Larry |
| L.Sundstrom - Monday, 07/15/02 14:26:27 GMT |
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Igor go get me a spare tire! I did hear of a case early last century when a Beaudry fell in love with a 25# Little Giant. The offspring of this unfortunate union was a pathetic monster that could not find acceptance anywhere. For a while it eked out an existence in the woods behind a RR yard. It could be heard at night thumping and moaning. Eventually it was hunted down by a posse of RR yard workers and cruelly bludgeoned to death. |
| adam - Monday, 07/15/02 16:23:03 GMT |
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Any Takers ???: Just a little over two weeks before the festival. Have 3 smiths showing so far. Anymore ? Come on up for camping beer tent on site live open air concerts(REO speedwagon Lonestar, Honeymoon suit just to name a few). Food fun and fresh air.We are sponsered and hosted to show our stuff.. So lets do it.. Chow...... |
| Barney - Monday, 07/15/02 23:15:42 GMT |
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JYH: Whats the advantage of the spare tire clutch over the idler pulley/tensioner arrangement? |
| - adam - Tuesday, 07/16/02 00:25:23 GMT |
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Adam: Simplicity, and I think it's a little more controllable. |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Tuesday, 07/16/02 01:16:09 GMT |
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Any Takers???: Festival??? Where? What? I must have missed something. |
| kdbarker - Tuesday, 07/16/02 06:27:10 GMT |
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Any Takers....: Barney, I wish I could. I have the time. But I just do not have the money. Well I will be off of work, but She Who Will be Obeyed will probably say that I DO NOT have the time... (grin) |
| - Ralph - Tuesday, 07/16/02 15:51:33 GMT |
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Festival*s*: Barney; I'll be running the Y1K forge at the Dublin (OH) Irish Festival---when ever I can duck out of being King Brian Boru---the first weekend in Aug. We're a bit farther away from the Celtic Rock stage so you can probably hear the hammering this time... Then a couple of days recup while working and packing for Pennsic. Thomas |
| - Thomas Powers - Tuesday, 07/16/02 16:18:22 GMT |
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And just who was it, Larry, who kept egging poor kindly old Cracked on, luring him into geezerizing on such unsmithish topics as junk around the yard, resultant marital discord, etc.-- and at such interminable length-- that some of more technowonkish amongst (love them Brit words, love em!)our brethren protested, driving the geezer off aboard his time machine to sulk in the Dizzy Club back there in the 1950s, hmm? |
| miles undercut - Tuesday, 07/16/02 23:00:43 GMT |
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Draft Horse Pulls;: Another event planned for Sept labour day weekend. Been asked again to see if there is any Blksmiths willing to show off their skills/wares and toys of the trade. It is held in Powassan Ontario. At the fair grounds. The event is listed here -- www.powassan.net/agriculturesociety.html . If there is a typo just log on to powassan.net and look for the agriculture society square.The dates are last years. but events are the same. Camping etc is on site. Free tickets given to the vendors. If interested let me know to book whatever is required.. Chow for now.. Maybe see you there ??? |
| Barney - Wednesday, 07/17/02 01:00:38 GMT |
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a bit of info: Folks just a small bit of trivia... 100 years ago today the first Air Conditioner was made. By a fellow named Willis Haviland Carrier. At the time he was forking for a company called Buffalo Forge....(see does have smithing content! ) Here is a link to some more info http://www.global.carrier.com/details/1,,CLI1_DIV28_ETI3676,00.html www.global.carrier.com/details/1,,CLI1_DIV28_ETI3676,00.html |
| - Ralph - Wednesday, 07/17/02 19:19:11 GMT |
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Miles: I am cut to the quick and am forced to admit that mistakes were made. I just know that if he were here today this wouldn't have happened. Larry |
| - L. Sundstrom - Thursday, 07/18/02 12:40:59 GMT |
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Stuff for Sale: Hello All, I have two small trip hammers for sale. The 25# Little Giant has all new pins, bushings, spring and paint with good 1hp motor and drawing dies. Very good condition at $2200. The other hammer maybe a 25# Star knock-off. It has no identification but is very similar to a Star. It is in good usable condition with a 1&1/2hp motor at $950. Prices are fob Alva, OK. Delivery is available. |
| - Mike George - Thursday, 07/18/02 16:58:27 GMT |
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More Stuff for Sale: Hello All, I have three anvils for sale. The Hay-Budden is 196 lbs+/-. It has been surface ground with excellent edges at $550. There are two Peter Wrights, one 196 lbs+/-, surface ground with excellent edges at $550 and one 296 lbs+/- in very good condition at $950. Anvils are fob Alva, OK. |
| Mike George - Thursday, 07/18/02 17:10:07 GMT |
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Even More Stuff for Sale: Hello All, I have a small, rectangular, cast iron forge with excellent hand crank blower for sale. There is a small crack in the forge pan that in no way threatens the integrity of the forge. The forge is approximately 2'x3' at $200. Two post vices, one with 4 1/2 inch jaws at $85 and one with 5 1/2 inch jaws at $175. I also have a very unique worm drive, hand crank blower that was made by G. Schrol in Hutchinson, KS. I have only seen one other blower like it. It is priced at $100. And finally, one forge blower with good electric motor at $75. All prices are fob Alva, OK. |
| Mike George - Thursday, 07/18/02 18:01:03 GMT |
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Larry-- Fret not. Those were not mistakes. Those were vital issues you raised. Cracked would insist there is no need to apologize, I am almost sure. He has gone to a better place-- The Dizzy Club on Holabird Avenue in Dundalk, circa 1950, surrounded by chums Yummi deLisch, Chastity Dangerfield and doughty henchperson Swarf-- by far. And they all owe that good fortune to you. |
| Miles Undercut - Thursday, 07/18/02 23:13:09 GMT |
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Fretting: Ah, but his poor wife, she really should have been more appreciative of the corragated fence. Still, she must miss him terribly. larry |
| lsundstrom - Friday, 07/19/02 11:32:18 GMT |
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Updated Site: Hi, Here is a sample of the updates on ........ http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/index.htm Art-metalwork Patterns http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/patterns.htm Articles on Blacksmith Process (How-to) http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/education_index.htm Historic Tools http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/gallery7.htm Pictures of Period Ironwork http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/gallery8.htm Blacksmithing; Illustrated & Explained http://www.artist-blacksmith.org/traditional_metalsmith.htm Thank you, George Dixon, Metalsmith www.artist-blacksmith.org |
| - Jessica Dixon - Friday, 07/19/02 13:58:41 GMT |
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Acorn Tables: I found a acorn table that is five by six feet. It is in good shape, is six inches thick with 1-3/4" sq. holes that are 3" deep from top surface. My question is for anyone with experience buying these, is 600.00 a reasonable price? |
| Steve E. - Sunday, 07/21/02 05:48:08 GMT |
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does 600.00 sound like a good price for a acorn table 6" inches thick 5'x 6'? |
| Steve E. - Sunday, 07/21/02 05:53:52 GMT |
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Acorn Table: Steve = That sounds like a pretty decent price to me, but I live in a place where they've never heard of acorns, much less Acorn Brand weld platens. I would guess that works out to about twice the scrap value of the metal, so it seems decent to me. The real question we always need to ask on things like this is, "will it be worth that to me to have it?" If the answer is yes, the get it, no matter the dollar amount. If the answer is no, then it doesn't really matter how cheap it is, it isn't a "good value" for the money. Only YOU can answer these questions. |
| - vicopper - Sunday, 07/21/02 09:21:40 GMT |
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Weld Platte AKA Acorn plates: No live oaks in the Caribean? Hmmmmm. If you do any welding or architectural work they are indispensable. They easily become the heart of your shop. Don't forget you will have some expense making a stand with legs. It needs to be made of good heavy (4x4x3/8") angle. In some big shops the pave the floors with weld platens. this is for bending heavy structurals using pry pars in the holes. Occasionaly you find them as the door step to shops where someone probably couldn't get it into the shop. They are not as useful on the floor (in the ground) but they sure come in handy if you have something heavy to bend. The last "job" I did on mine was straightening the front axels out of a Ford tractor. It had rolled down a hill and hit a tree. The job only took about 5 minutes and I don't have a good set of "furniture" for my platten. Without the platten it would have been hours trying to get a grip on the heavy parts and then bend them. . . $600 to $800 seems to be the going price for used plattens. You DO know it weighs about 3,500 to 5,500 pounds? My "light" 4x4 weighs 2,000 pounds. |
| - guru - Sunday, 07/21/02 13:51:32 GMT |
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Steve: A brand new platen that size lists for $2,900 USD. I'd say $600 is pretty attractive. Jock, The listed weight for the 5' X 6' is 2,500 pounds. the stand weighs an additional 740 pounds. |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Monday, 07/22/02 04:04:14 GMT |
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can anyone give advice on how to forge katanas?? I seek quality not quantity in my work |
| - forger_dude - Monday, 07/22/02 06:02:03 GMT |
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can anyone give me help on how to forge a quality katana? |
| - forger_dude - Monday, 07/22/02 06:07:01 GMT |
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Katana-dude: FD; Sure . The first thing to do is become a good blacksmith having mastered the basic skills. Then read all the specialized literature on the subject. At that point you will be ready to start learning to forge your Katana. Don't be impatient. Good luck dude |
| - Pete F - Monday, 07/22/02 07:49:43 GMT |
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Japanese Swords: If I may, I'll quote myself from a posting of June 7, 2000: "The best book that I've come accross is "The Craft of the Japanese Sword" by Leon and Hiroko Kapp and Yoshindo Yoshihara (1987, 1990; LoC 86-45725; ISBN 0-87011-798-X). Check with your local library and see if they have it or can pull it through an inter-library loan. It's presently in print, and is frequently advertised in kife making magazines. The forging of these pieces is among the most time consuming and meticulous activities that a smith could undertake. To be frank, most of us do not have the skill (and/or the time) to do it right, and even the Japanese smiths have a failure rate of up to one in four." Visit your National Parks: www.nps.gov Go viking! |
| Bruce Blackistone (Atli) - Monday, 07/22/02 13:02:32 GMT |
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As "Cracked Anvil" commented once, "What're you going to do with a sword? You can't take it to the movies". |
| - Frank Turley - Tuesday, 07/23/02 13:50:09 GMT |
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Swords: Frank & Cracked; of all the types of things I have smithed over the years one of the few ones I *have* taken to the movies is a sword. Just think of it as being like all those cars with speedometers that go over twice the legal speed or a heavily etched and engraved sporting gun---or just consider it a weird piece of exercise and meditation equipment... Thomas |
| - Thomas Powers - Tuesday, 07/23/02 16:17:54 GMT |
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Sword Forger Dude: One of the county's best (Bill Forini) wanted to learn the traditional methods. To make true traditional Japanese blades the materials must come from the traditional sources (in Japan) and be processed by traditional methods. Otherwise they are just replicas. So, Bill contacted a family of Japanese sword smiths (they are considered a national treasure in Japan), talked his way into going to train with them and spent MANY thousands of dollars in travel as well as spending many months in Japan over a period of years. Among other things he learned Japanese and got adopted into the family of sword smiths. Before Bill started this quest he was already an accomplished smith. When you speak of "quality" in this area you must dedicate your life to the pursuit of perfection, not just immerse yourself into the myth. And a great deal of this subject deals with myth as well as religion. What I tell prospective sword makers is to first make a kitchen knife. THEN make a chef's knife. THEN try to make a chef's kinfe that a real working chef will be happy with. It is a difficult task but far less difficult than mastering the skill of the Japanese swordsmith. And it is a starting point. |
| - guru - Tuesday, 07/23/02 18:34:42 GMT |
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Thomas-- There is a nifty old shop in London with a sign out front advertising its wares, amongst (love them Brit words, love 'em!) which are listed sword canes. This, mind you, in a town where it is now totally illegal to carry ANY sort of pocket knife. I prefer to think of lugging a big, shiny, rattly, clattery sword along to the movies as just asking, nay, begging for a weapons charge of some sort: lawyer bait. |
| miles undercut - Tuesday, 07/23/02 22:12:18 GMT |
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Question: Hi Im new to blacksmith and am looking for somone to talk to On msn,yahoo,or aol. Kind of a tutor over the net type thing So i can ask questions. Like Whats a fuller, can I make one if so and how, And how do I use it type things.... Daniel |
| - Daniel - Tuesday, 07/23/02 23:24:39 GMT |
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Weapons Legality: HOW you carry a "weapon" very often defines the legality of it more so than WHAT you carry. Sword-canes are illegal "weapons" in every part of the U.S. that I've lived in. As are brass nuckles. HOWEVER they sell them at all the gun shows here localy... gun shows that are crawling with law enfocement, in uniform, off-duty, and undercover. Similarly, I've trapsed around with a sword hanging from my belt and a dagger tucked into it on the other side several places and times and never been bothered. On the other hand, I've been given a hassle over a 3 inch folding blade that was so beat up and full of stuff that it was obvious from across a room that this was my work knife. The difference is, at the gun show people leave the stuff in a box, take it out to there cars, put it in the trunk, and use it at home to keep dust off of a bookshelf somewhere. The swords I only cary when I'm in costume, and surrounded by other people with "weapons" in costumes, and many times have them bound by some sort of peace strap. When I got bothered about my little pocket knife, it was dark, I'd been drinking, was dressed like a punk, and was loitering with drunk scruffy looking friends behind a seedy bar after closing time. I'd hassle me too! |
| - mattmaus - Wednesday, 07/24/02 01:18:32 GMT |
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That London shop I mentioned purveys high-end bespoke bumbershoots, canes, walking sticks, shooting sticks-- those things with the folding leathern seats-- and all like that there. I did not mean it still sells sword canes. The sign is a relic from another era. In one era and out the other. |
| miles undercut - Wednesday, 07/24/02 04:13:59 GMT |
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coal vs anthracite: I know that anthracite is a form of coal, but would it get hot enough to work in a forge ? I am just getting ready to fire up a brake drum forge( semi brake drum) and before I buy the fuel for the fire, I guess it would help to find out which would be better. I will be using it to heat tret 14-16 ga sheet metal for armour projects, and possibly working on small knife blades in the future. Thanks in advance, JT |
| - Jerry - Wednesday, 07/24/02 05:47:21 GMT |
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Upper Canada Villiage: Hello folks, I have not posted here in years, so I am not surprised if ya'll don't remember me. I am up in Cooperstown, NY and am going to visit U.C.V. on August 9th and 10th. I remember writing back and forth to a (Ralph?) who was a/the smith there and thought I would give him a headsup, just in case there was anything he wanted me to bring. feel free to email me, thnx, michael BTW Jock, Thanks for posting my drawings and some of the demo on the masterpiece key in the news section, the photos look great! That is what all the failed e-mails said! sorry for clogging up your mail box with attempts, I don't know what is wrong with my e'mailery. |
| Michael - Wednesday, 07/24/02 12:45:25 GMT |
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Jerry, antracite will get hot enough, but unless you are going to have a constant air blast it will go out rapidly. Bituminous coal (AKA smithing coal) will keep burning for a long enough period of time to be more usefull. There will more than likely be a farrier supply place near to you. But if not go to the links page here on anvilfire and look up the 'Coal Skuttle' page and then you can see who the coal suppliers are in your area (I am assuming you are in the USA) Also look in the yellow pages. And after that you can look at getting coal from Bruce Wallace, who is also listed on anvilfire. |
| Ralph - Wednesday, 07/24/02 14:21:17 GMT |
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Daniel: Daniel; lots of folks would be happy to talk smithing with you---but you really need to see and handle stuff to learn. If you are near central Ohio the Mid Ohio Blacksmiths would be happy to have you attend meetings, no charge just a bunch of folks who like to pound iron, various ages, various genders, various skill levels. I saw the prototype of our flaming anvil sign for Quad-State last weekend it should be nice as well as well as usefull as a marhmallow roaster... Thomas |
| Thomas Powers - Wednesday, 07/24/02 17:04:35 GMT |
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Easy Charcoal Making: I've been checking various parts of 'Anvilfire' for a few months now but just yesterday found this area... So I am writing to share an experience I discovered in '75 on making charcoal, quick and easy. I started out to do metal (Al) casting and needed fuel. I had access to a large quanity of dried hardwood scraps from a furniture shop. Don't remember all the details of how I came to try my particular method but it worked fine for me. It was fast, easy, efficient, etc. - all the things that the discussions I've read here, at 'Anvilfire', about charcoal making, aren't... I tack welded together 3- 35 gal. 'pony' drums in a 3-high stack, bottom still in bottom drum only, welded a small 1.5-2" pipe into bottom of bottom drum, at a tangent, to blow air in, in a swirl. Attached a small squirrel cage fan to the pipe with a removable connection. Then just filled the whole stack with wood scraps - chunks no more than 3 inches long or wide and less than 1" thick. Oh, just remembered, I first dropped in a perforated plate at the bottom, on 2" legs, to avoid the air swirl from being blocked by the wood scraps. So here's the easy part... I just lit the wood on top of the stack. When it was burning well, I cranked on the fan (don't remember if I had a butterfly valve on it or not) and the fire / flames shot skyward. It was getting dark. I was doing this in a gravel driveway. And I watched the flames damp down as a red zone decended into the barrel stack. The glowing red zone stayed fairly level, and just moved down at a steady pace. That's it... When the glow reached the bottom I disconnected the fan and plugged the air pipe. I probably put a lid on top and left the whole thing till the next day. And then - a stack full of charcoal - very little settling and no ash production to be seen. So how did it work so well? My understanding was that the steam and volitiles from the 'red zone' quenched the developing charcoal above, both by cooling and depriving it of oxygen. If anyone wants to hear more of the story, or details, let me know... Also let me hear - here - how your experience works, if you give it a try. "And that's how I got started in blacksmithing" Bob |
| Robert Llewellyn - Wednesday, 07/24/02 22:13:17 GMT |
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charcoal: That's neat, Bob I have no interest in burning charcoal in my coal forges but I hate buying charcoal to grille on and would love to make my own. Thanks,I would like to hear more of the story. Would two barrrels work? Larry |
| L. Sundstrom - Wednesday, 07/24/02 22:26:33 GMT |
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Space: I live in pottstown Pa, if you know pottstown you'll know that it's not very far in between the houses so will my neihbors be bothered by the nouise or the smoke that I'll make????? HELP ME!!!!!!! |
| Ahren miller - Thursday, 07/25/02 00:25:01 GMT |
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airvent : im just starting out so i dont know what goes where and how big it should be and stuff like that. so if any of you's could, PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!! |
| Ahren miller - Thursday, 07/25/02 00:33:56 GMT |
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Insurance: Beware, Hartford Insurance is pulling out of insuring blacksmiths in Indiana. They said we are considered manufacturers and do to a series of loss's they are no longer insuring Indiana manufacturers read [BLACKSMITHS] Do not expect to be told in advance about this. I was given almost no warning at all. Good luck in finding liability insurance. |
| - Stiffy - Thursday, 07/25/02 03:17:17 GMT |
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Space and Vent: Ahren, It depends on your neighbors and the neighborhood. Go to the local library and check the zoning ordinance (don't call and ask). In many old cities blacksmith shops were allowed in residential neighborhoods. Smoke. . . I'm sure if you are in an older part of town a large number of your neighbors in Pennsylvania burn coal for heat so they can't complain much about smoke unless you do a poor job of managing your fire. Noise. This varies a lot depending on if you are inside or outside and if there are fences and vegatation. Bushes absorb a LOT of noise. Fences (solid or wood picket) stop noise but also reflect it (just like a mirror). Noise that cannot be heard on the other side may seem to be IN your neighbors upstairs window. This is one you have to guess at. Pounding on COLD steel and hollow items is very noisy. Pounding on hot steel is NOT very noisy unless you ring the anvil a lot. "Airvent" I'm guessing you are talking about a stack for your forge. 10" diameter is about the minimum. No, you can't use a little 6" stove pipe. We have all tried it and it doesn't work. |
| - guru - Thursday, 07/25/02 03:47:25 GMT |
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Manufacturers: Stiffy, It is probably due to looming libility with some big corp being sued for tens of millions for some reason. Back in the 80's our family business did service work for the nuclear industry. They required all their contractors to have an outrageous amount of insurance no matter what they did. After going through a couple companies we ended up with the British outfit that supposedly insures anything, Lloyds of London. . . they increased and increased our rates and we just passed it on the customer. Finally they just said, NO MORE. . . They didn't say, well this 500K contact is going to cost you 1,000K to insure, they just said "no more nuclear". This was fallout (pun intended) from TMI and Chernoble. It had nothing to do with us or the type work we did. But the utilities still wanted insurance. So we told them YOU get the insurance for us. . . they couldn't either. So we worked on site without insurance. But the dumb thing is that the utilities would have paid ANY amount to insure us and there was insignificant risk. All we were doing was training and advising the utility employees on how to run our equipment to repair THEIR equipment. . . The worst we were lible for was the cost of our machinery. It was ALL gravy money for the insurance company. |
| - guru - Thursday, 07/25/02 04:04:37 GMT |
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If you are in an area where sound can be a problem buy a Fisher anvil. It's a good anvil but doesn't ring! If folks complain just start your lawn mower---your forging will be quieter than that! For somke concerns---use a propane forge, they are fairly easy to build and use. Or if you are doing small ammounts of work charcoal can work for you as well---real charcoal and not briquettes though. |
| Thomas Powers - Thursday, 07/25/02 14:50:13 GMT |
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Daniel, Someone to talk too: If you look around HERE on anvilfire, we provide no less than than 3 public forums including this one and one private forum for CSI members. All having to do with blacksmihing. there is a synopsis of the forums at the top of this page. If you look a little further we have 141 "demos" on our iForge page and among them they explain things like your question about fullers, what they look like, how to make them and how and when to use a fuller. We also have articles on our 21st Century page and FAQs page as well as five years worth of archives (some 190) where I can guarantee that SOMEONE has probably asked every question you can think of about blacksmithing and we have answered. |
| - guru - Thursday, 07/25/02 16:00:40 GMT |
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The Weldor's Ten Commandments: You guys will love this. http://store1.yimg.com/I/migntigs_1696_395337 |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Friday, 07/26/02 01:09:02 GMT |
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semi brake drum forge: I am lucky enough to have UNLIMITED access to semi brake drums. My question is, how would i convert a drum of that size to a propane forge, and what type of medium could I use to hold in the heat ? I know in my gas grill I use lava rocks, could I use those in my forge as well ? Also, what type of burner should I get? I would love to use coal, but my neighbors( all retired & REALLY picky) would probably have a cow if any soot fell on their lawns ( even though we had the wonderful aroma of a papermill right down the street) I live in Erie Pa,and to get "around" the zoning laws, a friend told me to say it is a new fangled grill, so that is not a problem. Also, is it easier to work sheet metal cold, or would heating it make it stronger in the long run ? As you can tell, I am VERY new to this, so I am sure I will be "hammering" you with questions. Thanks,JT |
| Jerry - Friday, 07/26/02 03:40:43 GMT |
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Jerry T.: Let me suggest that you move your questions to the guru's page to get faster answers. This is a bit more of a "discussion" than an "answer" page. But no one is upset, you didn't really have any way to know. For the time being, I'd suggest that there are better starting points for building a gas forge than the brake drum. I'll ask the guru to stop by and answer more completely. |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Friday, 07/26/02 14:14:46 GMT |
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Ten Commandments: Very nice. I especially like the fumes to the end of thy days part. |
| Escher - Friday, 07/26/02 19:12:21 GMT |
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Jerry T.: Jerry, take a look in the FAQ's page, and in the 21st Century pages. You'll find a wealth of information there for those starting out. Also, become a regular reader of the Guru's answer page. Gas forges, due to the lower BTU/lb of propane vs coal, have to be nearly completely enclosed to reach decent forging heat, and have to be very efficient to reach forge-welding heat. Coal is capable of much higher temperatures, even in an "open" fire, so it is more suited to general forging. If you put a high enough stack on your coal forge, and start it with a good wood fire until most of the volatiles are burned off, you might be able to diminish the problem to the point that the neighbors don't howl. |
| vicopper - Saturday, 07/27/02 13:17:43 GMT |
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Wootz Blades for Lengthy Cooperation: We produce various types of wootz (true damascus, crucible damascus, not pattern-welded). We are located in Moscow, Russia. We suggest to supply our partners with semifinished or finished blades (without final assembly or mounting). Let us discuss conditions, prices and any other questions. Close-up photos will be available soon. www.wootz.ru |
| - Boris Ustyuzhanin - Saturday, 07/27/02 19:10:27 GMT |
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This might be a sore subject, and if it is, I'm sorry. I've been gone in Basic Training and AIT for the last six months. What happened to Cracked Anvil? If it is easier on the heart to email me, please feel free to do so. (grin) |
| Bond, James Bond - Saturday, 07/27/02 19:42:07 GMT |
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If this is a sore subject, I am sorry. I've been gone in Basic Training, and AIT for the last six months, and was wondering, what happened to Cracked Anvil? If it is to heart-wrenching to post, please feel free to email me. thanks. |
| - Bond, James Bond - Saturday, 07/27/02 19:45:36 GMT |
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Acck! Sorry about the double post. Guess I got panicky. |
| Bond, James Bond - Saturday, 07/27/02 19:47:12 GMT |
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007, old top-- Cracked got told to put a sock in it after expatiating on subjects felt to be of scant interest to the brethren-- junk in the yard, soothing the little woman's feeling re same, red suspenders, etc. He thereupon, instead of shaping up, went off in a huffy sulk to the shop with his research director Yummi deLisch, general manager Chastity Dangerfield, and henchperson Swarf, where they cobbled up a time machine. In it, they have traveled to the mid-1950s, Cracked's favorite era, and the Dizzy Club on Holabird Avenue in Dundalk, Md., Cracked's favorite venue. There they now work on their shuffleboard, drink Gunther on draft and laugh a lot, hon. |
| miles undercut - Sunday, 07/28/02 15:35:49 GMT |
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Unexplained Events: Actually Cracked had his socks in his ears or had the Jazz turned up too loud in his headphones at the time. He was asked to tone down the wonderous adventures of Yummi, Chastity and Swarf who were getting a little risque' for a public forum. They were also spilling over into the the guru's den where it is supposed to be a Q&A forum. . . It was suggested that he could have his own forum if he liked but it would have to be closed to juveniles. . . But he went off in a huff saying he needed a vacation and mumbling something about censorship and 5th amendment rights, spun the dials on his time machine backward and dissapeared with a blink into a swirling distortion of reality time and space. . . In the news it was reported that Dundalk, MD had suffered some kind of local power blackout similar to the results of a magnetic pulse weapon and experts from the pentagon had been sent in to investigate. Locals say it was UFO's. The Pentagon investigators have not been heard from. All requests for information get the same reply from the Pentagon office of Unusual Events, "It is a matter of national security and everything is well in hand. . ." Meanwhile, since power was restored in Dundalk digital clocks still flash "-50" over and over. . . |
| HWMBO - Sunday, 07/28/02 18:23:11 GMT |
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While Cracked guzzles old beer still new, we morn his displacement into the past with only faithful Miles U to console us. Miles vs Yummi....small consolation, with all due respect...even if he does know his stuff and decorates it well with words. |
| Pete F - Tuesday, 07/30/02 06:13:27 GMT |
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CRAFTSMAN NEEDED: I am looking for someone who can make custom cast iron pieces at reasonable prices in the Shawnee, OK area. I can't even figure out what to look under in the phone book. Someone help! |
| - Tammy - Tuesday, 07/30/02 20:24:36 GMT |
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Tammy: If you want cast iron, you'll need a foundry, and can look under that heading in the phone book. One of a kind castings are not going to be cheap, however. If what you really want is hand made iron objects, then look under blacksmiths. If you can't find any in the phone book, post again, and I'll help you locate someone from the nearby area. |
| Paw Paw Wilson - Tuesday, 07/30/02 20:51:20 GMT |
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Tammy: I am in Dallas what do you need made ?????????????// |
| Bill-E. - Wednesday, 07/31/02 02:43:38 GMT |
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Discover Card = Spammers: Spam is a serious problem to those of us that are on the net a lot or do business on the net. For the most part spammers are liers, cheats, theives and scammers of the worst sort. If they do not steal directly from your pocket they steal your time, which for those of us that make a living on the net IS money. We have stopped accepting Discover Card as a merchant because they (or an agent) were spamming us through an outfit called freeze/freezefinds or promotionserver. They hide behind many URL's and passthrough mail servers. This is just the first part of the lies and deception. The next big lie is the "remove" address. freeze/freezefinds does not honor remove requests. This is just a ploy to see if your read their mail. The parent company (Discover) claims no knowledge. But it is their product that is being sold via SPAM. They are responsible. They have been notified of the problem at multiple levels and they continue to SPAM. The most recent "agent" site I went to had a "report SPAM" address. Mail to it bounced. The box was closed. THEY KNOW they have a problem. Today I was spammed by yet ANOTHER spammer agent in the name of Discover Card. This spammer company has typicaly been sending me viagra ads and Russian mortage company ads as well as ads for porn sites. Discover Card is in business with liers, cheats, theives AND pornographers. . . And they want you to bank with them! IF you think this is an honest upright company I'm sure we can find you some Enron or Worldcom stock. . . . Spam and Spammers |
| - guru - Wednesday, 07/31/02 15:07:16 GMT |
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Sales event: Anyone going to the blacksmith tail gate sale north of Dayton,Ohio, the end of September? That would be the 28th, I believe. I plan on being there, driving down from Grand Rapids, Michigan. What will I be looking for? Heck, I don't know. I won't know till I find it! |
| - Bob Harasim - Friday, 08/02/02 20:35:50 GMT |
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