Michael Stuart

I would definitely come up for this if the dates work out.

What a lovely piece of work! The materials, colors, and overall design really work well together.

Thanks for sharing these. I got to visit the North Island a few years ago, and thought overall it was probably the most scenic place I've ever seen.

Thanks Alan! I just ordered both of them. It's always a pleasant surprise when books for one of my many niche interests are actually available and as reasonably priced in reprints as these are.

Nice work Don! I like the clean utilitarian look you got here.

Alan what do you look for in dating the felling axes? I re-handled a similar flea market axe head recently so am curious.

Don I've read that this same type of clamp goes back at least as far as the Viking age. Clamps this size in antler, up to large wooden ones for clamping planks during ship construction. Great technology!

If you have a flea market nearby, they can be a good place to get things like files--those too rusty to file can still be forged into other things-- and hammers (often lots cheaper to buy a head without a handle and get a new handle at a different table). Unfortunately people seem to think anvils are gold now, so I haven't seen one at the flea market for several years. Every so often a post vice or coal forge shows up, but they have become pricier too as interest in forging has grown.

Nice video. That whale oil quench and open bath of molten lead are something!

Michael, I did make it to the December meeting, but couldn't make it in January. I haven't heard one way or the other yet about February but it's usually held the second Sunday each month at Steve's.

I'm not sure where in NC you are, but we're very fortunate to have active ABANA chapters across pretty much the whole state. The web site is not up to date but it lists some of the chapters at https://www.ibiblio.org/nc-abana/regional_groups.html There is a lot of expertise and sometimes useful stuff for sale at the meetings. Michael

I don't know if the pure nickel I had was already a bit work hardened, but it did not want to move much under the hammer. I would think I'd crack the wood if I tried to inlay with it. But still it sounds like a neat idea, so hopefully someone more experienced with this will chime in soon. Michael

I've been here almost since the forum started I think, moving here from Anvilfire, Keenjunk, Swordforum, and others whose names I forget. I had the great pleasure of seeing Don demo a couple times in person--it was like watching magic!--and meeting some other forum members in person at hammer-ins, the Blade show, and Pennsic War. Four moves across state lines for work and raising kids have kept me too busy to accomplish much forging of my own, but I do love seeing all the work and people on here whose work I've admired for so long, and I will, eventually, make some knives that are passable eno

Looks like it could make a really sturdy power hammer anvil too at those sizes.

That turned out well! I would be happy with it.