What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

Getting closer to done in the new forge. I put up the antique tack hooks, and brought in the 100+-year-old saddles, harnesses, and mule collars from the farm in Spring grove. Put a few things on the wall to make it my place. More to add soon. The helpers have started arriving to get things moving for Christmas presents.
Last photo is Bill Moran's saddle bags. They need to be cleaned and softened, but are sound. The tack will all get cleaned and restored. The anvil is the last thing I will restore. All the other tools and such have been restored and painted.
The small vise weighs about 30 pounds, The big one around 150 pounds.
20251105_134401.jpg20251105_134324.jpg20251104_184251.jpg20251104_165016.jpg20251104_184544.jpg20251105_134353.jpg20251105_134324.jpg20251104_184251.jpg20251104_165016.jpg20251104_184544.jpg20251105_134353.jpg20251105_144547.jpg20251105_142213.jpg20251105_141936.jpg20251105_142012.jpg
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Getting closer to done in the new forge. I put up the antique tack hooks, and brought in the 100+-year-old saddles, harnesses, and mule collars from the farm in Spring grove. Put a few things on the wall to make it my place. More to add soon. The helpers have started arriving to get things moving for Christmas presents.
Last photo is Bill Moran's saddle bags. They need to be cleaned and softened, but are sound. The tack will all get cleaned and restored. The anvil is the last thing I will restore. All the other tools and such have been restored and painted.
The small vise weighs about 30 pounds, The big one around 150 pounds.
View attachment 3017903View attachment 3017900View attachment 3017899View attachment 3017898View attachment 3017897View attachment 3017896View attachment 3017900View attachment 3017899View attachment 3017898View attachment 3017897View attachment 3017896View attachment 3017893View attachment 3017891View attachment 3017894View attachment 3017895
Click to expand...
Cool!!!! Nkce.job......Nothing better than natural light.. 👍👍👍......Especially with old eyes...😉....
 
Yes, the overhead clear roof eliminates shadows and increases visual clarity. And, yes, my eyes are older and need all the help they can get.
The poly-carbonate roof blocks 100% of UV and transmits 35% of the daylight. The five overhead shop lights are 75W each and 5000°K temperature.
 
No, there is a dehumidifier 24/7 and a small air circulation fan 24/7. The room gets air from the soffits as well.
 
Got the forging tools and hammers up yesterday. I'll treat all that light rust on the tools and drifts with phosphoric acid and toss the small stuff in the tumbler. Anvil and caulking vice still need restoration and paint. I'll probably disassemble the larger post drill this winter and treat all the parts as well. The anvil isn't as bad as the photo makes it look. What is showing is about 6 layers of paint that are peeling off.

20251106_124928.jpg20251106_124939.jpg20251106_124923.jpg20251106_125216.jpg20251106_125300.jpg20251106_130337.jpg20251106_142847.jpg20251106_125219.jpg
 
Last edited:
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Got the forging tools and hammers up yesterday. I'll treat all that light rust on the tools and drifts with phosphoric acid and toss the small stuff in the tumbler. Anvil and caulking vice still need restoration and paint. I'll probably disassemble the larger post drill this winter and treat all the parts as well. The anvil isn't as bad as the photo makes it look. What is showing is about 6 layers of paint that are peeling off.

View attachment 3019114View attachment 3019113View attachment 3019111View attachment 3019102View attachment 3019101View attachment 3019099View attachment 3019098View attachment 3019100
Click to expand...
Shop is looking good..... Bet you are ready to get it DIRTY...😉.......
 
Brought in a few more things. More hammers, a couple of post vises, an air vise, and the huge old growth redwood sinker burl Mark at Burl Source put me in contact with the finder about 22 years ago. It weighs 30-40 pounds and is a bit over 2' long (the chair has a 24" wide seat). It was probably at the bottom of an Oregon river for a century before being found by salvagers. The owner had it drying for about 25 more. After about a year of dickering, I ended up owning it. I dried it five years and then cut it in half. It has been drying in a warm dry place for the past 15 years. The dark spots are hardened sap .. sort of like copal amber. I am finally ready to do some things with it. Not telling you what yet. I'll post a shot of the outside tomorrow.

The big post vise is a 50 pound monster. I still have to fit the leg to a floor plate and the socket on the vise.

Oh, and a few WW2 naval artillery shells. The big one is a 5"-54 for a Mark19 gun. The shell with a projectile probably won't explode ... because it is a practice shell for training people how to load them. They are much heavier than one would think. It and the empties next to it are 3.5"-50 from a Mark3 gun.. The 50 caliber means the barrel length is 50 times the projectile diameter ... in this case a 15 foot long barrel. The little shells are 30mm rounds. I'll turn and fit projectiles to fit the empty shell casings.

I brought in some other stuff for later photos. I did bring a 20# practice bomb in to hang somewhere. I'm pretty sure it is inert ... and no one knows I have it :cool:


20251109_165852.jpg20251109_165912.jpg20251109_165915.jpg20251109_170114.jpg20251109_165947.jpg20251109_165945.jpg20251108_145409.jpg20251108_144453.jpg20251108_144434.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top