Blacksmith 101

This is Derick. As he will tell you he's in 8th grade but gonna be a freshmen next year. (Remember when we were that age we always wanted to be a year older?) He is BT's great-nephew.

Here he's working on a tinner's anvil that BT sent him home with today, along with 2 sacks of coal. Too bad he didn't send him with a hammer. Oh well, good advertisement I guess for a Stanley product.








This is a spare stump we really didn't use. Derick's Dad had gotten him this so called anvil. He is using a better hammer. Well for a while it was better. That is until the screws came out of the top and the head flew off.









BT is helping him with his fire. Nice forge too. Actually Derick knew it was in the dump on the home place and dug it out. Notice the nice new motor on it.

This is the first hook Derick made by himself before we got there. Way to go Derick!












Last week Derick was here when the deer sausage making was going on. That is when he really took an interest in forging. This was his first lesson in making a hook.







BT made Derick a tomahawk. Here he's using the 50 Little giant Trip hammer on it.












A southpaw blacksmith.










The son captured this great photo of his Dad during the forge weld.

It so great to see the young interested in this craft. Blacksmithing like quilting is gaining popularity. If this young man keeps up his interest he will be helping us with demos. On second thought this young man has a younger sister, maybe I will see if she wants to learn to quilt!

Restoring a 50 lb Little Giant Trip Hammer - 1901 model

Me painting the hammer

Close up of the side view of the hammer

The side view


Front view

Oh the things we don't do for those we love. It was just a few night ago that I helped BT move this 1800 lb. hammer onto the wooden platform. Yes just the two of us moved it from the floor, to the 4 inch high platform. Luckily we did it without being killed. Had it fallen on us, I seriously doubt that either one of us could have lifted it off unless a lot of adrenalin kicked in.

This has been a fun project. From the bidding on EBay, to travelling to Nebraska to bring it home. It is almost 100% complete now. An electric motor will need to be added. Check back here to see what it originally looked like. You've come a long way baby!

50 lb Little Giant Trip Hammer

It was an early morning for us. We left the house at 6:15 AM with a thermos of hot coffee and headed towards Lincoln Nebraska. What for you might ask. Why a 50 Lb Little giant Trip Hammer. AKA Rusty metal. Its' date of manufacture is between 1895 and 1904. It weights approximately 1800 POUNDS.

We made good time going up. We stopped for gas and at the same time stopped in McDonald's. There I tried their new Cappuccino. Because I ordered that ,we were offered a free breakfast sandwich. WOW BT got a free breakfast.

We made it to Lincoln in 6 hours exactly.

This is what we found at the Ebay seller's house.













Bill had his Farmall M ready to go, chains and all. It was quite a load to pick up. Okay drag. Notice the almost flat tires.





In an hour the guys were finished loading it onto the trailer we had borrowed. Our trailer wasn't heavy enough to haul this thing.







The trip hammer was laying on a rubber tire to cushion the 364 mile ride back home.






As I was taking pictures this rather strange woolly worm came by. A blond woolly worm? I had to take a picture for the daughter's boyfriend. He's the meteorologist at KOCO. Last year I mailed him a woolly worm.



Our trip home wasn't quite as fast. We did make a couple of stops to check on the trailer. About 150 miles from home, our check engine light came on. After reading the manual, we decided to keep going. Friday BT will take it to the Jeep dealer.

We stopped in St. Joseph Mo for dinner at San Jose Steakhouse and Mexican Restaurant. I don't know about their steak, but their Mexican had something to be desired. I should of had a Margarita to help wash it down.

At 8:30 we pulled into the drive way. Bentley was barking and jumping. He was so glad to see us. Our bottoms were dragging. We hit the recliner and stayed there until bed time.

Where did the weekend go?

Friday after a bowl of home made beef barley soup, BT and I headed to Mary's Home Missouri. We went to the house of one of BT's classmates from the class of '68'. As you can see in this picture they are loading a brush hog aka rusty metal.

We have needed a brush hog to keep some of the 15 acres we have mowed down. This is a fixer uper.



Saturday girlfriend Diane and I headed to Jefferson City to the Arts and Craft show. We bought what I consider to be the best soy candles I have ever had. Giddy-up is the brand. I really think you could just take the lid off and use them without ever lighting them. I also bought myself 4 bars of Nubian Goat Milk soap. Another good smelling thing. Then I found the most adorable paper mache' owl. So that's when I just had to put out my Halloween decorations. My daughter said it's a little early for that.

Speaking of the daughter, last week when visiting I took her the pink edition of the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. Today she used it! She even used the home canned spaghetti sauce that I took her in the recipe. You go girl!

Diane and I also stopped by Specialty Quilts open house. We both registered for the give aways. Diane isn't a quilter, so if she won I was going to reap that benefit. Bad news is, they never called. The quilt shop has been open for a year or two. It has now doubled its size and has a nice line of high quality fabrics and supplies. They are starting to teach classes.

Saturday evening we had a couple of friends over for BBQ. Jeremy, Lori and boys were here too. The guys had trimmed trees most of Saturday. A necessity after last springs ice storm. Lori had worked her booth at the craft fair. So I felt obligated to cook for them all. BT and Jeremy grilled pork chops while I made river potatoes, green beans with country cured ham and fried apples. Dessert was raspberry bars and lemon bars.

Sunday we slept in. Then just odds and ends. I trimmed the sidewalk with the weed eater, did a load of laundry, put my fall wreaths out, and embroidered a little. BT worked all day on refurbishing the brush hog.


Just as Bentley and I were walking to the shop, it started to rain with the sun completely shinning. That's when I snapped this picture of the rainbow. Actually it turned into a double rainbow, but that picture wasn't good.






After we retired to the recliner, BT made an E Bay purchase of more rusty metal. ROAD TRIP, as it has to be picked up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He needs to talk to the seller, but hopefully that will happen later this week. Oh by the way, this is called a Trip Hammer.






I am thinking of purchasing a GPS. I'm looking at a Nextar 3.5 screen. K mart has a $179.99 on sale with rebate final price $ 79. Anyone have one? Any suggestions?

Well time for the evening news. It will be a busy week. Work, road trip, Tour of Missouri bike tour coming through, going to a play Friday night, and best of all Bob and Rita are coming in town.

69 degrees.