Drilling through  a shaft

Find a nut the size of your shaft and drill out the threads so the nut
will slip on the shaft. Drill a hole the size you want through the
center of a flat on the nut. Slip the nut over the shaft and use it to
guide the drill through the shaft.
' The Texas Forge Review

What a blacksmith does

There are only five functions that a blacksmith performs: drawing down,
upsetting, cutting or splitting, welding, bending or twisting.
Everything that a blacksmith makes uses one or more of these methods to
his or her own level of skill and vision.
'Skeeter Prather, Florida Artist Blacksmith Association

Axle bending jig

I have found that I can make consistent bends with ease using a bending
jig I made from an old axle. Using either a four, five, six or eight
lug axle produces practically any combination of bends a blacksmith
could need. The easiest method I have found to make such a jog involves
cutting the axle with a cutting torch, roughing the fit for the hardy
with a torch and either grinding or hammering the final fit onto the
end of the axle rod. You can make some adapters that can be held on
with the lug nuts that will enable precise and consistent bends of
other angles.
'Kris Bancroft, Florida Artist Blacksmith Association

New clamp in town

There is a new clamp on the market from the same people who make the
vise-grip. The design is similar to their woodworking clamps but has
metal jaws with copper clamping pads and is designed as a welding
clamp.
	With some fairly simple modifications it can be a great aid to the
solo blacksmith as a swift holdfast for slitting, punching or other
operations that require a tool in each hand.
	By grinding off the rivet heads on the stationary clamp and then
punching out the rivets the bar can be remounted on the anvil. Warning
' the rivet holes in the clamping bar are slightly tapered and will
punch out only inn one direction. If you would rather not grind the
rivets off, the roll pin on the other end can easily be driven out and
the other clamp end removed. However (warning #2) there are two small
springs that operate the clamp release that don't like being there at
all. These springs will try to fly away to the darkest recess of your
shop, so be prepared.
	I made two stems for my Hay Budden anvil with a nominal 7/8 inch
hardy hole. The first was a length of square tubing cut to length from
the anvil face to the stump. With the stem fitted to the hardy hole and
the clamp inserted on the diagonal a hole was drilled in the stem to
match a hole in the clamping bar close to the underside of the anvil.
	A 1/4 inch round bar inserted in this hole holds the clamping bar
down and the hardy stem holds the clamp up and it becomes a one-handed,
quick release clamp that is as solid as the anvil itself.
	The other stem was made from 7/8 square bar with a slot machined in
it (thanks Lou) to accept the clamping bar. This mounts the clamping
pad farther down the face of the anvil and limits somewhat the length
of stock that can be clamped.
	One thing to remember when making hardy stems for this clamp or any
other hardy tool is that there is a great variability of sizes and
shapes of hardy holes. I usually start with the closest size tubing or
bar stock and alter it to fit a specific anvil. Alterations range from
two or three wraps of duct tape through welding and grinding all the
way to milling from solid bar stock (thanks again Lou).
	Once the hardy stem is fitted to the anvil and the clamp fitted to
the hardy stem the clamp is simple to use. The material to be clamped
is set on the anvil and the clamp pushed down to contact the workpiece.
Then the large handle is squeezed and the piece is clamped tight. To
release the small release bar is pulled and the clamp can then be
pulled up to the top of the bar. It takes much longer to explain than
to use.
'Tim Underwood