Folk School!!!!!!!!!

Hey yall, I know that my last blog post wasn't that exiting, but I think this one is...... At least for me!!!!

Last year my good friend Dave went to a school in North Carolina called John C Campbell to learn some new blacksmithing techniques. When he got back he told me all about JCC, and was trying to get me to go, but at the time I didn't have the $$$$ to go, for the classes are a little high. So now after working for the Mennonites I had the $$$ but I didn't have the inspiration to go, UNTIL....... The other day Dave e-mailed me and told me that he was going to go to JCC 5 times this year, and was wanting to know if I wanted to go with him. That way we could split the cost of the trip. I looked in to it, and I found that 2 of the 5 classes he was going to were the ones I had originally wanted to take!!!!! There is another class (#5) that looks interesting, but as it stands now I won't have the $$$ to go, but I am working on that problem.

If you have never heard of  John C Campbell Folk School, don't feel bad neither did I until Dave told me about it. Here is a link telling a little bit about the school https://www.folkschool.org/index.php?section=articles&article_cat_id=5&article_id=5

Also Dad is thinking of going to a class, he will be learning to build a casket........ Not exactly what I would want to spend a week doing.

Got to run for now.

New Laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I finally bought a laptop!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is a HP Pavilian g6 350Gb harddrive, 3Gb memory, and a 15.6 screen. So far I like it..........I should since I spent over $600.00 for it!!!!! OUCH!!!!!!!!!
"Photo?????" you ask. Well here it is!!!!!

So what do you think???? Notice the 2012 screen saver, if you don't allready know it, I am a BIG believer in the 2012 dooms day thing.

What a view!!!!!!!

Here are some photo's that Dad took the other morning. Enjoy!!!!!!

UUUGGGGGGGGGG..................

As the title says "UUUUUGGGGGGG".
 I finished my first week work at the Mennonite community, and it was a good week. One day I cut up to 180 boards with a hand saw!!!!! MAN OH MAN, was my arm tired by the end of the day!!!!!On payday I was paid in cash, and $200 of that was in $1 bills!!!!!!! LOL That was a WAD of cash.
Now this morning I woke up with a sinus head ache, and runny nose, I just figured it was allergy's, so I went on to work. But around 1:00 I started having chills and was getting dizzy, and weak. I called Dad and told him that I didn't feel well, and my strength was all but gone.
 When I got home I found out I had a low grade fever. So I have a nice head cold with allergy's on top of it, hopefully I will be able to go to work tomorrow, because........well I would like to have the $$$$$$$$ LOL
So I got to get some rest,
     CYA

WHAT A DAY!!!!!

Well today was a different kind of day. First off, our neighbor Ron called and said that 6 of his Black Angus calves had gotten out and needed help getting them back in. So Dad and I helped out, and we both ran about 1 mile chasing a CRAZY calf over the hill, and though the woods........ Isn't there a child's poem that starts like that...LOL We got 4 in, 1 got away from us, and the other we haven't even seen.
 After that Dad went to Bowling Green, and I worked in the shop. Well about 3 hours latter Ron calls again and said that he found one of the calves and need some help. Not having my drivers licence and not having a car, I jumped on my bike and pedaled about 1.3 miles (I haven't been on my bike in about a year), and then ran like a mad man (Like I am) chasing this calf once again down the road. After about 1 mile of very vigorous running he got away once again, and we haven't seen him since.
So I had quit the day......And I will probably get to do it all again tomorrow, for I promised Ron that I would help him look for those other 2 in the morning, and then help him move the other 4 back to his farm.
 I am absolutely whore out and I have to get up EARLY in the morning.......So why am I on the computer typing........I haven't a clue

A day in the shop

Have you ever wondered what my day's in the shop is like....... Well, probably not. LOL, Wheather you have, or haven't, I will tell you what all I did today.

The shop looks a LOT better since I cleaned it up!!!

First things first. Coffe and making a plan of what to make.

Also have to have some good country music.

Time to cut!!! I am using a new bandsaw that we
just bought. I LOVE this little machine!!!

A close up!!!

OK. I have most of it cut, now to mark it and hammer it!!!

And that means working with FIRE!!!! I used to use kerosene to light my fires, but uuhhh some times it didn't work out so well. So now what I do is shave off a hand full of cedar, to do this I use the shaving horse and draw knife

Then I split some white pine in to cigarete size pieces.

Now light the cedar!!!!!

Well... At least it's just a little smoke......

As usual I spoke to soon.

.

While the smoke clears I mark out the metal that I have to taper.

Now that's HOT!!!! If you don't beleve me then
 touch a piece of metal that looks like this.

The metal I was working with was pretty short, but thankfully
I have these kevlar gloves that my good friend Dave Custer gave me!!! Thanks Dave

OK. That looks about right

Later on I put a twist in this angle brace.

It took me about an hour and a half to do all of this, I know it might seem a little slow, but hammering 1/2" steel to a point, and twisting it is no little project.
 After lunch I started on a hanging pot rack (yesssss I will post photo's soon) all four sides will be hammer textured, and will be rivited together....I think
Well it's 10:00 pm and I am tired, so as they said on the "Walton's" "Good night Johnboy"

Stuff I have made this last week!!!!

Hey yall, here are some stuff that I have made in the shop last week. Let me know what you think.


This cross is made of one piece of metal.



This is a flower pot/glass ball hanger.
It took me a little over 2 days to make.

The scrolls were the hardest thing to make, I made about 12
of them before I made one that looked any good

This is called a basket twist, I wouldn't have been able to make it with out the instructions that my good friend Dave Custer showed me a few months ago

So as Bugs Bunny says, That's all folks!!!!

iPod.....HELP!!!!!

Hey folks, I know that it has been quite a while since my last blog Post,but I have been REALY busy!!!!!! I just traded a TV for an IPod Touch, and I don't know how to change the music on it. Does any one know how I can delete a few of the songs that came with it???
I will try to get some photos of my shop on my blog as soon as I can.

New blog name

As the title reads I want my blog to have a new name, and I am asking all my follower for ideas. So get on your thinking caps.

Sorry!!!!!!

OK, so I haven't been the best "blog host" for the past month or so, but I have good reasons..... I am guessing that you won't want to read my list of excuses, so I will forgo that.
"What have you been doing???" you ask. Well mostly I have been working in my blacksmith shop (Yes I did finally get it finished), and doing all kinds of work around the farm.
Let me bring you up to date of whats been going on since my last post. First off I turned 18!!!!! Its about time LOL. Also our cow (Daisy) had twin calves, one is a bull and the other is a heifer. Not to mention that I got my drivers permit!!!Also we have sold the Kawasaki Mule, and have bought a 2000 Nissan Frontier 4X4!!! Yes I will be driving it mostly. Last, but not least I have stared a website for my blacksmith shop, here is a link to it http://www.blacksmithofthebluegrass.com/ .
So as you can see, I have several good reason's (not excuses :-D) for not posting any thing on my blog, but I am sorry for not keeping up with it.