[TheForge] Re: Is anyone on-line ?

[Mike Spencer]

Dave M wrote:

> I haven't seen any mail from TheForge in a while.  I'm wondering if
> TheForge is on-line or has it been damaged by the hurricane?  If
> anyone has any info about this please reply.

Seems to me up now.

ObSmithing: 

Haven't been doing metal because I had to overhaul the tool-shed-like
entry to our cellar.  I've been ignoring the rotting boards for years
but when the roof began to leak, [1] that threatened the stairs I'd
already rebuilt with rot.

It has 8x7 sills, morticed 4x4 studs, up-ad-down-sawn boards (!).  Had
to get the hinge pintles out to replace rotting boards. Yow! those
sumbitches were really in there.  Not clinched, just rusted in
place. Finally got them out. Wrought iron, made by wrapping around the
pintle itself and forge welding, drawing the weld out into a spike.
I'm all set to put them back in as soon as I refurbish the board
doors. Two of the four bean-end strap hinges have the beans rusted
off.  Maybe I'll "repair" them when I have the door in the shop for
de-skewing and general molishing.

House is something between 1860 and 1880. My guess is that they built
it a little at a time over that whole period. In this and other
renovations, I've found common wire nails, wire clapboard nails,
forged 4-clout head nails, 4 penny hand forged finish nails, cut
nails, cut nails with a hand forged head and crudely made butterfly
nails.  Nearly everything is original, even storm and cellar doors,
plaster, interior doors with Victorian cast iron hinges etc.


(Cellar entry roof is replaced, rough and trim carpentry done.  Have
to fix up the doors while I'm at it, foam-seal the gaps, put on a
dozen and a half clapboards.)

- Mike

[1] The roofing was Arrow Lock, single-coverage asphalt shingle, put
    on by our neighbor when he was a teenager. He's now over 80.  Roof
    on the house (same teenaged installer) we replaced a decade ago
    but that's because the former owner let his kids play on the
    then-30 year old roofing. I hear they don't make roofing like that
    anymore. 

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^