any blacksmiths on the line?
So, If I get you right, you personally have made all of your tools to work on cars and never looked at a service manual or gotten any advice or tips from friends or the internet...
Then why are you here?
And for that matter, how did you get to where you are in life without help of some kind?
I personally wouldn't waste my time even replying to him. Reading his posts its obvious he has a way to high opinion of himself.
In todays world we have the internet and there is a wealth of information out there. While its true that nothing beats actual hands on learning, what you can get off the internet and even some not these U tube's can be helpful
I see nothing wrong with obtaining information wherever one can source it
Like yourself ive been welding as a profession over the last 45 years, im a union boilermaker (retired)
Ive made countless items out of steel used in my trade, however id never refer to myself as a blacksmith
I do know at one time a part of the practical test for blacksmith for the city required the applicant to forge a oblong ring
The kind of ring you'd find at the end of a chain, used for a certain rigging application.
The round stock they gave the guy taking the test had to be drawn down to a specify diameter. Than bent to a exact size width and inside diameter.
Finally the piece had to have the ends hammer welded and it was tested.
Thats real skill to be able to drawn down a piece of stock , measure it to the exact length, bend it exactly and hammer weld it