anvillain

amazing!

beautifully simple!!

That's terrible! Now all my stuff looks like garbage in comparison. :+)

I agree with all the tools mentioned and especially the organized shop. which I haven't quite achieved that. My favorite power tools are dewalt 4 1/2" grinder and 14" chop saw. One I haven't heard mentioned isn't really a tool, Its a sketch pad. I have some training in mechanical drawing and I love to design at the kitchen table with a coffee nearby. You can prevent quite a bit of frustration with a step by step plan on paper can really keep you from straying. Especially helpful for me because I sometimes am delayed for quite long periods from idea stage to completed project.

That is beautiful! How do you accomplish the blue tinted damascus?

I would like to add that in addition to a gentle air flow with charcoal you need a deeper fire than with coal, much deeper in my opinion, and with the nice coal forge shown I would suggest standing a row of firebricks on edge to effectively make a deeper firepit. Then if you switch to coal you can remove the firebricks. A deep fire is good also with coal, in using coal you can push it in from the edges and wet it to keep it from spreading where you don't need it. With charcoal its much easier to form up something to contain the deeper fire to keep the heat concentrated. Anvillain

This is a great new section (toolmaking). Very impressive thread here.This is a very efficient process and high end thinking and equipment involved. There is also the other extreme, which I use, only because I don't have the equipment. Maybe not the capacity for high end thinking either If you have a bucket of old tongs accumulated one way or another, it is quite efficent also to heat the jaws and joint area and resize and/or reshape to do new things with old tongs. Also it is very satisfying to me to hand hammer new ones into what I want but at a little different pace than the videos of course. Anvillain

I'm agreeing with Boggs and Sells. The world is full of this union or not union rhetoric, but I think many people have a misguided view of the role of unions. There was a time when unions may have abused their power, but that was self corrected. In the construction unions most of the workers have a very high regard for their contractors who pay good wages and no contractor has to put up with a non-productive worker. The last few decades was probably the best time ever to be a union tradesman. The mid-70s to early 80s was a time of realizing how good we had it, nearly all became highly productive. Also there has been a continuing drive to educate and obtain higher skills through that time period. Todays trades are very well trained. Yes non union workers may also have the skills needed. There is virtually NO non producers in the work force today. I know nothing about the village in question here but there is good chance there is no budget to pay union wages, or maybe no wages. I demonstrate at a county fair and a log cabin village for no pay, but only a few days a year. I am able to do that because I retired early and do it for fun, but it is still hard work and I would not do it every day like that . I always felt that I was well paid and actually loved going to work and making a good livable wage. No way do I look down on non union or lower paid workers I just wish every worker could have it as good as I did. Anvillain

I'm not sure what the carbon content of a disc axle is but have used them to make good chisels and small hatchets. I like to hammer them on the diagonal to spread out the blade for a hatchet and also for wide chisels. Anvillain

I believe this tops any presentation I've seen for process,tooling and assembly. It must have been quite a chore just to get the photos together. Thanks! Anvillain

I would call them awkward hammers, or maybe accidents waiting to happen, but I have no clue what the technical term is. That is not to take anything away from their skill in using them. Anvillain

For me it depends on the season, as I don't have heat in my(shop) garage. Yes I could have but if I really want to forge that doesn't stop me. One of our old bosses in the building trades would say on a frosty morning " the heat's in the tools! I'd suggest you get a handful and get to work!" Thats true in my case, once I get a fire in the forge and get in the swing of it any more heat would be too much. In spring and summer I'll spend more time listening to the birds sing. pet the cat and rejoice in the sunny promise of a new day. Sometimes I actually get to work at what I planned on, but usually the phone rings and jerks me back to reality. One thing, I have made it a ritual to at least put my hammers and hand tools where they belong even if its the end of a long day. Sometimes when I come back I still have some stowing away of materials and clutter. Getting out there is the main thing the rest will happen, (or get interrupted) Anvillain

Frosty I noticed your post saying you tried to upload a photo of your forge. I saved a copy of it when you used it to answer a question of mine last Feb. I'll see if I can load it here for you. Pardon me if I can't get it done. I was very impressed with it and I still want to model one for myself using some of your ideas. Anvillain I could not upload it either, but see if this brings up the photo you have in mind: http://www.iforgeiron.com/uploads/9/7/8/11431.attach

Ox I have sent you a Private Message telling how to contact a local mentor and instructor of beginning classes right in your area. Happy Learning to You Anvillain

Aral: I'm sorry you have been running into so many obstacles. I remember when I was trying to get started in smithing but I was travelling to work in construction most of the time. I found a lot of pleasure in continuing to think about it, when I had free time I would always have a pencil and some paper, so I would sketch different ideas that would come to me. Making drawings is part of the process for me now as well. You can learn a lot and save yourself time when you DO get all your ducks in a row. Hang in there. Anvillain

Hello Mrs A-W rings like you describe should not be prohibitively expensive. Most blacksmith's would be able to forge weld those nearly as easily as electric welding since the easiest way to bend them would be with high heat. I would scarf them before turning them, and then another heat to bring up to welding temp. They would LOOK authentic and would BE authentic. The nice thing about welding rings like that is that you form them so the scarfs are in the right position before bringing to a welding heat. Often my biggest problem in forge welding is getting every thing in the exact position in the few seconds while the welding heat remains. If you were nearby I would help you or show you. I recommend mild steel about 7/16" or 1/2" dia. Nothing wrong with wrought iron either but you will probably pay a premium for it. Richard Stephens

I at first was amused now don't get me confused is it really hot enough in a forge to be used? If it welds two pieces they would be "corn fused' the race to be the first to cornfuse their iron is on--history could be in the making. hoodathunkit :-) Anvillain