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I Forge Iron

RobbieG

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  1. I agree that the practice is good, and no they are by no means an 'advanced' project - they are pretty important to get right though. If they are poorly fitting they can be downright dangerous, and a beginner is unlikely to get perfect fitting tongs on their first few attempts.
  2. Yep, and that's how I make my own. If he has access to boxes of 10 inch long 5/8 round bar it wouldn't be much help though. I was more poking fun at the idea that he 'must' make his own tongs, they aren't really a beginner project so there's no harm in buying.
  3. Could be a tong paradox though, needing tongs so he can make tongs?
  4. As a rough guide, the higher the carbon content, the more difficult to work. This is in relation to actual force required to move as well as a narrower working temperature range. For the majority of blacksmithing (other than blades and tools) A36 or mild steel is more than adequate.
  5. RobbieG

    Heavy scale

    A couple of insulating firebricks should be sufficient for testing at least -if you weld an angle rail on to support them they can be slid open/closed as desired.
  6. RobbieG

    Heavy scale

    Is that 4 minutes from start up? Some forges take a while to get going - I had the floor of mine lined with insulating fire brick for a while and it got hot really quickly but the brick breaks down too easily. It now has a kiln tile which is more robust but not insulating so can be slow to get going.
  7. Well I messaged Matei but no response - I managed to grab a couple of hours walking around but a lot of the metalwork was fairly modern welded construction. Some of old town had nice grillwork but maybe I was looking in the wrong places! Still a beautiful city and one I would recommend anyone to see.
  8. The majority of videos on Youtube are either wrong, dangerous or both. If you must use Youtube check out videos from Alec steele, Brian Brazeal, Torbjorn Ahmann, Dirtysmith and a few others I can't think of at the minute. The only issue with watching these videos is the potential for unrealistic expectations of your own abilities - those guys are all professionals with many years of practice behind them and are also very talented! Start simple and read the books recommended above.
  9. The ABANA Controlled hand forging series should cover most (if not all) of what you need - it's in the resources section of the ABANA website
  10. I'm travelling to Bucharest for 4 days end of this week for a friends stag party - whilst the night time activities will be planned out for me I will hopefully (hangovers permitting) be wandering the city a little to see what's what. Is there anything even loosely blacksmith related that would be worth seeing? Cheers
  11. The age is not important - it's nice to know a little history of the tools used but the important thing is that they ARE used!
  12. Just got this from a guy in work yesterday - it's in pretty decent condition. From a quick bit of research it's a reasonably young one - you can just about make out 'England' stamped into it so post 1910 if my research is correct?
  13. I would guess it's because they are expensive (starting around $1000). They are aimed more at professional users really. Also as with all things, the company have to ensure that manufactured standards meet with local regs etc before selling to the public - all adds to the costs. Are you asking as a purchaser or a potential seller?
  14. One thing I have noted when making jigs for scrolls and curves (only made a few to be fair) is that an aesthetically pleasing curve on the jig does not necessarily translate to an aesthetically pleasing finished product - I'm guessing due to the offset caused by material thickness. I've found the best method is to make a first off or a sketch of the part I want then sketch an offset for material thickness of the jig, and make to that. Its worked OK so far. Also I understand that when forging time is limited it's nice to reach for off the shelf products, but that jig is not good. You have now invested repair time that could potentially have been used to make a more functional jig of your own (never mind the purchase cost for a substandard product).
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