First project, pretty much

[BTNZ]

Hi folks, keen for any constructive feedback on what is pretty much my first blacksmithing project.

After some advice on here, erred away from Tongs as a first project and went for a leaf instead, everything was going pretty well until late on when I messed around with my air feed for a bit too long and burnt some of my leaf off.

My hammers aren't right but they are what I have; a 2lb mini sledge hammer I guess you would call it and a decent size ball peen hammer.

No photo of it sorry but mid way through the project I took to my forge with the angle grinder cutting a notch out of one side to allow work pieces to be situated across the fire pot instead of needing to be down into it (effectively increasing the size of the heat zone).

 

 

 

First Blacksmithing project; Video

Sorry there is no audio because the kids had a lot to say in the background

 

[turbo7]

Heres my take mate, love the fact your using an Old anvil, dont make anything untill you have practised the processes, lose the glove, wet the long end down to cool it but a glove will trap hot steel in it one day and you will get burnt bad, holding stock against your leg is good, anvil may be a bit low for you. Its not all just bashing hey -)

Brendan

[Glenn]

You want the hammer face to hit flat on the anvil face.

Anchor the anvil to the stump so it does not move around. Check to see if the anvil face is level in all directions. Place a piece of wood on the anvil face and hit it with your hammer. If the crescent indentations are at 12 o'clock, the anvil is too low, if the crescent indentations are at 6 o'clock, the anvil is too high. If the crescent indentations are at 3 or 9 o'clock, the hammer is tilted. Adjust as needed.

Add more fuel to the fire. You want to have a fire ball about the size of a melon. When the metal cools below low orange or high red, put it back into the fire.

Get some modeling clay. Metal and modeling clay moves the same under the hammer and is a good way to learn without heat and wasted metal. Try different techniques with the clay and use what works for you at the forge.

[Alan Evans]

Well done. Great first effort.

Like you, I always have my fires high in the hearth so that you can feed bars through to heat the centre when necessary...I never understand why so many commercial ones have such deep sides with the fire in the bottom.

You may find it easier to control and probably more efficient when drawing down things like the stem...to work it as square section to start with. Turning it 90˚ each time and not allowing it to go too asymmetric. A blow on each side tuning it back and forth is the ideal. Fully rotating it now and then if the anvil surface chills off the underside too much.

When you have achieved the taper or cross sectional size you require in square, you then turn it 45˚ and forge in the arras to form an octagon, and then hammer in those edges to form a 16 sided figure and so on until you have achieved round with the degree of forged texture you require.

Happy Hammering.

Alan

[SmoothBore]

That's a "Drilling" hammer.

 

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[Jonah k]

Watch Torbjorn Ahman's video on YouTube on making a large leaf

[Frosty]

Not a bad first leaf at all. If you aren't burning the occasional project you aren't spending enough time at the anvil. We ALL burn stuff occasionally, I've been doing it for decades.

Draw square, it's not only easier and faster it's structurally a more sound method. I won't go into the specifics now. Just a 1/4 turn, your wrist will naturally make 1/4 turns so your arm doesn't get all out of position. Alan's laid out the how and such. The technique is known as (this side of the pond) "SOR" Square, Octagonal, Round.

As Glenn says you need to adjust the height of your anvil and secure it to the block. The striking wood is an excellent gauge method. Watching you hammer it looks like you're turning the hammer to the outside, rolling your wrist making one side 9 o'clock strike first. This is something you're doing and is just a matter of practice to correct. I really like slab handles on my hammers to prevent rolling my  hammer when I get tired.

You'll have better success if you work hotter, shorter times on the anvil more trips into the fire. Remember though, thicker sections take longer to heat than thin so it's EASY to burn thin sections off. Leave the thin stuff for last.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Daswulf]

Solid advise above. remember if you are going to fiddle around with anything take your piece out of the fire, or atleast out of the hot zone. you learn after burning up some pieces you spent hours on  always take the advise to the forge and keep trying. 

[Glenn]