Problem Solving

Before posting I went online looking for help...wow, was I ever in over my head. Since this is a blacksmith project (fire pit cap) I'd see if someone on iforge could make it simple LOL I have a plasma cutter and access to a roller but don't know where to start drawing this up. Finished measurements are 36" diameter base, 18" rise and 10" diameter top hole. Thanks, Keith

I'm sure this is an easy one for most of you more experienced smiths, but I haven't been able to think up a really good way to do it. The easiest way I've thought of is to rivet bar stock to the mirror frame an eighth inch in, with rotating pieces to hold the glass in... But that doesn't sound like a very good method, especially for a thin frame or one where you don't want rivets on the front. So using traditional methods, how would one do it? Pictures would help greatly, as I find written descriptions hard to understand. Even reading my own description above, I don't think I would quite understand it :P

Hello all I am working on a set of curved railings leading up to a church pulpit .The rails are leading up on either side of the pulpit and mirror each other . The rails are about seven feet long each ,they sweep down in a semi s curve and wrap around a wooden column I have the rail cap bent ,but am having trouble with getting the proper twist in the rail to keep it level with the floor .I need to keep the upper section straight but also ,need to add a twist . Im thinking of setting it on a flat plate ,after marking the height of each twist to check for flatness. Do any of you have experience in this area . Thanks ps . a hard thing to describe

Salutations to all. i have come to this site for many reasons ,but the most pressing is my curent endevor to master the box joint. I have read a post from here on the topic ,but its usefull links are down. I have personaly forged two "succesful" pairs of pliers, but they are sloppy in the joint and i cannot gurantee succes in a third, or, at this point, fiftenth atempt. What i realy need is a pictoral tutorial and measurements of the parent stock and the subsequent steps. Can anyone show me the proper way to do this? with gratitude, david

ok, so, When I was in college, I opened my dumb mouth and said I'd make something and I don't know how and I don't wanna anymore but honor call me to follow through. It is, Navi...from the video game. This fairy tale creature, a fairy herself, is a sphere with wings attached. http://zeldawiki.org/Navi I forged out a ball from half a RR spike with lousy tongs on a piece of RR rail. It was like a 5 hour process. Then I made wings and textured them (it is very important for them to be textured) and had a guy braze them on because I didn't know what I was doing. Anyways, during polish I dropped the durn thing and it broke so I set it aside for a while and I LOST THE D…

When making trivets I've been heating up a section of flat stock and bending it over the anvil horn. Once the ring is close to where I want it, I true it up on a cone mandrel and forge weld it. I can get the ring pretty close just on the horn. I'm working mostly with 3/16" x3/4" and 1" flat stock. Is there a quicker way to bend a trivet ring on edge? I have a P5 flypress and can make a ring roller for it. Wasn't sure if that would be enough force to do it without putting gouges on the inside. Maybe while it's heated would be better.

I happened upon a piece of 1/8" plate the other day, about 4" wide and 15" long. I would like to turn this into pieces about 1" wide. Is there an easier way to do this with hand tools other than heating and hot cutting one bit at a time? I only have the forge size to heat about 2" of length. Thanks.

I'm building a hydraulic bender as some of you may have noticed. No directions came with it and it's not stamped acordingly the self contained unit has two ports on the pump and I have no clue which is in or out. One port looks like it may be fitted with a check valve?? Anyway if anybody knows for sure which is which please respond otherwise I'll give the supplier a call in the morning and talk to their tech person. thanks....mb

now, i dont know if this is in the right section, if so, could a mod please move it? but heres my idea, get a 3"x3"x3" block of steel, drill a hole down the center so the little nub on the end of my router bit will fit, and take a metal router and bring it down like a drill bit to cut it down into a bowl shape. then ill weld a 3/4"piece of sqare stock to the bottom (size of my hardy) and use it as a bowl tool for making spoons and ladels and such, any ideas on wether or not this is a good or bad idea? i really dont want to mess up my router bit. lol

Hey guys, I got one of the salt fork swage blocks and I need to clean up the rounds on the side where is was cast. anyone got any ideas how best to approach this? I was thinking of using a burr tool or sanding but I am open to suggestions Thanks!

I'm sure lots of smiths know about these, but for those don't they can really make a difference.......Ever curse having to quench the handle of a bar and losing the ''sweet heat'' before forging or some other maneuver ?............These things can be bought at napa or rigged from a T fitting. The blo gun rig is 1/8'', and the simple ''T'' rig is 1/4'', that one really puts out...........After cooling with water and air in the fire you go right to work...............Oh and don't leave it on the floor .............Your tub will drain.....:P

When shaping lengths of round stock with a power hammer, how do you keep the far end from sagging? Do you place a tool rest on the back side of the hammer. Haven't worked any long pieces yet but I plan to.

For a long time, I have been trying to forge weld using a one burner gas forge. I've tried many methods but without success. I have successfully forge welded in a coal forge. I now have my 50 lb Little Giant working and thought I'd try welding again using the hammer. I used 3/8" round stock and made a simple lap joint. To my surprise, I was successful. I made the first pass with light taps, returned it to the forge, and hammered down on the second and 3rd passes. Even the toe was welded and I could not see where it had been. So, is the moral of the story, I wasn't hitting hard enough when trying it by hand?

Hello there, The other day I was forging a bottle opener and a hook and after pulling them out of the pickle I use to clean off scale I noticed a small crack that ran along the length of them. I wondered the reasoning for it (perhaps it was my doing) and then I looked at the 3/8x3/4 flat bar I cut out of and noticed the crack ran all the way though it as well. I threw in my scrap bin, but yesterday I used some 1/8x1/2 flat bar and it has the same thing along the edges. I should mention that these cracks dont go all the way through but are only on one side. What could be causing this? Thanks ahead, Jake

There's a possible staircase handrail job on the horizon and i wondered if the sage members here might have some good tips for measuring up competently? There is a 90 turn ahead of the last 2-3 steps

I looking for a way to straighten steel clutch plates. I have several hundred plates all warped. They are around six inch dia, thickness vary from .090 to .130 I'm trying to get away from grinding them. I was told about putting stacks of them in a pottery kiln with some wight on them. will this work or am i wasting my time. Thanks Carl.

I am curious how different people join bed rails to the footboard and headboard of an iron bed.

I'm re-purposing some hardware that was copper plated and covered with a black lacquer type material to 'antique' it. Sanding is impractical/incomplete and burning it in the forge accomplished nothing. (All PPE/safety procedures were observed :D ) Muriatic acid after removing the the lacquer/varnish didn't help. Any suggestions??? THX, Keith

Hi, I have a 15k forklift that needs a pin for towing a 35,000 lb test skid (short distances in our lot). The pin that goes through the tow bar is bent and keeps getting stuck in the hole. What I'm looking for is a good, bend-resistant steel bar stock, 1.375 inch dia. I am afraid that tool steel may be too brittle, especially in the cold environment we work in (far Northern NY State). Does anyone have any recommendations? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. Todd

Howdy! One of the most vexing problems I have when forging is the formation of scale. No matter how clean I wire brush my work as it comes out of the forge (I use coal exclusively), the newly-cleaned orange-hot steel instantly forms a new coat of scale. I know this is inherent in forging; hot steel plus oxygen will always (and quickly) result in new iron oxide. Some of y'all may have some tips for reducing this scale, working around it, or otherwise NOT smashing it into one's workpiece. Your comments are welcome, and thanks in advance. :) Claymore

I got an email asking if I knew how to drill a 9/64th inch hole in a piece of 3/8 round titanium MM2 steel. The hole is to be located on an already flat area on the round bar. The hole is to be located about 3/8 inched from the end of a 3 inch section of round bar and to go parallel to the diameter and completely through the stock. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi folks, I'm a complete novice and I'm making a present for my mate's birthday tomorrow, I'm making him a simple dish, see pic attached. I have about 3 hours tomorrow to add the finishing touches so I'm really pushed for time! Just what you need when you're a novice that doesn't 100% know what they're doing and doesn't really have enough tools!!! I want to make some feet for this dish by attaching 2 pieces of round stock bar, (about 1/2 inch in diameter and about 4 inches in length), to the bottom of the dish about 3-4 inches in from each end. This dish is 6mm thick and about 30cm long. (Mixing my imperial and metric, variety is the spice of life!) A - do you think…

Ive had a problem with breaking sanding belts and I wonder if there is some special adhesive tape they use to put belts together or can I just use some ductape on the back to get them rolling again.

I had a request at this past weekend demo from a historical reinactor. He was asking if I could make a set of steel stirrups for his demos. He plays a midevil knight. He showed me a set he had made years ago, ans let me know what he didn't like about them. They look like something that I could do, so I said I would take a crack at them. This leads to my question: What type of steel should I make them out of? I would think a36 would be too "bendy" but other than that. Have no clue. Any thought?

Hello, Just last week I had to move from Tucson, AZ to Madison, WI. Unfortunately, my moving arrangements did not allow me to bring my forge/anvil/etc... What would be the cheapest way to ship it, or should I find one locally and donate/sell my current one? I won't be able to use it either way until I can find a house (rather than an apartment) for at least a year, so I have time. Has anyone made this sort of move before? Any help is appreciated...