Problem Solving

I am making a new post and rail (my first) for my front stoop and it will be 3 pcs of 1" rebar with about 90 degree bends at 120 d. apart. I was trying to figure a way to attach the post and ensure that it is tight between the overhang and the brick stoop. I was thinking of some kind of wedge system or two plates where one has bolts and can be tighted then cut off flush. Well if anyone has any ideas or experience with this sort of thing it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Vince

hello! Could please anybody help me? There is an old railing (guess made in the '20-es). i just wonder how the angle could have been made? Do not see any sign of welding (though it get a "few" times painted in 80 years), but anyway it looks like it is made of 1 piece)

hello everyone. i have a champion 400 forge with a new aftermarket firebox. this firebox is made of cast iron and is bolted to the bottom of the original flange on the forge body. in the hours i have been working with this forge i have found the fire never seems to come high enough and i am wondering if it is because the flange on the body sets the top of the new firebox a good inch and a half down, and its flange is over an inch thick itself. so the clinker breaker is a good eight inches down? i think. perhaps more. well how deep should my firebox be? i can mill either the firebox or the flange to bring it up higher, but i cant bolt the firebox in from above as the openi…

Hello all, I've been trying to forge the right-angle bend on a pair of bench holdfasts. It's not that easy, especially since in pictures it looks like one side of the bend remains round while the rest towards the arm is rectangular. Does anyone have or know where I can get a clear set of directions, it's driving me insane Thanks very much Adriaan www.adriaangerberknives.com Anyone? How to forge a 90 degree bend? Any links to info? Thanks Adriaan

I cant open the Iforgeiron Chatroom. Any1 now what is wrong. When i click on "chat", it says "this page has been removed". Thanks, Colton

Hello. I was recently at Penland School of Craft, and all of their railings are made by blacksmiths who have taught there. They also all have the same kind of finish. It's slick and waxy looking and is patchy red and black. I really really like it, but when I asked, they just said it was "goop". so how might it have been done? partial russet-finish? some fancy combo of oils? I really want to know because I really like it. Thanks eversomuch! be merry, Archie

I'm a newbie and yesterday I was annealing some old files for stock and did not realize it till the next day that somehow my flint striker was tossed in to the charcoal. after removing the scale the I assumed it would now be to soft to throw sparks and sure enough it didn't spark a bit so I heated it up to beyond non-magnetic and quenched it in motor oil cleaned it up and still no spark. I then tempered it so the face was a nice even straw still no spark. I then took the three knives I have made two are 5160 one was made of 1035 and I could not get any of them to spark. Now I have been using a flint and steel for years and know what I am doing, so I am wondering if anneal…

I'm trying to adjust a burner I'm building and was wanting to know if a green-blue cone is ok? The outer flame is blue with little to no orange in it. I'm not sure if you guy tell by the pitcure attached. Russell

Just got an old well tank. About 4-5 ft. tall and about 2-3 ft. diameter. Any1 know what type of material this is?

Does anybody have a pattern for a useful general purpose swage block? I think I have got a place here that can do small runs of castings and I would like to try to make some swage blocks.

Need to punch 294 1/8 inch holes into an 8 inch diameter disc of 1/8" plate. I don't have a clue how to hot punch this many holes without endless heats. Drilling would probably be faster but would like to hear ideas.

I am currently building a new gas forge and after looking at a lot of custom forges I am wondering why I have not seen any soldered copper piping on them? All the connections are threaded elbows and tees. I would think that every threaded point is a potential leak hazard and soldering would prevent that but I must be missing something. Maybe the soldered areas would get to hot next to the forge and melt? any thoughts? Thanks, IAF

I want some forks to fit on the front bucket of a small tractor. Is it possible to make them or would I be better advised to buy some? If I can make them does anybody have any tips? On a separate point what grade of steel would make good teeth ror the bucket? I can bolt teeth on but am not sure quite how to make them other than they will have to be harder than a mother in law's heart.

Ok, I decided to make a couple leaf key chains for a friend today. The technique is easy enough and such and in the past I've made several hundred of them... but now I keep loosing the darn things in the fire when I go to grab it with the tongs. Part of this is I still don't have full dexterity in my hands since my motorcycle wreck, the brain knows what it needs the hands to do but the hands just don't co-operate as well as they used to. So when doing work on small pieces of metal such as a key ring leaf how do you keep the thing easy to grab, do you have a secret tong choice for your tiny work? Got a dumb apprentice willing to fish the piece out with his fingers? It ha…

ive only been tigging for 6 months, but been a boily for 12 years. this is the first time ive had trouble with it. The tungsten keeps burnig back before i can start adding da filler rod.. been chatting with rthibeau and he told me that i might be holding it to close,the head might be dirty. if anyone else has any other problem solving ideas it would be greatly appreciated. thanks for you time........:):cool:

Hello. I remember there used to be a blueprint with tongs that looked like these. What are they called, and must I make separate tongs from square, round, and flat stock? (the lower jaw indented, and the triangle fiddled with?) or can I use them for all three? thanks eversomuch, Archie

Ok, I need to make some earth anchors out of either 3/8" or 1/2" stainless steel round rod. If you have ever seen those dog anchors that are similar to a cork screw. (helix ? )How would be the easiest way to do this? Has anyone ever made such a beast? Thanx for any and all replies. Dennis

I picked up a 24 inch folding steel blacksmith rule. after getting all the dirt an light rust off with steel wool most of the numbers need re-blacking...how do you do this . my first throught is to use gun blue and a fine artist brush...anyone know a better way?

I found this at the scrapyard when looking for shapes. The shape I was looking for was round shapes and this just jumped out at me. Looked great for making bowls. Of course it needs a little altering, but it has a good base to mount in the vise and you can use it to form over or into. But what was it??? .....................Duck photos available at post #23 this thread

The website will only let me look at blueprints 1-100, 200-300, and 1000. I dont know if it is my cpu, or if it is the website. I am using internet explorer. Does any1 know what is wrong or what i need to do to view the blueprints. Thanks.

Hello from Iron Antler Forge! I just joined the team. I have some firebrick that a friend gave me and I want to build a brick-pile forge with it. The problem is there are several different types of brick and I don't know the temp. rating of any of them. Does anyone know of a Place is MD, preferably the DC/metro area, where I could take some samples to have their secrets told? Also, any good info out there on building a good brick-pile forge? I'm looking into building a 30" x 30" x 7" forge with 4 of the T-Rex or larger 1" model burners. Thanks everyone! IAF

I'm going to the junkyard soon and was wondering just how I should try and get the leaf springs from trucks. Got a few ideas of my own but was just wondering what others do to get em.

Not really a problem but a tapping of the collective brain. What do you use for your food safe finish? Like for ladles, forks, spoons etc. I'm interested to hear new ideas. I used to use beeswax but when the item sat in the sun it got tacky and customers at rendezvous didn't like it. I've used linseed oil but don't like working with it (it stains clothes, breathing hot fumes isn't good, label says if taken internally to call the poison control center). Some people are allergic to peanut oil so I avoid it. I've settled on vegetable oil. Cheap, readily available and easy to apply/reapply. So what do you use? And why?

GIRLFRIENDS, that is, the look is PRICELESS tho.

My new Vulcan was described as 3/4" hardy. Not really- most of my hardy tools that shank size wont fit. The face is good hard steel and a file just skates in the hole. Any suggestions for enlarging? I have a die grinder and carbide bits for steel/iron but that could get ugly. Suggestions?mike