Glenn

Text was copied directly from her July 25 2007 email. You know how fast kid grow up, I will ask to be sure.

Hollon, the Blueprint does exist, I somehow missed turning it to the on and viewable position. Thanks for reminding me. BP0106 Lost Wax Casting

One place to start is in the IForgeIron Blueprints . BP0106 Lost Wax Casting

Baby Lucas Eugene Burch was born July 23,2003 and he weighed 6 pounds 13 oz. And is 17 in. long . Michaella and baby Lucas are doing gr8!! Genia Burch

Remember when ? Finished this today, a hammer based on the find at Mastermyr.

Hardening is making the steel as hard as it can become due to composition chemistry. Tempering is drawing the hardness back to make it a tool that will work for your purpose. (Where is a metallurgist when I need one?) Take a piece of mild steel and heat the end to A2 or non-magnetic. Now quench the end to freeze the crystalline structure of the metal. This is accomplished by dipping the end into a quench media. Now let the residual heat from the tool flow back to the tip of the tool and watch the "colors" run. Quench again (full quench) when you see the color you want which represents the temperature of the metal. This is where temperature wax sticks, or pyrometers come in handy. Different metals temper differently and at different temperatures. Where is a metallurgist when I need one? Oh yes, the Blueprints !! BP0078 The Metallurgy of Heat Treating

It seems everything is turning to safety in the recent posts. Tempering the working end to your needs and leaving the struck end soft is the safe way of doing things. This allows you to dress the tool when it mushrooms, rather than dressing the wounds from flying shrapnel when pieces break off. Temper the metal for the intended use of the tool.

Frosty, I agree, Jim would most likely added that story to the growing list of incidents, accidents and close calls. That is from the fellow that was sitting in the window seat of Jim's truck when it lost both dual wheels from the drivers side of the truck. I SAW the wheels PASS the truck and continue down the highway as the brake drum scratched and gouged it's way into the pavement coming to a stop. Whitesmith was sitting between Jim and myself and was the one that went into the woods to retrieve the tire and rim. What a story he can tell, actually seeing Jim run the wheels off his truck. (grin) Not the same safety topic, but . . . now you know the rest of the story.

Jim Wilson's shop was large by most standards. I would suggest that it could maybe hold 2 semi trucks on the inside, see attached photo. There were places for 4 doors, 2 of which were walled off and the other 2 openings had NO DOORS. This allowed full air movement through the building. See attached photo. He was heating about 20 pieces of zinc coated pipe in his gas forge to burn off the zinc. See attached photo We use Jim and burning zinc off a piece of metal as an example because he did something he thought he could get away with "one more time". It did not work out. "Get away with" and "one more time", and "Hey y'all, watch this" are not safe. Doing things that are not safe usually ends up in getting someone hurt. Look at the photos again, large building, lots of interior space, 2 large open doors, and you only need to burn the zinc off a couple pieces (ok just a few pieces) of pipe. Would you try to get by with it? Jim thought he could get by with it, and died trying. Yes, COPD and other factors were involved, but he still died. Work safely or change things so it can be done safely. Personal safety is your personal responsibility.

Ring as in anvil

Using stainless as an electrode produces some really nasty haz-mat quality by products. All the advice I have seen is not to use it. You only need electrodes 180 degrees or 120 degrees apart for coverage. Surrounding the part with electrode is better as there is more electrode and a shorter distance.

Small gas forges can be easily built. Go to the opening page of IForgeIron.com and click on Lessons in Metalworking > Blacksmithing > LB0003 and look for gas forges. The Lessons in Metalworking > Blacksmithing are designed as lesson plans for teaching, or the self motivated individual to get started in metalworking and blacksmithing. Many more lessons are on the way and will be posted as they are completed. Kayne and son sells the Momma and Daddy forges and there are several other folks that sell forges for blacksmithing and ferrier use. If you have several students in class, you may want to consider a couple of forges as the insulation is fragile and will need to be replaced on a regular basis if it is abused. One forge can still be in use while the other forge is being repaired.

Events have been placed on the calendar. You may see the calendar by clicking on the label "Metalworking Calendar" on the home page of IForgeIron.com

Thanks for all the answers. I am somewhat surprised that no one mentioned graphite as a lube. It is a dry lube, and therefore not attract dirt and junk like oils and greases. Any comments on graphite as a lube?

Your English is fine. If you go to IForgeIron.com there is a French flag (bottom left of the page) that you can click on to translate the site into French (or other languages) and may be easier to read. Good blacksmithing tools can be found at most blacksmithing meetings. Most likely the best gathering of blacksmiths in your country is Canada CanIRON VI. Click on the link for information. In the USA I would suggest SOFA and Quad State Click on the link for information. There metalworking calendar on the opening page of the site will give you other events that are usually open to the public to attend. As a blacksmith you can make your own hand tools. The Blueprints section of this site is a step-by-step tutorial that shows you how to make forges, tongs and many other tools.

You should start the draft up the chimney by lighting a couple sheets of newspaper. Once the draft has started there is usually very little problem with the smoke from the fire going up the chimney.

You bending hot metal or cold metal? What diameter? What Radius?

Welding heat depends on the heat contained in the fuel and the air supply. A side blast forge can produce welding heat.

A search for "Scroll tongs" turned up the following photos from the IForgeIron Gallery.

BP0367 Forge Blower Duct may give you some ideas for your T connection.

Nothing wrong with coal or a whole bunch of blacksmiths would be out of business, or at least until they could get an alternative fuel. This is listed for coal on the internet and is in Waco. May want to call them to see what they have or ask for a reference for a coal resource. Bellmead Pools & Supply 4412 Bellmead Dr Waco, TX 76705 (254) 799-6839 McLennan Community College has (or had) a coal fired power plant and may be able to give a reference to a coal source. A side blast forge should be able to use charcoal as a fuel.

mandoro Go to Lessons in Blacksmithing on the home page of IForgeIron.com and look for LB0003 Blacksmithing Forges. There is a list of forges there. Blueprint BP0238 Side Blast Forge requires no welding and only a saw to make. My suggestion is to make this forge then you can use it to make other items. Blueprint BP0133 The 55 Forge has detailed instruction of making a inexpensive "T" by welding. As Nomad said, you can cut a "V" in the down pipe as an air inlet and cut a "V" on the end of the other pipe to overlap the two, then hold it together with screws. Put clay on any gaps. Another suggestion is to put a strap around the vertical pipe and use screws to hold it together. If you used a brake drum you could (with a little time and expense) find a 2" opening in the right drum, use a floor flange, close nipple, tee, and pipe vertically and a pipe horz and it will all screw together. You will still need a bolt or something as a grate. Having a lack of some tools just makes using the tool between your ears necessary to see what is available and how it can be used to your benefit.

In the IForgeIron Gallery > Blacksmithing Events > I have set up a folder called Ystervegter Forge In for the photos from your event. First box "Choose a category to upload your images to" use the pull down menu and select Blacksmithing Events > Ystervegter Forge In for each photo. If you have any problems, contact me.

Keep that one around as he is most likely dinning on the mice in and around the shop. Might be a good time to tell the neighbor that keeps borrowing your tools that you know the snake is in the shop and to leave it alone. Your tools may not return but I doubt he will borrow any more of them for a while. :)

Welcome to the IForgeiron. This is your forum to show the world who you are and what you do. Please post your events. news, etc, to keep others informed about your group.