Glenn

Bobby, huge images should be placed in the IForgeIron gallery. The gallery keeps the full size but also presents a reduced size that is acceptable for the forum. Just copy the URL from the gallery and place it into the "attach images" on the forum.

A side blast forge is most likely the simplest and quickest forge to build. Blueprint BP0238 Side Blast Forge BP0232 Side Blown Demo Forge A bottom blast forge can be built quickly also. Blueprint BP0133 The 55 Forge I have built and used both of these forges. They are not permanent forges, but are serviceable while you get the forge you want built. Do not try to over engineer simple as it is just a way to get started. Construction time is measured in minutes. Be sure to cover the sharp edges of the metal. If nothing else, cut a 2" wide section (ring) of metal from the drum, fold it in half and place it over the sharp edge. More forge information on forges can be found by clicking the link below LB0003 Blacksmithing Forges

The nail header is constructed in such a way that there is only enough metal in the top half if the hourglass to hold the shaft while the head is being formed. see photo Usually a dip into the slack tub will cool the nail, shrinking the metal so the nail is easier to remove from the header. It also keeps the header cool. BP0322 Making a Nail Header

Older equipment use flat belts to transfer power from the engine to the equipment. The ones I have seen have been 8-9 inches wide, leather, and sometimes 40-50 feet in length (20-25 feet from drive wheel to driven wheel). Today we see *V* belts to powering all sorts of equipment. This can be just one belt or as many as 4 or more side by side on the same pulley. The *V* belts do not have the same surface area in contact with the pulley. They usually can not be repaired in the field and are usually replaced instead of repaired. What is the reasoning behind the change. And why now are we going back to the flat belts to drive the accessories on the car engine via a flat serpentine belt?

Yes, IForgeIron has it in the store which should be on line shortly. If you need it before then contact me directly.

We should have it on the site soon.

The best way to keep it clean of rust is to use it. For the face and work surfaces, I have tried all manner of things and have found that ATF (automatic transmission fluid) to work well. When finished for the day, I wipe the anvil to remove any slag and obvious dirt, With a small piece of rag, all surfaces of the face and horn are wiped with ATF. This makes holding the anvil difficult so move it before oiling. If the anvil is not going to be used for a while, follow Irnsrgn's suggestion and place the oily rag on top of the anvil. I found that ATF does not have to be removed before you can use the anvil the next time. Just a wipe from a rag and your good to go.

Archives of IForgeIron - - a place to hide things, usually in plain site. A repository of many pearls of wisdom that sparkle once again when exposed to the light of day.

Bob, if you have them, or Julian if you use the process, send me the photos and I will turn it into a Blueprint.

Where are you located? Find a blacksmithing group and go to a meeting. Someone there can point you in the direction of a real anvil. For an anvil horn, you can do a lot of work on a piece of solid round bar or the curve (inside or outside) section of an object. A piece of track, pipe, RR coupling knuckle, large sprocket gear, etc will work. Look past what the object was, and see what it can do. BP0184 Look - See BP0244 Junk Yard Visit

IFGS Sculptures from the indoor gallery. More photos at the link above. 5 sculptures were forged by Uly Schmidy using a 200 ton hydraulic press. The sculptor is unknown in the second group. Diameter is 12-13" and 1/2" thick. Forged with a 75 ton hydraulic press

I feel I learn more about blacksmithing by going to - - - There were 79 votes as listed below. 21 votes or 26.6% The Internet 20 votes or 25.3% Local group conferences - hammer ins 19 votes or 24.1% Visit other blacksmith's shops 8 votes or 10.1% Blacksmithing Schools - classes 6 votes or 7.6% Books and magazines 4 votes or 5.1% other sources 1 votes or 1.3% Major blacksmithing conferences (ABANA CanIRON etc)

The following Blueprints should give you some information on building solid fuel forges. BP0138 Bullet Grate BP0390 First Forge Fire BP0273 Mini Forge BP0394 Side Draft Forge BP0238 Side Blast Forge BP0277 Scott Forge BP0128 Forge Blower BP0232 Side Blown Forge BP0115 "5th" Wheel Forge BP0133 "55"Forge Pan BP0333 Supercharged 55 forge BP0462 Wheel Forge BP0463 Wheel Forge There may be other Blueprints, but this should get you started. Larry is right, the Blueprint BP0133 the 55 Forge is a quick and easy forge to make, and you can build a fire after just a couple hours construction time. Build a 55 Forge and use it while you decide what design you want for a 2nd forge.

What fuel do you plan to use for heat. Where are you located?

You did not say if you used the piling horizontally or vertically.Try loosely wrapping some light chain around the piling to kill the noise (ring). Go to the junk yard and browse for a while. Do not LOOK for an anvil, but SEE what is available that can be used as an anvil. The object should be heavy 75 to 100 pounds. If you happen upon a 200-300 pound or heavier object don't turn it down if it has the "right" shape. A collection of different heavy objects with a variety of different shapes, come in very handy for a blacksmith. Blueprints that may help are: BP0244 Junk Yard Visit BP0184 Look - See

Best hammer handle I own is made from the end of a broken shovel handle. The end was left rounded and maybe 1-1/4" long before the hand hold was created.

I did not realize it at first, but after checking, the Moran's in the video are Candidquality and his wife.

What is the purpose of a 123 block and how is it used?

Candid, you on the list.

The Bill Epps rule for sales is something priced under $20 and that will look good in a double wide trailer. The second rule is women control the purse strings, so make the item to get the woman's attention. Always have $5, $10 items on the table as well as a couple of high end items.

Go to http://www.iforgeiron.com Click on the "Blueprints" tab top left of the page The first 200 Blueprints are available to any viewer. Go to http://www.iforgeiron.com Log on to the site by entering your name, password, and click the box "remember me" Click on the "Blueprints" tab top left of the page The Blueprints are in groups of 100 so if your looking for say BP04xx, click on the 400 series, then the Blueprint you want. ALL the Blueprints are available to any registered user of IFI. Another way is to go to the opening page of IForgeIron and click on "search" on the left column. Enter the BP number your looking for and it should bring up that number as a hot link. There are 3 search engines on IForgeIron, one for the opening page (home page) one for the IForgeIron Forum, and one for the IForgeIron Gallery. The more specific you are in your search key words, the more specific the search engines can be in their hits.

A quick search turned up the following Blueprints: BP0387 Draw knife from a File BP0054 Forging a Small Draw knife

Jr Strasil, and Coalforge all worked with corn as a forge fuel. There is a discussion on the forum and photos in the gallery on the subject. Corn as a forge fuel

Please post the following at the beginning of your review: Book name in full Authors name ISBN number Number of pages We encourage you to give your opinion and review of any book related to blacksmithing or metal working.

I have been reading about the auto-darkening hoods. There is a auto-darkening hood that claims to be the "Fastest switching speed in the world 1/25,000 of a second". Someone please check my figures so they can be corrected if needed. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, (299,792,458 m/s for the metric part of the world). In 1/25,000 of a second the light will travel 7.44 miles. (speed of light divided by the time). If we are 2 feet from the arc that means the light from the arc is 7.439621 MILES past the eye when the auto-darkening lens switches to dark. (7.44 miles x 5280 feet per mile = 39,283.2 feet. 39283.2 - the 2 feet from the eye to the arc = 39281.2 feet the light is past the eye. Divide by 5280 to convert back to miles and you get 7.439621 miles.) Let us go at this from another direction. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second and we want the auto-darkening feature to switch to dark within 1 foot from the arc. 186,000 times 5280 = 982080000 feet the light travels in one second. So the auto-darkening would have to switch in 1/982,080,000 of a second to protect the eye one foot from the arc. Either way it would seem the eye is going to get a flash of arc light, at least 1/25,000 second of flash. The question now becomes is the welder person able to see the "short duration" flash? Does the eye react to the short duration flash of light (that may or may not be seen) and is it damaged in some way? Welders do not get flashed only one time a day, but each time they strike an arc. Is the repeated short duration flashing of arc light into the eye have an accumulated damaging effect on the eye? When you run the numbers it brings up some interesting questions. Am I on the right track or am I chasing a gnat in order to get the hide and tallow?