Glenn

As this is a blacksmithing forum, not a political forum, I will take a lack of additional posts as an opportunity to lock down the thread.

Whitesmith and I were at a demo with Paw Paw, Jock, and others and were trading stories during a lull in the action. BANG ! Sounded like a 12 ga going off at real close range. Jim's demo forge had backfired. No damage to the bellows, but it was definately a check for who had a heart condition. Even though this was an outdoor demo it took several minutes to regain our hearing. We guessed that there was a shift in the wind that cause the gasses to ignite. I no longer use plastic dryer vent from the fan to the forge after having 3 of them catch fire during a backfire, melting the plastic and setting it on fire. As the smoke ignites and burns, it can be a traveling fire as the smoke burns in the air line, a soft whoomp, or an ear splitting bang. Do not let anyone tell your that blacksmithing can not be exciting !!

There are a lot of double disc rotors being replaced in this area. Let's do something a bit different this month and make something useful using this item. The discs I have seen have different patterns of bolt holes, 4, 5, 8 so you get your choice. The webbing between the discs seems to beg to be used in some way. Use your imagination.

Bob Harasim Passes Away I'm new to this board although Bob has tried to get me to register for awhile. I'm sorry it took this to get me to register. I know he has some friends on this board so thought this should be posted. I have known Bob since 1968 when we joined Cub Scouts together and his mother was our Den Mother. I regret to inform You that Bob died Saturday night. I considered him among my best friends and I will miss him immensly. Dave. Maverick4440

There is an "archives" button at the bottom of the page. Click on it to get to into the past conversations or threads. Also at the bottom of the page left, as an option for how many posts you want to show, what order and etc. Many times the posts fall outside your request time frame and seem to disappear. Adjust your time frame and they will appear once more. This keeps your viewing screen from being cluttered. I am glad you find the site useful. I Forge Iron tries to keep something new on the site each time you log in. It is the contributors that made the site what it is today. Our thanks and gratitude for the knowledge posted on the site goes to them.

IForgeIron is a blacksmithing site with a world wide audiance. We have over 50 different world wide countries visit the IforgeIron site each month. We try to stay close to the topic of blacksmithing and metal working so everyone is pulling together for a common goal - knowledge in the craft. Let us keep the discussions related to blacksmithing, sharing the knowledge of the craft and assisting each other. That way we can build friendships and keep IForgeIron a comfortable place for all to visit.

A client wanted 8 strap hinges 4" wide x 36" long (for a door) fully textured and liked the look a ball pein made on the metal. The entire surface was distressed with out a single area of the original finish left untouched. Never again. If you want a pitted look, put the center point into an air chisel and go at the surface of the flatbar. It gives a little different type of texture, and can be adjusted from light to deep indentations, and from here-n-there to full coverage. The air tool does a lot of work in short order. Do a test piece first to see the effect. Combine several of the techniques suggested to arrive at an unique texture and product.

I just got a phonoe call from Hotforge's son that Ed (hotforge) is in the hospital with a kidney infection and also an infection in one of his feet. Ed requested to be placed on the prayer list. I ask the son to keep us informed as to his (Ed's) condition and progress. The family would appreciate prayers for him also.

What tools do I need to get started in blacksmithing? The question is intended for the newbie plus level of blacksmithing, and should be considered "real tools" to replace the starter set of make do items he wants to replace. Anvil - something in the 100-200 pound range Hammer - how many, what style, straight pein, cross pein, slash or diagonal pein, ball pein ? Forge - depends on the fuel available in his location Tongs - how many and what configuration? And what other tools should be put on the list?

Burce Wilcox made an anvil this spring and his strikers used 6# hammers to strike with from what I understand.

Set up a box, bucket, drum or whatever in the shade so that the incoming illumination is 90* to the entrance to the opening on the box etc. The box etc should be deep enough as to create a shadow and the inside should be dark if possible. Take a piece of metal and bring it up to a temperature you can see first color, a low red. This will be outside in your forge conditions. Quickly step to the box etc and put the same metal into the shadows and look at the "same heat color" but under a different light condition. Watch it slowly cool and watch the color fade till you can no longer see the color in the metal. Quickly step back to the forge and look at the same metal again. The difference is only light conditions, forge location or inside the box location. It is at the same heat temperature, but you see the color different according to the light available. In the real world this means you need to standardize your viewing conditions. If at the forge, then fine, that is the standard. If inside the box, that is fine also, as that is your standard. Once you have a standard you can call the color red, "the color red", and know it is YOUR color red. If you standardize on a day with no clouds in the sky and the sun beaming down, you will have to make certain adjustments for dreary overcast winter weather.

Post the event in the Calendar section. It lets the rest of us know what and where things are happening.

BP0188 How to find things BP0184 Look-see This is a good place to start in your search for materials and tools. Explaination of colors: I divide red, orange, and yellow (the colors of heated metal) into 3 groups each. Start with black then low red, medium red and high red, low orange, medium orange, and high orange, low yellow, medium yellow, and high yellow, then white heat. This is followed by sparks. The lower temperatures have more seperation in heat colors than the seperation in heat colors at high temperatures. The difference is suttle, and everyone sees color differently. The same colors are different temperatures in bright sun then in shade. You need to standardize to your conditions. The 12 color divisions (black to sparks) are enough for discussion purposes, and are repeatable under YOUR conditions. This is the time you need to find a steel yard and BUY some new stock. It will move a certain way under the hammer each (every) time. Feel the hammer when it hits the metal at different temperatures. If you see the color of the mild steel as red stop and take another heat, get it back up to working temperature. Put the metal into the fire and get it hot enough to throw sparks, just like a 4th of July (USA) sparkler. This is usually when the metal is at high yellow or white in color. You have now sucessfully burned the metal, don't do it again as that is TOO HOT. Cut the burnt end off the stock. Put the stock back into the fire and heat to (for mild steel) high orange or yellow and hit it with a hammer. Feel how it moves upon impact. When the metal gets to low orange in color by loosing heat, it will stiffen a bit. Warm it back up and do it again. Cut the end of the stock to where there is new material. Put it in the fire and bring it only up to showing low red in color. Hit it with the hammer and feel how it moves (or dowsn't want to move). Back to the fire and then repeat at orange. Back to the fire and then repeat at yellow. Feel the hammer and watch the metal. You are building YOUR heat standard for YOUR forge under YOUR smithy conditions. I will echo Rich Hale and congradulate you on asking question and seeking assistance. Keep us informed as to your progress. It is a joy to watch some one grow from a beginner to an acomplished blacksmith. IForgeIron is a great group of talented blacksmiths and metal smiths. Who knows what other talents are available in the group, but it is always amazing as to the width and depth of knowledge the group posesses outside the interest in metal.

Sikaflex-11 FC Description Sikaflex-11 FC is a one-component, gun-grade, adhesive and sealing compound of permanent elasticity. This dual-purpose material is based on a special moisture-cured polyurethane with an accelerated curing time. Advantages * Excellent adhesion on all cement-based materials, brick, ceramics, glass, metals, wood, epoxy, polyester, acrylic resin, and plastics. * Fast cure rate. * Good weathering and water resistance. * Non-corrosive. * Can be painted over with water, oil, and rubber-based paints. (Preliminary tests recommended). * High durability. Coverage 10.3 fl. oz. cartridge seals 12.4 lineal ft. of 1/2 x 1/4 in. joint. Sikaflex-11 FC Technical Information Sheet in pdf format Sikaflex11fc Material Safety Data Sheet in pdf format

I have converted your images and reposted them into your comments for you. They were saved as bmp and should have been jpg format. For the images to be viewable, use 640x480 in size and in jpg format.

BP0300 Getting started in Blacksmithing has all types of information including building forges. (BP0300 was chosen as it is an easy number to remember).

Rick, Welcome to the site, great shop!

Pokers are a good project as many people want one. Helps you practice your forge (fagot) welding. BP0071 Poker 01 - Beacher Alan (Possum) BP0084 Poker 02 - Cheryl McDowell, aka Baby Anvil The dinner bell will help you with scrolls. BP0085 Heart Bell - Cheryl McDowell, aka Baby Anvil The Blueprints are a great resource that cover a wide range of blacksmithing skills. BP0166 Hammer Stand, BP0291 Square Helper and BP0237 Toys may be a place to use your welding skills to help with your blacksmithing. BP0295 Nail in Hook is just a new twist on the hooks you already make. Go to the opening page of IForgeIron.com and click on the yellow Blueprints button on the left side of the page to find these and some 300+ more Blueprints.

Frogvalley, If you get to the place and into the basement, get lots of picutres please.

My condolenses to the family and friends.

Some of you may know that I have been in the developing stages of having Colonial pattern anvils made. Two anvils that were cast last week for me were stolen over the weekend from the foundry in Struthers, Ohio. They were just broken out of the mold and still had the risers stuck to the side. The finish weight of the anvils will be around 100 pounds. Pictures attached are from one of the first run anvils that was scrapped out by us. The face is a full 5" wide, @ 9-1/2" long, the horn is @ 4-1/2" long and has since been rounded more. The Hardy hole is @ 3/4". These are cast in S7. If you see these anvils, please contact me. Jymm Hoffman

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2011 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved BP0310 Simple Bending Tool by Jim Carothers Fellow smith D. C. came over to my shop one day with an idea for a simple bending jig that would produce various radius bends. From the scrap steel in the “learning pile” (thanks Oakwood – good terminology for that stuff) under my workbench, this is what we came up with. Start with a simple 1/4" plate base with several different sizes of tubing and pipe that will loosely fit over one another. The center post is 3/4” solid round bar, which was pressed into a slightly under size hole in the base plate and then welded in place from the bottom side. The base plate has another piece of flat bar welded on edge to the bottom so that the bender can be held in a vise. The adjustable pigtail catch is simply a long threaded wing bolt (3/8-NC) with a smooth face flanged nut tack welded on. The heavy block holding the wing bolt was drilled and tapped such that the flanged face nut would just barely clear the top of the base plate. Enough space was left between the flanged nut and the center post such that when it is fully retracted several more pieces of larger tubing could be stacked over one another. If I were to make another of these benders, I would include a jam nut on the “wing” side of the pigtail catch. That would allow you to lock the catch in position for repeated bends. This shows the bender with several pieces of tubing / pipe stacked on the center post. This is the beginnings of a coat hook. The finished coat hook (1 of 2) on a finished pine board. View full article

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2011 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved BP0309 Car Radiator Clamp Holder by Jim Carothers Saturday afternoon I put all new hoses on my wife's Chevy. I had a real hard time getting the factory GM spring band type clamps off and back on. I like the way these clamps work -- nice even tension on the hose / joint. I don't like working with them. There are special tools for these clamps; but they are expensive, and not available on Saturday afternoon in Perry, OK. I only have to do this about every 100, 000 miles. Getting the clamps back on was the hardest part. I finally got down to one last clamp -- the big one on the bottom of the lower radiator hose. There was just no room to get any of the 7 different pliers I have in there to squeeze the clamp to open it. If I could get a squeeze on the ears, it was not enough to fully open this large (2") clamp and get it up onto the hose. After about an hour working on this one last clamp, I changed projects (took a break and went to see my farrier neighbor). The idea of squeezing the clamp out of the vehicle and holding it open with a piece of wire occurred to me upon returning to the Chevy. I am likely not the only person to think of this; but working alone, it was almost a revelation to me. I had the hose on and the clamp positioned easily in a few minutes. Cutting the wire finished up the job. The clamp in the photo is a small clamp used on the heater hoses, but serves OK as an illustration. View full article

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2011 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved BP0307 Rail Road Spike Knife by Jim Hrisoulas © Jim Hrisoulas 2005 Used with permission Carefully flatten head section and "blend" it into the start of the spike and continue to flatten this out until you have a flat area about 4" long. The spike is flattened, starting from the head and then working down the spike shaft. This will be the gripping area. When this is done, flatten and spread the remaining shaft to form the blade. It doesn't look like there is much material there to make a blade more than a couple of inches long but there is. The blade is forged flat and is widened and drawn out into a rough forged shape Once this area is flattened and drawn out the thickness is checked for uniformity and overall "blending" of the head and grip area. Working from the tip back, start to flatten and spread the blade. Widen as you go and then start in on the distal taper. When you get to the ricasso end, carefully widen this area and make sure the whole forging "blends" well into the shape you want. After the blade is forged out and shaped into the rough shape of what you want to make, this rough forging still needs to be profiled to final shape. Note: at this point the edge bevels have been formed ("packed") and the knife is pretty much in its final cross section. Now is the time to do any refinements and make certain that there are no drastic changes in cross section and that everything "flows" into everything else The next step is blade profiling. This is done either by hand with a file or a high speed grinder. Here the knife takes on its final "finished" shape. As you can see there is a considerable amount of material in one of these spikes after all and you can forge out a pretty good sized "user" knife in a variety of blade shapes and styles. Now it is ready for thermal treatment. Thermal treatment consists of two normalizing cycles, which is bringing the entire forging up to approximately 1600 and letting furnace cool over night. This is done twice. After the normalization is completed (this is done to make sure the steel grain is not enlarged, and hence "ruined". There is a bit of controversy over the forging/normalization/stock removal processes..) the blade is ready to harden. Now since this is a plain carbon steel that has what I feel to be the minimum amount of carbon in it to harden into a cutting edge, I have found that a water/brine quench works best. I use the same basic brine mix that I use when doing refractory thermal treatment (for a "temper line" using clay and 1045/1050 steels) except for a RR spike I use the quench at ambient room temperature instead of heating it to 120 degrees as I do for the refractory methods. The quench I use is a caustic soda brine mixed from common salt, sodium hydroxide and water. The blade is heated to non magnetic and then held there for 1 minute to ensure uniform heating throughout the thickness. After the soak the blade is removed and then quickly quenched point down (vertical) into the quench until it is cool. After the blade is hardened, it is then surface ground to remove the scale and to reveal a "clean" surface for tempering. Tempering is done immediately after hardening and the blade is heated until it turns a light straw yellow in colour. Due to the low C content further drawing of the back is not needed. I have yet to have one of these break. When the blade is at the right colour it is again quenched to stop the heating and it is now ready to finish grind. Finish grinding is rather a simple task, as I flat grind to clean up the surface and then, after the surface is cleaned of scale, I start to do a nice cannel ("apple seed") grind using a slack belt on my belt grinder. Slack belt grinding is hazardous so pay attention while doing so. If you don't the blade can snag and be violently ripped from your hands and sent at a high rate of speed someplace else. Probably right back at you so be careful. The "flat" grinding is done on a 40 grit belt, holding the blade vertical against the wheel..the bevels are cleaned up and the surface de-barked and set up for the cannel grind. The "cannel" grind step is also done with a 40 grit belt but it is done on the slack section. Once the blade is final ground on the 40 grit, it is then finish ground and sharpened. Here again, using a slack belt, but this one is 240 grit. Now some of you will ask why I didn't do any grinding before thermal treatment. The answer to that is I didn't need to as the forging itself will take the place of the grinding. I forge these as close to final cross section as I can for several reasons. One is the fact that the amount of material is limited and second, proper forging saves time as well as material. It has been said that 15 minutes in a forge is equal to 1 hour on a grinder. The knife is now complete. A light coat of good oil is all that's needed to finish. The grip area is left "forge finished" as there really in no reason to do much as far as finishing that area. If you desire you can clean off the forge scale and polish the whole thing but you will have more of a rust problem if you do. The scale left on is quite resistant to rust, but it still can rust if it is not kept lightly oiled every now and then. All in all these are more of a "novelty knife" rather than a serious tool. They will cut quite well as they are but they will need to be reshaped a bit more often than a blade made from a higher C content steel. They are a neat little knife and a nice "spare time" project for the craftsman or as an exercise to show the basic steps needed to make a knife at a demo or as a assignment for a "student"... View full article

Awarded to Uri Hofi Order of Excellence Award Senate Authority for Education. Youth and Sport Beuthstrasse 6-8 10117 Berlin-Mitte Public Transport Bus no 142 Contact: Ms Hohne Room No. 6018 Tel (030) 90-26 57 59 Fax +49 (30) 90 26 3760 Email Address @SenBjs.Verwalt-Berlin.de Internet site: www.scnbjs.berlin.de Date: July 21,24-08-2006 Mr. Uri Hofi The Forge