Glenn

BP0300 Getting Started in Blacksmithing This Blueprint is being put into the BP0300 slot because it is an easy number to remember. We need to be able to direct those new to the craft or those looking for a quick reference to one location (BP0300) that lists a variety of materials they will find of interest. There are several IForgeIron Blueprints already listed, as well as other articles that can be found on the site. We need your input to make it a most valuable resource. Please consider writing articles, blueprints, or advice or information the beginner can use in his quest for knowledge in the craft. What would you suggest that we add to the list?

When you acquire a new tool, there is always a learning curve. And if you have not had some experience with the more basic tools, the more advanced tools do not work nearly as well. For instance, if you have not experienced hot to move metal with a hand hammer, the sledge hammer has a much longer learning curve. You need to learn how much effort is needed to make the sledge hammer effictive and not just smash metal. A team of strikers is the next step up, but all should be at the same level of skill in using sledges. Striking is a learning experience as there is both a rythum and the same effort of impact involved. If someone new joins the striking team with no experience the rythum is way off and you bump hammers. The experienced smith does not use a sledge, but simply indicates where he wants the strikers blow to land and with the force the smith dictates. There always those tools that are found that look wonderful, and as blacksmiths we bring them home (sometimes at great expense) only to find that they are not complete and no not work, are not suitable for the job, or that (dare I say it) we just do not have the experience for operating the tool properly. Making armour, making knives, making swords (advanced knife making skills) are all specialities of blacksmithing. You could go as far as giving the horse from the game greater power is the blacksmith were to shoe him. It is a timed power as the horse has to be shod every 3-4 weeks to be kept in good condition. Farriers help us out here. There are so many ways you can make this game interesting

Why not build a forge and get some actual first hand experience in blacksmithing to better understand what your trying to put into the game. The heat coming from the forge, the heat coming from the hot iron, how much energy is needed to move metal are all things you need to experience. The fire does not cooperate all the time, it has to be managed. Burning wood, burning charcoal, and burning coal is each different and requires different fire managment. And then there are the days no matter what you do, things don't work, even though you are doing things the very same way as you did them the day before. Blacksmithing is like swimming in water. You can have a lot of theory, you can gain much knowledge on the subject, but once you actually swallow a gulp of water, it becomes a personal experience. And no one said it was fresh water, what if it was a gulp of salt water you swallowed? Let us know what part of the world your from and we will try to find a local blacksmithing group that can show you first hand about the craft. The first time you hit hot metal is an experience. Your first project is a treasure you will remember the rest of your life.

He is on the list.

What size (weight) hammer do you use the most ?

Your Aunt is on the list.

This is a photo that Hofi sent into the gallery showing a hold fast.

This type twyere is used in UK and works well. Using a disc brake with holes between two plates should provide air from the paremeter of the disc into the center. This should make a very hot center (blowing horozontally) and a very small fire ball (the size of the interior of the hub). Air from the center hole (2" where the hub fits) is a lot of air blowing vertically and should produce a fire ball equal to the height of the air blast. The Supercharged 55 Forge uses a disc brake (no holes only a single plate) as a firepot. This works well for this forge. IForgeIron has at least 2 Blueprints on the subject of side blast forges. BP0133 the now famous 55 Forge is included as the BP0238 55 Forge/side blast is the same forge but was converted to a side blast. With this set up, you can compare the two styles (bottom blast vs side blast) while using the same fuel and air source. BP0133 55 Forge Pan - Glenn Conner BP0238 Side Blast Forge - Glenn Conner BP0232 Side Blown Forge - Irnsrgn

Side draft usually refers to the hood, side blast usually refers to the forge. You can use a side blast forge and a side draft hood together . May I humbly suggest the IForgeIron Blueprints BP0238 Simple Side Blast Forge. The photos in the Blueprint are actually the now famous 55 Forge after conversion to a side blast forge. This gives you the best of both in one forge and you can compare the two styles. The 55 Forge and 55 Forge/side blast are inexpensive to construct and require only a couple hours of assembly. Bruce Wilcox uses a side blast forge in his shop. He would be a good source for information on the subject.

Pain is your bodies way of telling the brain it has done something stupid.

I would forget the JB weld idea as it would mess up the bottom of your anvil for any future use. That stuff is difficult to remove. Place a piece of wood between your anvil and your stand, as little as 1/4" will do, but 1/2" or 3/4" is better. This will cushion the metal to metal contact and provide some height adjustment. Putting a 70 pound (35 kilo) anvil on a 12x12x4" steel plate that weighs 160 pounds or (74 kilos) will not add that weight and make it a 230 pound anvil. If that were true, you could place it on the ground and have an anvil effectively weighing the weight of the world plus 70 pounds. A good stable anvil stand will improve the function of the anvil by being more stable. A better anvil stand will adjust in some fashion to different working heights. Look at the anvils in the gallery > tools > anvils. There are some clever ways to mount anvils shown that may give you some ideas on how to mount your anvil.

Congradulations !! One apprentice in training (Don't tell the wife)

Archie Post as many photos as are needed. This is one reason IForgeIron updated softwear and changed to the new gallery - no limits to the numbers of photos you can post now. Just keep the individual photo sizees to 640x480 or so, otherwise it breaks the page and they have to be manually resized and the post edited to replace the oversized images.

The 2006 Perth Royal Show September 30 to October 7, 2006, is shaping up extremely well, with many attractions to entertain visitors. I am pleased that the Perth Royal Show continues to grow in prestige both as an attraction and as an educational tool but most importantly as a showcase for the best of what agriculture and our State can produce. Quality animals in every section of the Show exemplify the extremely high standards of breeding in Western Australia as many of our exhibitors also perform in the top bracket of the Eastern States shows. With such a wide variety of activities on offer at the Show we continue our commitment to bringing the country to the city at a time when more and more people have become disconnected from the land and have less and less of an idea where the meat they buy at the supermarket comes from. The plans to refurbish the Centenary Pavilion and offer more opportunities for small business are part of the Royal Agricultural Society of WA

Check on the duty cycle of the air compressor you look at purchasing. You can always use more air for other things.

Try the following links or contact them for assistance in locating someone near you: PENNSYLVANIA ARTIST BLACKSMITH ASSOCIATION MID OHIO BLACKSMITHS (MOB) Ask your questions here on IForgeIron and the whole world is in "your area".

Ludo, Welcome to IForgeIron, and way to go Oakwood !! If you have questions about the site, just ask. Someone will be happy to assist you.

Saturday, November 4, 2006 Location: Mike and Linda Tanner (Yesteryear Forge ) 15421 Five Forks Rd. Amelia, Va. 23002 804-561-5399 Host: Mike and Linda Tanner Time: 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM Refreshments: Donuts and Coffee prepared by Linda Tanner and Sarah Anderson Lunch: 12:00 to 1:00 PM Linda Tanner and Sarah Anderson will make homemade Brunswick stew in a 35 gallon stew pot. Demonstrators: Mike Tanner& Peyton Anderson Tenatative schedule: Discussion of shop layout/tooling/jigs and fixturing; they will be making a trivett, some leaves, a scorpion and maybe a simple rams head. More information to follow: Directions: From 360 west take a right onto buisiness 360 right across from GOODMAN truck and tractor. Take the first right after that (about a quarter mile) Go to the stop sign. STOP Go straight thru on route 38 (fiveforks road) The house is about 2 miles down 38 on the right (brick house up on the hill) there is a sign with a black anvil in the front yard.

Saturday, October 7, 2006Location : Clay Hill Forge 1304 East Market Street Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 434-244-7833 Host: Dale Morse Time: 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Refreshments: To be determined Lunch: Catered bar-b-que "Traditional Joinery" Demonstrator: Master Blacksmith/Teacher Dale Morse (an Educational Director of ODBSA) Dale is a graduate in Business Administration from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. He has been blacksmithing since 1976 when he began as a volunteer in the National Park Service (Booker T. Washington in Franklin County) and has had courses at John C. Campbell Folk Art School, Penland as well as studying under Manfred Bredhol at the International Center for Metal Design in Aachen, Germany and Joseph Stokes of Shropshire, England. He just completed a course under a Master Blacksmith in Italy last year where no power hammers were used and they did not speak English. He was co-supervisor for the Atlantis Hotel & Casino in Paradise Island, Bahamas and the Emir of Qatar

Saturday, September 9, 2006 Location: Woods Creek Forge Lee Sauder Lee's Web site is www.leesauder.com 229B McLaughlin St. Lexington, Virginia 24450 540-462-6632 Hosts: Lee Sauder Time: 10:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M. Refreshments: Coffee, sodas and pasties provided by ODBSA (Donation Jar) Lunch: 12:00 to 1:15 pm (Brown bag it or you can eat at near by restaurants ) Iron-in-the Hat: 1:15 pm to 1:30 pm Parking: Limited parking spaces so you need to come early to get a good one or you will be driving around to find parking spaces. Demonstrator: Lee Sauder: Master Blacksmith/Artist/ Metallurgist/Teacher and one of the ODBSA Educational Directors. Lee has demonstrated his skills all across the USA and Canada. Lee Sauder Bio: Lee began blacksmithing in 1973 at the age of 12, when he began his apprenticeship to Larry Mann. After a 2 year flirtation with higher education, Lee

Welcome Old Dominion Blacksmith Association (ODBSA) Glad to have you join us. Enjoy your new forum.

Everyone has heard about brake drums being used for forges, coil springs for chisels, and so on. For August, lets see what you can use from the junk cars that we have not heard about. There are already three (3) Blueprints that use old auto parts in very inventive ways. Extra points for the really creative projects.

What are the deals you passed up? The ones you either walked away from, or just could not make happen.

You may want to reverse engineer things and ask the sub-manufacturers what programs and files formats work on their equiptment. It would be disappointing to spend hours and hours of work only to find the files can not be transferred to the sub-manufactures equiptment. Transfering or converting formats does not always convert all the information to the new format.

This is not a religious forum, but a blacksmithing site with (by request) a section to ask for assistance and acknowledge blessings. IForgeIron is a world wide site representing many religions and you therefore SHOULD NOT specifically refer to any one religion or any one God. IForgeIron does not care in which direction you face when you pray, nor does it care if you stand, bow, kneel, sit, or lay prone when you pray. It does not matter, as the prayer is between you and your God (whatever you perceive your God to be). Some believe very strongly in their religion and their God, and that is a good thing for them. If someone asks for assistance, and you feel so inclined, please ask YOUR God to assist those in need. Your God may or may not be THEIR God, but the assistance and or blessings from YOUR God should still be appreciated. To those without a religion or a God, simple wish those in need well, and to be without problems. Thank you for your cooperation.