Glenn

Check BP0078 Metallurgy of Heat Treating by Quenchcrack on IForgeIron.com > Blueprints

I received an email that ask where the cartooms and the world tour information was located. There are in only one place, IForgeIron.com If you want the direct link to The Ian Lowe World Tour click here.

I received an email that ask where the cartooms and the world tour information was located. There are in only one place, IForgeIron.com If you want the direct link to The Ian Lowe World Tour click here.

I have the answer in hand and can present it tonight in the Blueprints or hold it a week if you need more time to guess. Let me know if you want to do more of this type thing. It could get interesting. :wink:

May want to contact Mike-hr as he and Railmaker both do rails.

Is that the program where they are hammering on a disc of coper about 8-9 inches in diameter and maybe 3/4 of an inch thick ?

Bryan, my condolences to you and your family. You and your family are in our prayers.

Dan, the point is (pun intended) play safe. You don't hear of mass shootings at a gun show, or mass blood letting at a knife show, so it can be done. Just be sure everyone stays on the same page.

First off consider starting with a safety program. Someone will get hurt at some point, and this way everyone knows what to do. Second a lesson on equiptment, what it is used for and why. AND how to use it properly. Third would be types of steel followed by types of coal, and hammer control on wood or clay. By now you have a good handle on who can and can not handle the program, and hot iron, move into fire maintance. After that it is square to round, round to square, drawing out, and on to the projects. There are beginning projects on IForgeIron.com > Blueprints that will lead then step-by-step through the project. After you get a good start contact me and we can turn the lesson plan into a BP for others to use as a teaching tool.

Dan, am I missing something here? A halloween costume, and a SHARP Sword? This is just my opinion but a costume usually involves a party of some sort. Having sharp and pointy things in a group of people means you must take responsibility and protect other people from being hurt. That takes away from you having fun. A plastic sword sure is goofy looking, and it is difficult to hurt anyone with an inch thick piece of soft flexible plastic, which by the way, is the idea behind the design. Therefore you can have more fun with little concern about injury to yourself or others. Then there is the problem with the party being more fun than expected and someone (the neighbor) calling the law. As you answer the door, in your custome, sword in hand, which would you prefer the nice officer to see, sharp and pointy - or plastic ? Enjoy the event, play safe.

Archie, Happy New Year. May you and your craft both continue to improve and prosper.

IForgeIron Blueprints Copyright 2002 - 2011 IFORGEIRON, All rights reserved BP0331 Brake Piston Press by Glenn Conner WARNING, using this tool and method on new cars with ABS Anti Breaking System can damage the ABS system.. On many of the older cars, when you replace the brake pads, you must force the hydraulic cylinder back into the caliper to have room to insert the new brake pads. The local garage mechanic was always fussing about this part of the break job. I "borrowed" an old leaf spring from the garage. At the forge I cut it to length, and rounded one edge to somewhat match the inside of the caliper. The bolt fits easily into the open side of the calipers and when turned presses against the hydraulic cylinder of the caliper moving it back into the caliper, making room for the new break pads. Below the leaf spring is just a nut welded to the spring. A piece of 3/8" rod is welded to the top of the bolt for a handle and leverage. I used this handle on the top of the bolt instead of leaving the bolt head as is, so there would be no reason to use a air wrench to move the hydraulic cylinder and damage the caliper. Slow is the way to go in this case. View full article

And I guess Forging ahead has nothing to do with building a bathroom :wink:

Local welding supply dealer that has Miller, Lincoln and Hobart on the sales floor said Hobart is a cheaper welder wrapped with aluminum wireing, and the contacts are alunimum instead of copper. For the adverage weekend warrior it is ok but for full time industrial use, go with the Miller or Linchon. You get what you pay for - his words.

A gentleman gave me the piece of antler, it was what he wanted for a handle. The blade is 120+ layers of 1095 and L-6. Alan B.

Ralph, hang in there and let the meds do the work. It is rough, but you have a bunch of folks pulling for you and Dawn.

Dan, If you have all the tooling in the world, a aircraft hanger for a shop, a new 18 wheel semi tractor trailer for a demo shop and 2 warehouses of finished items in stock, nothing is going to work without good people skills, good marketing skills, and good accounting practices. The bench mark for business is how much you can push out the door, and if the check clears the bank, it puts money into the business checking account. At some point you will realize that one blacksmith (skilled labor) making a near perfect product will be overrun by the fellow (unskilled labor) making minimum wage and operating a machine. There is room for both, and you can do both. Follow Wendy's hamburgers example, give them a choice and which ever they choose, the cash register rings and you get the money - either way.

Go to the article on BP0051 Good Coal and BP0131 Coal, Coke, and Rocks on the IForgeIron.com Blueprints page. 12,000 BTU is low for forging. There are 10 different seams of Pocahotas coal. Pocahotas #3 seems to work well for blacksmithing, but Poca #3 in Ky, Wv and Va may give 3 different analysis results. (read the article on Good Coal to find out why) One thing to consider is that when your buying coal, you are actually buying the BTU's per ton. BTU's in the 14K to 15K range is good for blacksmithing. If you are sold low BTU coal by the ton, then your buying rocks, slag, dirt, and clinker, because it sure does not burn as hot, and the stuff that does not burn is left behind as clinker and ash. You pay the same per ton for shipping whether it is high BTU coal or a sack of rocks. Kayne and Son Coal is listed as "Metalurgical grade bituminus blacksmith coal -15,500 BTUs." Centaur Coal is listed as "boasts a high heat value." Both cater to blacksmiths for a living by providing good products. Ask for a coal analysis sheet from the supplier, they should have it on file. It will give you the BTU value and specs of the coal.

There is a thread on this forum on being related to blacksmiths. May want to check there.

Hurricane Rita Photos by Genia

Buddy called me today. He said he had lots of big pine trees down all over the yard. He has a little roof damage to house and shop. He is back home now. by Garey-Ford

The leaves were just starting to change color as autum approached. We opened the smithy that morning to find ..

Got an idea for the story page of IForgeIron.com Why not a blacksmithing related story with everyone able to contribute. Each person adds just a little to the story wth each post. It was a dark and stormy night .. .. no, the dog already did that one. The leaves were just starting to change color as autum approached. We opened the smithy that morning to find .. Well you get the idea. Just be sure to leave the door open for the next fellow

Seems like you found out already. Give her tools that she can call her own and metal or clay to work with and a place to work safely (as in not to attract the rath of the mother). Let her work beside you at her pace. You may even want to take photos to hold for ransom later. Oh, those marks on the coffee table are called distressed. The furnature charges an extra $500 for that "look". May want to use a sharpie and put her name and the date on the bottom of the table and reason for the marks. Just a note for her to find at some point in the future Kids, remember it would have been cute if someone else wrote the story. You just too close to the action to enjoy the moment.

As Rita made landfall We are some 1500 miles away from where it is to make landfall and they forcast rain here from the outer reaches of the storm. That is a big storm. Hollis, our prayers are with you and those in harms way. Current satalite view.