Akad

Well, one thing I've been doing lately is going to hardware stores and looking at all the stuff there and thinking about what I could make from different things. Then I go home, draw up some stuff, and then see what I can do. Another thing that gets me uber motivated is music. Not just any music though. There's 2 things that really get me motivated to forge: Celtic/Folk type stuff, and VIKING METAL!!!! Currently I'm listening to Turisas, a band from Finland. It's like other music in the metal genre, only the lyrics are about adventure, gold, sea faring, and war. And they also use a lot of instruments, like accordions and violins. However, depending on what generation you're from, you may not like em, and that's fine. But if it sounds like something you might be interested in, give em a shot. I don't know why, but those 2 types of music really make me want to be around hot metal, and pound it and make something awesome.

Hey all, I don't know if I'm the only one with this problem, but here it is. You see, I have an outdoor shop. It's great, because from spring to fall it's nice to have the breeze while working over hot steel. But now that it's winter, I'm not sure If I should use it, as I live in Iowa and there's tons of snow. And really my main concern is the steel cooling off too fast when hammering it. That and slipping on ice, but that's what salt is for. So i've been having "forging withdrawal" for the past month and a half or so. Anyone else experience this? What do you do to overcome it? I've been trying to do other stuff outside, like split wood, but it's just not the same! (And don't get me wrong, I love winter and the cold weather with snow and all, but I hate not being able to forge.)

I have a few: Ricasso: Part of the blade at the bottom. Usually left unsharpened. Forte: Bottom third/half of blade, closest to the handguard (Forte=strong) Foible: Upper third/half of blade, closest to the tip (Foible=Weak) Fuller: Groove down the middle of the blade, to make it lighter. (supposedly it also makes it stronger, because it's more like an I-beam [i can't confirm or deny that. More experienced people please?] and supposedly there's less suction when pulling it out of some unlucky bloke what made you angry... but that may be another myth [again, experienced people should confirm/deny this claim] I think these definitions are right. If not, please feel free to correct me, as then I too will learn. :)

Yeah nice scabbard. Really *ahem* pretty lookin'. [Glances around to see if anyone notices the not so manly comment]

It'd be very hard to remove, certainly. Here's the science, it's pretty simple really: Warmer objects have faster moving particles, and so they expand more. When cooled, they move slower and thus contract. Now, if you heat the crossguard up just enough so it can slip over the tang, once it cools down it would be very tight.

I say, yes, it is both possible AND probable. I know this. My brother's first sword he made was a gladius-type sword, made from a leaf spring. However, I will mention that during the process, he had a lot of help and instruction from an experienced black/blade smith and he still ended up losing several inches due to a crack in the steel. (NOTE: I'm not saying blade and blacksmiths are the same, I'm saying this guy did both) But any way, it's only possible if he has the ways and means to make it, as well as the knowledge to do so. If you don't have a forge, You may want to consider just cutting, grinding, and sanding stuff down (Is that called stock removal? Can't remember...) Just remember, if it's a leaf spring, it's a dubious metal. It's orignal intention was not to make a blade. My brother's sword was decent, not good by any means. It holds an edge and looks really cool, but it's a bit heavy and I doubt it's the most durable leaf spring sword out there. But if this doesn't matter much, and you're just doing it for the experience, fun, and to make something cool, then by all means, go for it! Good luck.

Looks just like my first pair of tongs. Except I messed up on mine, and they have a weird bend in them. Congrats for a successful first-time!

Nice starting setup! Your forge is better than the one I started off with. But I would suggest finding a piece of railroad rail to use as a cheap anvil. I'm sure a lot of people start off with one. (I know I did, though I have no idea where it came from.) attatch it to a large tree stump, and there ya go. Also, invest in making a pair of tongs. I made my first pair when I was 12 or 13, and I still use em. They don't gotta look pretty, just be functional. Good luck in the future, you've got a great start.

Yeah firebrick is great. I'm looking to make an enclosed coal forge, and firebrick is what I intend to use. (a lot of heat escapes from an open one, i'm trying to cut down on that for effiecency) Some of those older pics from the forum have some good designs too, and I might try them.

Thanks all, useful stuff. A lot more info than I asked for (that's a good thing ) and I'll probably be using at least one of those sites in the future. Also I don't live in the "country" per se, (I live in a small town away from town that has a small wooded area, but sadly very few deer go there. But everyonce in a while one will come into my yard and eat my corn and crush my hedge )but I do know a few people that do live in the country, and could probably go onto their property (with permission obviously) and look for some. And I don't even know if there is a butcher shop where I live. If there was, that'd be ideal. I've cleaned bone before, but it was just the circular bone from a hamsteak. Planning on making a necklace out of one and a ring out of another. I'll probably inscribe some Viking runes on em or something.

Where could I get some bone/antler to use for making handles and what not? I'm sure a lot of people hunt and get it that way, but I don't have a hunting license... or will to carve a dead animal (no offense to anyone, just not my thing)Any good and reliable sites that anyone knows would be perfect. Thanks all.

That ain't no knife! That's a machete! Certainly cool looking though.

thanks, I'll be sure to remember that.

And where would be the best place to find old ball pien hammers? Yard/Garage sales? I suppose I haven't really looked around my house for any yet, there's bound to be at least one. All the ones we have (that I know of) we use though :(

Yeah, I'd prefer them to be functional. I use them for throwing into logs and stuff. Just having fun with my brothers or whatever. I'm not a competitor or anything.

It kinda depends, some junk swords are better than others... barely. I once bought a "ninja sword" from a renaissance festival for 8 bucks. after about a week, the sorry excuse for a tang that most of those swords have had broken off. so i heat treated it, by quenching the edge first, which made it curved (at the time, I was ignorant as to the danger this could be) and ended up accidentally tempering it (hahaha) i drilled holes in the now full tang, screwed a piece of wood on each side of it and BAM! a sword that can be safely used was created. and by used i mean chop those annoying grape vines that don't make grapes. Does this improved sword hold a GOOD edge? not by any means, BUT it does hold an edge better than it did when I bought it. I was REALLY lucky though. Try it, but be careful, and don't waste too much money buying pieces of junk.

the easiest way to make i hawk (I believe) is to flatten out the head of a railroad spike. It's almost perfect, as my brother and I (and many other people) discovered. But you should definitely practice on drawing out/flattening other metals before you try anything too fancy. Best of luck!

Nice looking, I like. CBrann's right, very malevolent.

Ok, I can make a hawk out of a RR spike, almost no problem. Are there any other recommended materials to make one out of? I was thinking about using the thicker piece of a leaf spring (it was 2 bolted together, the piece I'm thinking about is the thicker of the 2, about a quarter inch thick, maybe a little more) But I'm not sure how I'd put an eye in there. Any other ideas?

cool man. waay better than my first RR spike hawk. when i did mine, i didn't have a tool good enough to punch a big hole in to put the handle through; so I hollowed out a space at the top for the head to go into and then just screwed it in... it looked cool, but the screw got kinda bent when thrown. nice work on yours though!

Thanks, I often get those confused.

less than $350 eh? sounds good. Something like that wouldn't break after just a few months of repeated use would it? As long as it's being used properly right?

First of all, thanks to all you people who have responded to my thread, especially those who answered my question. However, I'd prefer that a simple question does not turn into an all out debate. I'm here asking questions to better myself, not to argue. I now I have a lot of good (if not great) information to work on. If I offended some one, I did not mean to, and you have my sincerest apologies. And I also apologize for inconviencing the moderators if this was in the wrong forum. I thought I had put it in heat treating knives, blades etc, but apparently did not. (even though I thought it was part of the moderators' job to place stuff in the right forums and what not, so I don't see what the problem is if one of my first posts gets misplaced. My bad). And Dragons lair, while I am a teen, I do NOT party. I have worked too hard for the body I have to have it slowly taken away by beverages that taste terrible and make people stupid. I've read some things in the forums, but every person's blacksmithing/forging situation is different, and that's why I wanted my own thread for this topic. Again, thanks to all for replying to my thread! :)

Alrighty, as long as it's not completely reckless. My dad's had a lot of experience in that sort of stuff, so I trust his judgement for the most part. (FYI, i 'll probably use the melted down junk and some molds to make some shurikens, mostly ninja stars. I used to make them from big, flat washers with smaller holes, but those are surprisingly expensive.)