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I Forge Iron

mtforge

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Everything posted by mtforge

  1. mtforge
    I've never welded on a plate but did weld on a new face. I had bought a 170 pound mousehole early in my learning and suspect someone had ground the entire top plate off. It was flat and soft. I debated for a long time welding a plate on but ended up welding it up with Hardalloy 118. It's my favorite anvil now.
  2. mtforge
    I would suggest trying it out for a while before closing it up. See what it needs first. Adjust as needed. I put refractory in my brake drum not to protect it but to give it a more efficient shape. Try it out and play with shapes to see if you need anything. Overall I think it looks good.
  3. mtforge
    Hasn't slowed down. After the end of my season in November I was able to get a little hunting in but haven't caught up with the orders yet. The next season started this weekend. Sleep is over rated.
  4. mtforge
    I have one I bought but have modified. Does that count?
  5. mtforge
    I agree with the rubber band idea. I've told people to do this to balance out their muscles. We spend a lot of time gripping and it makes our elbow out of balance. Exercising the fingers out balances this out. The following is what I've found works for me. My opinion only. As far as the profile and size of the handle I like an oval that fits my hand when closed on it. My fingers almost touch my palm (1/8" to 1/4" away). If I squeeze tight I can just touch my palm. I modify all my handles to this size and use them all day long. When I'm hammering I use a loose grip and you should be (theoretically) able to take the hammer from my hand. Just like a tennis player I don't want to have a death grip on the handle.
  6. mtforge
    Thanks. When I'm at a show I'm a magnet for wannabe blacksmiths. Which is how I was when I started so I know what its like. I show them it doesn't take much to get started and steer them to whatever local group there is.
  7. mtforge
    On my brake drum firepot I put a cast iron drain in the bottom then put in castable refractory from the edge of the grate to the rim. Like an upside down cone. The drain grate needs to be removable as it will burn out eventually. This makes it more efficient in burning fuel.
  8. mtforge
    My hydraulic press is basically a vertical log splitter with better guides. I love it.
  9. mtforge
    I made my first gas forges with kaowool but it was too delicate. I would snag it with items I was making and tear bits out. I went with castable for the durability.
  10. mtforge
    Mine is just an open box inside.
  11. mtforge
    In the Congo. First is what they had already. Second is what we packed on the plane to show how to make another style forge and blower.
  12. mtforge
    I built my shop with a high peak to let the heat rise away from me. Then put a large squirrel cage fan at the top to pull out the heat. We also have a lot of windows to replace the air and can put small fans on us. Drink a lot of water and take breaks before they have to pick you up off the ground.
  13. mtforge
    I use a side draft at my shows. I put on wind screens/side shields to block the wind as needed. They're on hinges and can be pulled around to make a almost enclosed fire or swung back if not needed.
  14. mtforge
    We missed you. We just had a hammer-in over by Middletown IN today. We had a lot of new people hammering.
  15. mtforge
    Here's what I've used for 16 years. Wood is packing crates. Deck is scrap metal. Firepot is a brake drum. And Post vise was $5 at a yard sale. Last year I went to about 17 outdoor shows with it. It comes apart because early on all I had was a small trailer and had to load it by hand. Easier in smaller pieces.
  16. mtforge
    If I'm at a show the easiest way is to borrow some fire from the neighbors campfire. Otherwise two to three balled up sheets of newspaper, lit and placed in the bootom. Apply air slowly and make sure the paper is burning then add coal or leftover coke if available. On damp days I may have trouble getting paper to burn. At the shop I'll do the newspaper thing or use an old rag that has been used to wipe down utensils seasoned with vegetable oil. Ball the rag up, put in the forge and light with a propane torch and slowly add air.
  17. mtforge
    The 1780 traveling forge is from A Treatise of Artillery 1780 by John Muller. It also gives dimensions and notes about the forge.
  18. mtforge
    I would see if you have a good flow at the bellows and how fast it drops down. At the end of the season I check my bellows by plugging the pipe at the bellows outlet and pumping it up. How fast it drops this tells me if I have leaks in the leather, valves or just overall. Sometimes the valves aren't sealing and the air just goes back and forth.
  19. mtforge
    This has some interesting articles http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/blog/work
  20. mtforge
    Or you can make an adapter/holder to fit brake press dies and buy different lengths, sizes and angles from ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRESS-BRAKE-TOOLING-IRON-WORKER-90-PUNCH-1-64-NOSE-7-LONG-/120792804430?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1fcfec4e
  21. mtforge
    That was a great video. Your work seemed to flow.
  22. mtforge
  23. mtforge
    This is what I want to be at his age. Tired but not retired.
  24. mtforge
    I use a cast iron drain grate from Mcmaster-Carr for a grate. It's cheap thick and ash falls through it. I still need to fish out a clinker once in a while but it's not a problem. 2413K2 Light Duty Cast Iron Round Drain Grate 5" Diameter http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/2115/=jrp7bt
  25. mtforge
    In your mind what is "properly"? We might have a difference of opinion on what a demo is. I don't make a large project that takes a lot of time to do. Where I go the public gets bored easily. I can do an eight minute leaf for school days or lid lifters, forks, skewers, gun hooks, heart hooks and so on during the regular days. This lets me stop and talk when I want. My forge and anvil is front and center so I have a lot of fun with the crowd. I don't go to "art" shows I go to rendezvous and reenactments. My items are not one of a kind. They have the price tagged so they know what they're getting into. We have catalogs to handout so they can look it over and come back with their shopping list. The items I make are in use all over the camp so the camp becomes my sales people by referring people to me.
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