ofafeather

Thanks Tony. No worries.  Good advice is good advice and I wouldn't have known hold old you are if you didn't say.  

Nice!  If I get the run-in shed for a smithy they come with 1" thick oak kick boards that go 4' up the interior walls. I was going to ask if they could leave them off but maybe that would be a decent interior wall and I can get some sheet metal to finish off the rest of the walls. 

Is a building that is built on skids a good enough surface for anvil work?  (Our current shed). I think the specs on it are pretty good.  It has 12" OC floor joists and 3/4" TG plywood floors.  I could finish the interior or leave in bare to the studs. Reading Frosty's post seems to suggest that if I finish it it would have to go all the way to insure integrity against hot steel in the nooks and crannies.  One argument against finishing is I hate doing Sheetrock taping and muddying.  Any new building would likely be the run-in shed style which I would not finish the interior of.

If I did have the wood and metal shop in the same building I would probably use my Festool dust extractor and use separate bags for metal cleanup vs wood.  I would have to do a decent clean in between uses, but that would be a good work policy anyway.  Would that work?

I think if I get the combo I might be able to put a sliding door over the run-in shed side that would go over the shed side.  Guess we'll see what the options are. 

HI All,

Been out of the loop for a while.  We've moved, built a house and left our free standing open-sided shop with our old home. We added a 12' x 20' out building shed that we use to store the mower, mortorcycle, tires, garden stuff, etc.  http://www.bradsbarns.com/buildings/sheds/a-frame-deluxe/

(Similar to the Duratemp A frame deluxe pictured but with 2 sets of double doors)

We're thinking of turning this into a workshop/smithy.  This is the type of wood building that is installed in one piece so it is on skids and has a floor.  Can this be used as a smithy?  I have a gas forge on a wheeled stand and the anvils are on stumps which can be moved.  It's unfinished inside (wood frame) but we have electrical outlets and lights.

I would probably also use it for my wood shop.  I realize that metal shavings and wood shavngs can cause a spark hazard for dust collection so I plan to make sure the work areas are cleaned separetely and not in use at the same time.

We are looking at possibly getting another building of a similar size and have options there, too.  One could be a run-in type shed on a gravel base with one side open.  The one thing I don't like about this type of building is that we live in an area that often has high winds and that would leave anything inside potentially exposed to rain and snow.  I like the 2 bay one with the lean-to.  We most likely will not run electricity to this building but may get solar lights or something if needed.

http://www.bradsbarns.com/buildings/horse-barns/run-in-sheds/

The problem is that this would have to house the smithy, zero turn mower, motorcycle with sidecar and garden she'd, then the other would become just the wood shop. 

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks!

Eric

Had a chance to work on it today a bit. Cleaned up really well. Went at it a little with the 60 then hit it with the 120. Overall, I'm pleased. I am glad that I picked up a variable speed grinder. For something like this I was only at 2-3, with 6 being the fastest.

Thanks for the great input. I have got 60, 80 and 120 grit flap discs. I know I probably have some belts around, too, if I need them. I hand started to work with files and some emery cloth strips that I have but it was taking way too long. Not really looking to reshape much but the tip is fairly heavily mushroom and the are chisel marks on the upper surfaces of the table and horns (face is pretty clean). The lots of marks on the sides and bottom of the horn. I believe these are probably punch marks. I'm going to leave the ones near the bottom for now but want to clean up the sides.

Thanks again!

Also, do you have a preferred brand of disc?

Hi, All,

I'm picking up a 4.5/5" angle grinder and have an anvil that could use some help on the horn. There are some chisel cut marks and some other indents that I would like to take out and would also like to refine the tip. Someone suggested that I use a flap disc/wheel but I am wondering what grits to use. Also, to refine the edges of the face.

Thanks.

Eric

Hi, All,

I'm dismantling a standard full-size boxspring. (The thing that goes under a mattress) Anyone know what kind of steel is used for the springs and if it's worth saving? I'm taking it apart regardless but just want to know if the metal is worth keeping. Thanks!

Eric

The Hofi hammer is balanced because the weight of the hammer is distributed more equally on both sides of the eye, not because most of the weight is located in the center of the hammer head. Because of this you can tilt the hammer to the side much further than most any other hammer out there without it wanting to twist in your hand. When a hammer tries to twist in your hand you must counteract it with your wrist. This in turn puts pressure on your wrist and over years can cause problems. I have tested this with several hammers including the Sweedish hammer and there is no doubt that the Hofi hammer has much more control when it comes to rebound. Try it. Why is that important? Because if you think about it, most of the time you are not hammering straight down. You will tilt the hammer in order to lesson the amount of hammer head surface striking the material to in turn move more material.

On a side note. I have talked about what results from putting your thumb on top of the hammer handle.It causes nerve damage which runs up to your neck. I recently did a gate for a neuro-surgeon. We have become friends, he happens to live 2 minutes from me. He confirmed that placing your thumb on top of the hammer handle can in time cause this condition which would require surgery to correct and asked me if I had this problem. I explained how I hold the hammer and strike and he was impressed. I should not have that problem.

Can i make two observations without offending anyone? I have read and heard that the Hofi hammer is balanced because all the weight is the middle, how can this be when most of the middle is taken up by the large rectangular hole for the handle? Secondly, I have seen a video where someone is using a Hofi sledge hammer, how does the hammer/technique principal work here as the method of using a one handed forging hammer and a two handed sledge hammer are going to be completely different?

I heard or saw a quote just recently and can't remember who to give credit to, but here it is; "I've noticed that I've never learned anything while I was talking". Sound about right?

As Dodge says, and I said in initial post, go for a drift as this should restore the hole to its original configuration, then if necessary, size the hole with a drill or reamer.

All you need is a piece of 1/2" bar (shank of a bolt, or cut off a small length from the piece that fits through the hole in the tool and taper the ends to make a drift) then if the hole is still tight if you haven't got a drill of the correct size, you can use a round file or a make a polishing stick from a strip of emery cloth placed in a slot sawn down the axis of a wood dowel smaller than the hole size, and hold the dowel in a drill chuck, place this emery stick in the hole turn on the drill and move the drill back and forth to open the hole slightly.

Or invest in a drill bit of the correct size, but preferably still drift first, otherwise you will end up with an odd shaped hole which will misalign what fits into it.

I really had a belly laugh when I saw the title of your post! I'm old enough to remember the REALLY common remark when I was a kid: "he doesn't know whether he's punched or bored"!Nowadays only we blacksmiths know what that means!!!! Eric Sprado

Not knowing what Grants spring fullers look like or how they fit together...

Hi, All.

I bought one of Grant's spring fullers and reforged the shank to fit my hardy hole - grinding was taking forever. In the process I manage to deform one of the holes that the fullering rods go into. I am wondering if I am better of drilling the holes or drifting them? The next question is size. The rods are 1/2" in. Does that call for a 1/2" hole? What size does the drift have to be to get a half inch finished hole?

Thanks!

Eric

Thanks, All,

Hopefully I'll get a chance to forge a bit today and try some things out. I'll let you know how I fare over my next several attempts.

Are you really paying extra to get 1018/1020 or are you using A36---what you usually get at a steelyard if you ask for mild---and it's not really mild!

And If you develop good skills that may take a while to learn those skills carry on into anything you do in the future.

Thanks for the quick replies! I'm using mild steel and necking in on a very worn anvil edge from 2 sides 90 degrees apart. The neck seems to be fine as I work on the leaf or draw down the stem. It's only has I approach completion that I find there are some cracks right at the join. Typically this area is worked HOT and first so I'm inclined to think that the stress somehow comes when I'm working the other areas. Could that be? When I get home I'll take a picture of the one I made yesterday.

Hi, All,

I've been working on forging items with leaf or spade shape finials, such as hooks or key chains. I seem to always get cracking near where the finial meets the stem. I usually start my tapering the end then necking in to isolate the material for the finial. I have tried forging the finial next then drawing down the stem material. I have also tried drawing down the stem first then forging the leaf. I am getting cracks both ways. Can anyone give me an idea of how to avoid this?

Thanks!

Eric

Checked my records. It was $155 including shipping.

Hey I was wanting to purchase a hammer like that from Brent B. So what exactly is the name of that hammer, and about how much did it cost? Thanks for the info I was planning on using the hammer for bladesmithing. How do you think it work out? Also you said the hammer only weighed 2 lbs and 10 ounces, does it still move metal well with it being light?

I think taking a few classes from Brian is now on my bucket list.