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I Forge Iron

John Rigoni

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Everything posted by John Rigoni

  1. It stumped me too. I looked at the original over there and it was pretty corroded. I tried forge-welding it together, drilling a hole etc.. but it would only forge weld two sides, making an oval with gaps. I ended up arc welding them in place and hammering to blend in. I think if this had to be traditional, then make the antennae with enough mass to butt weld them in place. In any event, it would be a bear to replicate.
  2. Thanks everyone! Yes, I love the technique and thought this project would be a great excuse to try it out. The real benefit is that the piece doesn't have to cycle thru a dozen welding heats or sit there and soak, possibly causing cracks. The other issue I found when trying to oxidize a project in the coal forge is it tends to round/smooth over areas as its being eaten away. Not so with this approach. The block in the photo I use as the anvil and have 4 hammers of different shapes with random welds on them. Here is another project using this technique. The client wanted an oxen log holder similar to the one in the British Museum from 800 AD but also be functional.
  3. In time for the Halloween season, I forged the key to Hell from the Sandman series, written by Neil Gaiman. If you haven't read the works of Neil Gaiman, it is a real treat. Anyhow, the key is forged traditionally, I started with wrought iron, but ran into trouble, so this attempt is made with mild steel.
  4. You might have some luck contacting the shops that rebuild the older hammers. They could help point the way to a hammer with more machined parts. You could also take a used hammer, break it down and machine new parts that have tighter tolerances, or you could focus on the exterior. Best of luck to you and happy forging!
  5. some more progress today. I made a hoist to help prevent binding and moved the hammer into place. Now for framing the base with angle iron and the wiring.
  6. I had to share. It's taken 5 years of saving up my pennies and now, finally, I have enough for a large hammer. Brian Russell is a distributor of the Sahinler power hammers so I contacted him and after a few months, his shipment arrived! It was a really hard choice between the Anyang 88 and this hammer, but I like the fact that the Sahinler's top die did not suck up into the top of the frame, which would allow for more oddball die shapes. I Picked up the hammer from his shop and hopefully soon will have a cleared spot for it to start forging. It was nerve racking, trying to shoe horn both the trailer and hammer into my doors, but it all fit and next week I should be able to wire it and give it a test drive.
  7. Thanks guys for the help and advice. I talked with my Dad and I think the Anyang is the smarter choice right now. It's gone up in price, up to $5200 bucks so I figure by the fall I should have enough in savings to buy one, thanks again for the input.
  8. Hello everybody, I've bought the plans for a Clay Spencer Tire Hammer and am at a crossroads. It looks fairly complicated to build, but I'm thinking with my Dad's help it's possible. Overal cost probably $1,500-2,000. My power at the space I'm renting limits me to a motor that is under 1 1/2hp, the lights dim every time I run my 1hp equipment. Anything larger than a 33 requires a 5hp motor which would mean I would have to run those with my generator. Does anyone have experience with both of these machines to give me a decent comparison? My power situation won't improve until I buy property and set up a proper shop.
  9. I like the shape of the hammer head. you might want to try a more traditional approach on your next one. You could punch or drill a hole through the side and band it to wood. This would lighten your piece, or you could make a mortise and tenon to fit the head to an iron bar, that way you wouldnt have to rely on your welds, I've added a pic of one I did some time ago to show you the rivets and wood approach. That much shock on a weld will create alot of stress, so you might want to grind away some of the excess and reweld it. Another concern with welding it is the loss of temper to your hammer head, You'll have to get the hammer head section red hot again and quench it in oil and then bring it to the temper you want (dark yellow-slightly brown). good luck!
  10. Ok, I just welded a decent sized coal forge to use at my parents house. My problem is the coal will coat black soot on the house and to make matters worse the wind blows toward the house. My set up is in their garage with the anvil near the garage door, I have a propane forge that I've used for the last three years. I needed to get the steel hotter so i could practice forge-welding. Any suggestions? I guess I could switch to charcoal, but I just bought a tub of coal and would like to use it.
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