Mark Wargo New2bs

One source of new spring steel would be as drops from a spring shop.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you are saying, but are you heat treating it before you shape the end? The following video will give you an idea what Brian is talking about. The heat treating starts at about 6:39. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uL6RtsM8Sk

Lyle, thanks for posting the pictures! They tell a great story. Brian says a big hammer will teach you how to throw a hammer, that 12 pound sledge will teach you what you are doing wrong quick lol. I had a great time with Brian. Karen's food and hospitality were top notch. It was a pleasure seeing you again and watching you strike. That really helped me understand what to do. After I get more practice with the two-sided taper I'll be ready for more!

Are you a member of the Mississippi Forge Council? Membership is $25 and they sell coal to their membership. They have it shipped to Jackson. Best of luck. Mark

I like that much. Mark

Finally got a bit of time at the forge and had a go at a fork. Original stock was 1/4 by 3/4 flat bar. Mark

That is fantastic.

Sounds like you are not holding the tongs/billet parallel to the anvil face. Perhaps you are holding the tongs at an angle above the angle. Mark

That is beautiful work. Thanks for sharing. Mark

Brian, thanks for posting the step by step. That is great instruction. Mark

That's looking great. After the 10th one, it will forge itself! Keep it up. Mark

Once you start forging that jack hammer bit, it's going to fit quite snugly in the hardie hole. You will be forging square, so if you hit it on the corners first, it's going to upset larger than 1 inch, then just taper until it fits the hardie. I do endorse the Brian Brazeal type rounded hardie. You have to treat your tools like they deserve to be treated. The rounded shape allows you to easily start with the heated steal on the far side of the semi-circle and to roll the material toward you as you cut, then you can push it away from you with your hammer head and cut as you roll back toward you. This allows you to avoid overheating any one section of your hot cut. It also provides for a more efficient cut, because the rounded shape of the blade reduces surface area contact. No need to bulldoze your way through the material. Mark

I talked with Clay Spencer over at a Mississippi Forge Council event in July and he said that a 4:1 anvil to hammer ratio was fine. Mark

Lyle and Brian, that is a great looking set up. Thanks for sharing the project. I see lots that I'd like to incorporate into my stand when I get time to put it together. Keep up the great work. Mark

Clinton, That is a good looking treadle hammer. Let us know how it works for you. Will it work for the hand hammer forging you were planning? Mark

I have been slammed at work and haven't been able to put the finishing touches on it. The department I direct is growing from 92 employees to 144 employees and we are smack in the middle of that hiring process. I'd rather be forging for sure. From test runs, I determined that the main pivot system I had in place was not going to work as intended. There was too much slop in it and it was affecting the timing and sapping power from the hit. I ordered pillow block bearings and took them to the machine shop to have a plate cut to fit on top of the main hammer mast. I haven't had time to go by and pick that up. Once I get that welded and get the sandwich plate welded to the shaft between the pillow blocks I will tighten up the UHMW and do some more test runs. I anticipate that those modifications will resolve most of the issues. At that point I'll take pictures and try to shoot some video. Thanks for asking! Mark

pulley ratio calculator at this site: ratio calculator hope that helps. That is where I figured mine at. Mark

Spectacular work. Thank you for sharing! Mark

Stanley is marketing 2.5 lb and 4 lb blacksmith hammers with fiberglass handles. They have extremely sharp cross piens. You can pick them up at home depot for sure. Mark

I believe that we will once again return to a society of quality given ever increasing pressures to reduce consumption. Increasing populations, diminishing resources relative to population size, and a growing awareness of the finite nature of present resources all push us towards durable quality over disposable quantity. Even now we are seeing areas of China that are less attractive due to improvements in labor compensation. As these trends grow more widespread and lead to a more equalized global labor market (measured in decades of course), manufacturing jobs will return to local production where quality will surely be more closely tied to consumer choice. I don't mean this in a political sense but an economic and environmental sense. The process that got us where we are was a long one (industrial revolution to post-industrial society) and the road back will likely not be as long simply because of the increase in population putting stress on our resources and the ease with which ideas can be communicated to new labor markets. Sometimes I think folks view trends as one way streets and that just isn't the case. All systems ebb and flow. It of course will make little difference in a single generation, but over time I believe it will. Society will never get over the invention of the plow... Mark

Sam, that is a great looking blade. forged to finish? Mark

hardy tool for crisp edges I forged the above pretty quickly from piece of pry bar. It really helps when you need crip edges. You can put a different radius on each side if you like. Mark

Grants, Thanks for sharing your process. You really have it down to a science. I like the fact you don't have to change dies to get all that work done. Mark