Mark Wargo New2bs

Thanks Bryan. I'm considering changing over to a propane forge for the ease of getting fuel and the cleanliness factor. Trying to gather a bit of info before I do so. Good Luck with your new forge! Mark

You could get some long acting pesticide from Wal-mart or your local farm co-op. Identify your pest and read the usage label to insure that the vermin in question can be killed by that particular product. Read and follow all warning labels. Mark

Fantastic. I really like the ducks. Mark

I'm curious if anyone has experience with Majectic Forge. Also, how does their craftsmanship and durability compare to Diamondback forges? Thanks in advance for your comments. Mark

Nice. Where did you get your forge?

Thanks for the thoughts and comments folks. I appreciate your input much. Mark

I can tell you how I did it on mine. I took a hefty flat blade screwdriver and inserted it into the back end of the shaft where the channel is. That allowed me to put counter force against the jam nut on the fan end. I do not warrant this, but it worked well for me. Mark

I am interested in purchasing an anvil that is in better condition than the one I currently use. This one certainly meets that criteria based on the edges and the fact that it still has the back end on it heheh, but with the paint job, I can't tell how pitted the face may be. I asked the fellow why it was painted and he stated the anvil was exposed to elements due to Hurricane Katrina. He sandblasted it and painted it. Any experienced eyes that could comment on potential problems with this anvil? I like the lack of ring to a Fisher, so when I do buy another, I want it to be a fisher. From the pictures it appears to be made in 1942. Anvil

Check your local steel scrap yard. I was in one not too long ago and they had an entire pile of fork lift tines. Hope that helps. Mark

Wow, That is nice to look at. Thanks for sharing. Mark

Nice knives. I really like that last one. Mark

Grant, I just wanted to say thank you for making a quality product. I bought a set of your V-bit tongs and absolutely love them. After using them, I now understand what Brian Brazeal meant when he said "lively" reins. I will surely purchase more. Mark

Very nice indeed. I shudder to compare it to my first efforts heheh. Mark

That is a fantastic candelabra. Mark

That is nice! Mark

Grant, I did indeed have a blast. I seem to be having better results making tools than making "stuff" heheh. In any case, it didn't stop me from ordering a pair of your tongs a couple days ago with some Christmas money.

Well, I finally forged my first set of tongs. These started life as 3/8 square mild steel. They are based off of the tongs illustrated in Basic Blacksmithing by Harries and Heer. The rivet is just some 1/4 round scrap I found. After forging them, I used them to forge the candle socket and drip pan. Like a knuckle head, the drip pan actually started life as a plug of 3/4 coil spring about 3/4 inches long. Mark

I would be interested in knowing about the eye protection as well. I'm assuming that taking precautions to avoid looking into the fire as much as possible would be a good first step. Mark

Thanks for the further information Thomas. I believe one reason thermite is used for welding is because the aluminium tends to float on top so as not to weaken the weld. Of course, as you point out that is with well planned protocols and experienced folks. Would it be IR or UV wavelenths that cause the eye damage? hrmmm, if normalizng cycles won't refine grain structures was it just working the metal that allowed it to be refined and used for tools? Mark

Thanks Mike. I appreciate the concern. I mainly posted in this area as a thought exercise with full awareness of the above disclaimer. I was curious if anyone had experience with the resulting metal. While I have no short to medium term plans, I might one day give it a go. I will of course take elaborate safety precautions. In the mean time, as you say, I'll go to the steel yard or scarp yard. Mark

Phil, the products will be liquid. Since the grain size will be huge, will normalizing cycles reduce that fairly well or will you need to work it a good bit as well. Also, the AL should float on top of the liquid FE. What process did you use to separate those? Just mechanically separate them? My thought was to recycle all the scale and ground metal I generate by rusting it then processing it. Mark

In my experiments in my forge, 50 lbs of corn lasted about 6 hours. Your mileage may vary depending on your forge design and air supply, the moisture content of the corn, and your fire management skills. It will probably last you longer because my fire management skills leave something to be desired. Also, be aware that the core of your fire will have a tendency to collapse, so you will need to pay attention to that. Good luck. Mark

Just a curious question that I've been pondering. What would be the working properties of iron created as the result of a thermite reaction? The only significant byproducts of the reaction should be elemental iron and aluminum oxide. Mark

Thanks for the wealth of information folks. It really helps me to understand a number of areas that probably went wrong. I used the coil spring to see what I could do with it. I had success making chisels and punches with it and thought I'd give it a go. It clearly turned out less than stellar heheh. Could I get a little more insight into why heating it without working it is bad, but normalizing it is good? If I understand correctly, forging it after heating prevents the grain from growing uncontrolled, but isn't normalizing heating it without working it? Is it a case of a little being good but long term repeated heating without working being bad? Because I can certainly see that portion getting heated frequently without being worked due to it's proximity to the blade. Dancho, you mention iron as the best material with steel forge welded to it. Is mild steel an acceptable altenative as iron seems a bit hard to come by? Don A, I fullered it on the edge of the anvil, as I've yet to make any fullering tools. Jake, there is no requirement that I use this steel. What would you recommend? Thanks again for all the useful information folks. Mark

I used a hacksaw on the knife I'm working on now. Since then, I've come to experience the pure bliss of a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with cut-off wheel. I highly recommend it as an inexpensive way to cut metal. The black and decker from walmart should do fine for low intensity work and I think it runs around $30. $5 for the cut-off wheel. Forging after you have the blade to shape will require careful attention to keep from folding the blade. Good luck with the process! Mark