Alan B

If a man talks in the woods and his wife isn't around to correct him, is he still wrong !? George Carlin...RIP

You and yours are in our prayers Darren. You'll be hearing from me proffessionally very soon.

Everyone we meet brings a smile to our face. Some when they arrive, others when they leave.

How about a seperating pot for an aluminum die cast machine. Are there any automotive factories or foundries in your area ?

I often joke with people telling them I am going to buy a stamp that says " TAIWAN". That way I'll sell more stuff.

Good work Vlad and welcome aboard! Remember that blacksmiths don't make mistakes, just design changes. LOL

You can etch steel with simple salt water. 1/4 teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of water. If you have an old cell phone charger it can be used for the power source. The one I have puts out a steady 11 volts. There is a blue print in the bp files on salt water etching.

I was at the hammer in when Glenn demoed the first 55 forge. I can tell you for a fact that it does work and is probably one of the cheapest and easiest to find parts wise. Glenn went on to use the 55 and he fabricated several objects to show people that it would work. Attached is a photo of the original 55 forge.

Rotflmao !!!!

Just starting out, I would try some 1095, (.95 points of carbon), or O-1 tool steel. These 2 steels are very forgiving on the hardening and tempering and if you make a mistake you can reheat to critical temp and try again. The 1095 is a spring steel and readily available through most steel suppliers. If you have a local machine or welding shop. Go by and introduce yourself and explain what you are trying to do. Most of them will let you piggy back some steel on one of their orders for a minimal fee. They may even have some scrap tool or spring steel for you to practice with. I started out using scrap to learn how to heat treat and temper and then went to buying new steel to make blades for selling. Hope this helps. Alan B

We all need to remember the victims of this tragedy in our prayers. Does anyone know if Philip in China was affected by this Quake?

Beautiful little knife. Good job .

When you demo the heat treating/ tempering. Take along a piece of 5160. Take it to full hardness and then shatter it on the anvil. This usually gets a few oohs and aahs and also drives home the importance of tempering.

You would be surprised what shows up at yard sales and estate auctions.

Thanx Glenn. You've always been an excellant source for information over the years. Keep passing it on .

I don't know anything about these but I would worry about doing anything heavy on aluminum. Just my opinion.

Congratulations and welcome to the dark side... LOL

looking forward to the pics. There's a lot of beautiful iron work in Italy.

Nice knife Jose and a really good story too.

Really nice. A lot of imagination in that piece. I like it !!!

I cut them out and use them for other projects. If they aren't too bad but won't work for a blade I'll use them for knife furniture.

A lot of leaf springs carry hair line, spider web like cracks. I have noticed these in the springs I work. If the steel is too cold these will surely open up on you.Tom Stovall once said, the only thing that will send a smith to h#ll is striking cold steel. This has 2 meanings. #1 it's harder to work requiring more force and effort and #2 it will take its toll on your tools and the steel itself. If I'm not worried about carbon migration or using austenite forging I work the steel as hot as it will allow. Easier on me, my tools and saves some time.

thanx Steve

Fosdick drills are pretty common Sam. They were tough and held up really well. I know of at least 3 here at local shops in my area. Thanx for the pics.

Crucible steel sells these in several configurations, They are in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are several steel companies in Louisville. I would start by checking there. Hope this helps.