swedefiddle

Good Morning Mr Quish, Welcome from the Left Coast of North America, just across the water from a place called Vancouver (you may have heard about it) LOL. Sometimes a Bird in the hand is worth 2 or 3 in the Bush!! The advantage of a heavier Anvil is the return from the bottom when you strike something Hot (Yes, it works 2 ways). A Flat face can be any piece of scrap Plate, A not flat face works better for making something flat (yes the metal springs down and back). It is no problem the touch the edges and make them different Radius. A sharp edge is the hardest to work with, it leaves notches you can't get out and they start cracks. The best Anvil is the one you have, not the one you wish for!! If you run into Glenn Moon, he lives near Braidwood, NSW. He stayed with us for a bit, 2017. Say hello from Canada. Good Luck on your choice. Don't be shy. Neil

Good Morning Font, If you are talking about Forge-welding wire rope, weld the ends first. You have to rotate the wire rope the direction of the lay, so the hammer blows are tightening up the wrap. Or if you want to cheat, you can mig weld the ends so the strands don't unwind. You still have to Forge-weld the ends first, after tacking the ends together. Play with a piece of Manila/Sisal rope to understand how the wire rope will react. If you turn the incorrect way, it will unravel. If you are making a Knife, Forge-weld both ends, then Forge-weld the blade area. After the welding is done, heat up the handle area and unwind it to create the size of the handle that you would like. Don't get the handle too hot, just hot enough to move and stay where you want it. Enjoy the Journey Neil

Good Morning, I let some of the stick, poke through the Tool Head. I drill a couple holes and take a cut piece of Coat Hanger wire and bend it in a "U" shape. Poke the legs of the "U" through the two holes and bend them so it can't fall out. The stick now won't let the head fall off, but you can still control it. K.I.S.S. Neil

I'm with George, Heat goes up, right into your hands. Very poor choice!! How are you going to pour it, toward yourself!!!!! If you don't think SAFETY, you won't be alive very long!! The Tongs look to be very nicely executed. Make the handles come out the side and use 2 people!! Welcome from the West Coast of North America, Vancouver Island. Better put your 'Thinking Cap' on. Neil

Good Morning Chief, A Struck Tool should not be wedged, You don't want the force to travel up the handle and hurt your elbow. Some people like to wedge anything, some people like Purple with Orange Polka-Dots too. Think about your body, not trying to please someone else! Neil

Good Morning PP, Welcome to our world and welcome from the Left Coast. If you put your location in your avatar, we will see it and know which part of the world you are making a shadow. Nobody or almost nobody will see location in the above note. You don't want to put your address, just the part that says 'Tuckson'. LOL Those tools look interesting, are they for working a stitch line? They look like they would be easy to Forge. You could use a Drop Hammer, but that is quite a hog for space. I can see 3 jigs on your workbench, to make them. Enjoy the journey, Neil

Head Shot. Mounted on the wall? Neil

Dr. X, Malcolm, I Presume? Neil

Good Morning, Flux Send me a PM to let me know where you are. I can come by and see what is going on, to rectify your problem. Thanks, Neil

Good Morning, If it is leaking a little oil, all is good. If it isn't leaking a bit of oil, it needs a 'Little Dab'l Do-Ya'. Adding oil is cheaper than trying to refabricate/machine an old style machine that was meant to be loose. I have seen some with grease, but, the grease doesn't become liquid enough to lubricate the small bits. It is splash lubricated from the motion of the paddle wheels called gears. Chainsaw Bar Oil works a treat. You can create your own soup, but keep it simple, they don't have ball or roller bearings, they use bushings. Yes, it probably IS 'Older than Dirt'. Treat it gently and give the old girl a drink, now and again. Neil

Good Morning JW North West Blacksmith Association is Washington and area. They have their monthly get together's at the Fairgrounds of Longview, Wash. Their web-site is www.//blacksmith.org. They are having their Spring Conference June 3-5, 2022. There will be lots of people with the Swap and Shop, "Tailgate Sales". Questions are answered quite often by putting a hammer in your hand and showing you how. Camping is on site. Midnight Madness starts after supper, full use of their Tools and Equipment. Bring an open mind, open ears, open notebook to remember what you see, maybe a phone or camera too. It is worth the journey!! Neil

Good Morning IronChef, It is very difficult to see round center punch marks in hot Steel. Make a square center punch and use it, you can see the square mark. Neil

Tanks a Lott!!

Good Morning, Feathers and Wedges have been splitting Rock for a long time. The taper seems too much, to be able to put a lot of pressure in a seam. How do the experts become experts, unless they 'B'lack 'S'mith a little here and there. Neil

Without the Clinker!! Neil

Good Morning, When trying to learn 'Fire Welding', you have to ask yourself "How hard should I hit these 2 bowls of Jello?". Put your Forging Hammer down and pick up a hammer half it's size or less. Don't splatter the Jello!! You are trying to persuade these molecules to bond with those molecules, Politely!! Please and Thank You!! It is easier to start with thicker material. 3/16" thick material looses it's heat quite quickly. Neil

Good Morning, Seeing and Doing are 2 completely different functions. When you start Doing, you may get exasperated because it is not going as you had envisioned. Walk slow, ask yourself 'Why did the Instructor/Mentor suggest I do something a certain way?' ' What does he/she mean, Drawing Out, Upsetting, Punching, Drifting, getting Hammered, etc?' This is not a conflict resolution, it is a new language. Yes, there are seven different types of procedures, but a miriade of different ways to do each procedure. There is no WRONG WAY. Which ever way works, that is the Right Way. Many people have many perceptions, that this has to be done this way. There are no Blacksmith Police. There are very few Perfect situations, compared to what?? Take little steps and get Hammered!! Neil

Happy New Year Tommy, Welcome from the Left Coast. 5 feet above sea level, not below the water line!! By the bird in a straight line, about 100 miles from Seattle (one Ferry ride, one Border crossing, 3 hours driving = at least 7 hours by vehicle). Start simple, use Play-Doh. Play-Doh you can manipulate in your hands, Hot Metal you need Tools. They work the same, learn in your hands!! Start with the basics of Forging, Forge it square, Forge it Octagonal, Forge it round. Your/our wrists will turn 1/4 turn, that makes 2 flats (one from your Hammer, One from your Anvil on the bottom). Turn your work 1/4 turn, that makes 2 flats, 90 degrees from where you started. Turning 1/4 turns equals a square. Play with your Play-Doh and you will understand. Enjoy the Journey, Don't take too much seriously, give your heart a rest, Enjoy the ride. Today? Tomorrow? same same. Neil

Good Morning, Talk to your local Pottery/Ceramics friend and have some buttons made that look like 1 1/2-2" diameter drawer pull handles, with a single sideways hole through the end of the stem (stem length, accidentally, is the same as the thickness of your FORGE Lining). We hold them in place with nickle wire and a small hole in the outside body to tie it through. Nickle wire is 'Clothes Dryer Element'. How many old 'Clothes Dryers' have you passed on the side of the road. HELLOOO!!!!!! Neil

Good Morning Will, Take the spring out and re-arc it cold. It doesn't get that much movement, unless you need a bigger Vice. Neil

Good Morning SF, There are quite a spread of Blacksmith Souls in the Mainland/Fraser Valley. If you are interested, send me a PM and I will forward you some contacts. Making Shive's by using machinery isn't half as much fun as getting it hot and Forging. Completely different, but, almost kinda not quite the same, but similar. Neil

Welcome Mickael, Glenn Moon outside of Canberra Australia, has an 1,100 Tonne Hydraulic Press. His came out of the Railroad Shop in Sydney, when it closed. The US Government built two, 50,000 Ton Hydraulic Press' after the 2nd War, to press aircraft parts. They found Germany had a 35,000 Tonne Press to make structural parts for the Luftwaffe during the War. I believe ALCAN is using one in Cincinnati to press Titanium parts for Aerospace and Turbines. Bigger Boys = Bigger Toys!! To answer your original question, Why Not!! Slow and steady wins the race. They are not like a Hammer, the effort goes to the center of your work piece and bulges it out. Neil

Good Morning, Try garden Lime from the Hardware store or Garden center. It works well as Flux as well. Neil

Happy New Year Matt, The problem with having helpful discussions regarding a project YOU are working on, NOBODY can see what you are looking at or see the configuration you have. Remember that 'ASSUME' breaks down to, 'An Ass out of you and me'. Hydraulic problems are best sorted out with pressure gauges at the specific connections in question. To see if the 2-stage hydraulic pump is working proper, you MUST be able to visualize the pressure changes. Being angry at someone you have never met before, has no gain. The keyboard is not a good tool, to convey expression. Good Luck sorting out your problem. Neil

Good Morning Trees, Call me at work and we can sort it out this weekend. Neil