Don A

Archie,

You might want to drop in here:

http://www.knifenetwork.com/workshop/index.shtml

...and scroll down to:

Forged Blade Tutorials

Also some good info at:

http://p222.ezboard.com/bprimalfires

File steel is very high carbon; I understand that a lot of them are 1095. That'd be around 1% carbon.

BUT... a lot of modern made files are not HC, but are simply case hardened. Do some research on spark testing steel so you can learn to at least tell the difference between HC and mild. And learn to spot old Nicholson "Black Diamond" files at yard sales and old garages and hoard them like gold.

Until you get used to looking at the colors in steel, use a magnet. Heat your steel gradually and evenly just to the point that a magnet will no longer stick to it (use a hard magnet with a handle). This is, as far as us scroungers are concerned, the critical temperature.

After forging, you need to take it to critical and then stick it in a can of ashes or vermiculite and let it cool slowly (over night). This is a basic method for annealing steel. When it's cool, it will be as soft as it is going to get. This is when you do any filing, drilling, grinding and sanding you are going to do. THEN you proceed to heat-treat your blade.

I'll leave it at that. You really need to study all of the tutorials above (for starters). Way too much good information to just let it lay there.

Good luck to you.

I've got a regular gig at an 18th Century historic site, and we normally have a large group of volunteer reenactors- soldiers, Indians, and generic nere do-wells. The blacksmith shop serves as a hangout for those who have nothing better to do, especially during the cold months.

A couple Decembers ago, we opened the shop up at about 9:00am and it was cold. The forge is the only heat we have in there. The anvil was like a block of ice, so first thing, we threw a slab of scrap steel into the fire, let it get red, and laid it on the face of the anvil, let soak a few minutes, then repeated the process. About the time the steel had gone to black heat, a big guy from down at the Cherokee camp came walking in. In the spirit of helpfulness, he proceeded to remove the junk laying on the anvil. Since it was a good-sized piece, he went for it with a four-fingered eagle claw grip. Pssssst� no more fingerprints. As they often say, it didn�t take him long to look at it.

A good time to have an icy slack tub handy.

Dan (Rantalin),

What type of forge are you using?

What are you using for an air source?

What kind of work do you normally do (blades, s-hooks, gates & railing ,etc.)?

Wow :shock:

Good stuff. I certainly appreciate it.

OK, so talk to me a little bit about buying a torch. Is there a name brand, "everything you need to get started in one box" set-up available? What would you recommend? I assume that most of you would advise going name-brand and staying away from the Harbor Freight type stuff. Right?

What is the whole torch rig going to cost (roughly)?

What about the cost of acetylene and oxygen?

I have never watched anyone weld with a torch. Do you use any kind of filler rod, or are the mated surfaces simply melted together?

I have been smiting iron for the better part of three years now, so I am beginning to think the condition might be permanent. So far, when it comes to tools, I have been a minimalist; by necessity and not by choice. My tools have been very basic: anvil, hammer, tongs

I just signed on here a couple days ago and haven't had the chance to post much so far. I recognize a lot of names here from the old Keenjunk forum, as well as a lot of the other blacksmith and bladesmith www hang-outs. It looks like a great site, and I'm about caught up on reading all of the old posts.

Anybody here from the East Tennessee area?

Speaking of hot pads and oven mits, a friend of mine told me that he had bought a left-handed "Ov-Glove" (as seen on TV). He said that it was amazing how hot a piece you could handle with those things.

I'm personally too tight to buy one. I'd rather be burnt than to part with the $15.00.