Archie Zietman

Thanks all for your replies. The hammer I was using was only 2 pounds or so, maybe 1.5 pounds. I downsized to an 800 gram crosspien at the other smith's suggestion. I wish there had been an 800 gram ball pien, I really like their balance.

Hello.
Until today I considered myself a reasonably competent smith. I have been smithing for a few years now, learned from various teachers, taught a good many people the basics of blacksmithing, sold a fair bit of work, filled commissions, tried my hand at a number of area of blacksmithing, from bladesmithing to sheetmetal work to everyday hooks etc.

But then today, I was in my college's forge, and there was another smith there also. He was older than me by several years, and working on some very large bronze vines for a railing. I've never even dreamt of making a railing before. It was quite humbling.
I set about making my little steak turner. I felt a bit awkward making such a small thing next to him. After I spent a few minutes of drawing out a taper, and messing with the design, the other smith turned to me, and said "May I give you some unsolicited advice?"
I am not terribly used to advice, mostly working alone, but I allowed him to go ahead. "You might try a lighter hammer. You want to be able to swing your hammer for a long time without getting tired, efficiency is the name of the game." And he handed me a lighter hammer.
I've been smithing in earnest for maybe two years, and on and off for two or three years before that. To have someone I didn't know hand me a lighter hammer, and explain why a lighter hammer was better was a significant shock. At first I felt a little insulted. I finished up my project with the lighter hammer, having to redo parts several times because of my agitation, only to realize that I needed several more inches on the bar to make a decent steak turner. I turned it into a poker instead.
Before the smith left, he said that the shop manager had told him that I've been to Penland. I asked if he had ever been, and he said no, but that he was considering teaching there, as he had been smithing for 8 years.

I've been mulling over the encounter in my head since. It is a terrifying and wonderful thing when you suddenly realize that you know nothing about what you do. I am humbled because it has only just hit me how little I know after 4 years of study and two of intensive practice. But it is wonderful because I have my bearings on this smithing journey, and, like Socrates know that I know nothing. I need to reread why exactly it was a good thing that he knew, but I know that it is.

Have any of you had this experience?

be merry,
Archie

Rivet-on handles for ladles and spatulas.

charcoal/biomass/wood and waste oils.

Hello.
On Thursday I realized that I know how to make a bottle opener, but not a corkscrew. So how do you make one?

Thanks,
Archie

Hello.
Have you guys ever had the experience where you use a hammer, and as soon as you do you arm just... I dunno, it just works with the hammer? Well, a few weeks ago I started using a 2 pound ball peen with a very subtly domed face, (like a rounding hammer) and a 12 inch long handle. It's just clicked with my arm. I didn't get what all the older smiths were talking about, but now I do. I just need to talk myself into buying one
do you guys have that one special hammer that you just use for everything, or do you use a bunch and not really have a favorite?

be merry,
Archie

Hello.
What is number 24 in this picture? The thing which looks like a bent over 2 tine forkish thing?
DSCF1101 - Blacksmith Photo Gallery

Thanks,
Archie

2 lb ball peen, it's got more weight on the flat face, so swings a bit like a japanese cutler's hammer.

twinoaksforge.com has a great tutorial. Should explain the picture for you.

It sounds like you are talking about stacking logs in a campfire, which is not a forge.

My only qualm about burning the wood and biomass directly is the efficiency issue. I may stack firebricks around the firepot to catch some of the heat from the burning gasses. My main need for a solid fuel forge, however, is in the fact that the fire can hold up smaller pieces, and is open enough to specifically heat certain points on awkward shaped pieces, mainly large animal heads and forks when they are still T. I also see so much useable old wood that it seems almost criminal not to use it when I could.

I think I'll make the firepot out of 3/8th plate. I just checked the welder I have on hand, and the thickest it can do is 3/8ths.

be merry,
Archie

P.S. Isn't it funny how you always end up building more and more forges, telling yourself this will be the last one? At least I'm no longer replacing forge after forge, but building a second one to do what I know my first can't, and making it with a tried and tested pattern to be permanent rather than throwing together muck forges which fall apart.

Hello!
What are the pros and cons of cast and welded fire pots? Wear? Fragility? Cost? Wall thickness? How does one compare to the other, generally?

thanks,
Archie

Covforge, what thickness of plate did you use on the sides? 1/2 inch? It's good to know that it works with charcoal, which all biomass will burn down to.

I've used corn and managed to burn steel with it. It does work exactly like coal, it just has a lot of burnable stuff in the smoke, so the flame above the heart is very large. I don't particularly like burning food though, so generally stick to wood and tree nuts etc.

be merry!
Archie

There are some on other threads, if you search this forum or the forums at forums.dfoggknives.com it's very simple.

Hello fine lads'n lasses!
As some of you know, I've been working with a waste-oil forge of my own design and build for about the past year. I absolutely love it. It's allowed me to work without having to pay for fuel, and to be honest I've gone and spoilt myself, since I can get to a yellow heats within minutes without having to constantly check my wallet.

Its only flaw is that it restricts the shape of work I can do, and makes working small pieces rather difficult to keep track of. So, I'm taking advantage of my college's machine shop, to fabricate a solid fuel forge. But, as is probably evident from my making of a waste-oil forge, originally intended for waste veggie oil, fossil fuels (coal and gas) are not my bag.

THE MAIN POINT/QUESTION:
D'you think that the firepot design by Bob Patrick from a few years ago (I have the templates for the pieces, comes to about 3 inches deep) would be deep enough to get steel-anything below 1 inch square hot, and be able to support a coking layer of wood/biomass over the top of the fire? If not, lets talk design.

EDIT: Everything biomass really needs to be charcoaled, so I guess what my question should be is: d'you think a 3 inch deep coal fire pot will work okay for charcoaled biomass (pine cones, wood chunks, and tree nuts charcoaled, mostly)? I'm wanting to do a bottom blast to allow room for the material to coke around the fire pot.

be merry
Archie

link to the firepot design: Fabricated Fire Pot by Bob Patrick

I carry a key fob which is one of those twist-square off-untwist twists, with a pig's head on the end.

Mr. Speaker, I second the motion that the gift go to the m-brothers. Their focus on building a proper workshop, getting techniques down and the fact that they don't want to make swords commend them. But all the young smiths have those qualities. What makes them stand out is the fact that they are brothers enthusiastically sharing the blacksmithing journey with each other, and as Doug C put it, they are "curious, helpful and humble".

Also, Sam (Aeneas) 's students. They all get a vote from me.

Archie

In my solid fuel forge I use biomass of any kind which can be cut into small chunks (the size of two fingers curled up together, can be smaller, but it might burn up before it cokes) Anything works: charcoal, wood, herbivore dung, tree nuts, pine cones etc.) I just need to have a deep fire so that the stuff cokes/charcoals before it gets down to the main fire. With dung an corn and some other things I can work the same way as I would with coal, coking it from the edges and pushing it in.

remember, deep fire and fuel cut into smallish chunks is good!
be merry!
Archie

P.S. If you are doing bladesmithing or suchlike where it is very precise, go with charcoal like aeneas said.

At home I have about 200lbs of chopped mixed solid fuel biomass, and maybe 5 gallons of used oil. I get more oil when I'm down to 1 gallon, and biomass whenever I come across it.

The hot shop at college always keeps a 100lb tank of propane on hand, and the blacksmiths (mainly me and 2 other guys) and the lampworkers have to share it, which can be frustrating.

As of yet they're unfinished. I just got a gallon of veggie oil which I'm going to bring with me on monday so I can always put a nice finish on pieces.

The holes really aren't practical. I just fancied putting them at the handle to blade/tines transition to make'em more interesting. I sat down on friday and drafted as many things as I could think of to make over the year, going in without a plan makes for slower work. Next is some fancy dinner triangles with big scrolls.

be merry!
Archie

it was mild, I think. Doesn't need to be hardenable because it's just a very rough eating knife. Made them as practice for punching and making looped ends more than bladesmithing.

Hello!
I was in the shop today (my college has a small blacksmithing shop) and someone a while ago had started to make a fork and given up on it. So I pulled it out of the scrap pile, cut it in two and turned it into an eating set. I'm gonna move the fork tines closer together, but apart from that I'm very satisfied with them.

be merry!
Archie

I think I replied to this thread a very long time ago, but my smithy has since changed names. It used to be broomstick, when I never sold or really made anything, but this summer, when I started selling things I decided it was not a good name. My name is Zietman (used to be Zeitman a few generations ago, but the generations needed to distinguish butcher's shops) and people call me Zeitgeist (dunno why), so it's Zeitgeist forge.

Same here. I used an electric blower from a washing machine until it fried on me after about two years. Since then I have been using a reclaimed air conditioning fan. I control the air with a blast gate, but the dimmer switch might be kinder to the motor.

Charcoal should definitely give you enough heat. You need to break it up into pieces about at big as your thumb-digit, and don't blast it with too much air.

I'll let others deal with with e coal question,

Archie