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I Forge Iron

LDW

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Everything posted by LDW

  1. LDW

    Ag_Demo

    Demonstrating at the Agriculture Museum
  2. LDW

    100_2316

    Jim Piggot making a skillet
  3. We ended up having a great meeting today, and thanks to Jim Piggot for being a last minute demonstrator, he made a steel skillet that proved to be another one of the things blacksmiths used to do that we still take for granted. He explained how to make a jig for shaping the pan and how to use it successfully. I am looking forward to making one myself. After the demonstration it was decided that on our next regular meeting date, we are all going to meet up and make the necessary preparations for the conference. This will include general clean-up as well as taking an inventory to see if any tools need to be purchased as well as steel for the demonstrators and the upcoming classes. We picked up a few more members and will be having a green coal class after the next meeting as well.
  4. Here is a picture of a stand made from 2"x 4"'s
  5. LDW

    100_1029

    2"x 4" anvil stand
  6. I saw a base that looked good. It was made from two by fours, it had like three a foot long or so side by side then had three more on top running the other direction, just keep stacking till its high enough. I think they had these pieces leftover from a project and decided to use them up. I will see if I have a picture of it.
  7. Here is a link that looks like it explains a method pretty good.Spark LDW
  8. It makes a pretty handle on a letter opener. When you twist it, it looks like you spent a long time putting all those dents in it. If you twist a long section It makes a good looking fire poker. I have forge welded it many times to make the end of a fire poker.
  9. I guess I should be happy enough with the pattern that wire rope produces but I have experimented several different ways to try and alter the pattern. If you do too much the pattern just gets smaller, as in twisting or folding. Jim Batson told me you can take four pieces and twist two of them the opposite direction then square them all up and put them together to make a feather pattern. That will be my next goal. I really enjoy working with cable. So far the accordian fold done to the cable has been the only improvement I have seen to the actual pattern. I have about 6 hours in the knife pictured above, I guess it would be considered a proto-type. Thanks for all the comments. LDW
  10. When I forge weld I have plenty of coke under the work as well as above it and heat till the flux is bubbling pretty aggressively the steel will be the same color as the hottest part of the fire, and when you take it out the first time give it a few blows to stick everything together, re flux and heat again to a welding heat before you start pounding on it. Get some cable and practice with that. Its already binded together and has a handle attached. 3/4" or 1" is pretty easy to start with. Get it hot and place it on the step of the anvil that way each blow is hitting it in three differrent places to drive it in and remove the air space. If this is your first time forging it would be best to start with something that does not have to be forge welded and learn to shape the steel and make as few hammer marks on your final heats coming out of the forge.
  11. Here is another picture I am still learning how to do this.
  12. As the last one did this knife started from a piece of 1 1/4" cable, it was forge welded then squared up and cut as an accordion fold is demonstrated here Bits of Steel if you scroll down you will come to it. I had never heard of accordion fold until I saw this on Ed Caffreys site. This knife has about 5 little flaws in the weld but you get a better idea of the pattern it produces, It was etched with a mixture of PCB etchant and white vinegar half and half for about 5 minutes. I tempered this one immediately after hardening. It did not crack. LDW
  13. LDW

    100_2025

    Cable damascus with Blood-wood handle
  14. Thanks Pete, April is going to be a work time for us getting ready for our conference coming up in May. You will not want to miss the conference I assure you.
  15. Just re-read this thread and missed some of it last time. A square, rounded and straight chisel work very efficiently cutting out metal up to about 1/8" thick on a treadle hammer. It takes two passes but it works great. Those patterns on my previous post only represent ideas. If you want to make one from copper, you can take two pieces of plywood and cut out the outline, you can then place bolt holes all the way around and bolt a piece of annealed copper within it. this way you can force it out to give it some depth. You have to create a right and left side then phos-copper or solder them together after trimming the edges. This was demonstrated by a very talented member of the MS Forge Council, I have not done it myself yet but am looking forward to giving it a try.
  16. Good job Pete, If thats copper somebody else may like it more, you may not want to put it too close to a road.
  17. Jim did a demo on making these crosses a year or two ago and I decided to try another way. This is a piece of 1 1/4" cable that was forge welded then squared up and split as needed. I think I am going to etch it in straight muriatic again for about an hour. Lyle
  18. LDW

    100_2011

    Split cross made from 1 1/4" cable then etched in muriatic acid.
  19. Check out this link. After you click on it go down to the weather vanes Downloadable Blacksmithing Books
  20. If you want your pattern to stand out more put it back in the etchant before you apply the oil. What dilution rate are you using? When I first started I was told 10 parts water to 1 part etchant but I found out you need more etchant.
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