Randy

Pretty good! If you go to YouTube and his site he has a lot of other forging, jewelry and casting videos, too.

30' x 60' is plenty of space. Concrete floor, BUT with insulation under it. Too many forget that. Much easier on the feet and legs. Plus if it is built facing south and like a bank barn with the back of the shop, the north side dug into a hill side, the shop and floor will stay at 55 degrees year round. Not bad to heat in the winter and nice and cool in the summer. I also like the saw tooth roof, but this size shop is a bit small for that, but the clerestory is great for ventilation and especially for light. My curent shop is about 23 x 25 and it's just a tad tight. But for the newer smith would be more than enough space.

I've never forged any titanium that was softer than forging steel. Usually when done the anvil and hammer face look like they were lightly sand blasted. But some works different as in some will split open and others, like the one above look just like steel when done. Most get an elephant skin to them and I love that texture.

I see scale as having energy in it. Positive energy. I have some at the bottom of my pile around the anvil that came from Yelin's shop. I never clean it down to the bare floor. I leave some energy there at all times around the anvil, vise and power hammer, and now press.

Here's one of my forged titanium knives/letter openers. Color from torch heat. Really shows how well titanium can be forged. It was scrap material so no clue if pure or alloy.

Yea, not for forging. Sheetmetal workers and roofers had these.

Whatever you call them, I love mine!

So, Beth, how was the show for you? How was your work received?

Now, now, you're putting words in my mouth, a lot of them, and that's unsanitary. If anyone knows how talented smiths were and are... I've studied the history and lore of smiths and worked around them, too, but that doesn't mean Webster asked a smith about tool terminology. I had a nun ask me where ironwork would be used. Just because it's around you that doesn't mean you see it.

As far as the blast to draft there was no problem. Only problem we had was that we couldn't get a very big fire. I believe this was due to tearing down the chimney and putting it back up and not doing drawings or taking photos of what had been there. Once we added more bricks to the back of the tuyere we got a bigger fire. We still want to see a neighboring shop, that wasn't rebuilt to see the logistics of that forge.

Here's the shop: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Family-Forge/332813906740743?sk=photos#!/pages/Green-Family-Forge/332813906740743

And some photos of the forge in operation:

How would Webster know the correct spelling or how to say swedge. Don't think he hung out with many smiths to find out. How many of the old smiths, before our time, could even read? They said it as they heard it. Even at the early ABANA conferences '70's - '90's, with smiths from all over the country and world, it was "swedge". It's kind of like first reading a Harry Potter book, before the movies were out. We had it one way in our head and then the Brits showed us how it was supposed to be said and now that's the only way we hear it. We digress... still haven't heard why people are now saying Na-Zel.

Here's one of the two side blast, side draft forges that date back into the 1800's that I used while teaching in Newfoundland last year.

Matt and others, all of the smiths up until about 25 years ago or so called them swedge blocks. All of the old wagon smiths I knew and all of the workers at Yellins', including Harvey called them swedges. You never heard anyone call them swage blocks or swages until after that when so many self trained smith came on the scene. That's one way we tell a newbie. So why change what they are called because someone couldn't spell? B)

I have a Nazel 1B, 2 piece self contained power hammer, 1905. All of the old smiths always called them a Nay-zl. (Sorry don't know how to show long and short with a keyboard.) You know, like you have a nazel cold in your nose. Now I hear people pronouncing it Nay-Zel. Heavy on the "zel". These were made in Philladelphia, USA. All the old and newer smiths in Yellins' always called them Naysl's, so why the pronouncing like it's a french hammer now? Do you know what I'm asking? I understand why the newbies call swedge blocks swage blocks, but where did this come from?

How long does it take to kiss a pair of tongs??? Why'd the chicken cross the ..... nevermind!

Wish I had heard about this one earlier!

A purist or someone stuck in the dark ages?

Chris Ray had given me a gas saver. A wonderful addition to any shop, but the most valuable thing I've been given from others is knowledge. ANd from so many I won't even start a list of who they are or were. Thanks to them all!

Wow! That looks like some big work and a big press! How many ton is it? What's holding the swages in place? Nice job!

Beth, First class all the way! No problem selling those goodies. If there is a problem then get your hubby to do it.

Great piece! Great job! Looking forward to the videos.

That's a great one if it must be "portable". I put it in quotes just to point out that it is boltted to the floor. Look at it this way, if the vise moves or bounces that hammer energy is going into making it move or bounce, not in moving the metal. I cut a hole in the concrete floor and dug down three feet. Then dropped the ash post in. She doesn't move at all. Plus no one had to knock it up!

Hi, All. Back from a great weekend demo in Tucson.

Scrolls. First off once you have decided ont he type of end on the scroll then it's the shaping. Negative space is what you have to watch. Where the metal isn't. I prefer a snails shell scroll. The negative space gradually increases as the scroll grows from the end. See attached photo of a fern. To achieve this the scroll is hammered over the far edge of the anvil, not on the horn. The first bend is with a little material over the edge and each following bend is further and further over the edge. That's how you achieve the increasing negative space. Take the photo and trace it a hundred times so you have the idea in your head. As you see in the CoSira books, the English have their own way of doing things. They use top and bottom forks. That would drive me nuts, but what ever works for you. Once you figure the scroll making then you can make a jig. Make a fishtail scroll end and push it to one side so the bottomof the jig is flat and the upper side has the fish tail sticking up in the air. then make your jig fit the inside of the scroll that you need. When you use the jig you start your scroll by doing the end and the initial bend. Then that end catches the fishtail of the jig so that you can bend it around the jig.

I like the idea of the ratchet but never found one big enough to hold up so I just bolted two plates together where it pivots and have holes so when I spin the jig around I can drop a pin in to hold it in place. This becomes interchangable with various jigs. If the scrolls are small I just weld the jig to a piece of angle iron and clamp it in the vise.

Not only is the stop block long but it also has a bolt and fitting that pull tight against the front of the vise body to hold it in position. All three bolts come out on the vise jaws. One in the back jaw and two on the front one. The back one just has a slot in it, no bolt head. Also that jaw pivots on the bolt. Don't rush loosening them up. A little oil one day, more the next, a lttle tapping, more oil and then work at it. Some times it works to tighten the bolt and then untighten it. Careful as the vise is a casting not a forging so it will break.

Just got back from a wonderful weekend in Tucson, Arizona. I had a lot of fun demonstrating, seeing the sights and meeting a number of IFI members! That was great! Thanks so much, it was a special time that I will always cherish.