Steve Shimanek

My wife is jealous:)

I have reached out via the "Contact Us" feature which seems to be the only way to reach him; I was also advised by the mod who removed my URL to read the Terms Of Service.....after a long search, under which title nothing was found, I located the site guidelines. Apparently it is ok to share websites (unless it is your own) except it is ok to have your own URL in the signature line (which i do not)....perhaps it is my brain damage, but that is a bit confusing to me. 

Well apparently I have stepped in it again, 2 strikes against me, maybe this will be my 3rd and i am out. My intention was only to share my site for feedback and contact; never anticipated any financial incentive on a blacksmith site to "advertise". My main purpose is for artistic therapy to deal with my issues as a disabled US Army veteran; thanks for the PTSD spike over this. Sorry to rock such a tippy boat.

Nice bee score, I would like to have hives here, but just have wild ones around here. I did have a swarm of yellowjackets that have been trying to set up housekeeping in my shop, so i have been at war with them.

went live 1 July 2019; it will be a work in progress as i learn to use the Squarespace features I used to make the website. I have put some biographical info and photos with a couple of short videos on the site; comments welcome.

Advertisement removed

Hello Son of Ander, I am sure there must be a smithing group near you that can help you get started. Welcome.

I think I would use that as a model to replicate a new one and keep the original as is.

I like goats; unfortunately there are none in this island, the locals ate all the ones the Navy brought in long ago. The next island over is a separate country, and due to USDA regs we can't import from there. Hopefully after some things get settled i can get a few; I have lots of weeds for them to eat.

I did some research once, if i remember it was saying that PT cable is about .70 carbon; I found some in a scrap yard and made a knife out of some. It was a 7 strand cable, and it was harder to forge weld it together than the crane cable with many smaller strands, so i didn't mess with any more of it. It can be done though.

Looking good, what are the dies going to be made from?

Very nice, what material did you use?

An anvil is a great tool to have; knowing how to use it is even better. The horn is good for bending and rounding; the step is good for getting 90 degrees bends started and other things (some smiths use it for cutting); the edges along the top can be ground to various radii and forged against to produce shapes, and the top for general forging. Have fun!

Pretty sure Valley Forge is the right call; my mentor uses those as he knows the owner. The burner tube is a good identification aspect.

I do not think so; you would be removing good hardened steel from the face, and a flat top is not really needed along the whole face. Most forging is done near the step behind the horn, as that is typically the place with the most mass. A slight dip may even be useful to help straighten pieces.

I second the motion to use it as is; if it fell off it must not have been needed,haha. Get a swage block, ASO, etc for your hardy tools. Welcome to IFI.

CDCO Machinery is another decent supplier I have ordered from, in addition to Enco/MSC. I recommend investing in quick change tool holders, it is a more rigid set up and saves time when doing multiple operations.

My mentor's Bull and Phoenix hammers have the warning labels "Danger, Engage Brain Before Use"

I am not a farrier, but my blacksmithing mentor is, and he had me make some shoes to learn something of the principals. For a seemingly simple object, a horseshoe is more complex than it would seem. I was really pleased when he nailed one of mine on the horse we were working on with just a few cursory taps on the anvil. There are a lot of projects that can be done with old horseshoes, like hooks, brackets, bookends, hoof cleaners, and more.

Very nice!

Exactly Frosty, if I tried and failed in the repair i would have had to make a new one anyway. As  only the sacond chisel I have done, I have learned a few things by this evolution; O1 is hard stuff and doesn't yield easily. (Glenn has explained my social gaff as having failed to anticipate some theoretical parent's embarrassment in having to explain to a child what my phrase meant. I can live with learning new ways of social engagement.)

Thank you for acknowledging my service; I was not an Army Ranger, I only spent 11 days trying to be one The jump did me in.......

Sure is, that's why I put on my xxxxxxxxxxxxx and welded it instead of hammering out a new one......as a disabled vet I need to make all my efforts count.

I guess it happened....first time in a good while i had the TIG attached to the welder. Tacked it up, then preheated with a MAPP torch, and finished welding it, then put it in the vermiculite bucket to slow cool. I didn't need to reheat treat the working portion, since it didn't get hot enough to change the temper. It even withstood the accidental drop test.

If I start over, the same thing could happen; plus all the labor i already put into it will be lost. or, I can see if my recent repair of my gas solenoid worked on the TIG unit, weld on a handle, and use the chisel to finish the shirasaya for the sword I am polishing......option B works for me. Scrap pile is pretty big already

So maybe TIG weld on a mild steel handle after preheat, stick it in the forge, then into some vermiculite for a slow cool, then reharden the chisel tip?

I forged out a bent handle chisel from O1 stock, but had cracks at the point where the handle met the chisel body, which I gas welded with ER70s rod. The cracking continued to be a problem, but I thought i had it whipped until I was trying to rivet the end of the tang on the handle, and the whole handle fell off. i want to save the work I did; any advice on welding on a tang? I have gas, stick, and TIG equipment available.