VaughnT

Finally found a credit on the site. Turns out that Hulk was made by these guys --> http://www.oldsteelart.com Judging by their site, they're no strangers to doing incredible things with bits of metal!

It's an interesting idea. I note several issues that you'll want to consider. 1: From a survival aspect, there's nothing about forging an XYZ that will help you get by for a few days in the wild. As a practitioner of primitive skills, I can tell you that the time and energy invested will actually hurt your survival chances if this was a real situation. No sense practicing for something that will actually hurt you if you ever found yourself in a sticky wicket. 2: A granite anvil is more than sufficient for the finest smithing. Anvil stones were quite common in Europe and a lot of the viking cultures used them even when they were making incredibly beautiful works. A granite hammer would also work to some degree, but you'll have to get it on a good handle to get your mitt away from the heat and a possible burn. Burns in a survival situation are just another thing to hamper your ability to get by. 3: How much smithing experience do you have? If you are low on the experience, maximize the fun of the experiment by getting some of that metal home where you can tinker in relative comfort. Learn what you can before you head out in the wilds to play Les Stroud (great show, btw) 4: Some of that metal you're finding on the shores could very well be actual wrought iron from way back in the day. These long bolts you speak of, for example, could definitely be something you want to explore further. Not only does wrought iron have different working characteristics than mild steel, it's got value to other smiths and is something you could sell. 5: Getting the metal free of whatever it's stuck in (rebar in concrete) will be a chore and a half. Definitely not worth the trouble for a weekend camp. 6: If you have a piece that's heavily scaled, expect the fire to loosen that scale so it falls off. What you're left with, the core, will still be forgeable, but it might not be worth the effort depending on the size. Your fire won't reconstitute the scale or melt it back into the parent bar. However, the earthy, organic shape of the parent stock can often be incredibly attractive, shaped in a way that humans hands could never duplicate.

Very nice, Tundra. I thought that first one of yours would make a dandy wall-mounted opener if you just finish the curl a bit more to wrap around a screw. That leaf is very well done. I still struggle with making a leaf-like leaf.

I'd be willing to wager that there's over a million nuts in that piece. I can't imagine how much work went in to all that spot welding, and then having to shape it all correctly to get the musculature just right. Definitely more than a week's work, even if you add in a few hours of overtime!

http://www.steampunktendencies.com/post/97171410974/scrap-metal-hulk-by-old-steel Very impressive.

I would gladly accept either anvil in my shop. Those deep church windows and stepped feet are gorgeous.

I'd leave it bare metal, or shoot it with some clear coat to preserve the bare-metal look. That's just plain sexy! If you do have a hankering for painting, I would highly recommend that you do some copper/gold/brass pin-striping, with candy apple red accents here and there. I've seen a lot of early machinery that had OEM pin-striping and it looked beautiful.

You don't need a fire pot at all. Many professional forges back in the day were made with a flat bottom and they were used in industry, so they weren't just some gimmick. My first coal forge was flat-bottomed and worked fantastically. I never needed a fire pot and I was working stock up to an inch thick. Get a flat table made from thick sheet, maybe even some quarter-inch if you can find it, and place a hole just off center so you have plenty of space on the side for fuel and tools to sit. Below the hole you attach your air supply. Over the hole you put a grate. Go to forging. Get a couple of regular bricks to use as moveable walls so you can build up your fire. Use a watering can to control the spread of the heat. Forge stuff. It really is that simple.

Wow. I'd pick it up if the price was really good, but I'd rather have a proper swage block and not a home-made one. Wonder what they were making.

USGI 40mm ammo can "Long Bow". Has volume and would be able to edge quench a blade that's fairly long. Measures 18"x6"x10". I wouldn't use it to quench anything that had serious mass, like a hammer, but for chisels and knives it would do very nicely. Or you could get something that stands tall like I talked about earlier. The120mm Ammo Can gives you plenty of depth for long blades, and the volume of quenchant would be good for larger pieces like hammers. Measures 32"x11"x6". Your local army/navy store will have a variety of pre-made quench tanks for pennies. My quench tank is a 5.56 ammo can and it works perfectly. I only make small blades and flint strikers, so there hasn't been much need for volume. You can rest assured, though, that when the time comes to up the stakes, I'll be looking at a larger ammo can from Uncle Sam. If you go the USGI route, just be sure to fill the can with water to check for pinhole leaks in the seams and corners. Nothing worse than filling a can full of oil just to watch it start running out all over the floor because you've got a leak.....

The best idea I ever saw was a USGI rocket box. I think it was supposed to hold 30mm missiles for something, but I dunno the specifics. Anyway, they're commonly found at surplus stores. 30" tall with an end that opens like any other ammo can you've ever seen. The mouth is something like 8" by 14". All steel construction, waterproof, ready to go to work as a quench tank.

Most likely they started with a chunk that was big enough to flatten and spread to make the round head, and then drew down a portion to make the hook. Or, another option would be to fold over and forge-weld a bit of the stock so you have a large mass on one end that could be flattened and spread to make the round part. Or, you could upset one end to get the mass needed to flatten and spread..... There are a lot of ways to go about it. The clean lines and smooth taper indicate that whoever did it knew their way around an anvil! I love looking at work from back in the day.

I like a longer handle so the pommel swell doesn't rub against the pinky. Maybe I have large hands, but I've always found store-bought machete a pain to work with because that stupid little down-turn on the pommel. If the idiots are worried about the thing slipping out of my hand, why don't they make it with something besides a glass-smooth handle?? My Woodsman's Pal is a big hunk of flat sheet until you get to the edge. The face of the bevel can't be more that .5" wide. Great tool, but really tip-heavy and not great for a lot of tasks. Of course, could say the same thing about any other machete.

I like the idea of a foot switch that you could kick on. And "always off" shielded switch sounds nice, but I can see it being problematic as you wanted to move around the hammer. With one foot on the treadle and one on the switch, it seems you'd be dancing a merry jig. Definitely something to think about as I plan for my hammer build.....

Never used? I can't imagine how that happened. Still, great for you!

Coat hangers, bailing wire, anything flexible that will take the heat. The key is to twist it on tight.

Funny that you think it looks scorpion-ish, but I looked at it and saw more of an altar. If you tapered the top of the crescent into a full curl, you could hang something shiny from it to reflect the light of the candles. Maybe something like a crucifix or disco ball. Just whatever you wanted to feature in that space. The wedge is brilliant and would make shipping something like that a dream! I'll definitely have to keep that in mind for a few projects that I've been struggling with.

Very nice work, hoss. I love how you staggered the hooks to make it different. Really makes the whole thing pop! And you're right about the beeswax making the iron look great. I've started using Johnson's paste floor wax because it has beeswax and carnuba in it. Very sexy look!

Excellent work. I think that shape would really pop if you put one of those round candles on it. Very fluid and natural.

That's some very beautiful work. The center detail really makes the whole thing pop!

Awesome score. Please give your mom my thanks for taking the chance on it!

Welding gloves when I'm running the stick welder, but only because I've got one hand within inches of a sunburst's worth energy. Other than that, I never wear gloves and recommend that they don't even be in the shop. Even when punching, you can fab a handled punch, or grab the short punch with a pair of vise grips. It only takes one slip to get yanked into a machine. Getting into the habit of wearing gloves in the shop is a very bad idea. No rings, watches bracelets, long-sleeved shirts or ponytails when there is machinery in play. Getting degloved is a good way to have a very bad day.

You've gotta wonder how hungry the first guy was that discovered you could eat honey! "Hey, look at that huge swarm of stinging insects! Lets go in there and steel their food." I keep saying I'm going to start a hive or two.

Nice work. Now you just need to show us the rest of your blackpowder gear!

A french cleat would be more than sufficient to hold it to the wall so long as you've got the cleat fixed to the wall studs. The metal ones like you can buy from Grainger are super-thin and would hold the ring very close to the wall. You could probably fabricate something out of thin plywood that would work, too.