ibs740

Opps, I wasn't too clear. The radius I meant was across the width of the die not across the thickness. If I am reducing say a 2.5"pipe (apple, dinner bell) do I just use a shallow radius on the die or multiple radii from large to close to finished size. RE: cheating, I know how to weld etc but feel like a babe about many of the Blacksmith arts. Lots of stuff looks simple enough until hammer hits hot steel and things don't go according to plan. So resorting to things I'm good at to escape doing things I don't know how to do (yet) is kind of cheating. cheers

Hello, I welded up a frame for a Smithin machine. I know it's kind of cheating but is a plasma cutter a wonderful tool to dissect a large plate. The smithin can hold a die 5" wide X 1/2" thick. The stock size it can fit is 5 1/4" wide X 4.5" high. I plan on useing shims so I can use 2" dies as well...cheaper. My plans are to make things like apples, dinner bells, incise lines (decorative) on stock, maybe some cutting, round hole punching and slots. General fullering as well. As far as a radius for fullers to close off a pipe (2.5? OD) for apples what kind of radius do you use or is it a multi step set of radii? I have to weld a hardie shank to it yet. cheers

Hello All, As I started this H13 thing I should tell people what I ended up doing. I bought some 4140, 1 1/2" round stock for my hot cut hardie. Am I glad I listened to John Newman, Brian B. etc. and not spring for the pricey special order H13. The 4140 was an absolute pig to shape by myself. My forge has zero problems heating but shaping one handed with a 2.5lb hammer was hard. The cutoff works fine but she ain't pretty. Use of an 8lb sledge driven by 2 hands would have been perfect but I love my wife and she's not getting anywhere near 2000ºF steel. Chisels from coil spring are relatively easy to shape at least as far as deforming when hit. There is theory then reality and with this blacksmith stuff I am constantly amazed at how little I know. thanks again

Opps almost forgot, thanks all I have my answers.

For me part of the reason I started playing with blacksmithing is to make tools and learn about the various methods required. I have worked with wood, metal, motorcycles, cars mechanical things most of my life so I can always figure out a way to accomplish a goal. I own lots of welding gear and electric welding a piece into another is something I consider cheating in regards to blacksmithing. I do cheat as I just did by making a hardie shank former from breaker plate, cut with a cold cut saw and welded together. The traditional way is drill a hole close to the hardie size and drive a square drift through it. I always work by myself so cheating (at least for now) made more sense.

    Hi Brian, I see lots of commercially sold spring swages from 4140 (they claim) that have welded springs. Is it just that they are heat treated by someone in the business? Do you harden your cutoff hardies? I assume they are 4140?

Ok the vast about of info. is sending me in circles. My plan is to buy stock to make some spring swages and a cutoff hardie (one inch hole). H13 seemed to be a great choice (keeps form at heat, easy? to heat treat, tough). I was reading some of Brian Brazeal's comments about tools and he mentioned that it was very difficult to forge by hand H13. 4140 was available free to him and worked just fine. I see lots of commercially available spring swages and hardies made from 4140 so the metal is a good choice. My question is; What are peoples experience hand forging H13? I'm looking at 1 1/2" rd to work for both my tools. Also how does H13 and 4140 respond to welding (the spring part of swage)? I have access to stick, tig, torch. I can more easily/cheaply get 4140 in square solid bar which makes my life easier. Opinions please?

Thanks John, I'd talked to them but they didn't have any. After I posted this I tripped over a discussion with Brian Brazeal where he said it was very difficult to forge H13 with hand hammers. I'd appreciate your opinion on this and will post same question elsewhere. cheers ian

I'm looking for 1 1/2" solid rd bar, 24". I'm in Ottawa. thanks

Hi, Anyone have some sources for H13 tool steel in Canada? Speedy Metal in WI will ship, just seeing if something is closer but magic web searches show naught. cheers ian

If you look at the results http://paaba.net/Pro...ZWeekendMet.htm something doesn't make sense. All samples except the Super quench have harder exteriors than interiors. Are the Super quench numbers a typo? Also if Super quench is essentially salt and water why are the SQ #'s half of the salt and water? TheAnyone care to comment on either hardness measurement or experience with superquench and low carbon steel.

So A36 is a low carbon steel so could't be hardened unless case hardened. Did you pick this because it is not going to fracture due to how hard and often you had to drive in through the plate or just because that's what you had? thanks

Hi, I'm looking to make a 1" square hole through a block of steel (44-56 RC)about 2-3 " deep. I have several blocks to chose from. They were used as some form of die and I've verified the hardness. Don't know what kind of steel other than higher carbon. They vary in size from 2.5-4.5" L X W X H. My plan is to toss in my forge then let cool slowly to take the hardness out, drill a hole close to size then reheat and try to drive a 1" square piece of hardened drill rod to shape the hole. I used my hardie hole to try and form a hardie shank but noticed a bit of bluing on the edge so not going there. XXXX since lots of videos of people doing the same for longer than I exposed my anvil. I have since a pic of a hardie shank forming tools that was a block with a square hole formed in it and it was chained to the top of their anvil. So I'm wondering how likely is this to work?

Thanks, that number works.

Does anyone have any contact info for Stephen Gensheimer? I wanted to see about his burners. This phone number (609-397-4551) isn't valid anymore and searches have turned up nothing. cheers ian

Someone told me that the gate was made by Giuseppe. cheers ian

I recently saw a gate a blacksmith made and finally realized that the coloring was from tempering not any coating, patina etc. It was stainless steel. My question is, after heating and beating stainless it looks dull. How do you polish? it to show off the heat related coloring. Once clean a torch can be used to temper to color choice. If you grind it, you lose all the hammer marks that add to the appearance. People's suggestions?

Sorry to take so long (Traveling, work, life etc) to inform people of how their advice went. I had built a forge, 0.060" steel body, inside dims 8 X 8 X 18", 2" rigid ceramic board, 2 top mounted tee style burners. I couldn't get hotter than 1700ºF with the supply pressure at 25ish PSI. I followed some suggested advice (sorry forgot who)and leaned it out (.035 tweeco vs 0.045) and 2100ºF easy to maintain with no other changes. Yes it is a big box but the thicker insulation really helps. Thanks to all that commented. Great forum. cheers ian

thanks. I'll dig up the shelf etc. ian

Scottish is in the mix. I have a lathe so making one is no problem. I'll hunt down your info. thanks for the help ian

Thanks for the reply. What exactly is kiln shelf? When I made this Isort of copied a forge someone posted. Theirs was similiar length, 6"X6" but only 1" insulation. Mine's 2" and only 2" higher. Any experience with the hybrid burners? Are their really as efficient as claimed? cheers ian

Hi, I've just put together a propane forge. Interior DIMs 18"L X 8"H X 6"W. It is a.060" steel case, braced w/ 1/8" flat. Insulation is 2" ceramic ridgid board coated w/ IT100. End doors are 1" ridgid board. Front door has a permanent 4" X 4" opening. Rear door is closed but adjustable opening. I have 1 1/2" hard firebrick on the floor. I have 2 plumbing burners using the 1 1/4"X3/4"X1 1/4" tee. I am using a Tweeco mig nozzle (0.045" & tapered)& the pipe plugs I got were so crooked I welded a small fixture to hold my gas tubes. The gas nozzle relative to the burner end is adjustable in length. I have Zoeller stainless flares. 2 burners mounted on the top angled slightly towards the centre. I used one of the small PID controllers( cheap and work great). My problem is that the highest temperature I can achieve is 1750 ºF @ 20psi propane inlet. I only get an orange heat which isn't enough. When I was tuning the burners outside of the forge I found there was a very small range of movement of the flare (about 3/4" from end)where the flame would stay lit. Gas pipe in/out location didn't make a lot of difference. The flame shape and color looked good. Is the chamber too large for this type of burner(s)? I can add another but it would just be a propane pig. Suggestions please. Hybrid burners is one. cheers ian