lakeside forge

I forged an axe this weekend and need to know how to temper it. The axe is made out of 1045 and is a punched hole axe. I have heat treated it in peanut oil (just the edge) and let it cool over night. How can I temper the axe and to what temprature? Thanks, Steven

Did you hand forge every grape or use a ball jig?

I am going to do an intermedate mig welding tutorial later. I'll add some of these really good "tips". (if you "catch my drift") :P Mod note: That will not be posted here. IFI promotes informed information, not just posting for ones own amusement

Hey IFI people, I live in Atlanta, Ga and have had no luck with finding scrap yards that will let you pick around. If any one knows PLEASE let me know! Thanks, Steven

Hey folks, Once again it is Steven. Hope yall had a wonderful weekend! Today we are going to be discussing MIG welding and the roll the MIG welder plays in the blacksmith shop. I know many smiths who are compleetly apposed to keeping any welder in their shop, I also know many who couldn't live without one. I guess it is mostly prefrence. 10 minutes on learning how to make a wire welder work or 2-3 weeks on perfecting fire welding. :P Me being me (one impatient son of a gun) I like to get things as fast and as easly as humanly possible. Here are some videos on MIG welding, and PLEASE share your opions on electrical welding VS MIG welding. This video covers MIG welding Basics

He is one very intelegent human being!

The “Art” of understanding Blacksmithing : Steven Bailey 2013 Blacksmithing, (correctly known as Forging) the art of turning a: cold, hard, metallic substance into something: organic, flowing and beautiful (Unless you’re like me). There is no feeling comparable to lighting up that old coal forge, cranking your blower and forging a hot piece of metal into some practical form or art piece. In a since you are an alchemist; you’re combining the four elements, earth, fire, wind and water. It turns us into a scientist. As most of us probably learned in school, science is a “method” and if you don’t conform to this method you definitely know nothing about science. In reality that is the furthest from the truth. The definition of a scientist in the Oxford dictionary is “a person who is studying or has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences” “Natural or physical sciences”. What does that mean? Well, natural science would be Biology. We use and understand biology to forge organic shapes, like leaves or flowers. What is a physical science? That would be the understanding of physical properties of something, like metal. We understand the properties of steel, and how to heat treat it and temper it to make a useable blade. How else are we scientists? Observation is one of the largest parts of blacksmithing. Without observation, we would not be able to see how out hammer effects the material we hit. We also observe others to learn from their knowledge and experience. Blacksmithing isn’t just observing, it is thinking outside of the box! Many a blacksmith meeting have I walked up to the show and tell table and seen some new contraption of Mr.Dan Tull’s to make some sort of hinge or tool. This also makes us very ingenuitive. One man told me that “if you got 100 blacksmith’s in a room and asked them to build a nuclear reactor, and they had no knowledge of building one, they could build it within one week”. I just got back from a week long class at the John C. Campbell folk school, partly paid for by the blacksmith guild, and I had no clue what to do my article on. I drew up a little thingy but wanted to do something more. Therefore, I made this. I hope this helps you understand blacksmithing and realize your potential not only as a blacksmith but as a person and a scientist. Thanks Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild for the Class, Steven Bailey “It takes a special breed of person to be a blacksmith. You have to love the way things work, be more stubborn than your material and engineer your way around problems.” : Unknown

Anyone know who won the drawing?

The voltage here is 110. But Wes I'm going to get some tape to cover the cord there to keep it from doing that. BtW I'm going to the UK soon and would like to know where I could get a converter fron Europ to american power.

Hello all, I haven't been on IFI in a while but here is my new piece! This is a Tree lamp thingy for the Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild auction (to raise money for the guild). I would love to know what you think, and any tips would be gladly accepted! Thanks alot for all the GREAT Blacksmithing tips and support. Yours in Blacksmithing, Lakesideforge Steven B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dhO4b_YQjI&list=UULQj-FSPRBT7xXp3Z9vzmVw&index=1&feature=plcp

This it kind of odd. I think it would be an indian symbolizing the sprit, Conected to the earth and also free as a bird.

Okay, I'm making a floor lamp for my mom. I need to bend 3/4" pipe at a little angle so it points to her spinning wheel. I have heard of the sand method, BUT all the sand I have is wet and or has oil in it. I was wondering if there were any other ways to bend it. As easy as posible, please. I need to get this done. (would have had this done sooner if I got to the steel place) Oh one more thing, I live in Georgia. I need to find a suspention shop (where they make car springs) and or a scrap yard that will let me buy and look around. Thanks, Steven

Working on Floor lamp for my mom's spinning wheel.

Well there is the Ocmulgee blacksmith guild, wich I'm a part of. Or Alex bealer Blacksmith Ass. . Come and join us for a meeting, join our group on facebook. What area of Georgia are you in?

Okay yall, Lookin' for a good idea for my awosome mom for christmass. I'm kind of having a creative brain fart; can't come up with anything nice. Well she likes spinning, kniting, croshiting and other yarn stuff. She also likes outdoors mountians hiking. Mainly just looking for something nice to give to her. She did take me to Mississippi to take a class from Brian Brazeal, so I really want to make something. Any ideas yall got PLEASE TELL! Thanks, Steven Lakesideforge

If you look closely I think I see a Hay Budden.