Caius

i got dirt. but i did set dust on fire before by droppin a hot knife..

Thomas,

I know, RIGHT?? I was as shocked to learn recently, you can also used Elmer's glue and coat hangers independently!!

i can only guess as to what would necessitate the use of those two together. on the other hand, i'm not sure i want to know.

after laughing for five minutes straight until the point that i just sat here clapping like a seal with a mental deficiency with no more sound coming out of my mouth, i decided that before i do a demonstration at the request of me dad at a tractor show, i will have to make a few warning signs to protect the inevitable idiots in the world from themselves.

hm. i'm right handed and i work with my anvil's horn facing the left.

A Smith and Wesson beats four aces.

but a Colt in a pro's hand beats a S&W lol

"Boy, you're 'bout as graceful as a crippled elephant"- my pap

There is nothing like using your own forge to make your own stuff.
I enjoy using a small forge I made from watching a Tim Lively video using a hair dryer for an air supply. The sence of pride is a good feeling.
Good for you.

what'chu talkin' bout, Willis?
lol actually, my brake drum forge runs off an eleven dollar hair dryer from walmart. it's been in the weather for over a year now, still cranks right up when you hit the switch. cant do that with one of the fifty dollar ones though.

looks great, but i'ts way too busy of a pattern for my tastes

i use a 1# for most of my fine tuning, a 4# sledge for my metal moving. my dad has a 3# i think, in his truck's toolbox that he refers to as a "Fittin' Hammer". i asked him about it once, he said it was named such because "if something don't fit, i beat on it with that hammer til it does." i have a 2# bp that i need to put a handle in and use.

louisiana native, right here!

i like to make anything that fits in my forge, and some things that dont fit quite so well XD mostly knives, though

beautifully amazing! 10 out of 5 stars!

Caius is short for Archaius, a character from a novel i wrote in high school. i just happen to enjoy the abbreviated version to the point where i use it as an alias here and there. my avatar is also the character portrait sketch i did while writing it.

it depends on how much space you have available. personally i use a coal forge, made from a semi-truck brake drum. i've had some good knives come out of it and the makings of a decent enough looking sword. coal is relatively cheap ($35/100lb in Covington, LA) although it takes a little bit more maintenance than a gas forge. you dont need a large forge for swordsmithing as it is detrimental to progress to heat more steel than you can work at one time.

dextrous tongs feel comfortable to me, a right hander. Sinister tongs feel comfortable to a left-handed blacksmith. That is why I offset all my jaws the same way......for comfort

that does make sense, seeing as "Dextra" is latin for "right" and "Sinistra" is latin for left.

You'll need the following: A cup of water, a cup of sugar, four large brown eggs, two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon of salt, a cup of brown sugar, lemon juice, nuts, and a bottle of whiskey.
1.Sample the whiskey to check for quality.
2.Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.
3.Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again.
4.Make sure the whiskey is still okay. Cry another cup.
5.Turn off the mixer.
6.Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
7.Mix on the tuner.
8.If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver.
9.Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of saltm or something. Who cares?
10.Check the whiskey.
11.Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
12.Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something. Whatever you can find.
13.Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner.
14.Throw the bowl out of the window.
15.Check the whiskey.
16.Check the oven and wishkey every 5 doneness for minutes.

you're starting to make me feel lazy, lol. but thanks, i got a few locations from that link that are likely to stock coal.

Thanks, Thom. i'll write it down, and talk to my dad tomorrow night once he's settled into the hotel. it is a little far off, but at the moment, thats all i got.

ok, here's the rub: i'm out of coal. my dad is a driver for Southern Bay, an oilfield company. He's making another run to texas, (as he does every week lately). He's going to be in the Victoria area. Does anyone live around there and get coal locally? if so, please let me know asap, he'll be there for the next five days at most. thanks for the help.

when i started, all i had was a pair of 1 lb ball peen hammers, now i have a 4 lb sledge, and a 2 lb b.p, but no handle on it. all i neeed now is a power hammer...

thanks, guys. as familiar with the i.l.l as i am, depending on it in a small town, i have no idea why i didnt think of that sooner...somebody hit me with a hardy tool, please

actually, i kinda cheated a lil bit.....the blade is made from 1/4" flat bar, cut out with a plasma cutter. no forging was done on the blade itself. all i really need to figure out is the furniture. Quillon, pommel, and wire wrap. and i dont want to make a flat quillan, like i've seen on your (i think it was your)sword under "the finishing bug" post. thanks for takin the time to read my post

it is very nice, and i like the Jim Croce bit at the end

ok, here's my dilemna. a lady friend of mine asked me to make her a sword after seeing my knives that i forged. i have made swords before, out of aluminum, for mock combat with my friend. they were ugly, and it was dangerous. but, here's where the problem comes in: the last sword i made from steel was 1/8" plate steel, just for a show piece.
now i'm using 1/4"x2" flat bar, of unknown (to me, anyway) composition (1050, etc). i was hoping you guys could advise me on how to make the furniture properly, because this poses a slight problem for me. here's the hoped for specs:
36" total length
30" blade, 1 3/4" wide at ricasso
non fullered (at present, maybe advice for grinding one in?)
simplistic quillan (not yet forged)
pommel to match (again, not yet forged)
wire wrapped handle (best wire to use?)
no final blade weight yet, i'm not done grinding the bevels and distal taper yet.
any and all advice is welcome, constructive criticism, etc. i am aware that HT is difficult for projects this long (i have been swimming through the forums here) butit is STRICTLY a show piece, not for even the slightest use other than hanging on the wall or her belt at a convention, and that's pushing it. i'll shut up now.

I've made very pretty blades with rebar, but am unsure as to their integrity as of yet, i havent finished i.e, polished, sharpened or made decent handles for them. but it is very easy to work with to get the hang of things