edge9001

Blacksmiths and blacksnakes....there some poetry and symetry to it...I like it!

you make a good point.

A question about tarheelsteel75's charcoal forge. or atleast the fuel in the picture... should charcoal like that, the natural lump charcoal, be broken up into smaller pieces, or is brning it like it is ok? I burn it as is in my forge, and I have wondered for a while would it work better if i took the charcoal and break it into smaller chucks before using it. my thoughs behind this and not doing it are: pro's 1. smaller pieces would have more surface area, so more can burn at one time, ie...more heat in the fire 2. large pieces are hard to work with 3. smaller piece might be easier to light 4. easier to feed into the firepotcon's con's 1. more surface area means it will burn up faster requiring more fuel 2. larger pieces are harder to break up than just burning the larger pieces 3. i'm lazy that way anyway if you can add to either list or offer annectdotal evidence as to why to or not to reduce the size of natural lump charcoal(aka charcoal made from construction scraps) please chime in...

Yes grinding on it will to ruin the temp it has now. as the metel heats up from grinding or cutting the temper will be lost at the point you grind on it. This will be evident as you see the colors change while grinding on it. However with a forge, oxy/ace torch, or even just a BBQ grill, you can restore the hardness to the steel and then retemper. I say experiment with it. read all you can before starting and then what's the worst that can happen, you learn what not to do next time. I would suggest reading all you can find about the colors involved with tempering, learn what the color progression is, and use it to retemper after you get done reworking your blade. And as always...post plent of pictures including a before and after pic. tim

I have a couple of jackhammer bitsI put in the forge as it is heating up. I put them IN my anvil, with it being a RR coupler those holes really come in handy ...lol

i believe it could be safely called either. if your looking to sell it then let the market decide. which sells better bowie of fighter. I would imagine a fighter would sell better in a market with younger people, but a bowie would sell better with the outdoors crowd. after all no matter what ypou call it, that's a heck of a knife. good job

ooo, some one has a set of plans for hammers? I could use a set of those. if your willing to email them, let me know

i wouldn't thin there would be any health issue after all it's just steel, however if the jewelry's surfaces that contact the skin are lined or covered in a non-reactive metal like silver then it would eliminate the potential of discoloration of the skin ie green stains from fake gold. nothing to base any descisions on, just my two cents.

very nice blade. your next project? a "folded steel" blade othwise known as a pattern welded or damascus blade is a great thing to shoot for, I would reccommend if you can't weld in you a forge yet, learn to first. As the secret to folded steel is to weld and fold and weld and then fold and weld some more. Not to sounds harsh but is your goal to create a "Japanese style" historically accurate blade? If so, learn a little history on the subject and you will soon see the only reason to make a folded steel for a "japanese style" blade which is what i assum eyou are aiming for, was to get good quality steel from small chunks or metal ranging from cast iron to mild steel and of poor quality. They would stack and weld , then fold and weld fold and weld fold and weld until the had homogenized the carbon throughout the bar, in an effort to make a quality of steel worhty of a weapon. This has happened thoughout history in different cultures and was normally named after the commmunity in each area that did it best. The japanese and their tomahagane steel, damascus is another famous area. this is commonly refered to as pattern welded steel. In comparison modern steels were just as good as historically folded steels when each of them are properly hardened and tempered. I am by no means trying to diswade you from your task or belittle you for your goal infact just the opposite, GO FOR IT. please post picture along the way. I just wanted to make sure you have a concept of why they folded the steel to make the blades. I myself haven't learned to forge weld yet. also there were a few patterns used to make a japanese blade, not just fold and weld and then stretch out into a blade shape. they were made from as little as 2 pieces a softer jacket wrapped around a harder core like a hotdog in a bun. to as many as 5 different pieces forming the steel, a softer section on the spine and on each side, a center that was even softer and a bit along the cutting edge that was the hardest. once this billet was welded to gether into its pattern then it was draw and shaped into a blade. If you interested I have a PDF file about the history and process used to make the japanese sword, I just need an email address to send you a copy. Remember the journey towards knowledge is the goal, not the knowledge itself, like the song says life is a climb enjoy the view. because it's all about the climb, not the mountaintop

I began setting up my new shop today. I have a small hole i need to repair to keep the rain out. I ahve cleaned out the work space and put the table for my lathe/mill in place. tomarrow i will move my lathe and wire in a few more electrical outlets. i mihgt get around to setting up my forges and anvil tomarrow, but probably will wait on those until monday. after I get it all set up I'll post sopme pictures of my new shop comparing it to my old shop.

the honey do list is one of the reasons I am leaning towards the larger option. i can't go out to my currrent shop for more than 15 minutes before i get a "honey I need you to come in here and.... ect ect" or worse "daddy, mommy needs you to come inside" I'm headin out now to talk to my grandparents about using their building.

the massive shop is kindda what i was thinking, just thought this might be a good topic to get going. I wanted to see what everyone else thinks, and get other's opinions of the pro's and con's of it all. B)

yes actually the security is not a issue of course at home i have my eyes on the shop, and the other off site shop is on my grandparents property. I have my best friend, my cousin, and my grandparents all on the property. my grandparents have not only the shop, but a nearly closed trailer park onsite. both are secure.

I hope i put this in the right place hey guys I have a question. which is better. while I do not have any expectations of opening a bussiness anytime soon. My needs at the moment are few, more room than my little 8x10 leaky shop I currently have. I have access to a building I can put my shop it, it is a converted chicken house my grand dad used as a wood shop but never really put it to use. This building is big anough I could easily run a small professional shop out of. approx. 50x60 ft. with its own electrical supply already in place. this shop is about a ten minute drive from my house. Pro's Already built, power already in place, large space with room to store materials and work in the dry, no rent as it is family owned property. large enough to hold all of my equipment Con's Not at my home, no water available, Second, I have the ability to buid a shop at home, but will only be a 15x15 ft small shop. nothing more than a hobby shop. it would be about 20 feet from the back corner of my house, I would be able to run a few outlets and a water line from my outside power pole. Pro's at my home, water available, customizable to fit my needs Con's can only be 15x15ft at most basically my question is this, is it better to have a large shop off site but closeby, or a small shop at home. I know this is mainly a question of personal preference but I wanna know what the preferences of others is.

ok I give. you win...lol :lol:

I love the look of that last one. simply amazing

ok..if everything in the shop can be explained this way....i dare you to explain the blacksmith in terms of physics and geometry...lol

it is very sad that people would choose not to marry someone just because of their chosen profession. I mean personality, income, looks, family worth these are reasons to choose a spouse, their chosen profession has little to do with these facts. whats a little soot and smokeyness amongst husband and wife.

I want, I want!!! me likey hot stuff! me likey hot stuff!!

My understanding is that square shanked nails were at one time the hand made standard, now they are mostly punched from plate. round shank nails since they take more work to make by hand, were a luxury item. Now round shank nails are easiest to make from heavy guage of wire. just cut to length and then cold forge a nail head. I believe all that has been said is true. square shanked nails have more surface area therefore hold better in wood than round nails do. round nails are cheaper there for less of a luxury items now compared to years past.

Don't feed the trolls...hmm I thought I saw that on a sign the other day at the park...seems it was near a bridge, but I'm not entirely sure. :P

It is alway a terrible terrible thing when an area loses all its talented artisens(spelling) and smiths.

well, yes, yes i do. but still, I'm sure I can find a reason to need a square hole. I have several projects in mind that would work, but nothig specific

the bits I'm looking for have a triangular cross section except the sides are convex instead of straight, this thing cuts just off center so that only one corner is cutting, when it rotates and cuts it ends up cutting a square hole with slightly rounded corners.based on the reuleaux triangle. I do not have a project in mind yet, I just think it would be awesome to be able to drill a square hole. I am just now starting to collect my machine tools

I've seen on IFI as well as youtube, there are bits that can make square holes. Where can I find them? I've looked everywhere I can think of. I amnew to milling and lathes so I have no sources for end mills or boring bits, or any of those types of machinery tooling. I only have that which came with my smithy 3-1