Prokopto

Anyone know a quick easy way to finish 120 forged steel crosses for necklaces? I have beeswax and boiled linseed oil. What I have been doing is just heating about 10 at a time and take each one out with tongs and beeswaxing them that way. Is there a solution I could just dunk them in? How would you do it to save time?

Brilliant. I have just acquired a large fab table with a 1/2" plate steel top. I can clamp them to that and use it as you say to form circles. Hot dog! I'm a lot more excited about the weights now and motivated to go collect them out of the lawn. ha ha

Indeed my right forearm is now (after just nearly two years of blacksmithing) is noticeably larger.

Hi folks, someone gave me a set of exercise weights. They are cast from something. I guess cast iron and not steel but I am not sure how to tell for sure. They range from 45 to 10 pounds. Obviously there are two of each. Anyone have an idea what they could be used for or should I just dispose of them? Can they be used in making some equipment like presses or hammers etc.? Right now they are scattered in the back yard. My kids were rolling them around. I decided to leave the weights there for a few days to help build a strong healthy lawn... not sure how that will turn out but we'll see. Bill

Great thanks for the tips.

Thanks yes I plan on using it a lot but I wanted to keep the sides of the hammer shiny (looks cool). I can certainly wipe it down with a little oil after each use. As for the face -it will just have to grin and bear it. Thanks for the information Scott. Bill

Hello, iron punishers, I have acquired a hammer for $2 and spent a quick minute reshaping the maul handle that had been put in it and I polished the head. Q. 1. What brand of hammer is it? There are markings that say US on top. Under the pein it reads the ubiquitous warning to wear safety glasses. It also has a 2 (2 pounds I think) and a 95. Q. 2. Once I finish polishing it to mirror how do I keep it that way? Is there a treatment I can apply such as oil or wax? Do I put a lacquer on it? Any help is always welcomed!

Well I'll throw my $20.00 worth in (amount adjusted for inflation). Joshua, sadly we live in an age where being a man's man is looked down upon by some usually by those who have either no desire or no home training to become a man's man. Not everyone needs to be a brawny blacksmith or an accomplished woodsman but the respect for these types of trades and skills is still scorned by some who feel intimidated by it. I'd say that the hockey players are probably a bit jealous of your talent and skill. Ask yourself, "How common are hockey players in my area?" I bet there quite a few less blacksmiths. On the issue of taking the matter into your own hands... youth is the time in life where this usually carries less serious consequences so being far removed from the situation I don't know whether you did the right thing or not but the wild heart in me hopes you did and I smiled as I read your post. Most people I meet that discover I blacksmith as a hobby are interested and fascinated but then they are mostly adults. I would assume that these hockey players are simply envious of your craft so why not shake hands like men and offer to teach them. You may just win a few converts to the art of blacksmithing and make a few new friends to boot. In any case carry on! For what it's worth, Bill

how are you getting such a contrast in colors if I may ask. This is amazing.

Oh okay well that makes a lot of sense. I can tell you after a half hour getting the washer made to finally be at the "last stage" and have it break was a real bummer. Tomorrow if I get a chance I will try again. Thanks for the help.

Hi friends, I recently watched a mokume-gane ring video wherein the stock material was cut into a washer shape and then formed into a ring by tapping it down on a ring mandrel. I made two rings this way by forging 3/8" steel washers down over a bull pin and they came out okay I guess. (See pics below) However the washer I made from a piece of pattern welded steel (15n20 and 1095) broke at the welds when I began to bend the washer around the punch even though I had the material to a bright red heat. The welds seemed very tight and showed no cracks or separation prior to trying to bend it. What am I doing wrong and is it possible to make the rings this way at all? Thanks, Bill

Seriously... can you imagine two years after they'd practiced in that guy's shop- he's sitting on the couch listening to them on the radio going, "Dude, those kids started in my basement?" I know some smiths have a special sentimental attachment to their anvils and such but wow talk about telling your grandson, "I forged a decorative iron gate on that anvil to the rhythm of 'Jeremy' live in my shop!"

Hi folks, I was just watching a documentary on Pearl Jam called PJ20 and at 00:15:30 they are showing the place where Eddie Vetter first practiced with rest of the band and the basement was below a blacksmith shop. You can see a trip hammer, post vise, belt grinder, and then a two horned anvil. I am a fan of PJ and was intrigued as to the smithy shop above their practice area as a reforming band after Andy Wood overdosed on heroin and ended Mother Love Bone. Check it out Netflix has it on instant. Here's a couple of screen shots.

Very cool detail I really like the wavy pools from which the trout seem to be jumping. Nice touch.

Hey thanks to Dave Huntress who tigged my fan back together for me. What a guy! IFI is a great community. The fan is balanced perfectly and he even blasted it clean so I can throw a little high-temp paint on it and get back to it!

thanks for the 411. It was a bit tricky to get all the rollers stuck to the race using the anvil horn. The first one I tried pinch welding the bits together in the fire but lost a slew of the rollers. Using the horn worked a lot better. I'll look for the acid tomorrow.

Has anyone ever tried pattern welding a wheel bearing? I have successfully formed a wheel bearing from my 4x4 pickup into a 3/8"x1"x3" billet. I have only folded it thrice. I've not polished or etched it but I was wondering if the casing inner race and rollers are of differing steels such that a pattern will develop? Anyone have experience with this or any advice about how to etch this particular billet? Thanks, Bill

One of the fins on my little rivet forge blower broke off today. The fan periodically strikes a rivet head inside the fan housing and I had been meaning to fix that but I'm somewhat of a procrastinator. Question: Is it possible to have it mig welded back on? Is there a source for replacement fans? Needing a little help for a little rivet forge, Bill *Procrastinators UNITE tomorrow!*

Thanks a heap for the good info. I will post pictures when its done.

I have been at this only a year and a half. I forge weld all the time as I have no electricity in my forge area. I have forge welded sucessfully over 200 times now. (I'm keeping count with punch marks on a piece of 20 guage sheet.) I will likely cant the eye and carve out and steam-bend a handle from ash or hickory. I can handle larger pieces but I am looking for a 6-8 lb axe head when finished.

Does anyone know why the search feature on IFI is incapable of looking up terms fewer than 4 words? I wanted to look for information on forging a broad axe but turns out it's quite impossible on here. Anyone ever done it. Can a newbie tackle it? What steel is best? I have an old wagon axle that is 2" square. I have a forklift fork that is 1.25" x 4". Should I cleft-weld a piece of the w1 that I have for the bit? Any pics or info would be great. Thanks... Bill