Marksnagel

Nice! I agree with the kid. Looks like a wok.

I am sitting here watching the movie "Christmas Story''  for the umpteenth time as I read this post. (Multitasking). 

The furnace in the house smokes up, makes a horrible noise, and the father yells, "It's A CLINKER!" 

It just dawned on me!  :blink:  They have a coal furnace! 

Wow! Makes sense. I am well versed in clinkers in my forge but I never thought about the chance that clinkers could form in a coal furnace with the same air starving results. 

Mark <><

Truly beautiful work!

Is the individual link 1.5" or is that the diameter of the material?

Dan,

 Please define "Stop-gap".

I use charcoal made from my retort almost exclusively. I still use coal but can do anything I want with charcoal. 

Yes I am a hobby blacksmith but my forge is lit several times a week.  

Rich and Steve,

 I am not an aspiring knife maker and do not wish to make knives beyond the occasional letter opener. (yet)

That being said, I appreciate all the time and effort and expertise that you have both put forth and shared with the members. I'm sorry that some people took your efforts for granted. I am grateful for all those here that offer their knowledge and advice. I have learned so much, well pretty much everything, from IFI and those willing to share and teach. 

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. I respect and thank you for your willingness to give of your time and talents.

Mark <><

When I first started blacksmithing I ran across Whitesmiths tutorial before I ever knew IFI existed. It was the first set of tongs I'd made. I have made two different sets of tongs based on that tutorial. They are my general use tongs and I still use them every day that I forge. I have made many other types of tongs but these are my favorites. 

Make yourself a set of Sean's twisted tongs. You'll be glad you did and they will be one more set to add to your growing inventory. 

Mark <><

If the hook was a little more bent inward I would have said a chain hook. We used then on the buoy tenders. But I think more of a manhole hook than anything else.

Cheap can also be free or really inexpensive if you are willing to overlook the fact that your anvil has no horn or hardy hole or pritchel hole or name on the side.

I started out with a piece of railroad rail then a train coupler knuckle, then an anvil. I still use the rail and knuckle.

Do not limit yourself to an "anvil". There are many things out there that will serve as an anvil. Forklift fork. Any heavy piece of steel that has some mass to it. Go to a scrap yard and talk to them. Let them know what you are looking for and they may help you out. Come bearing gifts like a little something from the forge.

Where are you located. Please put your general location in your profile. There may be someone here that is near enough to help you out.

Mark <><

Well, we didn't get the pics but at $1.82 a pound it might not be too bad a deal. All depends on its condition. Rebound, sway, edges sharp, pitted, etc.

Lots of variables.

Try the pics again.

Where are you located?

Yup. 1 Corinthians 3:13 

John. Good question. I don't know. What is burning? Is it the wood between the two barrels or the gas coming from the inner barrel? 

If it is a really slow burn of the material between the two barrels then I might suggest some more holes to get it burning hotter and faster. If it is the gases from the inner barrel that are burning longer at least you know it is working. 

There has been so much good information from others on this post that I will bow and back away for others to offer advice. I am still working on refining what I have. If you try something different, please reply with your successes and failures so we all can learn.

Hazmat, As the pics show in the original post, the pieces of charcoal vary in size. Some are quite large. I assume that if your char is falling through a grate then the pieces will be relatively small and therefore burn faster in your forge. I do break up the larger pieces to golf ball size or smaller.

 I would also assume that you lose a lot of wood to ashes. Can you cover the fire in the drum and starve it of oxygen? That would make the fire smolder and not have as much ash.

Again, others please chime in with your experiences and advice.

Mark <><

Looks like a horse head to me. Keep on keepin' on and they will keep on improving. Well done.

Thats about as good as it gets for leftover scraps. Well done. 

Ditto on the rods and the dump gate. A diesel exhaust cap with weight added to the fin works well as a dump cap/gate.

Gospel and contemporary Christian mostly.

Very nicey done! That should serve you well.

Work, wife's illness, sitting in the deer stand thinking, "Why aren't I in the smithy?" .

I usually manage to get 1-2 days in a week at about 5-6 hours a shot but I need to make some charcoal and the dog wants to go walk around the farm and yada, yada, yada.

I still get time at the forge but not like I'd like.

Mark <><

Weight will definitely be a factor unless it is a large tree. Can you do a drawing for us to look at?

There are others here that will be able to give you better advice if there is a drawing attached.

Mark

Hey Chief,
 
 Lots of good sound advice here. I blacksmith as a hobby. I have sold items at fairs before and have learned one thing. As a hobby, I make no money. If I had to feed my family they would starve. 
 
 Shapes to start with:
 
Square to round.
Round to square.
Thick to thin.
Thin to thick.
Straight to bent. 
Bent to straight.
Taper, taper, taper.
 
Leaves, nails, "S" hooks, "J" hooks.
Punch holes, drift those holes larger.
 
This should keep you busy for a while. 
 
Don't lose heart. You can become a professional blacksmith if you have the willingness to listen, watch, learn and do. By coming here and asking for help is a good sign.
Mark <><

Give it a try, take pics as you go and let us know how things turn out.

Mark <><

I have some rebar tongs. Not a thing wrong with rebar if it works for what you want. Yes there are a lot of things I wouldn't use it for but like all iron, it can still be used. Only purists (in their own mind) will balk at tongs from rebar. 

They are great looking tongs and should serve you well. Fine job!

Mark <><

This is a picture of the wood gas in my charcoal retort burning. Don't know the temp but it is white hot.

Really beautiful piece or art. Well done.

Mark <><

That is a very comfortable looking screw driver. 

Straightening, tapering, shaping it all is great practice. 

I also make small items while waiting for larger ones to heat. Small things help with hammer control. Nice job!

Mark <><

Living near and working on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, also known as "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" these are all over the place. You find them as yard art in most fishing villages. This one is in Wanchese. 

I am 6'2" to give some perspective of the size.

Mark <><