Marksnagel

Prayers offered up for the families of those that have lost loved ones and for the firefighters that are still engaged with the wildland fires. Mark <>< Durants Neck VFD

I agree with JMC. The fish are really easy to make and can be done in about 3-4 minutes. The split crosses are a big hit because they see a piece of square stock go from square to X to a cross. But they should have all their cuts done prior to the demo. I try to have about 30 of them cut before I go. Cutting them would be boring for them to watch. Small hearts are great and can be done in a matter of minutes. You have to figure out what the attention span is of your crown. School kids have a short attention span. Leaves are about right for grammar school kids. Quick to make and go from a piece of scrap to a cool key chain leaf in about 5 minutes. If there are equestrians in the crowd then they will like anything to do with horses or from horseshoes. Mark <><

By your description of the material jumping around a lot, I tend to think that you are not getting your material hot enough which would cause it to jump off the anvil rather than move under your hammer blows. Not enough heat will also cause you to strike harder which will make it jump even more. If it is hot enough, it should not be trying to rebound after each hammer blow. Or not. :) Mark <>< Just read Rich's post about the heat after I posted this. So there are two who think this adds to your difficulty.

The following words were used several times in the preceeding replies: Just Quick Last Only Hope Distracted Anger I will just quickly do this last one and only hope I don't get distracted by my anger. I am not pointing fingers because mine have many scars from lessons learned. We all take short cuts because we are in a hurry. It's in our blood. I know because every now and then I see mine. Mark <><

Kharen, I am glad to see that you are interested in blacksmithing and wanting to keep the art alive. I'm also glad to see that you are 13 years old because that means that you still have a lot of time to hone your skills and it will take time, practice and a willingness to learn. If you post the general area that you live such as the state or country, there is most likely a group of blacksmiths/bladesmiths that could help you get on the right path. Look on the web for blacksmith groups in your area. Mark <><

These are just my uneducated thoughts and are subject to be proven wrong. I imagine that if you were able to concentrate the suns rays you could just about heat or burn a hole through anything. But what you would have to do to acheive that would be rather immense and impracticle. Plus if you have heighbors, they may object to you accidently lasering their shed. But they said if God had meant man to fly he would have given him wings and look at us now. A blacksmith with his own death ray. Hmmmmmm Mark <><

Neil, your wife and Evelyn & Rachel are in my prayers. I pray for continued steady heathy growth in the girls and for patience and peace for you and your wife. I believe in miracles and your girls are miracles. Mark <><

Hey there Sam. I am about 2.5 hours east of Raleigh and have gotten some really good coal from a fellow in Pittsboro. His dad started blacksmithing but has since past away and he sells the coal his dad had. The coal is a really good quality, burns good and clean. Check your profile for a PM and I'll give you the fellows number. Mark <><

Wow Kyotie, You are asking a lot. Like Glenn asked, What weight are you looking for. If you are looking to spend no more that $60 for an actual anvil then you are looking at one that weighs at the most 30 pounds. Thats at $2 a pound. Still, there are times that people stumble across a great deal from some guy that has one in his old barn. You may get lucky. As Grant Sarver (RIP) told me, tell everyone you meet that you are looking for an anvil. Your barber, your baker, everyone. You never know when one might turn up. My thoughts: Leave no stone unturned when looking for an anvil. And keep the largest stone you find just in case you can't find an anvil. My first anvil was a piece of RR track. My second was a RR car coupler knuckle. I now use a "real" anvil but still use my RR track and coupler knuckle from time to time for different needs. Mark <><

Coal: I ball up one piece of newspaper, wrap another around it and then another around that one. Place it directly over the air source. Take my coke that was left over from the last fire and bank it around the paper. Light the paper on the bottom and place more coke on top. Keep a slow steady blast of air to the fire and add raw coal to the top of that. Charcoal: I make my own charcoal so I have different size material. Ball up the newspaper as above for the coal. Put a healthy amount of charcoal around the paper and light the bottom edge of the paper. As you are maintaining a slow steady blast of air pile more charcoal on top. Raw coal: Start a small fire with kindling or pine cones and add the coal slowly to the top of the fire. Not enough to smother it but enough to get your coal going. Bottom line is what most others have already said. Keep a constant flow of air going to the fire. What type of coal are you using? Anthracite or Bituminus What sized pieces of coal are you using? If they are large they will not light nearly as quick as small pea sized coal or fines. There are a lot of factors that can lead to failure to establish a fire.

Alec, you have produced a fine instructional video that will teach many people for many years to come. Great job young man! Thank you for making the video and for posting. You are a part of what makes I Forge Iron a great site. Mark <><

I decided to give making charcoal a try last year and now I make more charcoal than I can use. I use it primarily at the forge even though I still have coal. I also use it in my charcoal grill. I can't figure out how to get the pictures from point A to point B, so go to my facebook link below and look through my pics. Wander through my page and with the pictures I give a fairly good description of how I made it and how the operation goes. My charcoal retort works great and each burning results in 90 - 100% burn. The best wood I have found for the forge is old oak pallets. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Revealed-By-Fire-Blacksmithing/228941297128590?id=228941297128590&sk=photos_stream

Lucky you! I've known Dan for a few years now and have never had the pleasure of meeting him. I'm sure you had a really good visit. Looking forward to the pictures.

Ok, critique time. You asked for it. Looks good to me! Keep on keeping on. Mark <><

Beautiful work.

Thanks for posting the pic of the really cool candle holder. I think that there are several of us here that will attempt to duplicate yours. Just so happens that I have several bottles and a glass cutter laying around. Did you use a glass cutter or did you score it all the way around with a small file? This is surely on the to do list. Again, thank you. Mark <><

I started out with a piece of RR track. then a RR coupler knuckle. After about a year I got my first anvil. Use what you have and be happy till something better comes along. It is better than a rock.

My guess would also be cold twist. Hot twist to shape just a little over sized to fit in the bean and then cold twist to finish. Or not. Really neat work. Mark <><

I have a few questions for you to answer that may help people here that would like to help you. 1. What is your neighbors chief complaints? a. Noise b. Smoke c. Your safety d. Their safety 2. How big of a lot do you have to put a smithy on? 3. Have you/your parents checked out any local ordinances or home owners association rules that might prohibit you from blacksmithing on your property? 4. Do your parents rent or own the house/property? (this makes a difference in your rights) 5. How high is the fence that your neighbor peeks over to complain? 6. Is it your fence or hers? 7. Does your family get along with her or have polite conversations with her in other areas of life? (non blacksmithing) 8. Is there a Blacksmithing group/guild in your area where you can go to blacksmith? A lot of smiths have to travel because they live in the city or just have no resources where they live. The more information you give without crossing into you and your parents privacy, the more people here can offer advice. Without enough info we will just be swinging in the wind with suggestions. For someone here to suggest a 15 x 30 soundproof shed is nice unless you have a 14 x 29 lot. See what I mean? Mark <><

Hey Max, Welcome to IFI. This is a great place to learn because there are so many different smiths with so many different ways. (quirks) Joining your local group is the way to go. I started when I was 50ish so you have a good head start and your son will have a great head start. Again, welcome. Mark <><

Very nice work!

Neat Frank. Johnsons floor or car wax?

Just curious. Why don't you like using tongs? Not that there is anything wrong with that, just curious. Also, use caution with those should you get them hot enough to melt the plastic grips. Plastic burns hurt. Mark <><

I have been using strictly coal for the last 4 years. It works great. I still have about 150lbs of coal from my current coal purchase. I have however made my own charcoal retort and now make my own charcoal. It is a little time consuming and as with most everything else there are pros and cons. I almost strictly use charcoal now. If someone comes over to the smithy and wants a coal fire, I oblige them. Pro: I really enjoy the fact that I can make my own. Con: It does take prep time that could be used at the forge. Pro: I also use it on my BBQ grill. Con: You will use a lot more charcoal than you will coal. A lot more. Pro: IT IS FREE! Con: You need to learn to manage your fire differently. Pro: It has a more accepted odor than coal. I like the smell of coal but some don't while at demos. Con: IT IS FREE! Oh wait, thats a pro. There are a lot of people that have a hard time getting or affording coal and charcoal is the better way to go. I set up my retort as I find time so it doesn't conflict with forge time. When I am ready to light it off, I do so and then go forge. I can do everything with charcoal that I can with coal. It all boils down to a personal issue. Find what works best for you. Just remember, charcoal briquets are not good for forging. Did I mention that by making my own charcoal it's free? And I should never run out. Mark <><