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Welcome
Ask a lot of questions
The more that gets listed the more everyone learns by seeing the replies

I believe there is differrent grades of babbitt.
If France is like the US there are scrap yards or farms with old machinery sitting in the woods. Check with the owners of this material for it as scrap.
Try google ing there must be suppliers in europe of metals as shipping babbitt froom the US could be expensive due to its weight.
New material is ussually quite a bit more expensive than used but you know exactly what it is.

Welcome to the group
Stickies at the front are places to look for already asked questions
Florida Artist Blacksmith Association is the florida blacksmiths web site
You might be able to contact several local smiths to help you in yur pending addiction

Robert
Excellent knife
Can you tell more about your home stabalizing.
Type of set up, die, stabalizing medium ect

shooting, junk collection/scraper, raccoon traping, watching other blacksmiths work and spending too much time on the I-net

Welcome
The forge body looks like it could be galvanized steel tin
When you welded it together was there any nasty fumes
If so watch out when it gets hot the fumes are bad for you

Welcome
I second what frosty said about keeping the day job
blacksmithing looks a lot easier than it is
Blacksmith Assoc of MO has its annual conference Apr 30 may 1/2 at the State Fair grounds in Sedalia. Last year they had over 400 there.
They have a very active group of talented freindly individuals
they are at Blacksmiths Association of Missouri : ABANA affiliate.

Welcome to the group
NW blacksmiths have a very large group in that area.
Contact info is at [ABANA] The Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America, Inc. then click on affiliates

Just filmed 90 minutes with Mark Aspery and a local metalurgist talking heat treating.
Mark said using a magnet may not get the tool steel hot enough to get austinite which means it may not be as hard as it should or could be. He said the higher the carbon the hotter it needs to be to get hard.
Not sure what I will do with this footage.
Probably use it as fill with another conference footage to make a DVD.
Dont have room on the Aspery DVD I will be making for UMBA as he will almost fill with what he did Sat and Sunday. It was an excellent demo by the way.
He made a hot cutter, hammer eye drift, hamer, tongs. forge welded, water leaves more forge welding, a bird, told jokes and did the heat treat seminar at night
If you have the chance to see Mark try your best to go. I know he is going to BAM and the guild of metalsmiths plus a couple of others or more.

Wouldnt you know it I plan to be driving through that area on March 30th.
Maybe there will be some thing left

Here is Roger's email address
mrnobody3@aol.com
Roger Lorance
Belflower, IL
Not sure if he has any in stock

go to Blacksmiths Association of Missouri
That is the Blacksmith associasion of MO
They have meetings and you should be able to contact someone there to help
Their big conference is first weekend in May
I have sent in my registration
Looks like excellent demonstrators

There is an UMBA meeting at Old World Anvils this weekend. I could look to see what he has in stock or give them a call. Mark Aspery is the demonstrator.

In the forge I use home made charcoal so that is easy and it takes only a little piece of paper and the charcoal is burning.

to light the wood stove I grab a bundle of shreaded paper. I get all I want from various offices around town.

I do agree with an earlier post about pine cones. I used to use them when I used coal in the forge. They burn hot and quick. We have ponderosia pines and the cones are fist size or bigger.

I have been thinking of switching to induction heater so then you just plug it in and hit the foot switch for heat.

20 mule team has chemical water in it
I dont like it as it foams up and falls off
It feels dry but has water in it.
anhydrous does not fall off unless you dont have the bar you are applying it too hot enough
heating 20 mule team up to get rid of the water and then griding it back up only to have the humidity suck back into it is too much work for me.
But then the most anyhydrous I bought at one time was 1000#
I only had it a week as I was the front man in a group buy

Postville Blacksmith Shop, Postville, WI
Feb 21/22
Mark Aspery
UMBA Online for more info

Thanks for posting the pictures
They sure are purdy

I just bought one of these on EBAY NEW RAMSOND CUT50DY 50 A AMP INVERTER AIR PLASMA CUTTER similar to #110345779248. Have only played with it a little bit but for $385 including shipping it seams to be a dream.
Not sure how much duty cycle it has or how long it will last but I played with cutting up a 14" steel blade about 3/16 thick and it cut fast and like butter.
It does not come with an electric plug and the air hose connection but rest is there. Thinking about having my work order one for them.

I agree with Woody
there is also super quench but I dont think that it would be good for a knife

Welcom the the group
Often though it would be nice to live in an area of cheap scrap lumber saw blades but then it was nice to live here in Minnesota the home of cheap little giant hammers.
Of course that was years ago as the price has gone up considerably when you can find one.

Smaller chain I cut into 4 to 6 inch lengths and stack several pieces together and then forge weld this into a billet. You could do the same but may not have to add as many pieces.
Once the piece is welded and forged to shape start grinding. If you get a little blue spot or blue line it is a weld defect.
Once the piece is finnished etch in acid or feric chloride to see the pattern.

Being from Egan have you been to Myron Hanson's shop
Myron hates computers so he will not be on this list anytime soon
Roger Degner

What part of MN
I live at Franklin which is south central

I have used leaf spring and large ball bearing rollers with a nice contrast

Welcome
I agree about the salfork group being great people and I live in Minnesota
They have free stuff at meetings
Tailgating also
Check them out but it is very addicting