Maillemaker

Technically, what most blacksmiths do is "open die forging", where two relatively flat faces shape the material. Closed dies have shapes cut or pressed into them, and matching top and bottom pieces. Modern drop forging is a closed-die operation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YobXFODkp50

Anyone have their ashes stick to the workpiece after annealing? Like superglue stuck?

Not necessarily the worst.... I was forging at my boy scout camp on my day off, just as a massive storm front was rolling in to the north. The darkest clouds I have ever seen, and the thunder growling low in the distance in time to the rhythm of my hammer. I felt like I was forging in Thor's workshop. It started to pour at exactly the moment I was getting ready to weld the reins on some tongs, so I did the only sensible thing: Finished the weld as the rain came down on the uncovered smithy, and then went inside.

That is excellent. I really enjoy how you welded the three together to use all of the material. It shows creativity and imagination. THANK YOU FOR NOT MAKING KNIVES.

Wrought iron is relatively rare now, which makes it desirable. It is not produced large-scale anymore, so the only way to acquire some is to salvage it, buy some from a smith that smelts it, or smelt it yourself. It has a significant percent of silicon impurities, which give it a "grain" when worked under the hammer, that makes it tricky to work with. However, it welds very easily (the silicon acts as a self-fluxing agent), and works best at a very high temperature. A lot of smiths are attracted to it for sentimental reasons: it was the smith's bread and butter for thousands of years.

Hello, all! I'm looking into the history of flowers in metalwork. I make metal roses, and I want to know more about when we first see them in history, if they mean anything, and their general construction, and if it differed from place to place in the same era, et cetera. Does anyone know of any books, sources, or research material that can provide me with more information?

From one Wisconsinite to another, welcome to IFI! What's your current project?

Evening all! I'm in the process of writing a grant for my Youth Agencies course, and I've chosen to write a it for blacksmithing facilities at my local Boy Scout camp. Right now, I'm stuck on budgeting: the materials aren't difficult to source, but training the staff is something else entirely. Let's just say, hypothetically, that you are a smith who works around central Wisconsin, and you were approached by a camp director to train two to four staff in basic blacksmithing techniques such as drawing, upsetting, punching holes, slitting with chisels, and making U- and L-shaped bends, as well as coal fire management and extremely basic metallurgy. What would you charge? Let's say that you'll have a place to sleep, and three meals a day for the duration of your stay, and that the camp would also pay a percentage of your gasoline expences. Thanks!

neat looking, but how does it work/what does it do?

I've heard those called "wrap and weld" axes. I would think the technique would differ depending on your purpose. If you're making a brand new axe, it makes more sense to sandwich the HC bit material in between the softer body, but if you're re-steeling an axe, and don't want to split the body, then making the V with the HC would be less fussing around.

Look at the Mastermyr find. I know it has at least one or two hammer heads.

pretty much. Edge packing is an old and pervasive idea; look in The Art of Blacksmithing by Alex Bealer, published in the late sixties, and it's still there. While edge packing doesn't actually affect the molecular density, it does help refine shape and contour, though. Brian Brazeal calls that planishing.

The key phrase in that section of video is "while the external layer gets denser..." In no way, shape, or form can you increase the density of any solid by hand hammering. This erroneous phenomenon is also called "edge packing".

Professional swordsmithing is an extremely niche market. The required knowledge, skill, and equipment is a huge investment, resulting in beautiful, well-constructed, and EXPENSIVE swords. Off the top of my head, Ric Furrer from Door County Forgeworks, and David Delagardelle from Cedarlore Forge are two that I can think of. These gentlemen hand forge the swords they produce. There are companies that make "quality" swords with modern machining technology: Albion Swords in Wisconsin produces high-quality swords, but do not forge the blades or fittings. One reason you don't see many "quality" swords is that there are not many people who are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for an accurate recreation when they can pay $40 USD for a cheap stainless fantasy wall-hanger made in Pakistan. Basic economics.

The phenomenon you are describing is called temper coloring, or the temper spectrum. Essentially, as the shiny steel is heated, a clear layer of oxide forms over the surface. This layer bends the light bouncing off the steel, changing the color. It starts out as a pale yellow, then deepens to gold, bronze, peacock (a brownish-purple), indigo, blue, light blue, and then a pale grey-green. The color depends on the temperature the steel is subjected to, as well as the duration. This is purely a cosmetic treatment in this case, but the temper spectrum is really useful in toughening steel that has been made hard and brittle from quenching. If you would like more info, take a meander through the heat treat section.

Why not try making tools instead? Tongs don't need to be a special steel to work, and building them improves your hammer technique, and gives you a better understanding for how metal responds to the hammer. Chisels and punches can easily be made from a length of coil spring, and they really help with developing tapers as well as hardening and tempering processes. Plus, when you want to make knives, you already have the right tools for the job! No need to scrounge for pliers or channellocks, which don't hold material securely.

If you have galvanized material you wish to forge, soak it in vinegar or lemon juice overnight. The acids (acetic and citric, respectively) will eat through the zinc first, keeping it safely in solution. However, this process does produce a little bit of hydrogen gas (read: flammable) and doesn't smell the greatest. Use in a well-ventilated area.

I've heard the tale of a Klondike Days fiasco along these lines. Klondike Days in Eagle River, WI is an historical re-enactment of the Klondike gold rush. Several years ago, a blacksmith was demonstrating our craft, and a father and son were standing there watching. The father obviously knew everything about smithing, and was giving his son a play-by-play so aggressively and loudly that the smith didn't even bother to try to compete. At this point, the father says to the son "But this is all just a show", reaches over the safety rope, and grabs the glowing steel from the anvil. With his bare hands. Loud exclamations of surprise, pain, and legal ramification were then heard by all. The smith was so shaken by this man's stupidity that he shut down the forge, and left immediately.

According to my instructor, it is a popinjay rapier. It was a style used in the 1540's. It could very well be both. I'll ask about it tomorrow.

*WARNING: THE BLADE OF THE SWORD IN THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS WAS PRODUCED BY ZEN WARRIOR ARMORY, AND HAS BEEN RIGOROUSLY TESTED AND PROPERLY HEAT TREATED FOR FENCING ACTIVITIES. IN NO WAY HAS THE POSTER TAMPERED WITH OR ADJUSTED ANY CRUCIAL ELEMENTS OF THE BLADE, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCA POLICY* Now that that's over with: here's what I did this weekend! I fence in the SCA, and recently bought my own sword. However, I'm a cheapskate, and so I only bought the blade and pommel, and forged the rest. This particular style is a Popinjay style ring hilt. I started with an 8.5"x 2"x 3/16" bar of mild steel, cut the individual "legs" out, forged the legs into rings, and welded the ends together. I'm really happy with my forge welding this weekend: I had each one set on the first try! The crossguard was pretty simple: one length of 3/8" square by 11" long; drilled a pilot hole first, then drifted it out to accept the tang. The knucklebows were another story. I forge welded them together first, then bent the bars to the correct shape. Trying to get three bars all bent just right to fit the rest of the guard took me probably two hours. Final length: ~45 inches from tip to pommel.

I would not want to get into an argument with the gentleman at 4:53

Look for post #54

Riiiiight..... because alcohol and 2500 degree hot/possibly sharp things go so well together. Master Powers, I agree that training is definitely effective. However, all the books in the world won't make hammer control any better. Only practice can do that.

1001, could you update your location, please? There's always the chance there's another smith nearby that could lend (possibly life-saving) advise and wisdom.

Did this culture not have files or whetstones?