Maillemaker

If all you are trying to make is a wallhanger, mild steel is perfectly acceptable. That way, there's no need for heat treatment.

Keep the design simple, there's no need to forge a basket-hilted broadsword or rapier, unless that's the look you're going for.

There is an untold population of swordsmiths here, almost all of whom share photos of their work. Search around IFI for something that trips your trigger.

Also....

• Andy Davis and David DelaGardelle do beautiful work at http://maddwarfworkshop.com/ (these guys forged Hiemdall's sword in the movie Thor).
• While mostly stock-removal, Albion Swords http://www.albion-swords.com/ have some very impressive work, often inspired by historical artifacts.
  

Lips and mouth are more socially acceptable than xxx.
Frank, your dads expression is great. I have several places where that can and will be used.

I guess I need to read the trilogy again eh?

Frosty The Lucky.

Actually, the dwarves were responsible for Bilbo's mithril shirt. Thorin Oakenshield, king of the dwarves, gave Bilbo his mithril maille-shirt after the battle of the Five Armies at the foot of the Lonely Mountain.

The Elves made Glamdring, Orcrist, and Sting, as wielded by Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo/Frodo respectively. Being of Elvin make, they are all supposed to glow blue when orcs/goblins are near. However, in the movies, only Sting has this attribute, and Orcrist is not shown.

Yet another smith from the Emerald Isle! Welcome!

I was talking to one of my friends, and we got to discussing waste oil forges. He noticed a similarity between an automotive turbocharger and the general workings of a waste oil forge.

Could you use a turbocharger from a car to make a waste oil forge?

A rendezvous demonstrator once told me that a throwing hawk should generally be proportioned so when you grip the head, the handle extends to just beyond the crease in your elbow.

The last words of a chemistry student: "H stands for nitrogen, and that doesn't burn!"

The grain structure that forms above critical is called austentite. However, grain structure is not what we're concerned about when forge welding.

Arc/electric welding is a little different. If pieces of carbon steel are not pre-heated, the sudden temperature change can alter the grains around the weld, making the steel brittle.

New acquaintances usually take well to humility....

edit, just realised you were talking about sharpening rather than grinding the initial bevels. My statement and methods stand, only I tend to use a waterstone rather than a grinder when sharpening ;)

What kind of setup, fixture, jig/rig or device do you have for establishing bevels or edges on your knives?

do you have something like this? http://www.instructables.com/id/Hand-made-Knife-Sharpening-Jig/

Pictures would be greatly appreciated!

Without a very expensive machine to test hardness, getting an exact reading is next to impossible.

There is a great variety of hardnesses from the different quenchants. Generally, water gives a hard, fast quench with a greater risk of cracking, while oil gives a slower quench that doesn't produce as much hardness, with brine in-between.

When you quench, move the steel around in the fluid, as well as up and down. This prevents the fluid from superheating and not cooling the steel as fast.

When you temper, first shine the steel with sandpaper or emery cloth. Then, take a slow heat from the eye, and watch for a band of color to spread toward the blade. This is an oxide layer that gives a very good approximation to the heat of the steel. It starts at a very pale yellow, then straw, bronze, purple, deep blue, and then a grey green. Pale yellow is still very hard, and bronze or purple is hard enough for most blades without being brittle.

If you temper in a forge, be careful that you don't heat the eye above critical, or it will harden and become brittle when you quench.

You can use the stovetop element on a range, or a toaster oven as well.

maybe oil will help too?

Well, if we do the math, you have a ratio of wheel ratio of 8:1 (24" to 3"). So, if you turn the bike wheel at, say, 30 rev/min, the smaller wheel is clipping at 240 rev/min. So, yes you do get quite a few rpm.

The idea of using mechanical advantage for blowers is not new, and depending on how you implement it, could turn out quite well. However, I would be hesitant to rig up something that you have to climb on, pedal, get off, and then handle your stock. It just sounds like a lot of moving and jumbling. Plus, unless you have a very long belt, or an overly complicated relay, you'll be facing away from your forge as you pedal. This means you'll have to either have a mirror, or look over your shoulder to keep an eye on your material. Why not just use the bike wheel to improve the hand crank?

Both Wal-mart and Menards sell hardwood charcoal for around $6 USD per 8 lbs.

What is a water tuyere and how does it work?

I recently purchased Practical Blacksmithing by M.T. Richardson, and on page 48, there is a rather confusing diagram of a masonry forge, connected to a barrel of water with pipe.

What is written is about as informative as the diagram: "The water keg rests on a bracket fastened to the wall, and, as shown in the illustration, the pipes extend downward and along the ground to the forge, and then beyond it. The pipes have caps on the ends. I use an angle valve, as shown, for shutting off water from the pipes."

I am baffled. The diagram doesn't show any kind of pump to circulate the water, or any other device. Simply a forge, hand crank blower, and a barrel of water.

Just heard "Iron Burns" by David Greathouse. good stuff.

http://www.reverbnation.com/davidgreathouse

Galvy is the most common wire choice for most maille. Cheap, easy to come by, and it's not very difficult to work with. However, there are downsides: if heated, the fumes are toxic; if left on, the galvy will degrade, becoming powdery white and staining everything the maille touches. Stainless is a step up, as it won't rust under normal circumstances, but it is harder to work with.

As for size, most folks use 0.063" (14 gauge) wire wrapped around a 3/8" mandrel for armor. Generally speaking, you want the ratio of rod diameter/wire diameter to be around 3.5-5.

If you are just making maille as a hobby and don't plan on engaging in combat, butted rings cut with aviation shears or clean bolt cutters are sufficient. As stated earlier, if you're going to do some re-enacting or SCA, it would be a good idea to at least rivet the rings.

The Maille Artisan's International League (http://mailleartisans.org) is a wonderful resource for all things maille-related. I am a member, although my interests have moved more to smithing than mailling.

Have fun and happy linking!

Use some flat stock and bolt it up as a diagonal cross-brace on the side closest to the handle. Did it with my great-grandfather's rivet forge, solid as a rock now.

Where are you located? IFI is an international site, so we don't know if you're in Houston TX, or in Edinburgh. That being said, welcome aboard.

10guage with buck shot.....

Fire welding is not "a petty detail". It is one of the most advanced, difficult processes a blacksmith can attempt.

That being said, fire welding is conceptually simple. Heat the joining pieces to welding heat (look for the flux to flow and sizzle, looks like butter melted in the sun) and hammer together.

Now, the details: The both steels must be at welding heat, which can be tricky because some steels will burn before others reach proper temp. The surfaces must be clean and free of scale and oxidation. Also, speed and accuracy are crucial. You'll have maybe five seconds to get the steel from the fire to the anvil, pick up the hammer, and set the weld with hammer blows that are not fueled by testosterone-induced rage, but rather gentle and firm. (there are smiths that can weld with a hickory hammer handle!).

I generally give my welds several heats, just to make sure they take (mumbling to myself "there ain't no rest for the wicked")

The shape of the pieces matters too. Square corners and sharp edges can actually cut into the pieces, weakening the joint. Scarfing is the term for prepping the weld surface.

If you make your handles, how do you produce them? (drawknife, lathe, etc.)

If you buy your handles, whom do you buy them from, for how much, and how do you make sure the handles fit the heads?

Metallica: Whiskey in the Jar

I was over at a friend's house a little while ago, and he told me of a very interesting charcoal production devise.

Using a 55 gallon drum, he cut holes in the top and bottom and connected them with steel pipe. The theory being that, once sealed, the hot gasses would rise up from the fire, cool (slightly) in the pipe, sink to the bottom, become heated again, rise, and repeat the cycle in a very efficient system.

I have never tried to make charcoal, so I might be excited over old news.