Bruno C.

Heat treat for what purpose ? Are you making knives ? Flint strikers ? Chisels ? '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> There are many way's to heat treat, all dependent on what you are trying to achieve. If looking at making knives then those 2 links should help you. Ton's of material in the forums that a search should bring up. Are you sure it's W2 ? Not all files are made of W2. -Bruno

Did you try a match ? Maybe got some gunk in there ? Might want to consider building something like a 1/2" venturi. Ron Reil design seems fairly simple. Or buy a good well made one. Like from Hybridburners. I believe Larry Zoeller has some specs on a half inch burner. If you build it yourself, the most expensive part is a good regulator and hose. Need something between 0-30 psi. Can prolly get away with 0-17 psi. BBQ regulators will not work. Can also look up blown burners. I've seen one made using nothing more than a propane torch (unlit), some pipe, and a battery powered mattress inflater for the blower. The torch provides the gas, the blower pushes it down the pipe, and it lights at the end of the pipe going into the forge. If you go that route though, be sure to do ALL your research if you wanna keep your eyebrows. -Bruno

That's pretty cool, I dig the helix twist with the drilled holes ? Looks cool. :) -Bruno

I think 3/4" stock is too big for your forge as well. Do you have the end of the forge blocked off with something ? Like firebrick or similar ? That would help retain some of the heat. Coat it in some ITC-100 as well, it would help some. A hacksaw is a wonderful thing to have around. But it sounds like have have limited tools. I would suggest finding a cheap 4 1/2" Angle Grinder. And some cutting blades for it. I picked up a cheap ryobi from home depot years ago for less than you spent on the BZ8250 burner. Also see them at pawn shops and the like. The Ryobi doesn't spin fast enough, and it is not Recommended to use cutting blades with it, but sssshhhhhhh, don't tell anyone, but it works for me, and has been for the last 4 years. :) Just remember to think about safety all the time. Sometimes a hacksaw can be quicker too, under the right conditions. There also other ways to tackle the problem of cutting when using limited tools. What Eric said is very valuable and good information. Keeping that in mind... You can try: 1) Thinning out the area to be cut, then try to cut. If you can heat it, you can hit it. Draw it down or flatten out the area you want to cut down to 1/4" - 1/2" maybe. Might help. 2) Go out to your yard or some place you can make a fire, and make a bigger fire. If you can get a hair dryer or some sort of air flow going through, you should be able to make a decent fire to work on your oversized piece. 3) *Danger Involved* (Eye Protection), but depending on the steel, I've seen the smith's I've learned from use the edge of an anvil to cut through stock very quickly. Hit the piece over the edge of the anvil as far down as you can, then they would pour some water over that area (NOT THE WHOLE PIECE), causing it to cool rapidly. Then they would simply break off the piece either by hand or on the anvil. They were working with Mild Steel when they did this, but it can work for other steel if you are careful. No Anvil ? Whatever you are using, I'm sure it has a corner on it ? Just make sure it's secured down to something solid and as immobile as you can get it. 4) Go to a steel supplier, and simply get the Right sized piece for the project you are doing. This can save you time, frustration, and even money on Fuel cost's. And, it will also let you keep going and continue with whatever project you are striving for. Believe me, I have plenty of spring steel laying around, and been collecting it for years with grand Idea's of doing this, that and the other with it. But I'll tell you what, If I had just bought the right steel for my projects in the first place, I would have saved lots of money, time, and effort, and had more projects completed. Now, I struggle to complete a home made Power Hammer, and mostly started building it so that I can work all of that spring steel down to what I need. Again, cheaper and easier to just get what you need in the first place. A hundred years ago, I imagine even a bad smith still had a team of strikers to help him accomplish his goals. But his options were more limited then what modern day technology offers. Good Luck, and don't Give Up. -Bruno

Looks good Razz. Keep it up. Sure would hate to drop that thing on my foot or possible smack myself in the face with it. Some lessons are better learned hard I guess :)

Adhamh, Yes the rigidizer and the ITC-100 are seperate products. I would suggest applying both. I believe the ITC-100 is more expensive, so less is good. Also, you only need a light coat of ITC. If you have the rigidizer, then by all means use it. Unless you have some satanite ? Either way. Looking good :) Good luck with the anvil. Charles Steven's gave good advice for options. Anything big and metal would do for starting out. Rail Road track is great if you can get some near you for cheap. Short piece, or a long piece burried in the ground. The Sledge hammer stood on end would also work. If all else fails, I've heard of people using I-Beams. But that is pretty much the worst option.

Nice work. I can't tell from the pics, but I hope you used some sort of Rigidizer on that Wool Insulation. That stuff produces nasty airborne silicates at high temps. If you don't have any satanite, a light coat of ITC-100 would work to keep the fibers down, plus the added UV reflection. How does the forge work for you ? How long to warm up ? How long to heat that piece of rebar ? I've seen somewhere (possibly Zoeller's Site), where someone basically made two coffee can forges and put them in line together for use with longer work. Just a thought. I'm sure you're too busy playing with your new forge to answer such questions :)

I agree with Steve and Thomas. 5 kilos is a lot of weight. Better for slow strength training I would think. Maybe make 2 ? A heavy one for strength, and a light one for spinning and the like ?

Also check out Ron Reil style burners. Somewhat easier to make than sidearm burners, requiring fewer parts in terms of construction. And look up the book "Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces, and Kilns" by Michael Porter if truly interested in building burners/forges. Lots of good info. Coal is awesome if you can get it near you. Charcoal can be made with the help of a 55 gallon drum, if you can get plenty of wood nearby as well. There is also the option of using a Forced Air Gas forge, which requires simple pipe, a couple valves, and a decent blower. Simpler to build than a Venturi style burner, but require a little bit of special attention when lighting and turning off. Dangers are preset. But from what I can tell some smiths prefer them to venturi styles because of the controllability.

adhamh, The bernzomatic will run on a propane tank. I got the same one. Picked up a coleman hose adapter at walmart's for $20. I had the same idea of building a little mini forge like on Mr. Zoeller's site. However, for what it's worth, you may be better off saving up and just buying a proper burner. Mr. Zoeller sells his Z-Burner for $75, and then add another $60 or so for the hose and regulator and you are good to go, or maybe get the Mini-burner, or the Kit. Hightemptools also sells burners and kits, and other forge supplies. The bernzomatic, I think will work, with a properly built forge, but I am basically building the forge for it for forging of small items, such as small blades or springs, or anything else I don't wanna turn my big forge on for. My current plan is a 8 1/4" diameter pipe, 8" long, and I will have 2" of inswool/kaowool, with a good layer of satanite and ITC-100, maybe a mizzou floor too. Hopefully that will get me going. Started working on a D. Fogg style vertical forge first, and will build the smaller one along side it. I grabbed the bernzomatic mostly because I wanted something portable that I can travel with. But I have concerns as to how hot it will get/ versus fuel consumption of a typical coleman propane bottle, as I can't seem to find any BTU specs for the torch. And I think a properly built 1/2" burner would work much better. But for small things, I think it will be just fine. If I were you, I'd invest in some satanite or similar. Used mostly as a coating for the Kaowool, so you don't breath in the Nasty silicates that come off it at high heats, and it's cheaper than buying enough ITC-100 to cover the whole thing. (Also good for claying blades) ITC-100 is best used as a thin top/final coating to my understanding. Also, I've found that if you have a metal supplier near you, it's sometimes cheaper and easier to just get the right piece of metal in the first place. Won't cost much more than the scrap yard, and if he's a good nice guy, he'll cut it up for you to the right size for no extra cost. Versus cutting blades, torch fuel, and clean up of whatever you find at the scrap yard. I wish I did that in the first place, as I got my pipe from the yard, but it was coated in some sort of epoxy, which I had to chip away, and then burn away, before I had something usable. And now I have a bunch of extra 5/16" wall, 8 1/4" diameter, epoxy coated pipe, that I don't want to work with, versus a few bucks at a decent supplier. Live and learn. Also, if you are still in the planning stage, and want something now, Look up the "2 brick forge". Basically can use the bernzomatic, 2 soft firebricks, and some ITC-100. Quick, cheap, easy, and will get you started in no time. There are also some small forges for sale at various places for a very decent price, well made and ready to go. Look up Atlas forge. Anvils: An Anvil. Or Anything big and metal. A Rail Road track would work. Oversized axles. If lucky enough to find a Fork lift tine, I've seen someone that used that, by just sticking the end in the ground and letting it stand.. Seemed to work well. We would all love a 400 lb Well made anvil in the shop ( I WANT ONE!), but I think a 6" - 1' long piece of RR track would work fine with a Miniforge like you want. Good luck. -Bruno P.S.: (1) I do not work for or get paid from any business mentioned in this post. :) (2) You are solely responsible for your own health and safety. Do yourself a favour and wear proper safety equipment. At least a decent respirator. It's a whole lot cheaper than a hospital bill. Trust Me. This is all dangerous stuff.

Don't forget the steel toe shoes affects of the magnetic polarity, depending on weather your left or right foot is forward. Also, plastic handled hammers with electrical tape wrap provide just the right inverse impedance of the alpha temporal field, which of course everyone knows is necessary for the forging of a proper Light Saber. The color of the so said Saber is thusly determined by The number of virgins on hand divided by the beers sacrificed in relation to the time of Second yearly Blue moon. It's all elementary... :ph34r:

Are you using a Gas or Coal forge? To me it sounds like you are not getting enough heat. Can you get your metal to White or Burning ? If so, then your forge should be hot enough to weld, maybe it is your soak time like others have mentioned. How far away is your anvil from your forge ? And was it cold when you started hitting ? I had that problem before, especially with smaller items I'd try to weld, smaller billets mostly. If you don't move fast enough from fire to Anvil, it may have cooled to much to be welded. Also, I've tried forge weld before, right after I start up my forge, let it get to heat, only to hit the item on a cold/cool/Not warm enough anvil. With smaller pieces, the anvil will suck the heat right out of it. Proper scarfing and cleaning always helps. Some can do without it, but clean steel always worked better for me. Sometimes hitting to hard causes failed welds also. I've smashed the heck outta some billets and they look welded, untill I hit them again, or they cool down and simple peel apart. I would suggest you take a step back and take a breath and try again. .02 Cents

I don't know about preventing warping... but, I have read a while ago, while researching about magnets, of an old method of making a magnet. Basically to my understanding, by forging the iron, while having it aligned from North to south, and hitting from North to South, would induce a type of magnetic alignment. Creating a weak magnet. Read in a book "De Magnete" by William Gilbert, 16th Century I think. Page 212: http://books.google.com/books?id=YT9EmW1TmakC&pg=PA212&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false Never tried it myself. Found it interesting though. Btw, making a real strong permanent magnet is not easy. Research I did years ago tells that it involves materials such as Boron and involves heating to high temperature, running the material through a Very Strong magnet, in order to create the magnetic alignment of the molecules, then Flash freezing (Quenching if you will), the Molecules in place, using I think something like Liquid nitrogen or the like. I could be wrong, been a while since I looked at that sort of stuff. I'm no pro btw, was just wondering if it was possible to make a magnet in a home shop. Short answer = Kinda. Still need a relatively strong magnetic force, and would have no way of Freezing the molecules to make the magnet permanent, in which case you are just better off creating a strong Electromagnet by itself. -Bruno

Dunno about Sedona, but there is plenty of Black Sand in the Washes that I've seen. Grab a big magnet and walk through them and you could probably collect a lot. Don't know what you'd find in the way of Ore though. Although some places more north, I've seen copper ore. Good Luck.

Wow, If I thought of that, it might have saved me time, money and headache, looking for the right sized drill bit or proper grinding tool. Simple, yet effective. Genius! So many of us are spoiled with the idea of proper tools and doing things the "right" way. Just goes to show how far simple hand tools really do go. After all, they built the pyramids and all... I love my files, but some times I just want to throw them across the shop in an expletive filled rage, only to have them laugh at me after I realize I still have lots more metal to get rid off. LoL. Nice Work. :)

My snowboard is drooling over that pick of the Alaska Mountain. It's shamefully sitting in a closet in the dry, dry desert.

Yikes, filing by hand is, uhhhm, Fun, to say the least. Still great work though. :)

Very Nice. I just picked up a fork lift tine, and I was planning on doing something similar. I like the stand you made, and filling it with sand is a great idea. I might just copy you :) What did you make yours out of ? 4140, or H13 or something like that ? And did you harden the face somehow ? I imagine it would be pretty soft, especially where you torched out the Hardy hole, unless it's some sort of super duper steel? Nice Work -Bruno

Takes thick skin to work with hot metal. Can't cry over a little yelling. Or a little burn. Although with the wealth of information that is available on this site, much less the whole interwebz, it can be overwhelming for those searching for information, especially if you don't know what to look for. Granted you have to walk before you can run, and many people do want Answers right now (I'm guilty of that myself at times), searching for the right information and adding it up all together Is tough for some people. I get confused myself at times, especially when I'm reading about a subject that's a few pages ahead of what I already think I know. So much information out there, not logically sorted. Some people come to these sites because of their lack of resources, monetary or otherwise. Some can't afford books or local libraries don't have the info, or will to get the info. All just excuses I know. We can't all afford mills and lathes and all that cool stuff people collect over years of their life, but we still wanna do what we want to do. Dunno, hope nobody got discouraged from blacksmithing, but a little scolding won't keep those truly interested in the field from continuing. I'm guilty of wanting to make a sword myself, and that's what I told my teachers, they didn't laugh, after 4 months of nothing but grinding metal and breaking up coal, and sweeping the shop, they let me make one. Out of a piece of mild steel, taught me how to swing the sledge, and told me to break up s'more coal in between. Wasn't no man cutter, but came out to be a nice wall hanger. Wish I could find a picture of it... Going through making something simple like that gives one a great appreciation of what's involved in making something of quality. Any way, ramble ramble ramble, and there's My Two Cents.

I would avoid anything plated, galvy or other like the plague. I got badly sick from it though, so I'm severely biased. Plus, the amount of cadmium that's put in things these days is unbelievable. How do you know it's only zinc on that chain? Anything related to food, I would rather spend the time and make a set of chain tongs and learn how to forge weld my own chain out iron I smelted myself in a hurricane than go anywhere near Zinc or Cadmium plated metal's again. I would stick with plain iron chain, learn about proper removal of zinc/plating if that's the route you wanna go, or go with stainless. Just be sure the stainless is stainless and not just plated with that nasty shiny cadmium crud. Two Cents.

I own this book, and have read through it. I find it useful and comprehensive. Not as many pictures as I would like (no pop-ups either :( ), but for the careful reader can be very informative. Although some of the material is dated, specifically the section regarding Aus Forging for tools/blades, which I don't think applies any more with modern steels or techniques, (or was it just a myth to begin with?) . Overall, I would say it's a great read for beginners or Master Bad-A** blacksmiths alike. I've first read through it a few years ago when I was first learning about blacksmithing, and have learned a great deal from it. Definitely not a "how-to" book, but great for reference, and will stay on my shelf.

Sad to hear about the knife chat. Just finished reading through the class material posted and find it very valuable information. I know I learned a few things and can't wait to put them into practice. Sorry I wasn't around, but as Mr. Sells has stated, Life Happens. I hope that the less than receptive efforts you gentlemen have received doesn't sour your drive or willingness to educate others. Keep on keeping on. -Bruno P.S.: wikipedia is great resource for a quick unreliable answer to a question people don't really care about. <_<

Sweeet. Looks functional. I like it. Maybe a bit handle heavy though ? Nice design :)

Also a good thing to do. As Kevan and Frosty mention, I find this method to work well. Usually do a rough 45 degree angle on both sides on the bigger welds. Welding rod's and grinding disk are a whole lot cheaper than a visit to the E.R. I like to use 6011 for most work since I can weld without much grinding, but I believe 7018 is better if you do a proper surface prep, grinding clean and scarfing the contact points, and a pre/post heat. Also, good advice. Lol, That tempt's me to take the wire bruch to the giant rust pile a got stuck together :)

Great Advice. Preheating large chunks of metal can be expensive, and one of those little home depot torch's won't cut it. I like my old AC arc welder. when unsure about a weld I just add more weld, and keep adding, till hitting it real hard won't break it. The work tends to get real hot, and it's gotta cool down. I do NOT claim to know anything, or do things the right or any logical way.