bruce wilcock

the chain cable i am speaking about is 3 ins section and above so all the power help you can get is welcome,

Strine link welding,the weld on heavy cable chain was changed to the side ,to simplify the work ,the bar end was cut at a angle and bent to a link shape on a bender,the angle cut ends formed a scarph down the side of the link the link was then splayed to let the welded links to link on , all this work was done on a power bender, the smiths then receved a overall red hot link to thred onto the chain and close the splay to get the scaphs to meet and then got it into there welding fire, the job was then got onto the anvil swage and with a top swage the weld was closed ,this method let more of the work get done with power than welding at the end

ed has it in one just get it hot, 8)

you dont give the size of the vice,heavy 6 ins and over fix to a rail iron set in the shop with room all round ,,the smaller vices fix to a small bench or the forge ,i have never liked a vice fixed to a forge the work in the fire catches on it ,and wilst working at the vice tools get buried in the forge coals, still some like it

we use wrought iron all re worked out of heavy studed chain, anchors ,old rail waggon axles, and old boat ironwork, i weld it up and then draw it down to 2 ins or so sq ,as stock then forge it down to suit the job. all the wrought iron in the uk on the market is re worked ,a small amount was puddled at Ironbridge ,but at the presnt they have been re working old stuff heavy chain is the best bet as the iron that went into it was a selected iron , the chain welded at the end of the link is the older way of making heavy chain and can be charcoal iron , later on the chain was welded at the side ,when working it up split it at the weld i have worked up iron most of the winter to be used to cramp masonry for restoration of a historic dock and to make all the mooring rings, and the rest of the iron work, all the job has to be wrought iron ,there is a lot more of it about than you think ,when you realy start to look for it

the easist way to stay cool is to move your shop to the Shetland isles so far the tep hasnt hit 15 c

i made a flue in the sixties i cut 1/4 plate into strips and welded a square flue up ,it lasted till we took the shop down in 1990 to extend

as regarding finding work ,if you try to cover too big a range of skills in your early days, your work will not develop its own style ,so work on a small range and try to target a market for it ,the shot gun ad approach is fine for big companys but a single man the market will find you in time your style will be your advert,,

there are a set of old snipe nosed bellows a the back of the shop i had given years back around 6 ft long and the valves are a lead weghted wood flap 9 ins long 8 ins wide covering a hole about 7 long 5 ins wide both valves are the same size the bellows were made by Alladays they made alot of blacksmiths eqipment ,so i think they will have thought the valving out, olso the valves have had a light leather strap to stop them going right over and jamming open,, the nose end is rotted of so no help there, thats all i can help Bruce

angle iron smithing was a trade on its own ,and in the loco yards tools similar were used for setting down tees and angle olso to clean up plate that had been cut to shape with a cold sett, then i could be wrong they are proberly to hold cigarette paper whilst you get the tobbaco out,in a well appointed shop one would be at each anvil with a sponge to wet the gum,proberly becouse the sponge was missing we have all been missing the real use

the steel proberly is a ULCB ultra low carbon boron. used for cold heading and cold drawing.i have used it ,the drawbacks are the same as pure iron though not as soft , it will nearly bend under its own weght,being nearly as soft as anealed copper,and you will have to be carefull opening out punched holes you will have to split and open out rather than just drive a drift in ,and for out side iron work if the casual passer by finds out they can open out scrolls and bend rail tops the job will get trashed in short time, so you will have to pick the area with care, one advantage over pure iron its a lot more affordable

with the build up of blueprints and the info gathering on the forum ,this is growing into a living book, no books can you get into a dialog to clarify a point ,as time goes on this forum will become the standard refrence work on blacksmithing, so lets keep the info coming in and remember the things that we take as common place today becomb history in short time

Glenn i will send pic of leather palmes ,but i have never been able to fathom out a way to get a pict on to the site,i would have sent som of the anchor forging if i had found a way

if you use gloves you will get burns and scalds frow damp gloves .we still use leather palms.made out if old welding coats and aprons,when we handle tongs that heat a run up when on largish jobs ,we have managed to convince the health and safty that they are unable to trap scale and dross against your skin ,and we olso use peices of leather just held on to warm bars to handle them

on leaving school i started in the smithy, at home the work was tool dressing and forging new stone masons tools ,and engineers forgings ,i then went to a aprententice as a farrier, and then started on my own acount ,and continued with the family work of tool smithing ,i am the last of the family to do this class of work ,on when i retire the scrap man will have a good day, so no i didnt suddenly want to be a blacksmith,

no bother just keep us all informed

sure looks like my smithy from the outside, but too neat inside, Yes you got a great pic

silent prayers from this side of he pond ,

Dan has it in one, just nail your name over the door,and be done with it ,then get on with some work,some of the biggest names in the Sheffield cutlery trade started with a name scratched on a slate

For a young man starting on his own acount, aim to pay for ,coal ,iron, abrasives,tool shafts, and the like,pro forma, it cuts down on paper work ,all thats in the shop is yours, then you can get on with the job no worries, get each job to put a little extra stock on the racks,coal on the pile, in thin times it is a comfort that the when you have kids to feed, and money spent, dont take deposits on jobs ,ever, dont by machinery unless you have the job for it, and if you have the job for it ,get the best you can and well up to the work, the next size up or two sizes, and learn to say ,no, thers nothing worse for a young man pulling is guts out on a dead job,and even worse knowing the job is in the shop just to lose money reck tools,fray tempers, and break the day up ,just say No that in short was the advice i got on finishing my time and setting up on my own ,and i still work that way ,i buy nothing on acount even yet i ask for a price by fax coppy it put the cheque in with one coppy and keep the other ,paper work done ,and its mine when it turns up it stood me in good stead for over 40 years all that i own has come of the end of the anvil thers been thin times ,but never money worries,,,never had enough to worry about,but enjoying it still

The uk army farrier blacksmith,field shelter ,was a single sheet pinned down facing the wind,then sloping up to two poles and two guy lines ,with the wind going over it,this cleared the smoke and then a seperate sheet was set up a little distance of to cast a shadow over the anvil , when we welded a anchor up outside recently ,i set up a thick dark tarp to take the sun of the fire, it dosnt have to be big just in the right place,and movable

they were there all the time ,they just made a wrong turn on the way to OZ

over the last week we forged a 5 cwt fisherman anchor ,with bow shackle and pin riveted up, and about 1 fathom of 1 ins studded chain,in three days .The gang last year were more suited to fine work and working on there own, so had difculties with the heavy forging ,and took a while to make a team but got there and made a job (slowly). This year the gang i made up of industrial smiths,Iain Baxter,a quarry blacksmith,David Goldthorpe, a brewery blacksmith, Michall gjerdy ,a blacksmiths striker.Mark Constable,the only art smith,and myself this year the anchor was bigger the shackle alone needed 14 ins of 3 ins sq, and we jumped the shank up to 6 ins over a longer length, in short a lot more work went into it ,and it was a delight for us to get on with the job,the hammer work was realy moving iron,and we worked as one,we all had a good time , I will try to get some pic ,i was working so i only took the group shot but there was plenty of vidios going and the net work film crew turned up so there must be plenty of pic ,the problem is getting them on the site

mark constable is at the present time at bruce willcocks forge about to help in the forging of a 5 cwt anchor will post further information later

i think its a leather workers rolls i remembr seeing some in a boot menders shop and waching him putting the sole leather through after it had been soaked to compress the leather the soles were called ,bends, the stiching was done on a ,junker, a single stich at a time tool that we got him to mend the horse straps on