Borntoolate

This may not help. Think in terms of energy use. When hammering think of using the least amount of personal energy as possible to accomplish the task. This would mean that the hammer is almost slipping out of your hand but isn't. Your control is more of a throw and release as opposed to a death grip swing. Movement is not forced or pushed but rather in rythm with the natural frequency of your arm, hammer combination. As the hammer hits, nice and square, there is no jarring to the hand that holds the metal, your grip on the hammer is loose and that allows the hammer to bounce up, from a square solid hit and contact. As the bounce reachs it's peak you take your near limp, effortless grip, just tight enough to control and lift the hammer for the next, precision, teeth unclenched, non death grip drop. Make the hammer do all the work accept the bare minimum of energy required from you to lift and drop and guide. Find the natural frequency and use minimum strength in all muscles. This includes mouth, forehead, toes etc! Note: if your metal holding hand is jarring at all this means you are either not hitting square and precise or you are not holding the metal flat or square on the anvil. This wastes energy, causes the hammer to deflect of course, and messes up the whole rythm and natural frequency. This means more energy required, more energy wastes, a tighter grip needed... So we talk a lot about hammering but we rarely talk about holding the metal flat and sqare to the anvil which is at least as important. I think!

Go to the library. Get a library card if you don't have one. Learn how to find things in your local library. If your library has a website learn how to use it. Libraries these days don't just have books. Mine has Books, Videos, Paintings, Magazines and so forth. I went on-line last Friday. I found a DVD on Blacksmithing. This DVD was not at my local library but was at another location that My library is connected to. I put a hold on this DVD, on-line, at home. They transported this DVD to my local library and I got an Email saying that it had arrived and I had x number of days to pick it up. My wife was running errands near by and she picked it up while I was at work. It was a 6 hour, 3 cd set of blacksmithing. It will help you learn. It was free. You can watch it in your spare time. it is free. If you miss something you can back it up.... etc etc. Now there are probably many videos out there but this is the one I have. "A Blacksmithing Primer" by Randy McDaniel. I knew most of this but not all of it. It is a good, straight forward concise video. They also have really good books there too! They are also free! IF you keep them too long they charge you a fee. BUt the fee is usually a lot less than the cost of a book. You can renew on-line and avoid these charges.

I have a guy coming over to learn some blacksmithing on Friday. He is about 50ish and is mechanically inclined. He has done woodworking and knows how to use a tool or two. He knows how to work safe in a variety of situations. I brought him three books to look through today and he has been doing some studying. On Friday I think we can jump into it. What sequence or other approach should I take. He has never done any blacksmithing. I have a Coal forge with a hand crank Champion blower. Here is what I was thinking. Make a steak turner. I'll make one and he makes one. Step by step. Safety Glasses of course! BUt this is learning more that steak turner making. We will take it slow. Hammer Technigue - Though he has done carpentry work. Starting the fire - coal vs coke, air flow and fire pot etc.... 1/4" Round to Square - ~16" long, Hammer hand is labor and other hand is management. Management moves the metal and labor drops the hammer consistently, same spot. Real hammer blows not tink, tink, tink. Far or near side but keep the hot metal off the anvil and push or pull it to the hammer while rotating 90 degrees. Square the whole length. Trying to get some rythm and hammer control... Planish it nice and square as we go. Gentle, look close, make it neat but not perfect. Taper to a point, one end. Half hammer blows, far edge. Octagon to round on the taper. Make a rats tail small. Make a simple handle. Offer just using the anvil far edge, the horn or a hardy bending fork. I like the fork, it's fun. Rat's tail end.. Talk about twists. He has already seen some of these. I make some various twists and so forth along mine, full length, he watches. I do them all the way to ~2"-3" from the opposite of the handle. Regular square, rounded corner square, reverses, octagon, flat the corners after etc etc... Now I give him the whole smithy to make his twists however he wants. His show now. I am just there to help as needed. Taper the end to a point, octagon, round. Make my end, a right hander. let him finish his, right or left hander. Grasp it and see if it feels right. Tweak it with a twist or what have you to get it to "feel" right. Apply Blacksmith finish (veg oil) Or maybe hot brass wire brush? So we did Square, Taper, Octagon, Round, Twists, Bending, Half Hammer Blows, Far side and near side, Planishing, Forge operation, Hammer technigues, surface finish. What should I do next? THis should not take us long. What is a good next project or next technigue to teach or practice?. OR do you guys have a different approach? This stuff is not that hard if you have someone who knows how to handle a tool and is coordinated enough to hit where he aims. We will talk through each step and talk about why/what is important. I think I can teach him what it took me 3 months to learn mostly on my own in one afternoon.

Well, I am hoping to be using these tools for decades. At some point I am hoping that someone else will be using these tools for even more decades and so. And well, I am an engineer so like to over engineer stuff for myself such that it lasts FOREVER.

So I already have a hot cut made from a jackhammer bit. This was more for some tooling for other shapes. Sounds like mild steel will do the trick in many cases. In other cases I like the idea of forge welding on something hardenable as needed. Truck axels and such just aren't something that is readily available for me. I visited a couple junk yards that folks have gotten things from but that was a no go. I think you need to know them.

Actually, that is exactly what happened. I decided to make a sizable drift from a 1" Square bar I had. I needed a fatter hole than any of my current drifts which are all either skinny or physically fit. I would call 1" square plump and on the verge of being "fat". I quickly realized that my tongs were inadaguate for holding about a 12" section of this stuff and it was too short to be able to hold by hand even at the first heat. so yes Jeremy is correct. I need fat tongs, that is next. You guys are AWESOME! I probably should visit old and rusty since he has many fat tongs as well as a very scary power hammer that would work way better on fat metal. :D

Good point. I am probably overdo for a visit there again anyway. My hardy is 1". I just through out the 2"x2" as sort of on the high end. Additionally the junk yards around here don't sell to individuals anymore. I like the idea of putting a tool material only where needed. did not think of that but that is an obvious approach. Thanks for that.

I am starting a new project and need to make some new tools. Mostly hardy tools. I need some fatter hunks of metal than what I have on hand. I have a bit of RR rail but it has issues. What sources of readily available fat metal do you folks have. I am thinking I need something on the order of 2"x2" or thereabouts. Also, I want some of this to be hardenable to stand up over time. Any secrets out there. The other thing I have tried is to take some RR spring clips and straighten them out then fold them over, forge weld until I get a big enough hunk. This will work but it's pretty slow going and I am not real sure about my forge welding skills. But this stuff is definitely hardenable.

I have a small hunk of rail that I am using to score some fat hunks of metal to use for some hardy tools. I thought it might be hard-ish but it cut like butta in my portaband using a somewhat dull blade. It seemed to be almost overly soft. Sounds like that might not be the norm.

just take it as an opportunity to teach folks a new word. Do you shoe horses? No that is what a Farrier does. My boss picks at me in good fun and calls me the farrier. But. Just the other day he said he saw someone shoeing horses and that he now knows what profession that is. So he learned something. What's the big deal. I for one would be a little afraid to shoe a horse. Seems to me that the farrier is in a precarious position. If the horse decides he doesn't like it the farrier doesn't win I'm thinking.

This one is hard in some ways. The rules apply to a lot of situations not just blacksmithing. If the individual respects others this is a good start. If not so much then there will never be enough rules or "ettiquette" without a major indoctrination. I had a young friend the other day ask if I could help him with a woodworking project. He lacks the tools and shop that he knows I have. As we worked he watched where I pulled each tool from and tried his best to put them back there when appropriate. He cleaned up his mess very diligently and made no assumpotions about how things were to be done in my shop. He just asked. He took safety and other advice seriously. In other words he is welcome back any time! Others may not be so diligent about cleaning up or putting things away. BUt if they can be taught... meaning they are willing to learn. then this is a great opportunity to teach someone just how to treat other peoples tools, other peoples stuff in general. Many folks have never been taught this. Take this time to do so. Of course some of the respondents above are obviously doing a lot more than I am and are engeaged in business. That is a different dynamic that I wish you luck with. BUt in general if people are given some specific guidelines to follow most will. The rest can be learned. Then there are the Jerks. They need to be severely controlled or ejected.

When I started blacksmithing I had Tennis elbow in my right arm. I had went to the "bone and Joint Clinic" here locally and they gave me an Epipoint Elbow strap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P57kPR1MWrQ I did not watch this video but it contains the strap I used. It's a bit more than a regular strap. They are very expensive unless you shop around. BUt it instantly gave some relief to what I would say was a mild form of Tennis elbow. Regardless I wore it for almost a year or more. BUt, during that time I took up blacksmithing. Because I was having some elbow trouble I looked into hammer techniques a good bit. Didn't want to make things worse. I actually believe that good hammer technigue (which I hope I have) actually helped to strengthen muscles and so forth that helped me get over and so far keep away any pain in my right arm. NOw I must also say that my Tennis Elbow was mild to start with AND I wore this thing a long time... Several months before I took up Bklacksmithing. I wore the thing so longs because a friend of mine had one and said he stopped wearing it too soon and had to go to surgery. I wanted to avoid that. I now feel that Tennis Elbow in my Right arm is a thing of the past. I was using a 3 lb hammer back them and now use something close to a 4 lb hammer that Brian and I made. After startng Blacksmthing and using tongs and so forth I actually developed some TE in my left arm. Propably gripping tongs to tight or something. I moved my elbow strap over to my left and wore it for about 6 months. In other words I wore it both times even when I felt ok. Now, I don't feel that my left arm is as strong or as resilient as my right but it is good. I also feel that Hammering properly can actually keep tennis elbow away. I am no doctor so it is only opinion. Key points I think for good hammering and avoiding TE are: Relax. Don't grip tight or grit your teeth. If you are doing this then just slowdown, relax and find your speed. Guide the hammer down and let the weight do the work not your arm. Hit the piece on the anvil solidly so there is no skittering of the hammer at contact. If there is you have to grip tight to keep both the hammer and the workpiece from flying off. This is bad technigue. This will hurt you in more ways than one. Catch the rebound momentum to bring the hammer up because that should be where you expend most of your actual effort (lifting not hammering down) Lift high and let it fall. I think a heavier hammer is better than a light one. I think you can grip it lighter and let it drop. A light hammer will wear you out. I do find that heavier work or some serious drawing out requires a bit more than just letting the hammer fall. BUt I think this too can be done as above. Relax. Let the hammer do most of the work and your body do as little as possible. This should be your goal. I am still a novice in my opinion. Though I have worked through TE. But if anything here needs correcting by those more senior or more knowledgable please correct it. PS - I am actually a very good speller but I am a very bad typert

Stereo in the shop. Four speakers inside and two outside. Sirius - 60s, 70s, classic vinyl, blues, coffeeshop and an occasional dose of bluegrass... If I am outside or in the shop the music is on. No ear plugs at the anvil. Muffs on with power tools though.

Hey, just saw this. Will try to get a pic or two tonight.

So far: Two S Hooks. I love making these. Easy, Quick and makes small metal scraps useful. A set of fully finished tong blanks Brazeal Style. Just need to rivet after shaping the jaws for whatever they will be needed for next. I like to have some ready for whatever project might come up without having to start from scratch... drawing out the reins.... One Crawfish pot Tipper. This is a bit of a hook thingy with a looped snake like tail looking handle. Used to tip the boiled crawfish, potatoes and corn etc from the big holey pot. ~40# of crawfish and the rest, then... EAT! metal handled hot cut from a jackhammer bit. USed a piece of Bamboo for the handle. I have a ton of that. Next job, chain saw tool for tightening the chain. My saw did not come with one. - Complete Completed two stainless hooks for chain link fence around pool for Andrea to hang the pool skimmer net from. S hook affair with one loop very small and other loop largish. Tools for slitting and drifting the tomahawk. Need to redo the drift or actually just make a larger one. But used it for next project below. Tomahawk for son in law from jackhammer bit. Blade end was good. Kinda like a hot cut hardy. Handle hole (House) a little small. Learned some stuff. First time I directed a striker. Handled with a piece of ash and some leather shoe strings for handle and decor. Probably not good as a thrower with the handle being on the light side. Two horse head bottle openers. My horse heads look a little like camels perhaps. :) But, they open bottles. I know for a fact. Hanger for a sign with scrolls and collars. Plus two hooks to hang the sign from on to the hanger. Wood sign of scrap mahogany with carved touchmark enlarged reproduction. Hanging now near the forge.

where is the tailgating section??

So is there truly much of a risk in putting the chrome plated wrenchs in the forge fire? I am unclear. I read the Hexivalent Chromium stuff linked above but that did not make me feel like this stuff was deadly. I felt more like that this stuff is not something you want to be around for extended periods. Smoking is carcinogenic but one pack of cigarettes isn't going to put you in the hospital or even close to it. So Carcinogenic alone doesn't mean avoid like the plague. Folks who weld stainless for example don't wear respirators. They might be welding all day long on stainless. So is there a real short term risk here or not?

Read the pinned item on searching the site. I use google. And Welcome to the site

Hey was thinking to do some more collaring and was re-reading this thread. Your quote above stood out to me as I missed it before. Clamping the other areas together that are 'to be" collared is not a bad idea depending on how much you are going to be moving your piece around or how much chance the pieces can have to move relative to each other. Once you have a collar or two in place and you let a piece or two move it can be a real pain to get things back in symetrical shape. Or if things move while you hammer. Clamps would help keep it all in place neatly.

expending your own energy in any way shape or form to react to ignorant bullies is a waste of your own personal time and energy. They are not worth it. Grin and ignore them. Defend yourself if necessary only. Don't even react by being upset. This expends mental energy that they are not worth. You should not let others control you by their words. But once again, defend yourself.

Let your friends know you need scrap metal no matter how ugly. An old rusty hunk of rebar can be heated, hammered square down to good metal and used for something. Ask them for coil springs and so forthe. Just let folks know you want metal and see what shows up. Someone will tell you that they have a yard or camp with a junk metal pile and that you can have whatever you want. Pick it over. Watch out for wasps! Watch the side of the road for whatever. Dissassmble stuff and rob parts. I had an old PC printer that had some rollers in it. They were shiny and I thought they might be stainless. Nope. BUt they were nice and clean. Tokk some effort to beat them out though. Old lawn mowers have some good roughly 1/4" bar in them as handles. Rob those at the road. Take the engine apart.

Not sure if Glenn wanted us to document here. But I put mine here to see if others might want to chime in on theirs. My projects are generally small and often only involve say 60-90 minutes at the forge start to finish. That includes clean the pot, start the fire, do some work and shut it down. I know some of you spend much more time and probably get more done. Then there are the several days between that I don't even get out to the shop....! pesky day job!

I am in the pertrochemical business and one thing we do is called PMI (positive material Indentification). This requires taking a nuclear deveice or other such device to "shoot" a given piece of pipe, tube, plate, valve or welds etc for material composition. Many materials look similar and in certain service you must not have the wrong material or very bad things can happen. Thus the need for PMI in some services. This is something we do in the field or in the warehouse to absolutely verify what we have. Fortunately where I work we have a good bit of what I'll call plain carbon steel and some 304L/316L stainless. A poor mans PMI machine is a magnet. IF magnetic (meaning it sticks to the magnet) then probably CS. If not magnetic then not CS and probably stainless. Not a very accurate PMI machine by any means. And somtimes the SS can be just a bit magnetic, especially the welds. For what most of us find laying around will probably be one of these two most of the time. Unless you have acces to people who use and throw away more exotic stuff or of course the various tool steels. Back to SS... I also was having a lot of trouble seeing the metal at higher heats. It squared up pretty easily (in that I could see or feel it easy enough..) but when I went for octagon it was very hard to see the corners. My belief is this is due to there being very little scale. But maybe it's something else. Anyone else have this trouble? I found myself really struggling to get just the right angle to see the piece while hot. As it cooled it became easier to see.

Hey dan, thanks for the even better tip... that I can use elsewhere too!

My wife brought home a 2' long by 5/8" round. It was laying out in the dirt somewhere. It cleaned up easily, spotless and was not magnetic. So I assumed stainless, 300 series. Wanted to make two hooks to hang from the chain link fence around the pool for holding pool tools. With the water and chlorine I thought ss would do well. So had to forge 5/8" round down to roughly 1/4" square then went to octagon. OMG was this a lot of work! Way WAY more than CS would have been. NOw I heard that you should not heat SS too hot. So my heats were lighter. It seemed like it cooled faster. Though with lighter heats this is expected. I'm looking for advice on working SS. Here are some observations or beliefs that perhaps people could respond to. Should you work stainless at lower heat than CS. HOw low? What color of heat? If you need a lower heat... Why? Is SS pretty darn hard to move (Move metal) or is it more a function of lighter heat required? or both? As I observed the fire it seemed like I could see some very small but possibly numerous little/tiny sparks coming up though the fire. Like when you are doing a forge weld on CS you can see the bigger sparks come up when you hit the high temp. Not sure if this was a SS thing or some sort of coal dust in the fire or just me being overly observant due to trying to forge a different metal. Does this mean anything to anyone? My hook came out grey. I guess that wil slough off but I brushed it pretty hard. Does that mean anything? I added a twist and it looked like part of that twist started to crack or tear perhaps. Is SS more prone to this? One last thing. As I hammered it seemed that I could more easily see visible heating of the metal at the hammer points. Something I don't see with CS though I know it happens. Once again maybe this is me being more observant working a different material. After some reasearch on IFI with google it looks like I need to passivate too. Not sure what this is all about?