Michael

Secure in the knowledge that I would not want to be at work regardless of how the election went, took the day off to get some forging done. Last time I lit the forge, the only half inch square left in the smithy was all shorts, so a trip to the scrap yard was warranted. Picked up 40 feet of half inch square, some five eighths and a three foot bar of 2 x 1.75 for some anvil tools. Not sure if I can work that last bar without help. Got a neighbor who*s offered to strike for me, since the kid steadfastly refuses!. While at the scrap yard, tripped over the largest metal shear I*ve ever seen, a Doelger & Kirsten 1 1/2. Looks like the kind of tool you can*t let an idiot near. Yard guys got a little nervous I was taking pics, but I assured them I was motivated by love of machinery and metal and they helped me carry out the 75 lbs of steel I had piled up. Got the forge lit by 10 AM and working on coffee rather than beer, spent the next 4 hours hammering away. Started as always on some nails, then reworked the nail header to get some more dome on the working end. Finished up a dragonfly without burning up any wings AND getting both wings to split, a first! Convinced that I have tools, metal and information but not so much skill, spent the rest of the day working on Brian Brazeal style leaves with a rounding hammer. The goal is a 100 leaves to decorate the security screen door on the front of the house, and hopefully by the time I get to 50 or so (at about a dozen now), I*ll have enough hammer control and skill to tackle some of the more involved projects on the list. I read an interview with a smith once, who was making dragon finals for a fence who said 'first you try and make them all the same, and by the time you can do do that, you vary the expressions and details to keep yourself from getting bored'. That*s what I*m shooting for.

I picked up this shop made block from another smith who was moving her shop. Fabricated out of a heavy section of RR rail. Some interesting shapes and very useful for punching as one side is flat and covered with different sized holes. I don't know if I'd have put the effort into making one, even if I had the equipment. a swage block is one of those time or money equations. You can spend time or you can spend money, whichever you have an excess of. but I think a real block at the premium prices they go for might serve better, especially if you're somewhat new to smithing and your craft and inclinations haven't settled down yet.

A nice upright stance when working on/with these saws is such a pleasure. Way too often saw height is right between a kneel and a crouch! Good work!

Turner's book, Beginning projects for the Blacksmith is a great one, lots of very accessible projects in there. Any YouTube Video that features Brian Brazeal, the why I use a rounding hammer is a favorite, is a good one.

A penny scroll, or half penny scroll is when you forge a round little, penny sized or ha'penny if your in the UK, knob on the end of your bar and use that as the start of the scroll. discussed here I've always liked them more than a fishtail scroll, but there's room for everything in ironwork.

Congratulations, Daughters are a gift to their dads. If you figure out how to train this one to strike for you, let us know how. Been trying to convince my 5 foot 10 inch 13 yr old girl to pick up a hammer, but no luck. Great Rules, love the incorporation of smithing specific threats of violence. We have these skills, they can surely be used to frighten boys.

Pugman that's a neat adaption of the dryer parts into a forge blower. I"m assuming that big disk with the crank handle was attached to the drum? Well Done!

Design credit to Pete Bennett, MABA member and published in the Anvil's Horn. A handout at the demo was from the magazine. I'm looking forward to playing around with the details a bit, maybe a penny or fishtail scroll and a twist in the pieces. Lovely wife collects trivets so there's a ready recipient.

3/8ths square. Shoulders on the tenons would have been better if the monkey tool was drilled deeper, have to fix that.

I started this project at the CBA Oktoberfest gathering earlier this month. Demonstrator Brett Moten did a great job showing the process. But I missed part of the demo and couldn't get the progressive tenon swage to work, so I came home with punched and scrolled legs but no tenons. Forged the tenons using the techniques I'm more familiar with, butcher, side set, then SOR on the anvil face. Everything fit in the little gas forge right up to bending. But to peen over the tenons required lighting up the coal forge and getting some room to work. I suppose I could have used the torch to heat the tenons, but lighting the big forge gave me a chance to play with some old wrought iron shipped from the Midwest, 1.5 inch bar, some work to cut stock that big. Discovered that an old heart hook project makes a fine tong ring, and that wrought needs to work hotter than I'm used to doing or it splits apart like wood.

I just saw Peter do this demo at the CBA Oktoberfest a couple of weeks ago. took a lot of notes and photos but haven't gotten around to trying out the divider project just yet. You look like you're off to a good start. Peter said he'd only done this particular joint/divider 35 or 40 times, and asked the questioner ('how many of these HAVE you made?') if he would feel better if he (Peter) had made 300 of them? Popular Woodworking's most recent issue has a spread on him and his pre industrial methods as well. Great smith to take a class from.

I'd always heard about WI sash weights, always look at the scrap yard piles for square ones. But these are the first I've seen.

Having moved those CBA forges on Sunday during the cleanup at Fritz's, I'd suggest lift out firepots, Easy trailer hitch blower attachments and sizing all the piping to standard dryer hose. (didn't have nearly enough piping to aspirate all the forges that were there) As we were working, 3 and sometimes 4 to a forge, you might suddenly find yourself on the wrong side of the forge as the guy who was turning the blower stepped away to the anvil, and several of us would have to reach around from the non-handle side of the blower to keep the air going. Cockamamie idea came to mind, how about at least one forge on some sort of durable turntable or pivot? Of course, the idea of a carousel of hot coal and iron has all sorts of safety concerns. I did say it was a cockamamie idea.

Really nice anvil! Interesting the lack of a step at the horn, or am I just forgetting the double horned anvil shape? Any guesses on the weight of that beauty?

I've broken my left, non dominant elbow three times over the years. Thankfully not my right. As far as advice goes, do what the Physical Therapist tells you, even when it feels better, even when it feels fine and you think you're fully recovered, keep up the PT.

I do recall reading somewhere about a bloomery being located in a place of naturally windy conditions, such as a valley or gulch near the edge of a topographical transition from plains to foothills. I suppose coastal could work as well. The idea being a fairly constant wind, perhaps directed by some strategic stone or earthworks, into a tall bloom furnace excavated out of the (hopefully) ore bearing earth. A combination of ore rich location, natural wind and plentiful timber for charcoal production would lend itself to a bloomery the way water falling down hills lends itself to water powered mills.

I HATE those hot little offcuts, especially as they cool down to black heat so fast. My whole smithy area is concrete and sheet metal, not so great for the ears or the feet but less likely to ignite. The few wooden structural bits are protected by cement board. Weeds and dry grass clippings that grow or get blown into the smithy (patio corner) get swept out while the fire is being lit. Anyone with a clever technique of keeping that hot little offcut contained? I had an idea about a soup can magneted to the anvil face to catch the offcut. That'll work with the cutting plate and handled hotcut, not so much with the hardy.

when I'm done and there is still some fire left, I shovel it out of the firepot and spread it around on the forge table while cleaning up and putting away tools. without the airblast keeping it burning the coal/coke will glow for a little while, but quickly goes out and is ready and coked for the next forging session. I'll usually come back to the forge table a few hours later just to make sure everything is now cold and not a fire danger.

Thank you for the expertise, my suspicions confirmed.

Nice work, forks are challenging. A section of thick walled square tubing makes a nice bridge to work each tine without having to bend the other tine out of the way.

Could I some help with an anvil ID? This came up on a local listing for $100, and a buddy and I both called the seller, who let both of us know that there was so much interest that he pulled the anvil off CL and would be selling at a later estate sale. There is supposedly a cast 100 on one of the feet. Looks nice from above, but the chunky shape and what looks like a thick, maybe cast in top plate and those shoulders on either side of the table gives me pause. I know what PW's look like, but not much else. Trying to decide if its worth the drive and scramble to try and get it. Thanks

I spray shellac a lot of work as it drops down to black heat after a wire brush. Too hot and the finish bubbles but below that the alcohol in the shellac dries out almost immediately. Not the most durable finish but it is food safe. Never did this at a demo, just in the backyard.

I've also got a Miller Thunderbolt that was a $50 Craigslist machine. Couldn't be happier with it, the wife on the other hand, isn't real fond of the stove pulled out from the wall and the cord running thru the kitchen window.

Very original idea! Is there a "wine country" in Minnesota? 'cause you could sell a LOT of these in Napa, California. Nice work.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the Hofi style chimney. http://www.iforgeiro..._+hofi +chimney which, wind or no wind, would move the smoke away from you, offset a couple of feet back thru the wall behind the forge. As soon as I can scrounge up some non galvanized ducting, I'll be replacing the 10 inch tube and "hood" over my forge.