Ric Furrer

I think he has done this once or twice.

For Tatara you wish to look for the work of Mr. Akira Kihara. I would say he was my teacher, but that would presume he had taken me on as his student...which he did not.

He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota some years ago and did two weeks of smelting and the Art Prof there Wayne Potratz has done many smelts in the US and Japan.

And I am of the opinion that the proper way to cherish a tool is to use it for the task it was made for. While a lovely example it not definitely not unique. (now I will try to prevent abuse of them---new students don't get to use the "old stuff" until they have leaqrned hammer control, etc...)

I too really like the fine upstanding anvil behind and to the right of the 5 footer.

When I die I'm leaving instructions that all my tools go to people who will use them and love them as I have loved them.

One question, Two answers and I consider them both to have merit.

Thomas...why wait? I'll send you photos of the fun your tools are having at my place. Let them come for a visit.

Basher...oil her and bring here out on special occasions.

Ric

Little Dog,

There are several reasons I have not answered your questions.

One is I do not know who you are...no name. I like to know to whom I am speaking.

Many people have avatar names and there are good reasons for this, but I prefer to be me all the time.

Second...the request for info you sent to me asked for a "brain dump" on furnace design and crucibles......I am all for helping folk, but I teaching via letters is problematic and this is one of the reasons I teach classes. I am not saying to need to take a class from me or anyone else....many very good smiths are self taught.

Crucibles have been made for steel melting for many centuries and the recipes for them are posted in many books and articles related to the work in Sheffield, England and Deccan, India. It has been stated on the net that I use both clay graphite and silicon carbide....as well as ones I make myself from various clays and additives...just like past smiths.

Since I am the first ten listings on Google when you search "Ric Furrer" I find your question on how to contact me rather telling. You do not appear to be interested in doing much research on your own...this may become an issue in the future...especially when you have several pounds of 3,000F liquid steel spills or ejects from the crucible.

I do not mean to be harsh, but what you are interested in doing can go bad quickly and you may wish to start with aluminum or bronze and work up from there.

Ric

As KRS says...

vertical belt sanding...where you stand at flat platen or wheel as most in the us do the belt goes toward the ground throwing the grit and sparks down.

When you sit and have a large stone wheel that is  (as in most all traditional set-ups) the stone turns away from you. The Japanese stone grinders and those in old Sheffield, ENG worked this way.

It is said the Germans would be on their stomachs with a huge wheel turning below them...also away.

I know zero people who use a vertical standard belt sander running toward their face...always down.

Ric

Ooh this is where I get to jump in. I am an artist blacksmith for hire. This means that I work on shop-designed, nice work ........for about 6 months of every year. The remainder of the time I get to play conservator. Clare Yellin is my principal employer and has been since I began blacksmithing. I have my own shop now, but I principally do all of the metalwork that has a Yellin stamp on it, I ask you , is this dishonest? I like the paycheck. I've made repairs to close to one hundred Yellin peices, conserved far more than that, and replaced missing sections by the tens, but guess who's names stamped on it? Furthermore, do you really think samuel yellin made anything that was sold? And how much of it do you think he designed? Let's get real here. Also working for under the auspices of other conservators I've done wholesale replacement of most of the weathervane at independence hall, and the gates of chestnut park (Chris Ray), All of my repairs and reproductions were completely indistinguishable from the originals (in the case of chris ray, I hid my welds waaay better, but I was also better paid than he was) and both of those projects recieved national conservation awards, but did you see my name anywhere? nope. I was paid for a service by the owners of the metalwork that needed fixing, end of story. Are my employers dishonest?Am I? I do have some excellent waterfront property in florida for sale at prices to low to mention.............but anyway, I think I'll end this screed by quoting Mark Aspery, " the only thing traditional in blacksmithing is making money" oh and if they're dead and your bereft of ideas,and your are children crying from hunger, and you can make money on it, steal it. Just don't lie if asked directly. Take care, Matt


Hey this is embarrassing, I had totally forgot I had participated in this thread before... Sorry if a couple of my most recent comments were redundant.

Bird - I really do keep the yellin stamps next to the treadle hammer...........

Matt,

All I will add is this.

When Museums conserve work each part that is replaced is marked (no matter how small) so it can be, in the future, distinguished from the original. I have seen "chain"mail shirts with hundreds of new links made to look as the original...each with a tiny stamp denoting repair. Same with re-sewn tapestries and retouched paintings....noted on the bak of the work.

The fact that you are working under the Yellin Brand makes it a more debatable affair as to marking the repair. I suggest a date stamp next to the Yellin stamp.

Ric

Electricity...........I remember when I got the first light bulb in my first shop.

Very soon after came an electric blower on the coal forge.

Now if it does not plug in I probably do not know how to use it.

Ric

I like these style units, but the manufacturer says the slug from one plate will get pushed to the other and it has unpredictable results.

If the punch could engage the second plate before clearing the first plat it may be better...like a scissors.

Anyone have or use one of these?

Ric

Hello All,

My steel supplier has job where he has to punch several thousand holes in two pieces of plate.

He is reinforcing the edge of a large shovel tool made from 1/8" plate and is adding a 1/4" plate to the edge. The unit has to be bolted...that is the gig.

Holes are 7/8" diameter round.

Does anyone know of the tool to punch through BOTH plates if clamped in place.

My thought is a portable hole punch.....hydraulic or electro-hydraulic.

--punch the hole in the thickest plate first and use that as an alignment indicator for the second hole and punch it in place. That requires two holes at two different times which is slower than punching both at the same go.

Drilling is out...too slow.

Does anyone know of a tool that can punch through two pieces of 1/8 and 1/4 steel plate in one operation?

Ric

The body in the concrete will weaken it.

Does it crack when bent without forging?

I too think you have bad steel.

Ric

Thanks for all the advice guys! This is very helpful.

 

I was planning on casting these bolts in the concrete to begin with. Is there a reason that most of your are saying to drill holes in the concrete afterwards?

I did it that way because I wanted the bolts and holes to line up when done and wanted the four foot concrete casting to be a simple thing.

Ric

ram on 3B Nazel weighs 235 with die......I feel inadequate now.

Ric

B7 all thread just a bit smaller than the hole in the frame...or make them 1"

Set the hammer and drill the holes with the hammer in place OR place hammer on cardboard or pattern ply and mark the holes (save pattern for next move).

Drill holes in concrete when crete has set. Rule of thumb is 9x the diameter of the rod...so 1" diam would be 9" deep. Holes are 1/16-1/8 diam larger than the rod.

Blow out the hole with pressurized water from a sprayer. The epoxy will cure under water, but I vacuum out the hole anyway....epoxy will do nothing to hold the rod if the hole is dusty.

Place hammer on pad and squirt in two part epoxy..many places have it including fastenal where it comes on one tube and use a normal chalk gun.

Push in allthread. Let cure. overfill the first hole and the next one will be perfect as you know how much not to add.

Nut up the system and go to work.

I like to bugger up the ends of the thread to go in the holes to get more epoxy purchase as well as drill a hole and pin the nut so it will not turn out with vibration.

My 3B is placed like this on 2" of wood  for the frame and it has worked well for 9 years.

Ric

I would wager your bandsaw blades are 15N20 and not L6. There seems to be some confusion over the similarity due to the nickel levels.

Good test Geoff.

Ric

I run a sliding scale of authenticity: if a customer wants and is willing to pay I will put on medieval clothes, build a bloomery, smelt ore I have collected myself and use the Y1K forge, anvil and tools to make an item.   Few customers are that exacting!   Most just want to have medieval looking items forged by hand from modern materials, the cheapest and most efficient method.  Some I can talk into going with real wrought iron.  The Y1K generally comes out for demos when I'm trying to show what they really used and am not concerned with time/cost of the items involved.

Yep.........that has been my experience as well.

Ric

FX2 from Finkl

http://www.finkl.com/products.aspx

Ric

I'm curious as well Michael.........as I I may have a 1K hammer to set up here.

Ric

roll welded plate..........the wash zone (where the sea meets the structure) of the Japanese trans-Tokyo Bridge is titanium welded to the outside of steel.

Ammonia processing plants have zirconium welded to steel to save on costs for the interior of the pipe.

Many circuits are gold plated copper...all welded.

Explosion welded...many many products out there for that.

Also...have him look at his pocket change...all the silver colored coins are welded.

Ric

not always wire brush..though a twisted cup brush on an angle grinder does remove most of the scale faster than you can with a hand brush.

With some die work one can plan so an upsetting blow or two causes most of the scale to fall on its own. On longer pieces one can simply bend it by bouncing on the floor or in a big swing and slam on the anvil...the resulting bending will cause most of the scale of fall.

I am sure we have all seen this when twisting a bar..most all the thick scale falls off.

Scale can add to the texture of a bar, but it will not do you favors when die forming or if the work requires grinding later. On some work I have to allow for up to a light 1/8" of overage to guarantee cleanup and get below any decarb.

Thee are some good forge coatings out there that prevent scale and add lubricant to the forging. An article here shows some of the benefit:

http://www.forgemag.com/articles/print/84248-protective-coatings-increase-material-yield-and-reduce-costs

Ric

Insurance varies with the provider...some will not insure at all.

Fire code is a complicated issue as well...commercial building, anyone living there?, You could ask the inspector to do a walk through, but I have noticed that NO is the normal answer. I would see how they handle local glass blowers and then note to them that your furnace will not run 24/7.

You say the landlord is "reluctant".....sounds like a hurdle.

as to the 4" line...what pressure? at low pressures (say 3"  W.C. water column) you would need a large line to get the BTU needed. It is done of course.

You will most likely need hard pipe lines to the forge.

Think about ventilation (vent and make-up air) as well....code for that is another issue.

Ric

I hate you a bit right now.

I think I'll take the Grant Sarver approach and make one.

Owen, If you next locate a Gunmaker anvil I'll be right put out.

Ric

I have heard the tale of the runaway trailer many times.

Ric

mmmm..explosion welding........ ^_^

Are you writing a paper on the subject or trying to get your forge to the "right" temp?

If you simply wish to hit the mark and not too much lower or higher then try this:

Take two small pieces of rod long enough to hold the end while the others are in the fire.

Get them hot

Dip them in borax flux and place back into fire

Rub the ends together in the fire till you feel them get sticky

What you feel is the surfaces trying to weld and your hand pressure breaking those welds.

That is your temp

try running the forge cooler and see how cold it can go...do the same for hot.

An issue some find is that the fire running too oxygen rich and continuous scale formation is interfering with the weld.

Shade #3 welding glasses help with the light in the forge and let you look at the metal.

Ric