Ric Furrer

The Halberd and Other European Polearms, 1300-1650 George Snook Museum Restoration Service, 1998 and Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 (History of Warfare 31) (History of Warfare (Brill)) by John Waldman As to hydraulic presses..youtube has many many videos of those. Here is one from me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FypNcOI96Tg it is a 45 ton moving at 0.6 inches per second. Ric

My taper is on 1.5" diameter round to 1/2" round over 2". I do this in one heat using just the swage under the press. No muss no fuss no other tooling...made maybe 1500 of them for the job over the years in the same swage. Ric

The trick is to key the stock in where the deformation locks it into the swage. I get more issues when I use forge lube oil..which I do for some swaging, but for these extreme tapers and other such swages where kick-out is an issue it is best not to use any. I use mine under the 45 ton press...kick-out is still a concern, but less so than with the hammer. Ric

the cone...rotate rotate rotate...while feeding into the swage...I use one of those on production widgets here. If you are too timid the end duckbills, but if you give 20-40% closure to the die before rotating the flashing forges back in...if the flashing is too think it folds...best to have an angle grinder ready to take it off if that is the case...hot metal goes fast with a stone wheel. Ball swage...I'd have an exit to the swage as well or it will pinch and not fill....maybe wallow out the area around the ball or it will look like Saturn. If you are doing one off balls then use round stock of the correct volume and taller so the swage upsets the material into the widest part of the swage. If it is a 2" ball and you feed in 2" stock then it is grossly overfilled. To some extent the metal flows from the widest to the top of the sphere as the swage comes together as it flows with the curve. Ric

Like this? Ric

Alan, I've come to hate those of you who can make metalwork into shapes I have not considered and do it at a level that makes me want to quit. I have a large library of metalwork here...perhaps 1200 volumes...all filled with things I would like to make. It is a trap to see other's work or an historic trend/style...you become used to some shapes and then you (well... "I") unconsciously incorporate them...its insidious. I have done play work in the shop from time to time and rather like one result or where it leads to others...only to see something similar in the library....the question becomes "Did I do that shape or did my subconscious see an opportunity and pull me that way?" I am so much the control freak that I do not even like being led by myself. Ric

Use away..it is a variant on something I recall seeing in the 1980's. Mine rests on a 1/4" pivot pin relying on gravity to hold it all in place....which means that every once and a while an energetic soul knocks the thing across the room when chiming in. I should have made an undercut and hot swelled a rivet half into the hole..still gravity dependent to spin, but it will not come apart. As to the weight of the table...1/20th of a ton actually.

Good video Alan, Good description and it may make for a widely read article in BABA with a few photos or drawings or bits of forged work to illustrate your points. I will add the below as an example of what happens when you get rid of the negative space entirely and bring a scroll into a solid...and then consume 40 foot of bar. http://www.doorcountyforgeworks.com/Furniture_and_Home_Accents.html My initial plan was to do an increase in dimension from nothing at the center to an appropriate size at the end...but I quickly realized that would have meant ending with a 12" square bar...which is a bit beyond my ambition. Ric

New preview of the program has been posted here: http://video.pbs.org/video/2265039786/ Ric

Not sure who is in the area, but by "style" do you mean technique used to make or do you mean proportion,length,thickness etc? One you get from looking at many old blades (museums and private institutions) and the other from making mistakes. Either way I would think you will have to travel to get the info you need. Here are some I saw in the British Museum...with enough warning they are very good at bringing pieces out. http://www.doorcountyforgeworks.com/Work_in_progress.html In the US I suggest museums on the East coast (the Met in NY, The Higgins in Mass.). The Oakeshott Institute in Minneapolis has one Viking sword and I think the museum there has a few. I'd see if any of the Seattle museums have any...you never know. Ric

Does that seem like a challenge to anyone else or is it just me? ...you smallest hammer being a 200 weight (well..arguably the 250 Murray vs the converted steam) sort of puts the size work you do into perspective eh? Ric

I got very tired with the issue of getting ore so I managed to obtain 20 ton or so from a mine in Minnesota. This arrived last month. it is 60% iron with the balance being silicon oxide and some trace elements. 70 pounds fills a 5 gallon pail. I will sell six ton of this, but no more at $15 per pail (pail not included). Ric

Macbruce, I used one of those for three years in Florida...good saw. A bit tricky lifting large bars up that high for slicing tough...had the roller stand kick out once and had to chase a bar to the ground. If one were to come up in the $500 range (what I paid for my used 1600 Ellis) then I would buy it as well. I was thinking a "good" saw was something like this one: http://www.sawing.com/m380.html If your job is sawing you need it to be a good one. My jobs are mostly forging so I have a 3B Nazel and 45 ton forging press (the 160 ton press is being assembled). Ric

I suggest this tool: http://www.grizzly.com/products/5-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742 $550 I used (still do) the deep throat variable speed milwaukee port-o-band saw...gone through three or four in the past few decades. It was may main saw for about ten years. The I was given a 4x6 central machinery stand alone saw and a few years later it broke (gear teeth in gear box wore down). So I bought the above mitering saw from Grizzly...coat $429 at the time. It worked well for years and then I traded it for some stuff and replaced it with a used 1600 Ellis saw. The only issue I really have with the Ellis is that the blade is twisted to increase tension and you can only cut about 9" in the vertical position. For the cuts you wish to do I suggest the grizzly saw above. It allows you to cut miters and such rather easily which mans simple work for frames. The first cut I did on mine with a new blade was through 2x4" thick bar...cut well. For fabrication you will really like a "good" saw (good of course may be a $10,000 auto feed saw for some on this list), good drill press and a good welder (TIG,MIG or STICK). I notice that unless I am doing something from a the strict traditional side of things then I end up touching one or all of these tools. Side note: I bought a used 5hp 14" abrasive saw on craigslist for $400...works well for lopping off things as well. If you do not mind the noise, sparks and dust you may look into one of those as well. I use it a lot for tool steel cuts on parts I have forged, but not done post heat treatment....such things will usually make a band saw dull in a hurry. Ric

Bank transfer is a good way to accept funds (my bank charges $15 to process). Once sent it takes a very short time to receive and there is no way for the sender to get that money back. With credit cards and paypal they can lodge a complaint and the funds can be reversed. International money orders are OK when they clear (some are fakes). Western Union is OK as well, but they take a percentage as well. In the end there is no free ride with international funds...one of you or both is paying for a service. As to shipping If it is light enough US postal priority or express is good. The express is trackable and they have to sign for the package (in theory). UPS or FedEx or DHL all may work as well, but are more costly. They are paying for the shipping so they get input as to the service used. However, have a policy that is clear about where your liability ends with shipping....if it does not arrive then will you send them another set? yes or no..they need to know the answer. Sending ANY product without some way to track is foolish....thought tracking does not always work as advertised it is far more likely it will arrive or atleast be found if misplaced. As to customs fees and such...mostly that is the responsibility of the buyer..they pay when they get the package as it is their government which is asking for the money for the sale. If is it below a certain amount it may be duty free on their side. Do not lie on customs forms..state the correct value and such and make sure it is the same value on all the forms. Be sure you are not held responsible for the legality of what they are buying...not really an issue with your mail shirts, but with blades it may be. You can take the money and send the product, but if their government says they can not receive the product...it is not really your issue. Have a policy in place for refunding the money or portion thereof if there is such an issue...your policy can be "no refunds", but the customer needs to know that upfront. I just did a sale to Moscow with a bank transfer and US postal express. No issues. Ric

Good idea John...I'm stealing that one. So what Massey do you have for sale and what are the prices? Ric

The wooden box form I made when I poured the 3B foundation lifted and popped some of the tapcons and angle iron I had holding it down...ended up placing quite a bit of ballast to keep it down.....made a stack of steel and stone some five feet high in a hurry....apparently concrete is heavy. Looks very good Michael.....in a few weeks after the cure you can fire it up. Ric

Local guy just scrapped a similar machine....no takers with six months of trying at "make offer". Ric

It is not so much locating a machine, but its foundation. The plans I have call for an eight foot deep hole a bit larger than the machine. I would like to speak with someone who has one running to see what they think. My 3B has a four foot deep concrete pad and then wood under the hammer..pictures somewhere. It seems OK, but I am not running her 24/7 though I have done some three day runs where she was full tilt for a few hours on end....rather impressive when the steel is hot and the tooling allows me to simply press the treadle and hold on for 42 blows at max. Side note: That same job took 47-50 blows when the forge was heating up and 36 blows just before lunch...so a little temp can make a large difference. If you feel ten-15 blows is not a large difference on a 3B then, well...you must work under some big tools. Danger...I need more tools like I need a larger belly, but a bit larger shop, well...THAT would be good. Ric

Under my 3B I used tar on the wood and then wrapped it 4mil plastic. I had lifting bolts in mine and placed them where they could remain. I can not think when I would ever need to pull the wood out, but it is an option I think. Anyone ever place a 6B Nazel..if so I'd like to talk to them about what is really required. Ric

PDF here for the above book: 51 meg so only for fast connections. http://ia700409.us.archive.org/17/items/machineryfoundat00crof/machineryfoundat00crof.pdf Ric

Michael...who is that young kid in the hole in your first photo? Ric

and the rebuttal Ric

I like when they hit the anvil hard then tap the work.....then the anvil hard and tap the work. As to the "Full Monty" film... Language Alert Note the stick welder...and the "her mix is off".....what more can be said? Ric

70/30 brass (CDA 260) forges on the bad side of just OK Unless it "has to be brass" I suggest the 655 silicon bronze that Atlas metals sells. It forges well and the only time I have any issue was when I was not paying attention to the heat...now I idle the gas forge with a thermocouple reading the temp and simply work...so it does not overheat. I have done tennons, knots, tight bends and long tapers with zero issues. I never had any luck with 360 brass on the hot side and save it for just machining....yes it is the lead which makes for breaking chips. Ric