one_rod

Looking good Andrew. I like the blade in photo no.5, a lot. What's it made from? Also a quick tip. See the three little windows under each picture in the gallery? If you copy the content of the botom window, the one marked "Img", and then paste it into a post the photo will apppear in the post. As if by magic..... one_rod.

A book that I found very interesting is "The Artist Blacksmith" by Peter Parkinson. It's one of the few books that really goes into the asthetics and design considerations of modern artistic ironwork. Some beautiful photos too. It's a UK publication, but should be available over there, (I got my copy through Amazon). one_rod.

Thanks for the information, Bruce. Those old slate mines are amazing places aren't they? Make you realise just how hard some people have had to work to make their living. Coming to Shetland to help make an anchor is an incredably tempting idea. I have not worked with a professional smith since I did my rotation through the "Hot Shop", when I was an apprentice fitter, nearly 30 years ago. When you say "forge an anchor" how big are you talking about? Brings back all sorts of memories. Being one of four gawky teenagers standing around an anvil the size of a small car, striking in turn with 14 pound sledges. Praying the job would cool enough to need to go back in the forge and give us a few minutes break. At the time we could not wait to get out of the place and get into the welding or machine shops. Nowadays I think I would view the whole experience a little differently. Lack of funds / spare time means that easter is definately out. Do you do these things any other time? Might be seriously interested later on in the year. Any excuse to visit Shetland is a good one. one_rod.

The most polite one I have heard is; "Has deep pockets and short arms" one_rod.

I think our railway laws date back to World War II, when there was much concern about German secret agents sabotaging the tracks. Although with some trains hitting 200mph these days I don't really think I would want to walk near the tracks, even if I could. It forges like a typical medium to high(ish) carbon steel, harder to work than mild steel, but no problem, even to a smith of my limited ability. Sparks like one too, on the grinder. I believe that bolt manufacturers add all sorts of alloying elements to their steel to make sure it meets the minimum strength spec. to be classed as High Tensile. This does not seem to cause any problems, and H.T.'ing them like a standard toolsteel seems to work fine. Thanks for the positive comments, I might try a few more now. one_rod.

You guys keep on showing all these really great rail spike knives on this forum. You know what? You cannot get rail spikes in this country! Our railways have never used them, and besides it's against the law to walk on the land alongside railway tracks. But where there is a will there is a way. So I found a couple of M16 x 180 High Tensile bolts, and "did the best I could with what I'd got........" Not quite the same, but fun anyway. one_rod.

I hope it's ok to do this. I made a RR anvil a while ago and posted the details of the making up on another forum where I am a member. Don't know if any of this info may be useful to you. http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10065 one_rod.

If you know how to set up a motorcycle magneto using a cigarette paper. (In fact if a bike with a magneto on it was your daily transport, and not some antique restoration project.) one_rod.

Wadhams, Thats a really nice, practical looking knife. A real "user". I like it a lot. And, yes I know exactly what you mean about the "low" you get when a job like that is finally finished. Still, there is always the next one to look forward to......... one_rod.

A while ago I blagged the remains of a small vertical miller from the local scrapyard. I was struggling to unload the heavy base casting from the back of the van, when my wife bcame out to see what all he huffing and puffing was about. "What is it?" she asked. "A milling machine" I said. "Milling machine?.......does that mean we can make our own flour now?" Sometimes I am just not sure when she is taking the mickey. one_rod.

I dropped my best work knife the other day. Typically, it landed in a 4 metre deep tank of Chromic Acid, from where it cannot be recovered, in a couple of days it will have dissolved competely. So I needed to make a new one, in time for the start of my shift next day. I have some pretty exacting requirements for a working knife; 1, Big 2, Strong 3, Free So, a quick look in the Outdoor Material Resource Storage Facility, (ok, it's the scrap metal bin....) turned up this. Front end sawn off, a piece of a big old file welded on, and 30 minutes work with the disk grinder. Heated and left to anneal overnight, HT'd with an oxy/gas torch next morning. 5 minutes with a flap disk to get the scale off and she's ready to go. Just have to be a bit more careful where I drop this one. one_rod.

This is my 4" forging vice. I made that stand for it some time ago. It looks pretty solid but it actually flexes quite badly when bending or pulling metal in the vice. I recently got a nice 6" vice on ebay, so thought now was the ideal time to upgrade the stand as well. I have spent the day sorting through my scrap pile and think I have found everything I need to make a proper, solid stand. Welding it all together will keep me busy for an hour or two. one_rod.

I have made working knives from 52100, and as long as you get the heat treatment just right, it makes a very tough blade that holds an edge like little else will. Old roller bearing shells to are usually 52100, and can often be picked up for free in scrapyards. Split with a grinder and forged out straight, they are just the right shape for blade making. This is my favourite source of material. Here is an interesting piece about some blades made from this stuff. http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10704 one_rod.

meco3hp, I think irnsrgn is exactly right about the shaft. It's probably the damper shaft from a rolling stock buffer. The company I work for chrome plates many hundreds of these things every year for the railway industry. It will certainly be made from medium carbon alloy steel, and just as irnsrgn says, it will be induction hardened. This type of metal is great for making hammer heads and punching tools from. The odd one appears in the scrap bins at work and I always try to grab it before the bins get emptied. The thermit sprues are said (I have never tried it) to be good for making knives from. If the metal is etched with ferric chloride or a weak acid it will show a damascus-like pattern. one_rod.

Yes, good point Ed. As soon as I started to use the thing I realised I had made it too sharp. A little work with the belt grinder, and it is now a much more practical shape. I'm very much a beginner at this sort of thing so am learning as I go along. (I have quickly learned that it's a lot easier to shape a hammer head before you put the handle on than afterwards :roll: ) one_rod.

If there are any engineering companies around your way, it may be worth enquiring if they have a Planer. Some places still have one stashed away in a quiet corner somewhere. A simple flattening job like yours is easy meat for these machines and should not cost much. (Probably a lot less than the cost of buying new steel, these days). These machines are generally very accurate, and will take off all the rust, leaving a near perfect finish, ideal for your purpose. If you have never seen a planer before, and a lot of people have not, then here is a picture of quite a big one! http://www.techdirections.com/fpgplaner.html It was the only pic I could find. I have had heavy steel plate planed flat before, only to have it warp again a few months later as thermal stresses from the rolling process have relieved. This is why the really accurate marking off tables used in machine shops are normally made of cast iron. So, if you do manage to get it flat then get it bolted or welded to some strong support frame as soon as possible. one_rod.

Yes. My second favorite toy. one_rod.

Ralph, yes it is for one handed use. Really, I made it just for the one job of re-shaping some lumps of 52100. rather than for general forging. 52100 is tough stuff to work any way you do it. Lots of blows with a lighter hammer or less blows with a big brute like this, the effort seems to be about the same. I have used a couple of times now, and yes it's hard work, but once you get a rhythm going it really does move some metal. one_rod.

A while ago a friend gave me some 52100 steel. This is exellent steel for making knives out of. Trouble is, it was in the form of "short heavies" and was going to take some serious metal shifting to get it anything like knife-shaped. The size and location of my shop means that I am never going to have a power hammer in there, so getting, or making, a big hand-hammer seemed like the best option. So, what do I find by the roadside, but this 7 pound sledge head.... A little work with the gas-axe and belt grinder, and she looks like this.... Heat treated and handle fitted. Now that is a proper hammer. I can feel the shoulder ache already..... one_rod.

Get an old pan (one you never want to cook in again). Put the stones in the bottom, half fill with water and boil on the stove for a couple of hours. This shifts the soaked-in gunk from inside the stone, as well as whats on the surface. It also stinks, so I usually do it outdoors on a camping stove. one_rod.

I have never tried it myself, but the advice I was given about flint strikers was to hold them at a "good red heat" in the forge for several minutes before quenching. This is supposed to increase grain growth in high carbon steels and cause microscopic surface roughness, better at producing showers of fine sparks than trying to rough-up the surface after quenching. Maybe worth a try? one_rod.

This guy did a sort of review of his for the British Blades forum. He seems pleased with his Coote. http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9047 one_rod.

I have made a few knives from files and have never annealed before forging. However I always try to finish all forging on a blade in one session and as soon as forging is finished I normalize the whole blade and tang. This relieves any residual stresses and gets the blade ready for heat treatment. If you want to drill for handle pins etc. you will definately have to fully anneal, or you will get through an awfull lot of drillbits....... one_rod.

My grandfather, on my mothers side, was a mule-train farrier in the British Army during WW1. Seems he was trained up for the job by the army, did it for the duration of the war, then as soon as the war was over he went back to his civillian job in a wallpaper factory, and never touched a hammer again. I can remember seeing an old black and white photo of him as a young man standing by a portable forge, on a muddy battlefield somewhere. Nobody in the family seems to know where that photo is now, I really wish I could find it. one_rod.

Not everything you get from the scrappy has to have a serious purpose. I often pick stuff up just to have a little fun with....... one_rod.