matt87

But of course, you can buy billets of pre-made pattern-welded steel from specialist websites. It's often named Damascus steel for slightly complex reasons.

Surely punch rather than drift? Drifting would make a hole of uniform size (i.e. no taper).

M, cover it and store it outside if you need to. You seen how oil and gaseous fuels have been going up lately? A year or two's time and you'll be mighty pleased with a forge that you can run on charcoal you make from scrap timber methinks.

To be fair Cal, grinders can make a xxxx of a high-pitched racket. If your neighbour is right next door, I can sympathyse with him. The only power tools I own are a drill (not often used) and a couple electric blowers (probably to be replaced with a bellows soon).

inazuma, how about forging yonself a crane arm and keeping a pot of stew next to the forge? ;-)

Reduce blast for a minute or two, then hook it out and chuck it on the floor. It tends to pool into one lump, since it's not messed about by the blast.

Scale burns are bad, but much more easily avoided than charcoal flea burns. I remember one session using particularly bad charcoal left me with most of the backs of both hands covered in red and white welts and tiny blisters.

The quick-and-dirty: the carbon content of a piece of steel varies between 0.2% and 2.2% by weight. Above that it's cast iron, below that it's wrought/bloomery/puddled iron. Because even a small change in carbon content will drastically affect the properties of the steel, the carbon content is often expressed in points, one point being one hundredth of a percent, i.e. 1/10000. Thus a medium carbon steel might be 0.5% carbon by weight, AKA a 50-point steel.

A very noble cause sir! Were I wearing my hat, I'd doff it to you! Never been to Jamaica, but I've jest got back from Sri Lanka, where I visited a smithing guild village (more on this later!). There were two local species of wood the smiths preferred to use, but when they couldn't get it (or when the forest rangers were looking) they had to use charcoal from the coconut tree. It works, but is not preferable. I think the general criteria for suitable wood are that there is a lot of it, it's fairly seasoned, and that it has a low wet/dry weight differential. Don't forget to find out about the local scrap steel availability! Could be embarasing... ;-)

No foundry needed for blacksmithing! GOOD files are usually high carbon low alloy steel, like 1095, W1 etc. Chisels are often the same, but not always. They can be used for any purpose where you might need a hard edge on a tool, or need springy flexability. A good beginner's project is firesteels/fire strikers. You can make several from one decent sized file. Another common use is to 'let in' (weld on) a steel edge to a tool made of mild steel or wrought iron, like an axe, an adze or a shovel. This though needs a fair amount of skill.

Sure it's not Sheffield? That city was the heart of British steelmaking for 3 centuries and produced some xxxxxx good tools. Perhaps it's a case of 'This Brand, Sheffield, England'.

There are myriad welding processes, but I'm guessing you're referring to firewelding/forgewelding. Firewelding is considered to be the most arcane of the smith's techniques. There are many variables to look for. Rather than ramble on in my n00bishly ignorant way, I'll point you to a good article: BP0093 There are more around the internet. Use your favourite search engine, take a look at the resource lists provided on this forum, buy/borrow some good books.

There's nothing wrong with the condition of that anvil; give it a light wire-brushing, a little oil/WD40/wax as you like and start using it. Pounding hot steel on it will polish the face up up in no time. Many smiths actually prefer a little swayback rather than a perfectly flat face; it helps when straightening pieces. Even if it's cast iron it'll get you by until you find something more suitable.

Generally, no. It probably has a lot more sulfur, ash, and other junk you don't want. Of course, it may be anthracite ('hard') coal which may work. There are a few threads on here regarding using anthracite.

If you're a little wary at spending that amount of money, vintage progects has some reprints of projects to make bandsaws, power hacksaws etc.

Interesting solution. I wonder, if the hardy is not considered suitable, you could make one from mild steel with a laid-in steel edge. Also perhaps the chief smith could keep her own hardy cutter; if she has her own locker in there, else in her car or similar.

There is an article around here somewhere called 'hard coal' were someone (forget who) documents his use of rice-size anthracite.

Wrought or pure iron is great to forge with but because it's not made on a commercial scale any more it is quite rare and hard to come by. Mild steel is what you want; hot-rolled A36 will do just fine. Probably A36, structural steel. It's mild technically, but the specs are widened every now and then so it could have a bit of this and that in it. It's designed to be cheap and do certain jobs, and it does them just fine.

Put it somewhere fairly dry and wait til your fence gets damaged.

'Soft' coal is bituminous. That means although it is largely carbon, there is a significant amount of tar in it too; bitumen. This makes it easier to break up (than 'hard' coal), and thus soft. The tars make it somewhat easier to light than certain other fuels, e.g. commercial coke, but they can very easily cause a lot of smoke (this is why it is not really used by smiths in my country any more; strict smoke control legislation). 'Hard' coal is called anthracite too. This is something like 96% carbon and has no tar. It has been in the ground longer and typically produces no visible smoke. It does though need a constant blast of air to keep it burning, and has certain other little niggles which make it different to use than soft coal. (Much of this applies to commercial coke too.) To be ideal for smithing, soft coal must conform to certain guidelines; low clinker, low ash, high BTU, low sulphur, low phosphorus etc. There are more detailed criteria available if you search the internet for 'smithing coal'.

If your shop is a conductor, you're not. Ever seen a Faraday Cage? Tres cool.

Many people who own anvils have them as garden ornaments; quaint flowerpot stands etc.Very few 'normal' people know about scrapyards. If you're a little strapped for cash due to fuel costs etc., that nice man covered in coal dust and with burn-holes in his shirt offering a few hundred cash-in-hand for your flowerpot stand will be mighty tempting.

Cast iron huh? What tools are they?

Great score on the free steel, now learn some techniques and make your dad something! BTW, you might want to check on the law before taking that walk; in many countries it's a serious offence to do so (certianly the US and the UK it is). Shame but there we go. (I live near the tracks and know there's quite a lot of clips (good spring steel) and other bits of 'junk' very near to the road. Shame it's also near cameras and a station...

Good job easily confused; both on the rose and on finding a girl that accepts rust, dirt and coal...