FredW

When I started, many years ago, at the sheet metal shop, I put on a pair of gloves and began to work. Foreman immediately gave me a lecture on how unsafe it was. Maybe a year later one of the older service men was in the shop using the drill press, with gloves on. Not long after he started the foreman was taking him to the er. He got his glove caught in in the bit and wrapped his index finger, backwards, around the bit. I have since not worn any gloves while working around machinery. I do wear them while punching drifting etc. I also don't hide it when I get burnt. Its a good time for a lesson for any watching. I had a gentleman ask me recently the same question, why I did not wear gloves. I also use a gas forge and have little hair on my left hand. Fred

You can mix the coal dust with the charcoal and make briquettes. thats what kingsford is. Well at least thats what one episode of "How its Made" says. Don't remember what they used for binder but may have been just pressure. Fred

This is all very good information. since the drout and heat of last yeare, I have seen a large increase in the number of brown recluse at my house. None in the shop so far but several in the garage and the house. My wife requested I light some candles last night, we have cats, and I happily grabbed a cinnamon scented candle, inside a jar, and lit the lighter stuck it in then a large brown recluse proceeded to run up my arm. Well i dropped the candle and ejected the critter immediatley. I tried to get pictures of it with my phone to show my wife and kids what they look like but never could get one that wasn't blurry. The thing was about and inch and a half in diameter, including legs. I hate those things. Gonna get the exterminator out here. Don't mind them in the garage but the house is off limits. That was the second one I've seen in the house this year. Had a friend put on a pair of jeans and got bit right on the right butt cheak. Left a very nice 2 inch hole that seemed to take forever to heal. So spiders got to go. I really don't mind most critters in the house as they will keep other pests in check. I will find the occasional black snake in the basement along with many different species of spiders but hate the brown recluse. The last two i've seen were out in the open so there is no telling how many are lurking in the closets and dark corners. May have to move up to Alaska just to get away from the spiders. Been a while since i was there but loved it. Of course you give up one thing then have to worry bout others. I thought well at least you can see the bear coming but then again most people that get attacked by bears was because they didn't seem them. Okay nevermind. Fred

Thanks Autine, I may have to purchase that cd.

Great video, makes me want to make an axe. Also loved the background music, who is that? Fred

Maybe this will be helpful, http://www.edexcel.com/migrationdocuments/BTEC%20Nationals/316844_BN018451_NACD_i_n_Blacksmithing_and_Metalworking_L3.pdf This is from a company in the U.K. Lot to read but may give some ideas. Fred

Southern Illinois University offers blacksmithing but only to post graduate students in art. That could also be a place to start. I found an article about a couple in Rural Missouri Magazine that a little discussion about it. http://www.ruralmissouri.org/05pages/05Marchblacksmith.html

deleted multiple post

deleted post, sorry about multiple post.

I don't think this was intended to be a debate but has become one. I like the idea of a curriculum for at least beginning blacksmithing to journeyman level. It adds validity to the craft as well as to the smith. It also gives the individual a sense of accomplishment which is huge to most people. I also think it will go a long way to bringing the craft back to the forefront, or at least out of the past and into the present. If we are concerned about the future of blacksmithing then why not, at least, try to make it comparable to other trades. If carpenters, sheet metal workers, laborers, etc., have apprenticeship programs then why not blacksmith. enough of the debate, i really don't have much to add to where to find information on curriculums for blacksmithing but would think there would be something in the European groups. What about some universities that offer blacksmithing courses? Fred

Neil, I got to try that one day. Was pretty cool watching them do it and then add the water and it instantly began to boil. Turned to a gel and said could store it that way in buckets for quite a while. Also said it has a long hardening time and will also breath. My 100 plus year home was built with lime mortar and still looks good today. There are some parts that need repointing though. Afraid to do that as i really don't know much about it and not sure any of the local brick layers do either and could be difficult matching colors etc. Needs to be done though. You can see parts where it had been patched with modern brick mortar and it looks terrible. I also thought about doing a burn but using wood instead of charcoal. I would do it on a very small scale, maybe a 5 gallon bucket at a time. Fred

Doesn't look as though it has a smoke shelf. I am not an expert on these or any other forge style but 3/16" sheet for the tunnel seems pretty heavy. However it extends quite a way through the wall and supports the flue, so would need to be strong for that. Might consider building a super sucker side draft and just use pipe to go through the wall. It would be simpler, I think. Also it explains the tunnel is pointing slightly downward so rain will run away from the wall. As far as I know, the flue has to have a 1/4" rise per foot for proper draft though it appears to be working well. That is also code around here. That downward slope may also do the same thing as a smoke shelf as well. Fred

I like the idea and looks of cordwood building. I had kinda kicked that idea around as well. Also thought i would use a lime mortar as well. If you wanted to get real primative you could actually heat the limestone yourself, with a furnace, and make your own lime mortar from scratch. I saw a show on history I think about Thomas Jefferson's home. They rebuilt it using the methods and material of the time. Was pretty cool watching them make the lime mortar. Fred

Well, don't really consider myself a blacksmith but here goes; I drive a 2005 Chevy Aveo, my wife has a Pontiac Bonneville, 99. When I need to haul some tools i have an 89 Ford F150. I do have brother in law envy, one has a 64 corvette, fully restored and the other has a 69 Road Runner with a 426 hemi, factory stock. No pics though. Fred

I use a mixture of Zipwax liquid car wash, boiled linseed oil and japan drier. It goes on cold. it will darken the metal, kinda gives it a waxed look and gives it a bit of contrast. It leaves the steel looking natural. I usually just wire brush some, leaving some carbon on and just spray it on or wipe it on. Leave it for a few minutes and wipe with a dry rag. It will dry to the touch and not be tacky like a wax or oily. I have also painted clear coat over it. It is 10 parts zipwax liquid car wash, 10 parts boiled linseed oil and 1 part Japan drier. the car wash and linseed oil i get at Lowes but order the Japan drier from Dick Blick on line. It also works great or restoring old rusted metal. I just wire brush off the old rust and rub it on. It does not color the steel. It does need to be reapplied every now and then. Fred

i would go ahead and check with the county seat. around here the railroad just filed a quit claim deed and the property reverted back the the origional owner or whoever owned the property at the time the deed was filed. not sure what the railroad has to do before they let the property go back but woul be woth checking out Fred

Most of all have fun. Try the superquench, may do the job for you. And go ahead use the cheap steel if you like. One thing you will learn from that is hammer skills, which is very important. I also used cheap steels when I first started, never sold any, but was sure fun to do. Carbon steel is not that expensive but can add up fast when learning something new. Also, if you are like me and live in a rural area, the shipping cost can be more than the steel. Fastenal here also sells some tool steels, though you are going to pay more than you would if you purchased it from a steel supplier, but there aren't any shipping cost to speek of. Once you get the hang of using the hammer and other tools then use the better steels. Just my opinion and I am in no way as experienced as these guys. I see nothing wrong with using the rebar either, no different than using the RR spikes. Now pay attention to these guys on here as they are a wealth of information and will make the learning curve much less pronounced. Fred

find a spring shop and see if you can have their drops. Sometimes they may let you have them for free, or at least at scrap price and you are sure of what you are getting. At least the ones i get i know. They tell me what it is and a lot of the drops have the labels still on them. Fred.

i am a long way from being an expert, but when i worked in sheetmetal we used to clean the welds up on stainless with, i think, phosphoric acid and a batterie charger. We needed an electrode made from the same material we welded and then it would remove the heat marks. I beleive all we were doing was putting a very thin plating on the material. You could change the electrode to copper or some other material and then treat it to get different colors. Don't know how that would work but might be interesting and fun to try. I would think, if it worked, it would be a fairly durable finish. Fred

Why not build a kiln. Use wood for fuel. If you can enclose the forge good enough to hold the heat should work. Do a search for wood fired kilns or home built kilns. May give you some ideas. There is lots of info on it out there. Also do a search for sawdust kiln. I saw one on you tube that was very simple to build. could also do pit firing which essentially a pit with a lid on it, tin or whatever that wont burn, and small openings in opposing ends to create airflow. Just put in pottery, or tiles, then surround it with wood, sticks, leaves, etc. and light one end. Fred

Here is a link to the bladeforums where the markings on spikes are explained. It also has a link to a website with more info. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/343476-Head-Markings-and-Carbon-Content-of-Railroad-Spikes According to the thread the HC does mean high carbon with tolerences of .2 to .3 percent carbon content. I used to be concerned about carbon content of the spikes but since they are not high enough to really make any kind of good knife I just treat them all like low carbon. I dont attempt to harden them anyway so I don't pay any attention to carbon content. Most who make knives etc., with them don't really pay a lot of attention to that either. They can be hardened though not enough to make a good knife that will hold an edge for any amount of time. Still fun to play with though. Fred.

Ken maybe should direct Paulky to the anvil repair page on the BAM website. I have an old anvil that has very banged up edges as well. I also just have a 185 amp stick welder. Is this big enough to repair the anvil with the stooby arc rod. Fred

Thanks for the explanation and it makes complete sense. You learn something new everyday.

This may be a silly question but here goes. Why not pre-drill with a 1" bit? Its diameter will be the same as the square then you would be drifting a lot less material. I have never done this so not at all sure. Maybe there is a reason for pre-drilling with a bit smaller than the hole will be. Of course, if you don't have a 1" bit you would have to make due. Fred

I have a shed out back that was made out of small telephone poles and rough cut 2x timbers. we used railroad spikes to attach the timbers to the poles. None of them split. They are pine timbers and i believe the poles are fur. Not sure how the poplar would handle the spikes though. After we drove the spikes in I tried to pull one out and couldn't do it. I couldn't believe how well they held. Then again they are designed for railroad ties and trains running over them. I would have him try it on a scrap piece first though. Just in case.