metalmangeler

check the knife section of this website.

I need to thank you guys for the nice compliments, thanks. Sometimes I am so rude it amazes me. Sorry. Anyhow Robert it is nice to have nice tools, but the truth in blacksmithing is you just start with what you have. You can improvise a fuller with just a round rod. And the rest of this could be done with hammer control. It would take longer is all, and depending on the hammer control it could be better or worse.

I have never tried add on bolsters for that reason, and it also seems that it would be difficult to hide pins in a P.W.

Frosty I am not sure about Saturday yet. I do not have any shows scheduled, but I am pretty busy this week shoeing and I have a few orders that I need to get out so we will see. Mark

Hello Robert So I think you are asking about the knife set-up, I started with a bar about 1 1/8 X 5/8, I used a fuller to separate out the guard, and then just made a tenon for the hidden tang and in front of the guard I drew down the matterial for the blade then it was just a matter of flattening it and forging the blade. Then pushing the guard where I wanted it with a fuller. Then of course grinding, and heat treating... If you are asking about the shop set-up, my shop is more of a production forging shop for small ornamental items such as hooks, cabinet pulls and such so I have powerhammers and quite an assortment of hand tools, spring swedges ect. that simplify these steps. On the other hand my grinder is junk, as normally everything is forged to finish.

The wood is just stuff I had here for other purposes. It is walnut I have left over from a gunstock that I plan to make but haven't and an end of hickory that was from a board that I used for hammer handles that was to long. When I make less mistakes and am more consistant in my handle making and fitting I will upgrade that aspect. I have some carabou and moose antler that I will start useing soon, and some nicer wood as well.

I started making integrals this winter and have been experimenting with making them with guards. I am pretty happy with this one though it does have issues. Mark

I have just recently changed the way I am dressing the flat side of my rounding hammer, or some of them anyhow. On the flat side I have used square faces for about 20 years and I still use round faces as well, the square are better for drawing as Brian stated and the round are better for freeing punches and I like them better for vaning leaves. I am now grinding some like this, It makes a hammer definitely a right or left handed. So far I really like this but it will be years before it could ever be my most used hammer.

I would only go if the instructors were very experinced. I mean 15-20 yrs. Some schools use just graduated students as instructors. I normally expect a new farrier to not be able to see medial/lateral balance or imbalance for about 4 years I would not expect someone with less time than that to be able to teach. Although they may know how the nail will travel, and some of those types of things. You are investing both time and money in your future do it right.

Hi Brian, I'd be glad to try making one that size, I think I should be able to do it. I will look into getting the right size steel. If I send you something I could get some real feed back as you will be able to see it much better. Mark

The largest one is just over 4 1/2#. I did make my tooling. I use a power hammer most of the time and I don't have a striker, so some things needed a little modification from their tools, but not much I should have made a new punch like Brians, but I used one that I already had, but it has a flat end. I could bring some to the meeting.

Brian and Lyle were up here last summer teaching and I finely got around to making some rounding hammers. They put on a really good clinic, I highly recommend them. Mark

Looking at her tool box and the nail ends on her stand magnet I think she is likely a farrier holding the hoof with her hand as much as she does I would guess not that many years of practice.

A62rambler I am just impressed that Lyle is using such a hammer. I am confident that he is moving metal in style. He and Brian were up here last summer really a great team, I finely got around to makeing some hammers like they demonstrated I will post a picture soon, if you get a chance be sure to go to one of Brians clinics, the only thing I would recommend more would be to go to 2 of them.

Lyle it looks like you need as longer handle on that hammer to ballance it out some.

I tried a tip jar last summer at the fair for a few days, for me I think that giving up the space on the counter did not pay as well as having more product there. Maybe if one of my girls were forging it would work.

With a lot of the tooling I use I need to make a setup die that is used before the finished die which is what I think you are talking about. Often the setup die is more work than the finish die although few people would appriciate that. If you have the finish die in hand I would try it and see what you get, then I would hand forge setups to put in the finish die when you find the right setup make a die that will make that. That is backwards to how you should do it, the normal way would be to have an element you are making by say hand, then make dies that make each step you want to forge under the hammer. I think this is what Finn mentioned only it was a complex spring tool.

Ciladog thank you for your post I tried to post some pictures of more power hammer options to speed up the process, my last attemp failed so I won't bother with so much written info on this one. Hopefully the pictues if they work will be self explanitory. I use 2 hammers which helps to get more done in each heat. Wild sheep have short upright faces. I use a wedge to taper the horns as the first step. then a double swedge to start divideing the horns the example is poorly done. I bend my face without cutting or welding and try to keep the face short. and narrow nose Then I use a face swedge, this needs to be made for each size stock that will be used, it is just a well made face driven into a hot block. I texture my horns with a set chisle only I swing it as this speeds up the process, it is not as exact as what you are doing though In addition to the scrolling tongs I use some tongs that reach across the curl of the horn to help close straight sections. I do this out of the gas forge rather than with a torch.

Your shop looks great, well ventilated. We have been a little colder than you lately but my shop is not that open. It looks like you are useing a coal forge, I use gas and that heats my shop, even with ventilation. I am not sure how coal would do but if you just put canvas around the open areas above the pannels I would think that it would heat up enough to be pretty nice in there. I do use a fan to blow the air down from the cieling during the winter. I have it wired in with my lights for the winter. Then unplug it when it warms up. If you do not have lights use white canvas it lets lots of light in.

I also would look at a topic just to see what Grant had posted. I will pray for his family.

They look pretty good for a first pair to me. You will no doubt get better as you go.

Hey Dave hinges always take longer than I think that they should. It always looks so simple anyhow you want to be sure to rotate your hinges to make sure that they swing true, otherwise sometimes they can bind when mounted on a door and door frame. In my oppinion having a little slop helps as well. I normally wax mine this helps with the lubrication, but since they want them to rust you might just put some oil so they move nicely. They will move better when they mount them to a lever, I mean door. It looks like they are coming out pretty well. I hope you are getting enough for the job.

I too am sorry to hear of your loss Glenn. I will pray that the Lord will comfort and carry you. Mark