Work-In-Progress

Ok This is my progression so far on tools, forge, and teaching. Yes, I found a local blacksmith exited to teach me! This be my forge. It isn't pritty but it surely looks like it will work! Forge 1 Frontal view. Forge 2 A top view of the fire pot. Its a disk break drum. Not sure thats what its called. I got if from the dump. Forge 3 A bottom view. The Tyure is going in the large hole there. The smaller bolt holes are gonna be filled with a bolt and welded shut. Blower This is the blower im using. Its an old electrolux vacumb I found at the dump. Its way to powerful and I have to put a light dimmer switch on it so not the blow hot coals all over myself. Yeah, I'm strap for cash. The local dump is the BOMB! I use a abrasive disk on a skillsaw to cut stuff to size. METAL! This is a pile of metal from the dump. The white slabs over against the wall are old cellar storm doors I cut for the forge top. Cutting them wore my saw down to nearly nothing! I got a welder, it's small, but it's powerful! I was able to weld 3 pickaxe heads together along with some junk from the rail road across the road. It was 100 bucks at walmart, came with face shield, gloves, 200 rods, and a wire brush. My welder with the face mask and gloved at the lower right corner. My work of art I should try to sell it on ebay. Some Yahoo will by it for a few hundred bucks. Mmmm, lye! Why? I tryed to extract sodium from it. It failed like I expected. But who doesn't want a strong xxx bace LYE-ing around? (sorry for the terrible puns!) I met with a blacksmith a few weeks ago. He was all up for teaching me. I even made an S hook! I could do it hundreds of times it was so easy! This one is a bit messy, but it was my first forging. This is the S hook Pritty nice huh? I found the dealer of dealers for blacksmithing tools in Vermont! He had everything a blacksmith could ever want! I cant even explane it! I got 2 hammer, 3 tongs, a heardy hole hot cut, and an anvil! The anvil is an ASO, it was 75 bucks and perfect for me. All in all I spent only 160 dollars on my tools, a very fair and reasonable price! The dealer will even let me trade in my anvil for full price towards another anvil! Thats unherd of in any sale! It's because he is happy to see someone of my age interested in the art. The box of tools The two tanks are oxygen and MAPP gas. It's a torch kit i got for 60 bux. Its alright but not enough for what I need it for. My anvil! Its about 55 pounds of cast iron. The little one is one I got for my birth day, i'd say its about 2.5 for 3 pounds. And a RR spike. This is the chip in the side. Its big but I say it add character! This is the face. Yeah, it aint pritty. There it is! We just got a foot of snow here so progression is slowed.

Put up a wanted ad in your local news paper for an anvil. This is mine: WANTED ANVIL Young blacksmith looking for anvil in usable condition. Pay cash. Call: xxx-xxx-xxxx (I'm goning to put in my local penny saver monday. I live in NH and there is one to be laying round some where. Heck, i found out that there is on at my school!)

I am still serching for some sort of open black smith shop around new hampshire, or an event. I missed one in vermont a month ago and I'm still upset about that! I havent seen an event around here or an open shop. So it occured to me, ask the forum of blacksmiths if they know! Does anyone know of an blacksmith's event around NH? Thanks.

Heh, he got his mits on a 2 LB hunk of cornbeef yesterday, he's happy as ever! Thanks all of you.

She'll be in my wishes, same with you.

Thats what i had before, I used house brick and a bunch of dirt. It worked untill i went to clean it because of nasy tar build up and a glassy substance from the bricks (they melted a bit!!) whiched caused the whole thing to fall to a ton of broken bricks. No more bricks now. Thomas: Oh ok. I'll think of something else then. I got that welder today, it's tiny and cute! I took it to an old pick axe head and am now able to get a realtivly good bead. The rods dissapear quickly, and the pick axe head is covered in beads! looks cool, that welder is what I wanted, it will be good for the little things I want to do. It was a kit, helmet, gloves, a ton of rods, and the welder. The helmet and gloves are great, the gloves are very comefy too.

I have a 14 year old golden retreaver, he has been a part of our family for as long as I can possibly remember. Unfortunatly his age has cought up to him and he has to be put down so he doesn't suffer his old age. He was supposed to live to 10 and not past 12, making him weak and sick. Though he still acts like a puppy he sleeps like a rock as well as feel like one at times. He has always been a loyal friend and a great playmate during those boring summer days, but now his time as come, and with in the month he will be put to sleep. I pray that the last of his time will be most enjoyable and that his death will be pieceful and gentle. Thank you for reading this and wishing him a good time.

What is that enamel on those hexagonal dumbells? You know what I'm talking about? Because I had an idea, what if I got one of those, sunk it in a bucked of concreat with one of the ends up and used that as an anvil? My only worry is that the wierd enamel on it (looks metalic but rough like) is a hazard when burned or melted.

Ok, I looked at the welder, its a 70 amp stick. It looks ok, I really am only going to us it for light welding, sheet steel, tacking, nothing bigger than 1/8 inch maby 1/4 really just sheet stuff. I really want to get it because it looks like its good for what I'm likely going to be doing. Or should I really REALLY just wait, next summer I will have a job and can likely get a much better one. Nomad: Thanks for your two pennys (now I have 4 ). I too am going to lean more towards the drill and bolt method, easy to manage. I called a local scrap yard and asked about a chuck of steel and he asked about what size. I said 6"x6" inches, but I think he read me as feet. His voice was so funny in surprise! Glenn: I am going to go to a scrap yard soon, maby tomorrow but likely later. I'll look for any hunk of steel or RR rail to use as a anvil. There is a local auction that always seems to have a small anvil, so I'll be looking there often.

Glenn: I dont have a clothes dryer or a stove, no 220 outlet. One can be put in because we have a 220 breaker in the fuse box. just the matter of puting one in and getting a welder. Mills: Thanks for the adivce, Unfortunately I have a multi-track mind, It's hard to focus on one thing. I am getting better though, focusing only on the forge, but cant focus on the step by step prosses. I need a welder, no I need clay, no I need two 55 gallon drums, no I need pipe and fitting, no I need to get to the dump, how do i put on a tyuer without a welder. Thats my mind. I dont have an anvil, I'm serching for something to use as an anvil. For a forge I have a round charbroiler propane grill. It looks like it would work but I think I'm going with the 55 supercharger forge (or what it's name is), or something like that. I have an air supply, its an old Electrolux vacume, It has massive air out put so I'm going to rig it with a dimmer switch to controll it better.

I am going to get that cheap welder at walmart for US$99.98, mainly because I Have about 600 dollars at my exposle and 450 of that is going to driver's ED. I dont have any 220 outlets any were, I'd have to get one put in. It's a cheap crappy welder, but it's better than what I have now. I live in Thornton New Hampshire, and the only things I have at my disposal are things I find at he dump and what I can by at the hardware store. The way I see it, this is going to be one heck of a challenge.

I wasn't trying to be rude or attack anyone, I ment it in a playful mannor, sorry for the confusion. ________________________ Glenn: Mud dabbers are horrible things, one stung my aunt and her leg swelled and said it was a terrable pain, also one dropped my dad. Besides that fact, how would a nest make a good flux? Does it have something to do what the mud dabber did to make the nest?

O.o, well rub that in my face. DON'T LISTEN TO THE N00B! but none the less, silica sand is no special thing, you find it anywere.

Arcghie: that is a great idea, i'll have to try it. mike: as much as i would love to buy a welder I dont have the money. I only have a summer job with half a week left before school. i'll have about 600 dollars left from the job and 450 of that is going into drivers ed. (WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!) and I hope to buy a cheap anvil and whip together a cheap forge. I want to go to "local" event but I nether have the car nor easy rides to get to them. I live in the most unfortuate place, with the most unfortunate luck, and the most unfortunate anything for this, but I wont give up!

All sand is silica sand. sand is silicon dioxide, what you want to look out for is that yes, play sand is silica sand but only the light brown sand colored sand, the white type is crushed limestone. I think its limestone, but bottom line is the white stuff isn't silica sand and is worthless in a refractory.

yeah, I know about the kitty litter thing, its bentonite clay. When I was reserching foundrys many said on their forums that it wasn't really good for a furnace for melting aluminum, but fire clay was the popular clay used. However I cant get fire clay around where I live. I have looked over the blue prints, but I could have over looked something. safety is always in my mind, trust me, I dont want to end missing a hunk of flesh.

I have been haveing forge problems, mainly not having one. The last one I had was a house brick and dirt forge on the ground, and it worked great, untill it broke. Now I am trying to make one, one thats off the ground, but I have no weilder, few tools, and a dump with tons of scrap that could work if I only had a welder. I picked up a propane grill that would make a great small forge, but I have no way to make it into one. I was thinking of just cutting a hole in the bottom and bolt a tweir on it but the thing would burn itself up. Then I saw the Wheel forge 2 Blueprint and thought that would be perfect, though the river by my house is mostly rock. Now I need help, does anyone have a suggestion to a forge that could be made with my status, should I continue my serch for clay? If so, can anyone give me tips on locating some in a river? Or, should I cut my losses and go back to a brick and dirt forge, this time with fire bricks. Also, I should mention I have about no experiance in forge work, only a few books. Along with that I have no anvil, only a rail road track plate (those plates the tracks rest on and the spikes are drove through into the tie.) I only flatened a rail road spike head and a failed attempt at drawing one out to a good point. Soon I plan on getting an anvil of any sort, even if it's an ASO. Hey, its a start right?