basher

you can certainly get good results with an oxy torch watch out for overheating . I would get yourself some canola oil as this works well and is cheap . good luck

I started off with anthracite as it was easy to get. soon changed to coke though . for the forge you have I would have thought charcoal would be a good fuel , it makes good barbie after forging is finished ..... all the best owen

Over the past couple of years I have seen more and more home built power hammers that scare the pants off of me . hundred pounders held together with box section ,rsj that looks too small for the job . It seems to me that a lot of the hammers I see are sailing very close to the wind . is it just me ? Is modern box section really good enough to do the job of a cast frame weighing tonnes ? Am I too used to industrial hammers with overbuild built in ? Dont get me wrong I love seeing them , I thinkm they are very inovative and will probably have a go at making one some time soon .....but..... I cant help thinking that a lot of them could do with quite a bit of extra steel considering the job they are doing.......

Blacksmithing is a very enjoyable and interesting job. It can be hard work and you can find that the "work "side of it gets in the way of the fun side. The hard work side should be mentioned again......

the bricks are there just to add security so that you dong dig a fire that is so deep you burn your forge bottom out .I think sand would work fine on its own 90%of the time . If you are used to working on top of the fire of a bottom blast forge you may find working "in" the fire on a side blast a little oxidising . just build your coke /coal level untill you are working above the oxidising area (in front of the tue iron ,but still in the fire.

If you are talking about a side blast forge ... line the bottom with fire bricks and then sand . then fill with coke and allow dust to build up . the tue is water cooled so wont burn out.

thanks for re posting on the reasons for this thread .I must admit I had not seen it that way . I helped a friend with a sahinler with slipping belts , He did not realise the machine was doing 1/4 of the work it should and had never used another to compare it too ( I had) and it still hit stuff . . we fix it. I'll get some info on my hammers up.

the forge welding is very very fast (its only a 3 inch weld . and pure iron has a very high working range . the only problem with it is that the differing relative softness of the pure iron makes it smear over thew steel core . I flattened the blade then hot chisel the shape out and cleaned it up with hot filing . Hot filing is a great technique to re visit . not done it in years .

well I managed to put a little forge time away and I must admit I am used to power tools!!!not sure if I am happy with my 45 minutes of forging , I think I prefer my power hammers and linisher and spending the time the job needs. but so far san mai 1095 and pure iron forge welded in coke forge and forged to shape with socket handle . I could certainly ht it and sharpen it in another 20 to 30 mins or so ...but ....I am not certain I would be happy with the result as a finished product . anyhow just for the sake of having tried.....

Does anybody have any information on a brooks power hammer . it is a large deep throat type guided helve hammer . possably used for plate shaping and planishing (by the domed tooling) . I have the top half of one and tooling but no anvil..... If you have any info I would be most greatfull.

leather is 5mm... 200 thou

here are the spring guards on my herculies 150 they are sewn and bolted through the leather . the goliath has guards that were also bolted into the throwing arms .

Had a spring go on my goliath 60lb hammer today . very un traumatic .I noticed that the hammer was "slapping" a little and the dies were now touching . there was a slight change of sound . cut the leather off of one side and behold a broken spring . I have had 3 springs break on the 3 different mechanicals I have had ( two 60's and a 150lb ), they have all been origional springs (i think) . all of them were enclosed in a leather sheath to prevent the spring escaping in a case of breakage . This method works very very well I would recommend it .It may be that the LG springs are under a lot more force . Anyhow I have sent the broken spring off for re making and should have it back in a week . replacement springs are £110 a pair which in this day and age is pretty good . I am glad that you can still get custom springs in the UK.

I went strait at it after college and given the time again I would have worked for other people and seen their tricks and kit and methods......and seen their mistakes!! I recon I could have learned more in 2 or 3 years working for someone else than I did in my first 8 years . buy a power hammer early on . I waited 2 years before getting one and still have shoulder problems from over doing it (15 years later) a power hammer will be the best 2000 (or 8000) dollars you ever spend . don't be a blacksmith snob , there is good real smithing work out there but if you take the fabricating work along with the forge work you will survive much better....... its a good life , If you are a good business man you can make as much as anybody else , most of us aren't though.

if you are going to cast an anvil from a cupola using cast iron you will be making a brittle and very dangerous anvil.

I must admit I am still amazed at American prices. but if we are to look at the value of these tools then I think the value of an anvil that will give a lifetimes service should not be underestimated . one does not complain about the cost of vintage cars, the difference with anvils and other industrial age tools is that we can use them and own them and appreciate their beauty and build quality and aesthetics and heritage . and did I mention use them......a few grand for a tool you use every day your whole working life............... An anvil is still just a lump of steel and in the we are lucky that an anvil normally costs less than its value in new steel , When this changes I will still want an old anvil and would happily pay the price. the good news is that as prices rise on old tools less of them will be melted down ...................lets face it wouldn't it be great to be sitting on a gold mine of valuable tools when we retire!

I shall try and spare a hour tomorow . san mai pure iron and 1095 with a socket handle is my idea . I have timed the forge weld and it takes 3 min from first hit so .......I am assuming that using flat stock for the centre of a san mai wouild not be considered cheating ? I think pure iron will make all the forging and shaping a lot easier .

Howard taught a class at my forge in the UK last year and I would highly recommend him it will be an excellent class .

thanks Ric, I know i have used your press ......but I couldn't honestly remember any of the speeds etc I thought it was fast enough interestingly its only just faster than my big press, but lots lots quicker on the return ......... Monstermetal, thanks I am coming to similar conclusions I already have an 11 gpm two stage pump that I bought a few months ago thinking it was going to do the job . I am now thinking that this was a mistake and that a single stage might be a better idea . I have a couple of 7.5hp motors and a 20 .. 8gpm at 2500 psi calls for 13 hp so 2 x 7.5hp coupled together would be a good job. I will look into prices. FE-Wood. thanks that is a great link. All the best Owen

I can see why it would be called" pig boiling" as iron oxide and slag certainly spit and boil (in a direct reduction crucible setting any way) . I wonder what the economies of scale of this process are....... as in how small can you go and still get a result ? I have a forge in in april and think this would be a great project .... as far as available carbon is concerned......bloomeries have a large quantity of available carbon as Co and I wonder how available C in cast iron is ?

I think this is a very interesting proposition . my initial response was why take a good modern material like mild steel and turn it into crappy wrought iron ? but looking at it from the pig iron end I don't really think its all that hard an undertaking using modern gas burners . I shall have a little read through some books I have .and re post . some initial thoughts ... I wonder if smelting slag would be a good enough slag to oxidise cast iron. does the stirring process bring more molten steel into contact with oxidising air ? without it you would be looking at a slag covered cast iron mass . I seem to remember reading about granite hearths being used and these being a consumable ?(I'll check this) would adding processed ore (hematite or magnetite) to molten cast iron help with the oxidising process or does iron oxide need gaseous carbon monoxide to reduce ? (I am uncertain as to which has a greater afinity to carbon iron or iron oxide ?) my other main query about this process would be how much wrought you can remove from a puddle of cast iron before the process stops working ? I am imagining the process needs a large liquid metal content to provide an interactive surface for slag and air interaction as well as general mixing . so do you need a 100lb puddle to get 20lb wrought ? add another 20lb pull some more wrought etc . this is very interesting .

almost everybody who makes damascus will do it with the aid of a power hammer or press or rolling mill of some kind. Unless you are just making it to enjoy the work them there is no way damascus by hand can be economically viable in this day and age . The increased forces involved also make damascus making a lot more reliable when using a power hammer or press or rolling mill . All the best Owen 3 knives in a weekend is very good going . it takes me 2 to 3 days to make up a complex patternwelded sword billet and I work fast and with powerhammers.

australian heel balm works well .it is designed for cracked feet .

I have just changed from eastlake and beachel to ian wallace . my yearly has gon down from £600 to 700 down to £99............. I teach classes and was having to pay individually for them . the ian wallace scheme is for craft workers and does not cover instillation . I have not done instilation in a while. I figure if I get an instillation job . I'll just double insure with eastlake and again (which apparently is fine) beachell

I think it is a neat looking design. I particularly like the extended travel given by the spring. I have a couple of questions though .if the spring is not acting as a spring why not use something stiffer and lighter? most of the old helves use wood . surly a spring is going to slow the whole system down by adding a delayed movement each time. another thought is that if you extended the helve back a way you would have a lot less lateral movement in its ark at the expense of space. also looking at the linkage of the spring It would seem to me that having the fixed pivot on the frame would put a lot less strain on the piston. you could run the two part linkage inside the ram a bit like a piston on a crank shaft, this would bring a lot of the lateral forces within the guide as opposed to above it. some of the designs I have seen with nylon wheels running above and below the spring to allow the spring its lateral movement look good . I do wonder about there longevity though. I am watching this with interest. all the best Owen