BlissStreet

I'm jealous as hell! I wish I could have found something that size when I was looking. Set it next to a forge, stand a hammer on it, and it will look like an anvil in no time.

Hey, not bad at all. You know the jaws are fixable, right? We're blacksmiths. Reshaping metal is what we do.

Some coal doesn't coke very well, or at all, so the problem may not be anything you're doing or failing to do. What sort of coal did you buy?

I took your advise, and yesterday went back and started working on reforming the tongs. I rounded my hammer faces the night before, and boy, did that ever help. I also did the shaping step by step rather then one side at a time, which really helped with the consistency of my forming. Hope to have pictures up later today.

As for the coal, I have no idea. It's rather inconsistent, some pieces not even burning rather just becoming white and cement like. Some pieces are veined with various colors and the texture and hardness is all over the place. I am wondering if there aren't some pieces of anthracite mixed in.

Bliss you are moving, but don't know where? If you want to legally emmigrate to the USA, as an established biz I can sponsor a foreign blacksmith. In my 17 years of biz not one American blacksmith has applied for a job.You getting out of S.A. before it goes Zimbabwe like?

I had to laugh a little. I'm an American who is here on a corporate contract (my wife's, not mine. but we haven't received our next station yet.). I do appreciate the offer though, and if we are ending up in that neck of the woods I might apply for the experience. For what it's worth, our 4 years here has been delightful and we will truly miss it when we leave.

Bliss read Alex Bealer's book "THE ART OF BLACKSMITING" Alex covers the basic building and maintaining of a coal fire, what kind of coal should burn, and what happens to coal in a forge.

Thanks, I will look into it. But ordering a book and having it shipped here when I have less then 6 weeks left doesn't make a lot of sense. I'll have to order it once I'm settled in...where ever that may be.

200 pounds of coal for a pair of tongs......never mind it sounded funnier than it looks written

Well the conversation went along these lines. "You guys sell coal? cool, how much for a bag? 100 rand ($14)? ok, I'll take 2." Turns out the bags are 50kgs each. The actual cost is 60 rand, but I'm ok paying the XXXXXXXX tax since the people I bought it from are running an abused horse rehabilitation program. They use the horses to deliver the coal around the township thereby raising awareness of animal abuse, which is rampant in South Africa. That's worth an extra $5 to me.

That makes sense. It would explain why the green coal smells bad and smokes, then suddenly gets clean burning. And why wetting it helps, increasing the time for outgassing.

I am understanding this correctly? Coke is basically coal with the volatile hydrocarbons cooked off by the fire already started? or is there something else happening?

Ok, so I picked up 200lbs of coal and fired up the forge (might have slightly over bought) . I bought a length rebar and set out to make a pair of tongs. And, lo and behold, I did.

I watched this video of Bill Epps making a pair of bolt tongs, and (clumsily) copied as best as I could. I didn't hot rivet them, because I didn't have a pair of tongs to pull the rivet out of the fire. Hence me making tongs. They look rough, and I don't think they will be my main tongs for long. But, I have to start somewhere with something, right?



I started the fire at 1:20pm and was done by 4.

My first issue is the the tongs come together at a single point rather then having 2 flats that fit together. I was too focused on the flat part where they meet, and let that detail slip. Which will be fixed on v2.0. I also, and this is important, figure out how to get coal to coke properly. I think it's time to move my copy of The Complete Modern Blacksmith out to the garage for easier reference.

I can't begin to tell you how cool it feels to make tools that will let me make more tools that will let me make knives and other....stuff. I literately made an anvil in a week, make a forge in 3 days (which I still need to tell you guys all about), and now have a pair of tongs in a few hours. Powerful stuff.

EDIT: FYI, 200 lbs of coal is a little overkill. and heavy. very heavy.

That number starting with +923 in the video title is the international exchange for Tajikistan. From my experience, everything gets done with sandals on. Ear and eye protection is something far from everyone's mind.

The idea of workplace safety is a western luxury. More gets done with out it world wide then I care to think about.

I love that he makes the connection between making a knife and how people use his knives to cook for loved ones. For me, who loves to cook for people, that is a powerful connection; one that led me to where I am today.

Color me slightly green with envy. Great job though, nicely done.

Thomas, I'm getting a lot of contacts very fast in the scrap metal industry here. Half of that is because I'm an American, and half because people think I'm crazy and take pity on me. So, I'm peeling back a layer of industry/society I haven't seen before, and I'm liking what I am seeing. Forklift tines, cables, chains are going to pop up in my meanderings; I'm sure of that. But, strangely, when I was looking for them I got nowhere. Now that I have jumped into this project, suddenly doors are popping open left and right.

I went with hard facing because it's 61 rand for 1 1/2 kilos of hard facing rod. that's like $9 for 3.5 lbs of rod. I got a quote today, and ordered the 4" x4" x8" mild plate (A36 I think), for 420 rand. That's $60. $70 is my total investment so far. The medium carbon plate for the same size was quoted near $400. I would love to one day have a properly hardened and tempered anvil of the same size. As well the ability and space to do it. But I can't argue with the $70.

I have a quick video rendering as I type, and I hope to have it up on youtube tonight. And then in the morning after some errands, get started on the stump.

So, rather then sit idle for the next unspecified time period waiting for corporate HQ to figure out when, where, and for how long our next assignment will be; I decided to try and arrange a small knife maker's anvil that will pass a shipping company's muster or can be disguised as a block of art. Something that can be used and easily transported.

My first thought was a plate 200mm x 450mm x 450mm (roughly 8" x 18" x18"). But it seems there is only medium carbon steel plate in the market @ 200mm and it's 11,380 rand for that block. That's about $1,600. Not feasible. Then I thought about the anvils used in the far east, and stump anvils. Both are small, easily moved and small. So if I got a small block (say 100mm x 100mm x 200mm or 4" x 4" x 8") and built a tough little stump to mount it on, it would be something to start on. Add in some hard facing rod and it's a project worth pursuing.

My goals here are 1. a small, portable anvil to gain experience on 2. a larger then normal stump, that can share duty with a vise for filing 3. figure out how to arc weld and 4. spend as little money as possible.

I've made some calls, and there are pictures and video on the way. I hope this works out as well as it looks in my head. Wish me luck!

or tell me I'm loosing it. Especially if I really am.

Edit: I changed the ' into ", so that I'm not talking about 4 feet, rather 4 inches.

Scratches notes on grubby paper with a blunt pencil: Keep wife happy, clean up work space.

*snip*
Do you feel satisfaction, utility and pride about your blade? I hope so.

*snip*

Now you should feel confident and ready to proceed onto more specialized materials, that you may pay real money for.

Phil

Phil, it can be difficult to express the need for basics without sounding condescending. Your post not only does this, but actually adds a tone of encouragement. Thank you, from some one starting out. You passed on some great advice that I intend to heed. It's this sort of guidance that makes me glad I joined this community.

Matthias

By the way... im also a chef/owner of a restaurant whos venturing into blacksmithing.. is that weird or what?

Not at all, I was a chef for 11 years and it was the cause of my interest in bladesmithing. I think if you spend a lot of time using knives, you begin to see how they are all not quite perfect for your hand. At least that was how it was for me.

Justin, where are you at? I'm asking because you mention you are using a wood handled knife daily in a commercial kitchen and I have yet to meet a health inspector that was happy about that. Was I unlucky to work in cities with tough codes? or have the health services come to their senses in the time I have been away?

Edit: I should add that they all look good and look like working knives. Congrats.

I like the bolster of the first, and the subtle details in the blade of the second

I'm loving the width of the blade.

I am thinking of doing A blue print on the subject and have started taking pictures of the hammers, straight-edge's and Tension gauge I have.

Please do, it would be interesting to read about.

I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

I find that living in Africa, you have this thought at least twice a day. It really serves to keep you grounded and thankful.

Beautiful.