La gib

Thank for all the great replies. I had another attempt at drawing out both ends of a bar only this time i done it slightly different. The piece I was making required a scroll at one end and the other was becoming a spike. So I made the scroll and held it with a pair of suitable tongs. I will be ordering some slotting and slitting punches next week.

The day before yesterday I had a go at the small hearts as in Brian Brazeal's post. Using a small gas forge made them a bit tricky, so I came up with the idea of drawing out both ends of the bar then forming the shape. How hard is it to hold a drawn out taper, probly not too hard if you have the right tongs, I don't. But kinda got there in the end. Anyone have any other ideas for small projects that can be made on the end of a bar, no need for unaquired tongs. Also I had a go at putting a slit into a bar. Hmmm! Can it be done with a cold chisle or am I barking up the wrong tree again. Thanks Alan

The wire wheel on the grinder makes me a nervous wreck; I’m usually waiting for something painful to happen. On one occasion a piece of work just disappeared from my hands it’s a good job it went away from me as it was so quick. I’m glad it didn’t hit me So today I will acquire a large amount of white vinegar. I have a large plastic food container with a lid that should fit most of my work as it is quite small It just happens that I have an old cement mixer from when our house extension was built. I will dig it out later and give it a try. I will use gravel as a medium in the mixer for a while to see how that works. I will get some photos of my shop later and let you all see where I work. Cheers Alan

Hi guys. How do you clean your work once you have finished forging. I use a wire wheel on a grinder but it does not get into the nooks and cranies. I don't usually use a wire brush when the work comes out of the gas forge. Should I, would that help.

Thanks guys. maybe I'll get in the habit of just laying the work down on the ground out of the way to air cool. I have just been out dressing the surface of the anvil as it was qwuite badly pittedwith rust when I got it. Got most of it out but some are quite deep. Used an angle grinder grinding disc then going through the grits on the belt sander. Will finnish with the random orbit sander and the angle grinder with the wire cupwheel. Cheers Alan

Hi Greenbeast, Thanks for the quick reply, that helps me a lot. I'll carry on practising. Cheers Alan

Hi guys I am new to all this and have recently acquired the tools needed to really have a go. I have made a few items and only last week completed some metal work to fit to a mirror that I made. My question is a beginner’s question. I have read some info regarding hardening and tempering but it goes in and out again so will have to take a bit at a time. So, when forging some mild steel I heat it to orange then shape it with a hammer on the anvil. It usually takes a few heats to get the desired finish I want, and then at that point I quench it in my water bucket. When the metal gets quenched it will not be red hot but will be hot enough to make the water bubble up, hiss and fizzle. This allows me to handle the newly forged piece and clean it on the wire wheel. So my question is What effect does quenching the, hot piece, at this temperature have on the finished item. And what would the effect be if it was quenched after being heated to orange. Cheers Alan

Hi all. I think you should repair it. If the anvil had been previously repaired it would still be an antique anvil but with a modern repair. As apposed to an antique non usable anvil with a huge crack in it. If you get my drift. Cheers Alan

Hi guys. I ordered the insulating and fire bricks today, they should be here in a couple of days. I have a temptation to build a forge with a bottom entry burner seeing as how heat rises and all that. But like most of my ideas it probably won't work. The walls and both the front and back doors will have 76mm 26GD insulating bricks coupled with 25mm fire brick to prevent damage. Insulating brick link http://kilnlinings.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_13&products_id=185 Fire brick link http://kilnlinings.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=2 With such wall thickness I am hoping for less heat loss and as a result less heat needed to bring it to temperature. But how would I introduce the heat from below. I am using a conventional blow lamp torch or weed burner as explained before as I cant afford to go down another route at the moment. I was thinking of drilling a hole through the bottom 76mm insulating brick then a series of holes in the fire brick above it to distribute the heat. Then I would attach the blowlamp nozzle to fire up from below. The products of combustion could then vent through the door openings front and back. Am I barking up the wrong tree. Would I be better just attaching the burner to the top in the tried and tested method!! Cheers Alan PS I know the burner will not be man enough for the job but will have to do for now!!

I am on the verge of ordering some fire brick. I am getting a load of soft insulating brick and some hard brick for the bottom. At the moment I use a forge made from a large thermalite block. I drilled a 4 inch hole in the middle, running from front to back, and a 2 inch hole in the top. I then attached a weed burner to blow down into the hole choosing the middle burner out of the three options. It gets up to cherry red working heat. I am going to make a new forge from the fire brick which should hold more heat due to being insulated brick. What is the best way to introduce the heat to the cavity of the forge, top side or bottom?