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I Forge Iron

rdennett

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    Austin, TX

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  • Location
    Austin, TX
  • Biography
    Occasional amateur blacksmith
  • Interests
    blacksmithing
  • Occupation
    Computer Programmer

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  1. What (Frosty is) describing seems to be showing that inertia or mass under the hammer is more important than surface hardness, the latter of which should correlate with the anvil's rebound. I haven't tried this since I don't happen to have any ball bearings handy, but it seems to me that the bearing would bounce to the same height on the tail of the anvil as it would over the sweet spot. Is that the case? I would think a true apples-to-apples comparison would be to test a block of hardened and tempered steel against a block of mild steel with the same weight and dimensions and orientation. It's my understanding that the hardened block will score better on the ball bearing test, but is it the case that it would move metal more effectively than the mild steel one? Also, I always thought the issue with cast iron was that it was too brittle for forging and a miss could cause it to break, potentially injuring the smith.
  2. I have seen various videos from Trent Tye and others who make a rather convincing case that anvil rebound in meaningless. A hardened face will certainly last longer if you miss a lot, but i wonder if the importance placed on rebound is some lore handed down but no one knows why it's actually important. Daniel Moss's video in reaction to Mr. Tye's didn't really make a compelling case. ISTM that all things being equal, an anvil made of mild steel will work just as well as one with a hardened face. The anvil will likely deform over time, although this may take years, if not decades and there are anvils with hardened faces which are swaybacked. Am I wrong? If so, can you please explain why?
  3. With the advent of these inexpensive Mr Volcano forges ($68 at present), is it worth it to try to build one? I currently use a JABOD forge using coke for fuel. I would continue to use that, but coke is hard to come by in central Texas and is rather expensive. Coal is cheaper, but I live in the burbs and I don't want to piss off the neighbors with smoke from green coal. I can get lump charcoal for $27 for 34lbs, but I don't like it as much because of fire fleas and the fact that it doesn't go out by itself at the end of the day, waisting any unburned fuel. Propane is easy to get, practically 24 hours a day, but I have not taken the plunge since propane forges are much more expensive than a JABOD. However, I might just do that. I am only a hobbyist, so I try to keep things inexpensive, but the forge mentioned above is not much of an outlay. Could I come in cheaper by building my own? I am also curious about forced air forges. Do they have to have a ribbon burner? How much gas pressure do they need? Less than the 2PSI I understand a BBQ regulator puts out? What about the blower? Do you need one of the squirrel cage blowers I commonly see people use or could you get away with a hair dryer like my JABOD uses?
  4. It’s kind of a pride thing, but i don’t want to spend more than $70 to assuage it. A 7TPI rip saw will indeed resaw … eventually.
  5. The blade in question was specifically for resawing. It’s about 4 feet long, 3-1/2” wide and has 3 TPI.(Commercial link removed do a search for Blackburn Tools Roubo Style Frame Saw)(actually, I see it’s $70) The question remains, though. Is there anything sufficiently thin and high carbon that would likely be found in a scrapyard?
  6. Indeed, it’s the blade. I can buy one for about $80, so I will need to come in well under that to make this worth the effort. Note that I don’t want to sell them, just make one for my one use should the need arise, I.e. having to resaw some lumber.
  7. I’m just a hobbyist who lives in the suburbs. I currently have stick capability with my Everlast, and mostly make tools. I don’t have much in the way of heavy plate.
  8. Is high carbon sheet metal used to make anything common, such that it’s likely to be found in a scrap yard? I want to possibly make a frame saw and want to know what my options are. Thanks, Rob
  9. I have a Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 arc welder purchased from HD in the late '90s. A couple of years ago, I picked up an Everlast 161st, which I now use for the small amount of welding that I do. I haven't gotten around to picking of an Argon bottle for mild steel TIG welding and was thinking of selling my Lincoln to pay for it. Any special reason to keep the old Lincoln? While it's a beast and unlikely to wear out, I don't use it much, don't have a cart for it and it's basically taking up space. As mentioned, I only do a small amount of welding to make shop tools (I have yet to go through 10lbs of rod). Is there any particular capability I would miss if I got rid of it? How much should I ask for it if I did?
  10. I’m in Austin TX. I’ve called practically every place in the area. If you know of a place, I’d love to know.
  11. I use coke I my forge currently because I like solid fuel but live in the burbs and don’t want to have to explain coal fumes to the HOA. However, it’s become increasingly hard to source. I can easily get lump charcoals year round for a lower price, but unlike coke, you can’t just turn off the air blast and break apart the fire and have fuel still there when you return the next day. You get a pile of ash instead. I tried dosing the coal in the slack tub and skimming it out again, but this seems to really increase the fire fleas. Is there a better way to conserve fuel if you only forge for short durations, say no more than 2 hours?
  12. I recently forged a straight razor and while it takes the hair off my arm like nobody's business and slices cleanly through paper, it barely cuts off any whiskers, and is more likely to take of the skin. I tried for several hours to get a flat grind on the blade (I don't have power tools to do this), but my first thought is perhaps the blade is a little thick. Looking at examples on YouTube, they all appear to have very hollow grinds (mine is slightly convex near the edge). I had heard that when you sharpen them, you lay the whole blade flat on the stone. I had gotten impatient and raised it up to, say, 20 degrees (I freehanded it). Is the edge likely not acute enough? Thanks, Rob
  13. I too was turned off by the high cost of vises (personally, I blame Forged in Fire), and their extreme scarcity. I took a different approach, though, fabricating mine out of 1" rebar using a $100 HF welder. Rob
  14. I took a page from the college where I took the class I mentioned. 7018 was kept in a rod oven, but 6011 was just kept in bins. I just got some fresh 7018 today, but I will have to dress my coupons. They are pretty rusty.
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