Timothy Miller

What is the ram weight of that hammer?

I like the wire embossing Idea! I never thought of that.

I was bending 14 Ga steel so I put a crease in with the fuller. I did use as a fulcrum basically. In thinner sheet one would not put a crease in first. I did this to make the bend sharp wile still being able to use thicker sheet. The edge is quite sharp like a flat bevel cold chisel. I did blunt it just a bit so it would not cut the steel. The edge is 2 7/8" wide. It looks like a brick chisel basically.

I scored the sheet metal on the line I wanted to bend cold with a creasing fuller about 3/32" wide. I annealed the sheet so it would not crack because it was work hardened form the creasing. I then took a rubber mallet an placed the crease on the edge of the stake and hammered it over. I kept a square handy to check the angle as I worked. I have no photos of the process I am sorry to say but it is simple. Ithe end product was a 3' by 1-1/2" open top box that capped off a square fire place brush. Thanks for the complements everybody. Tim

They are silver soldered.

The only problem is I am running out of room.

All this talk about dies. this is something I made this week. This is for a sample I am working on for a high end builder. I turned the blank on my lathe out of cold rolled steel free hand. I casehardened it. I made the impression into two blocks of hot rolled steel wile they were hot and water quenched them to impart some hardness. I doubt I will ever make more than 20 pieces with this die hence the use of mild steel. The large ball is 3/4" and the small ball is 1/2" the stems are 3/8" round and are cleaned up in a swage. One end is tapered to make a flame element the other end is threaded to go into tapped hole between two scrolls. First photo: die with master form from witch impression was made Second photo: Finished piece with bronze leaves attached

Sorry about that my last upload failed.

Everyone knows the earth is 3000 years old.

What does any of this have to do with military or Vietnam. Not to diminish any of your personal accomplishments.

I would not use the title unless It were bestowed upon me by some governing body like a guild union or trade organization. like I said earlier I wish it were a title I could earn some how and that had some real meaning to it. I consider my self a human being who has some competence at forging metal and other related tasks. I do call my self a blacksmith or business owner. I hate it when people call me a welder.

To me a master blacksmith has mastered the trade. They may be a specialist such as a tool making or ornamental ironwork or artist. But that person could walk into any forge shop and get to work being productive. They have a true grasp of how hot metal moves. They could make a wrench or forge a acanthus leaf or understand how to replicate an old piece of hardware that walks in their door. It may not be the best wrench or leaf ever made but it looks good and works well. They may have never made a wrench before but they can do it. They should be able to make modify and maintain their own tools. When looking at old work they should know full well the how the original was made what kinds of materials and processes were used. This person could tell you reasonably off the top of their head how much metal and time would be needed to do the job. Their work should be well proportioned and well finished and free from defects. They should be able to make a reasonably good drawing of the work they are going to make, one that can be understood by helpers and assistants. They should know two or even three ways of doing a job. This day and age they should have a good working knowledge of electric welding ARC MIG and TIG as well as forge welding, and know what is appropriate for what kind of work they are working on. They should be able to direct other workers in a complex task to finish understanding the ability's and limits of each worker. They should be able to any job of a worker under them perhaps not as well but do a respectable job.

Just a thought I had last night about this thread. What if you made blocks of wood or even Plexiglas in the shape of the dies and ran clay threw them? Well you'd have to polish the plexyglas it to actually see. Its probably too much work but a cool idea nonetheless. You might gain some valuable insight as to how the metal is actually moved. Every die I have ever made has been sort of a black box kind of thing. Not really understanding exactly how the metal was flowing inside of the die. Even though I understand die work on a basic level.

I don't think he ever really took the time to expand his skills outside of fishtail scrolls and dressing jackhammer bits. but during his hay day he was the only gig in town. He is more into playing with machine tools and coffee and cake these days. I should shut up because I love the man god forbid he saw this.

Those are usually some sort of spring steel very tough stuff. Pry bar, wood chisels, knives, cold chisels, punches for hot or cold work all sorts of stuff. I usually harden in oil. Good for springs too. Be aware of stress cracks there is a reason it was in his scrap.

beware of anvils with painted faces they may be hiding something. That being said it actually looks like a good anvil. Fischer anvils are not known for cracking across the face. That chip is probably an isolated problem and it is not near the part of the edge that is normally used. I would ask the guy if he could strip the paint off the face and take another photo.

Couple of probably impracticable ideas. How about forge welding on the handles I know I got flamed for that idea before. Getting a roll forging machine to roll out the handles. Perhaps upsetting the end of a bar in a press to make the mass for jaws.

I would love it if there were a masters test. I would practice and learn all of the skills and keep doing it until I passed. I would love to have that title but I would never call my self that. I do have a friend who is 82 and calls him self a master blacksmith. To be frank I am a better smith than him. But that's what he calls himself. I would never question him because he is like family to me a third grandfather perhaps. I personally think anybody can be an artist if they want to be. All you need to do is make art you don't even need to be good. Its kind of like if you are cooking your a cook. When I see some one I really admire some one who moves me I call them a "true artist" Buts that's my own personal term.

I would be lost with out my lathe. I use it to make swage blanks frequently. What is the ultimate product?

I love it when the forge work is in your face like that. When there is no other possible way to do it.

I tried something like that once It did not work well for me. I have been meaning to revisit it since i got a bigger hammer. I have seen dies like that used by the Drew company to draw out the center section of caulking irons. So i know it must work but it think it may take more power than conventional drawing. I dont think it would be too hard to forge just turn down a bum bell shaped pattern in your lathe and forge it into your die blank. Then ease the edges with a die grinder and file. Make sure you flip the die set over a few times wile you are forging it to make the impression equal depth on both sides. And also make sure both sides are equally heated as that can lead to an uneven impression. I am sure you know a lot of this already if not all.

Got to work on my reading comprehension. I keep looking at that Zappa photo and have a hard time taking you seriously. I'm more of a Captain Beef Hart fan my self.

What do you plan on doing the most in your vise? Forging, filing, bending, tweaking? I know a lot of guys who do animal heads like a lower vise. also if you are going to use a lot of forming stakes you might want a lower vise. I think about 38" is about right for me I am 5'10" as well. I do a lot of filing and bending in my vise. An inch or two below your elbow height seems to work for me. Other people will have other opinions.

Looks like you do just fine with the forging as well. that's quite the press brake how many ton?

Makes me wonder what I could get for my 8" fisher double screw chain vise.