Truman

Though I know many very talented and experienced blacksmiths, I know of very few that call themselves a "Master Blacksmith".

What and who defines a Master Blacksmith? What's the process for attaining this title?

Or is there no such thing, in a formal sense?

Thanks,
Truman

I agree with HWooldridge. Mushrooming has been a bigger problem for me than deformed working ends.

I guess it's possible that you might make a tool that has a very thin edge that could heat up quickly.

In that case, I'd have a bucket of water handy and just submerge the entire guillotine tool. There is no reason to mess around with taking the dies out and putting them back in.

Thanks Thomas for your reply, sorry for not knowing the terminology like I said my mom is the one that does the blacksmith. I guess what we are looking for here is a how to kinda thing for getting started. See the whole deal is the surprise for our mom other wise we would just go to her.

Hi Blueprint,

From what you've written, it's difficlut to know if she is a blacksmith or not.
If your mother is melting metal and pouring it into molds, she isn't a blacksmith.

If she is heating up hot steel and striking it with a hammer in order to bend it to shape she is a blacksmith.

If she is a blacksmith (or wants to be one), she needs a forge (for making the steel hot) an anvil and a hammer. Does she have these things? If not, this is where she will need to start for building her shop -- and any one of these things will make a nice gift. You can buy these things at centaurforge.com -- or you can search local classified ads, craigslist or ebay for them.

A brief conversation with someone at centaurforge might be very good for you. They are very helpful there. Their phone number is on the website.

Tell us more about what your mother is doing in the kitchen & what she wants to do. It's hard to believe that anyone would blacksmith inside a kitchen. It's just too messy, too hot and too dangerous.

-Nat

I was think about getting a welder for christmas and wasn't sure what kind to get. I have a pric range of about 100-250 dollars. I don't have special plugs in my garrage or anything so it can need a 220 outlet. ANy suggestions would be very appreciated.

Don't get a new one. Get a used one. Check Craigslist.org every day. Check the local classifieds regularly. If you have time, go to an auction.

The old American made arc welders are indestructable. I got a old Forney welder from a guy at a yard sale for $50. It came with (almost) brand new cables which would have cost $75 or more if I'd have bought them at a store.

It looks beat up. It's older than I am. But it works like a dream.

There are TONS of used welders out there that don't cost much, but are of very high quality.

S7 shatters easily. I wouldn't dare quench it.

Work it very hot and air quench.

For local candidates, you should phone the person up (or their campaign HQ) and ask if they want their signs back and if not, if you can collect them.

Most responsible campaigns will pick their signs up after the polls close on Tuesday or the very next morning. Many candiates & parties save their signs (AND wire frames) for future elections.

However, any sign that is on public property a week after the election is abandoned property, i.e. litter.

That sounds like a really great time. I'd go except there is a hammer in at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum that day (Vergennes, Vermont). A bunch of folks will be making tongs for the new Blacksmith shop at the Museum.

Could any of you with a hood over your propane forge post a pic?

I find it very useful to be able to count to ten and would like to retain that skill, as long as possible.

-Truman

Sorry to go off topic, but Joseph, can you tell anything about that second print? Who did it? When and where?

Thanks.

I could make a set of dies for butchering or setting the shoulder, then another set for swaging the tenon down...

This is the best way to go. I made these exact dies for my guillotine tool last week. It works great.

Finish your guillotine tool first. This is a very versatile tool -- and making dies is easy.

Once this is done, you'll be able to make all different size tenons -- they will be quick and easy to make and repeat.

I'm not being glib when I say that the thing I need most for my blacksmithing operation is TIME.

I need time to be out in the shop working -- without that, I'll never develop the skills that I want.

What I've learned from other smiths is that you can do a lot with very little.

It's like Lance Armstrong said "it ain't about the bike" --

Thanks to you all for your input. I got much more response than I ever expected -- all good advice!

I have decided to get a Milwaulkee 6180-20 abrasive. There will be no issues with tool or spring steels dulling blades. The cost of the saw is a lot less and it seems like a fairly solid, well built machine.

Thanks for the advice on the Milwaukee brand. Most of my power tools are Milwaukee and that would certainly be my first choice.

The dry cut saw is much different than the saw that you describe, Chiso. Here is a link to the sort of saw I'm thinking about: Dry Cut Saw.

I'm looking at getting a new chop saw for my shop, and I'm wondering what the main differences are between a dry cut saw and an abrasive cut off wheel.

I imagine that an abrasive wheel will wear down fairly quickly and need to be changed more often. It sounds like they don't make cuts as cleanly as a dry cut saw.

But I've read a lot of user reviews of dry cut saws and it seems that many people have a hard time with the blades going dull very fast. As the blades tend to be very expensive, this is a concern for me.

I think that perhaps these people just aren't using the saw properly -- they might be trying to cut too quickly, and heating up the blade too much ??

One person suggested that a dry cut saw blade would actually benefit from a bit of lubrication to prevent it from getting too hot.

Any advice on which type of saw to get? Any specific brands & models that you recommend?

Thanks.

Make the hole bigger?

monoxide ... right. I misspoke. Thanks.

Where do you live? What do you consider cold during the winter?

Anything below 70*F is cold in Arizona (according to Rich Hale), but -10*F can be a warm spell if your in northern Canada.

Glenn, I live in northern Vermont. Thanks for asking. We can pretty much count on 2-4 weeks of temps colder than -10*F.

As for carbon dioxide ... I never really considered that my smithy was tight enough for that to be a problem. It's certainly something for me to consider.

Standing on plywood sounds like a good tip. Long underwear too -- though that's kinda a given around here.

How do you heat your smithy? Or do you at all?
I've got a fairly small (12x16) uninsulated shop with a dirt floor. I've been hoping that my NC Whisper Momma forge will be enough to keep me warm while I'm forging this winter -- and I think that as long as I'm working close to the forge, that shouldn

Hello everyone.

Can we back up a little bit? What is the reason for using a punching/drifting lubricant? Is it just to help keep the punch sharp?

I'm new to blacksmithing. I recently built a smithy in my back yard and I'm working on my own (mostly), trying to learn how to forge proficiently.

I've made a couple of punches and have punched a few of dozen holes so far. It seems to be working out okay ... but if lubricating my punches is recommended, I want to give it a try.

Thanks for your help. This forum has been a great resource for me.