Ridgewayforge

Thank you for these resources! I am assuming I can also polish the copper for a shine, and then clear coat it for a gold-like appearance? If I may, I'd like to pose another quick question: My plan for the forge, being away at school, is a small raised trench (some firebricks) with a fireplace bellows as a side blast Becuase that's all I had time to get before I left, I am not keen on trying to forge iron. I will be using wood. I assume this will work off of past experiences, but I thought I would double check. I figure it might be the perfect heat range. Also, what is the best copper stock to work with? Thank you, Rf

Hi IFI, I am planning on getting started learning to forge copper, and had a few questions. I understand that copper is work hardening, and that heating to dull red followed by a quench in water anneals it. Is dull read also its hot forging range? And, about cold forging? Is it still heated, or is it actually done at room temperature? How do you finish the copper work? I imagine polish with emery cloth or sandpaper. I suspect wax is not too good of an idea. What I plan to make is small decorative leaves and the like, perhaps small jewelry and the like for now. I plan to learn about repousse, and if anyone has a link to a good resource for learning this skill, would you be willing to provide it for me? Thank you all, from a newbie non-ferrous metalworker! ~Patrick Ridgeway Forge

All good practice. I would add that even though metal prices can be frustrating if you can't find scrap, use it for experiements still. I find myself wanting not to mess up becuase I paid so much, and I don't give myself time to practice or the chance to fail. So, make sure you make something to hone your skills, be it trinket or tool!

I experimented with this the other day, making a stake anvil. It is 1080-1090 steel, high carbon, so I would not use it unless you already have experience working with tool steels. At least, get some experience on smaller tool steel. Hamer control is better learned on hooks, letter openers, forks, punches, tongs and the smaller stuff.

Good enough is when I make what I set out to make. It must be beautiful for me to like it, but I don't rework pieces that I messed up on. I look at them and see what I did wrong and then I do better the next time around. Good enough is also when I look at things from a different perspective and see what others would think about it. Sometimes I set a piece aside and go back later to look at it. What in my excitement I initially liked usually has glaring flaws, that only after a few days I am able to realize. Then I try again.

While I've had very good success with both coal and charcoal, I prefer coal due to the relative ease of fire tending. Wet coal is fine. Just heap it around the outside and as it dries/cokes, push it and break it up into the center.

I was reading some old blueprints and pages late one night recently, and I thought that this would be good advice to share, as I learned it from the page on newbie tips. Make a tool everytime you start up the forge. Then, before long you'll have a great many tools! I know I have found this to be a great excercise in creativity and forging ability, as I have had to muster the motivation to begin with making a tool, then thinking about what tool to make and making it. Since starting doing this, I have made two tongs, a square punch, and a stump anvil (light duty stump anvil) So, if you're short on tools, ONE A DAY! It works, trust me. You'll be a full shop in no time this way.

Tongs. They're just too xxxxxx fun to pass up!

Check the fan housing, there might still be some mouse nest in there. Those are good blowers, no doubt. Clay it and fire it up!

A picture frame for a photo of your granddad would make a wonderful memory keepsake.

By steep ground point, you mean like a centre punch? Or would it be more like a sheet metal awl?

Frosty, I certainly do need more time forging high carbon steels! I was under the mistaken impression that this was a medium carbon steel, perhaps 1050 or 1060. After I forged it, I heated the top of the rail to a red and I did a water quench, becuase I plan to use it as a *very* small stake anvil (an experiment, really). Becuase of the way it will be used, do I need to temper the block? And, a note on the torch cuts: I didn't cut this piece up, it was a small piece I found many many years ago by the sides of the track. I was just working with what I got.

Actually, won't it lower carbon content becuase of decarburization?

Let me preface this and say that I think I know what happened. I was drawing out this railroad rail, and working between a high welding heat to a low orange. After one heat where the end was burning pretty thoroughly, (sparks spitting off it like a sparkler) I drew it out a little more and as it cooled I noticed this crack. It was really deep and eventually, as I drew it out on subsequent heats, tore off leaving a jagged edge. I think that I may have burned through the metal, but cannnot be sure. Please advise me if I have done something terribly wrong, I'd like to make a note of what I did wrong and how I can avoid it in the future. Thanks, RidgewayForge

Thank you all for your comments. I'm really happy with these tongs: they work well and look better. I will continue to make more as I progress, and hopefully will get better and better.

Well, one piece of information is that clinker is bad and needs to be removed. Fires need air, the air controls the temp, the hieght of the coal mound controls the size of the fire.

Just tell her it'll look better than all of your rusty metal stuck in the yard. Maybe give her some forged items to show her its in her best interest to let you build there. In the meantime, just save, save save! And keep slowly building up everything that you can, materials, tools etc.

Thanks all for the advice! I think I am going to make a colonial cheese cutter: the simplicity and grace of them really have me interested!

I think in the future I will use larger stock, at least 5/8". Nevertheless, I have made today a second pair, and I am much happier with these than the other tongs.

I certainly plan on giving it another go tomorrow. I have written down a few notes after scrutinizing other quality work and watching quality youtube videos. Here are my observations: The line back of the tongs, which is opposite of the inside of the boss, should be kept flat. Also, the area from the boss to the reigns must be flat, with clear steps to the bit and the reigns. These are made at coordinating 45 degree angles, which slant towards the cooresponding jaw tong. The bit and the Reins are on opposite sides of the boss. Rough forge the whole tong blank, then refine/finish. (this is from Brian Brazeal's video.) The Boss should be kept amply thich. I will admit, I finished up these tongs in a hurry, and did not set out with a clear plan. Now I have diagrams and will begin anew tomorrow! I am going to do things right this time, and rivet properly. I have another bolt which works better, it has the head already attached. We'll see how it goes! That is tomorrow's goal: Make tongs which function and look better than this pair. If I do that, it will be a success!

Sam, when you in town for? And that's quite a little ways south there! Queens, I'm actually more towards Frederick than Woodbine, although one of my friends, a smith, is in woodbine.

That looks pretty good! Depending on how high that lip is around the edge, you may want to cut a small trapazoidal piece out of either side to run long rods through the sweet spot of the fire. Good work! Looks to be servicable and quite excellent!

These look horrid, but they work. And, they're my first tongs. 1/2" Round as starting material, a little light, but the tongs are for 3/16" and under. I open it up for the cannon fodder, please, tear it to shreds if you want, offer suggestions. I want to improve, and I know they are wretched. I had to start somewhere, so why not at horrible and work my way up to great or masterful. These tongs represent a leap of faith for me. Before these I had always been afraid of failure and wanted to make my work masterfully done and beautiful. I did not give myself any opportunities to fail, which made me easily frustrated. But today, I am happy with these tongs. Yes, they're ugly. Yes, I can do better. But I started. And now I can make tongs better than I did when I made these, my first pair. Without further ado, AUFB (Aesthetically ugly, functionally beautiful) pair of tongs!

Welding plate on is a good idea, as those areas would be subject to less stress than the central forging surface. I think that this is a great project, I applaud you for your gumption and I look forward to following this threat!

QueensDudley, That is a nice haul! Tell me, where was this auction they held? I've been looking for one aroud Frederick, but to no avail!