Joe H

I TIG just about everything up to about 1/4". Thicker than that it gets stick welded. I've TIGged everything from 24ga SS to 3/16". There really isn't a minimum or max thickness. I've seen soda cans cut in half and welded back together.

Thanks Julian. I am nervous about the handle thing... I don't particularly like working with wood, never have. We'll see how it goes. On the heat treating and cutting thing, I can't see myself doing all that work and not trying to make a good working blade out of it. I bought the toaster oven specifically for blade tempering. It's a convection type oven with a heat range to 500f. I checked out your gallery, really nice stuff there. I hope that one day I'll be able to do work like that.

Well, I guess it's the 5th, but two never actually made it to knifehood. I made this one yesterday. It started out as an old leaf spring. I forged and finished it, quenched in ATF, and then polished the scale off. After that it went into the toaster oven for 2 hours at 400 degrees for tempering. I liked the coloration from the tempering so much that I decided not to polish it off. I'm not happy with the wrapped cord handle... It's a temporary solution until I get some nice wood for it. Razor friggin sharp too! There is a funny looking bald patch on my arm to prove it.

I'm not so sure about that... I'm pretty sure they are aluminum, or a magnesium alloy. Zinc "pot metal" wouldn't hold up to the vibrations, or even the bolts being tightened down.

NEVER try to carry/drag a baboon from it's cage to a dog box in a truck, ESPECIALLY if the owner offers you $500 for the task. ...Long, painful story

You sound like a good kid... If you stay at it enough, show your parents how truly interested in this art, I doubt they will refuse you. Make safety your number one priority. Talk to your neighbors, let them know what you'd like to do. Try to get your parents interested, reading through this site would be good for them, and you. Remind them that you could be a kid that just wants to play video games (like most), or worse... Instead you want to learn an an art. I think that is VERY admirable of anyone, especially a young man of your age. Just hang in there and be paitient. I have a feeling your parents will come around. Knowledge is your best asset, keep reading and gaining more.

@$$#% Wish I had seen that! Only 80 miles away... I would have bought that sucker.

Dropping the tank in a bucket of warm water works too. You can also wrap it in an electric blanket. With some of the larger jet engines I've built, I have to do this even in the middle of summer.

Here's a news item from a month or so back. Chicago train track sabotage suspected - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com I hope this wasn't any of you guys! I've walked the track and picked up spikes laying on the ground. There are plenty that have never been driven. I doubt any of us have anything to worry about. Just good 'ole boys picking up "trash".

Many years ago I built an AC stick welder from 4 microwave oven transformers. It worked well and I completed many projects with it. Of course, it did not take me long to move on. That little junk welder got me addicted, it wasn't long before I had spent thousands on TIG welding and plasma cutting equipment. It's ironic in a way, I built that welder to save a few dollars. LOL. Consider this your warning. :D

Thanks Finnr! My arm is pretty darn sore! I did manage to swing the hammer some today, trying out the suggestions I was given here. Whadd'ya know! Feels much better, with more control. I was trying way too hard I guess. I'm glad I mentioned the soreness, you guys picked right up on it and steered me straight, and it's much appreciated. Yep, I'm hooked for sure. I can see now that I need a coal forge, and a real anvil.

"forge thick and grind thin" I read that here, not sure who wrote it but it worked for me. I hammered it out to where it resembled the final shape, then went at grinding. I started out with my angle grinder, and a flap disk for the shaping. I'm very comfortable with an angle grinder, so that's what I picked up. I just eyeballed it straight and even and flat. I've spent a good 20+ years working with steel, so grinding is something I've become good at. Once I was happy with it I went to the belt sander for finishing. Probably not the most traditional way of doing things... Maybe once my forging skills are honed some I won't have to depend on the grinder so much. It sure was fun, can't wait to practice some more. I may do some work tomorrow, if the soreness in my forearm lightens up a bit. :p

Well, here's the first thing I've ever forged. It turned out ALOT better than I expected it to. I'm really kind of shocked. My forging skills need alot of work, but luckily the grinder has been my friend for a very long time . It still needs some polishing, but I'm really pleased with it. It's kind of strange, I fab things from steel all the time and love it, but I don't think any project I've ever done has felt this good before. I think I'm hooked. Thanks to everyone for your efforts on this forum. I've read alot here, and without it I would've been a total failure I'm sure. Another cool thing is now I "need" some more tools! I'm gonna have to build a bigger shop. WOOHOO!

Thanks for the advice guys! I do believe you are right, I'll try to loosen up a bit. I'll post some pics of my knife in a few hours.

Hey everyone. I wasn't sure where to post an introduction, I hope that here is OK. I'm Joey. I live here in NW Georgia, just a few miles from Chatanooga, Tn. I've been tinkering in metalworking most of my life. I spend alot of time under a welding hood, mostly TIG and some stick. I've also done some sandcasting, and have a foundry built from Dave Gingery's plans. I've always wanted to try some blacksmithing. I fimally got around to building a little gas forge, and making a sad little anvil from some railroad rail. I just came in from starting my first project. Like many, it's a railroad spike knife. While I have always had great respect for blacksmiths, in the past hour it has grown tremendously. I thought I was in good shape! Right now I'm trying to catch my breath, and my left forearm (I'm a lefty) is hard as a rock and feeling very sore already. I can see hammer swinging will take some conditioning. I managed to pound out the basic shape, have lots of grinding to do now. I'll post some pics when I'm done. Catch you guys later!