MOblacksmith0530

"Is there something I should know" HEHEHEHEHEHEHE, Yup there is. There is a lot of stuff I should know too. I don't know squat and it would take me months to show you what little I do think I know. We will be happy to help just give us a little more detail on what you want to know now and someone here will be able to help more than likely.

I have both a fly press and a treadle hammer. I like both. I had the treadle hammer before the fly press and there are certainly some things that that a fly press is much better at but having both hands for the stock or one for the stock and one for the tool the treadle hammer wins. I put a tall stool in front of mine to sit back against if I am doing a lot of work on the treadle. At 500 I think it is a good deal. If you learn to use it it will be a great addition to the shop. If you don't take the time to learn to use it it will be an anchor just like the fly press would be.

I have to agree I think they are nice to look at but not hold. I am fond of a basket twist handle on pokers, it is big enough to hold comfortably, but it light and does not add a lot of weight. Having said all that the customer is right if his wallet is deep enough.

I think that machine is garbage, so you won't be embarrassed I will pay you 30 dollars for it...... Seriously that is a slick looking little press. Looks real clean and the screw looks great from the photo. I really like the square hole in the base plate, that will give you a nice way to index tools that is repeatable.

The best lube for the ways and pit-mans would be "way" oil, it is horrendously expensive so use the bar and chain oil it is similar if not as nice and clean. I use exactly what Peacock says (mostly cause I leaned it from him and Sid) and it works well. What is your clutch material? if it is wood it may have absorbed more of the grease than leather would and may need something like alcohol to clean it. Once it is cleaned you will probably have to lube it a little more often until it builds up a film. If your hammer runs on after you let off the treadle it is another sign that you are using too much grease it is keeping it engaged when it should be releasing.

Hey thanks for the info George. I never knew where it got its name.

If I were going to do it I would make a spring tool with a slightly rounded top tool for the top of the "T" and a grooved bottom tool for the leg of the "T" I woul dmake it to mount in the power hammer but it would also work mounted in the hardie on an anvil and struck with a hammer.

Be careful of the s2 it can work harden. Make sure that when you get done forging it you anneal it in wood ash or vermiculite.

A real blacksmith will make his own angles on the rounded ends with punched holes on the whole strap :D

Around here a forge like that would be lined with grey clay or bentonite mixed with sand. You might be able to find it at your local farm supply. The sell it here to plug leaks in pond banks.

Okay I hate you..... :D

A a loose fire or and oven or dome fire that is a long and windy conversation I personally like a loose fire 99.5 percent of the time I keep it broken up and mobile so I can rearrange at will for the job at hand. Others like the oven effect but they are hard to keep fed without throwing coal into the middle of the fire through the hole.

Okay like was said above the hole is too small for a hammer handle anyway. What you need is a slot not a square hole. you need to make a punch that is like a long but blunt chisel and then you can re-cut the existing hole from either side until it is centered the hole/slot should be the length you want for the finished hammer handle minus a little bit for stretch from the drift. so if your finished hammer handle is 1-1/4 bu 1/2 oval your slot should be 1-1/8 by 1/4 or something. Go to the tools section and search slitter geometry and there is a large thread there that will help you out. Good luck.

Good looking pair

Ed Harped made his reins like that I believe he had a die for his tire hammer or little giant I am not sure but all the above reasons are correct. I make tongs as needed and I buy them when I can I can usually but them cheaper than I can make them so it only makes sense. I own a bunch of Tom tongs because of proximity and some sales he ran in the past.

two bars welded parralel to each other and wide enough to put the shank in between. I use that for hammers as well.

Thomas and kyboy I agree whole heartedly I make pattern welded blades sometimes and tell the customer they were made out of steels like "X" and why "X" gives that silvery appearance etc and then explain they came from saw blades and files or whatever the base metal was. Accuracy is very important when dealing with the customer. and I would not make a tool for a customer out of mystery steel that I had not proven for the job. If I make an axe out of an old plow I make at least two from that plow and test the properties first to be sure it does as intended. Then the customer will get theirs with the understanding of what it was made of and how it was made. I have found that different plows for example have different alloys. They were the same size but one JD and one Massey for example. It was a lot of fun and a learning experience to see how they acted. If I am making a stock item it will tend to be a known steel from barstock. I think we can agree that we need to be careful when it goes out to the public and we can be more flexible when it is for our own use, since we understand the possible failures. Having said all that I think I like bashers description the best.

I haven't tried it yet but I would think you have to start at the tip of the cone and wrap to the base with the solid edge at a slight angle.

I would say reins longer than about 14 inches for mild steel would be too long. That is from the joint to the end. This is my opinion only. if what you are forging is really light and you can train yourself not to overgrip then they will work well. One time squeezing too hard and you will have to repair them. Having said that since it is mild steel most re-bending could be done cold.

Thanks Jack Evans for that info. I think i had read that somewhere before now that you mention it.

My point was that the definition of "tool steel" has changed as science and technology has advanced. If you are making tools for yourself and can stand the occasional failure you need not be as precise. I would not make a tool that I would use in front of the public to demonstrate out of anything I didn't trust. As an example I make hot punches out of sucker rod. This will be a steel somewhere in the low/medium carbon range somewhere between 25 to 45 points carbon. It will either be straight carbon on 41 or 43 series steel. I use it as forged and quench in beeswax between punching. This tool will never get very hard and therefore won't become brittle and shatter. If I make a tool for a customer I make it out of known steel and (usually straight carbon steel) and heat treat it properly. I know there are many out here that have access to proper heat treating equipment and they have a level of knowledge miles ahead of my own. But it is not practical to go to that extent for the average small shop and thus we use things for tools that is not made out of "tool" steel by the modern definition. Learn from everyone and use this knowledge to the best of your abilities and take precautions until you have verified the result yourself. I think we need to take care not to come off as snobs that might discourage people from attempting these things. Having said all of that I find straight carbon steels to be the easiest to use.

You can use 1/2 in ch square or round al long as it is small stock and the reins arent too long. I use sucker rod almost exclusively and use them as forged they make nice springy tongs. You can get sicker rod as small as 5/8 I think I know I have had some 3/4 before. Most of mine is 7/8 or larger and I draw them under the power hammer. If you are going to use mild steel then make sure you leave them dimensionally a little taller than wide in the reins and that will give you a little more strength.

I don't know if the floor would be harmed but the vibration if that piece of floor is not isolated could annoy others in the building. After about 6 years of my hammer in teh shop the corner of the pad has settled about 3/8 inch.

Sweet looking hawks

The original term "tool steel" is probably a couple of centuries old. It was either crucible steel or blister steel with enough carbon that it could be used for machine tool in cutting. Such as with a lathe or shaper that kind of thing as well as gravers for the engraving trades etc. To my mind the medioun carbor to high carbon steels as well as the alloy steels are all "tool steels" I doo not get tied up in the specific chemistry for the definition of tool steels. I do care when I am contemplating the forging and heat treatment process. And yes I have had tools fail from a poor heat treat that is the nature of the game. Sometimes I know what went wrong other times I don't. If you get too tied up in definitions I think you will be giving yourself headaches that are not necessary. Heck I have quenched s7 in water and everyone knows you can't do that. But for a very small punch it made it really hard and it did it's job admirably for the few holes it had to do then it was made into something else later. I have a astm steel guide that I refer to to try and determine what the best process will be in my limited shop and go from there even though it is not perfect and a proper heat treat facility would do a better job.I know if I am forging a lathe tool I am going to try and use a very high carbon straight carbon steel if at all possible and air hardening if I can get it. I also try to limit the time in the forge at the soaking heats since it is hard to stay at the lower end of the critical range even with the forge turned down. I can do the hardening process multiple times to convert more of the structure to convert. Just be aware of the possibility of tool failure and be careful. My .02