Ten Hammers

I keep two 10# ABC extinguishers in the shop and a small abc in the trailer. The Fire Chief and crew have been to the shop for an evening of forge demo and talk about whats what and where's where inside. We're a small community and I know most of these fellas (some since diapers). In the days I was a medic I responded to many accidents and fires with these folks. They should all know what to look for inside my shop ( Good Lord forbid) if an unplanned fire happens. I've got a firefighter on my street. The community is so accustomed to seeing forge smoke that I really hope someone notices an unplanned fire and reports it. Fire safety is of course the most important thing. Bottles are close to the door, etc and hope I've got things proper before shutdown (which I have a strict list of things to do before shutdown). Extinguisher at a demo is of course good idea. Be well folks and be safe.

clearin rocks from his south pasture (down by the mill). Fortunately, being close to the mill he got his load dumped before the axle was broke plumb through. We've got the wagon rear on blocks ( I loaned my good wagon jack to Smith's brother ). I seldom loan tools but the Smith boys are good friends and good customers. Now, if I could just find my.....

Same way I've made them in the past. The collar is 1/4 deep so 2 pieces of 1/4 welded to a piece of scrap, the distance between them about 5/8 or little more (would first wrap a piece of 1/8 around a piece of 1/2 and then weld the 2 pieces of quarter using this distance roughly). I don't have a treadle or a press so I just whack the collar when it's HOT with a piece of tooling made for this purpose and then whack the edges down somewhat afterward (but not a whole lot). I draw the collar ends somewhat to help in closing it fully. Heat the collar Hot, slip it over the place to wrap and then use tongs or channellocks to close. Worked like a charm the only time I've used them. Sorry, tard and my writing may not be the best.

I've been usin the same anvil and tooling stand for 5-6 years I guess. The tooling stand is what I call a steel stump (cast base, pipe upright and a piece of 1" plate on top to clamp tooling down on). With tooling installed, it kinda works on my arm (height). I had a brain fart and placed a piece of bridge plank on the floor (I guess it's 2" thick, couple feet long and about a foot wide). This xtra height makes a WORLD of difference. Never needed it on the anvil but guaranteed it helps on the stand. Old guys need all the help they can get.......

OK, I'm the one that lives in a cave and don't get out much.. (lmao)

Here's the deal. I spent about 10 years or so trying to develop the skills of old and feel I have somewhat of a grasp on them (no danger to anybody yet ). the joinery skills of forge welding, rivets, tenons and collars are more than useful in business. they are more expensive than electric or gas welded joints in my opinion. they are just not quite as convienient sometimes. I share the same feelings as you Strine but the Dutch/Irish in me makes for wanting to make money at the same time. I too give things away ( because I want to and no other reason ). Modern techniques are there to be used. I do repair work in my shop from time to time and production work as well. My time spent in self training on old ways has paid off well enough for me to demo without anything but forge/anvil/vise and a few pieces of tooling. I take the gas welding rig because it is period for the timeframe I demo at (one demo a year at Midwest Old theshers). Otherwise, I don't take it. If someone has a project, I ask them if it is to be finished using traditional methods (read no modern welding or plasma etc). WE agree on the setup and THEY are happy. Some folks don't care and that ain't no big deal to me. I have no particular need to exsist on old time traditional ways alone (although I will say that most people that know me will say that I try and be as traditional as I can). I can chisel out a piece from sheet that I normally use the plasma to cut and I try and stay well within the peramiters of being traditional methods. NO mis-representation of methods. People often mistake my gas welding for TIG and comment on it being not traditional. I say just how far back you wanna go ? I can do that way too. Forging skills and joinery skills should by all means be (not only ) used but practiced and though about. sometimes a quick punch/drift on a piece of bar and a rivet is the quickest way. Rivets are honest (thank you Bill Printy). There is absolutely no shame in forge brazing either. Besides, livin in a cave has benefits (not much traffic and all the coffee to yourself.). Have fun. BTW i make ALL my own parts (exception of commercial rivets sometimes).

With a smaller lock screw, it could be a windage adjustment for a gunsight. I will say it is for machining tool of some sort but not my area of knowledge.

When I demo, I try to find the period of which I am working and go to the limits of that period. the shop at Midwest Old Threshers is period 1900-1910. Electricity in the shop. I set up behind the shop in the open air. No electricity. Leg vise, forge, crank blower and a breast drill. some of the stuff has mig welding on it (vise stand). I use traditional joinery. This includes acetelyne welding if necessary. You will occasionally get the " back then " comments about acetelyne (which was discovered in 1856 or thereabouts) and was in use in industry after the turn of the century (period 1900-1910 ). Did they have a Henrob torch back then ? Nope. Did they have modern regulators back then ? Nope. Did they have modern bottles back then ? Nope. Do I care ? Nope. I'm not rude about it, just factual.

I had one (apparently possessed) horseshoe during the show that would not cooperate in becoming a rose. I gas welded the rose back to the shoe twice and eventually to a piece of 3/8 rod (which took and the rose was finished). Thank the Lord for Jens Butler. He bailed me out from a place that wasn't too pleasing to be in (call it what you will but I call it hammer block for the sake of arguement). I weld daily in the shop for production work. From time to time I may hide a mig weld but I tell the customer in advance. If the customer wants " traditional " joinery, they get it. No problem. We are putting a smithy in a museum here in town. Period 1929 and beyond. We WILL have an arc welder (probobly a modern one buried under a table) for repairs. Acetelyne too of course. Electricity, crank blower forge and hopefully a power hammer. This shop will be tuned towards the end of the buggy and the start of the cars and tractors. FUN and education is the object. Education is the key to becoming literate in the field of choice. Have fun folks.

Jens, thanks for the help and the kind words bud. I had a blast.

Ignatius, My opinion is that the first folks you got to please is your insurance company. You have an unplanned fire and who pays ? Blacksmithing is something everyone has to start at some point in their life if they wish to learn the trade (even Junior.. . Even at an established business (smithy) someone has worried about things like zoning (and hopefully fire protection). My ins company covers me for a fireplace on my house. They (agent) tell me that I'm covered for a woodstove as well (even in an outbuilding). I have not had an unplanned fire in my shop for the past 15 years of it's exsistance and for that I am extremely greatful. I take fire seriously and manage my shop accordingly. This includes the forge and all applications (torch, grinding, wiring, plasma etc ). I like happy neighbors. The place accross the street is a rental and folks have come and went over the years. The place to the south is not. These 2 places are my main concern for noise. Chopsaws, die grinders and any hammering noise may happen at all hours in my shop. I have kept a constant vigil of asking neighbors over the years about any noise problems. I have kept happy neighbors. I must admit however that my main concern is to keep the insurance folks happy by paying the premium. My stuff burns, I'm outta business till I get more stuff. Neighborhood burns due to fire on my place somebody is gonna eventually look into who and where the fire started. I have a lifetime of training in bottle safety, electricity and other things like fire management and prevention. This does not insulate me from SSGT Murphy acts of God or brain farts. I've always used coal. I live in a small town in Iowa. I'm friends with the Fire Chief. I would wade softly when I searched for laws and ordinances. There are issues. Some fire folks don't either understand or appreciate the brimstone like violence we as smiths practice. Some council members are the same. You should see first if you are covered on your home policy. Make friends with your fire boys (even if some of them are girls. ). Firefighters and medics go where the devil himself fears to tread. For the very large part they are not foolish people. Show them that you are a responsable individual. Have a portable fire extinguisher (ABC rated). You yourself should have fire prevention training and shop safety training. This all sounds like I'm a zealot but I will just say that I am a man that takes things seriously in life (just ask the wife and kids). When problems arise someone will be held accountable and that will be the person starting the chain of events into motion. HAVE FUN ! Artist Blacksmiths create many things. Urban neighborhoods are a mixture of folks. Make friends. Keep friends. Get trained. Ask all the questions you want in places like this (thank you Glenn) but CYOA because it will eventually come down to your descions made when the fat lady sings.

Demos are fun. I will be at Midwest Old threshers in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on Labor day weekend. For the new guy, Glenn has pretty well covered it. Most importantly, listen to your mentor. ask HIM what you wish and make him feel important. He is ( I assume ) providing you with equipment and consumables to learn from. Hooks are fast and if you have skills making them this might be good idea. Old horseshoes make good pot hooks for lifting stuff from open fires or steak turners. Horseshoes also make lotta other stuff (if you have some take-off's hanging around). I suspect that your mentor will have something for you to do. Celtic crosses ( pre-cut ready to forge) are pretty fast too. Have fun and be safe.

Coal is what I use. I also use a lotta acetelyne to weld with and for some finish work. I sometimes use a weed burner for finish but not too much. a Brenzomatic torch gets used sometimes to cook oil onto utensils. My shop is small but I do plan to build a gasser on wheels so I can use it half in the door. Good coal is hard to find around here. Glad I got what I got.

Archie, I built my belt grinder.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/images/Tools%20pix/Grinders/g001Belt%20Grinder2.jpg

Not that bigga deal I guess but lotta machine work to get the wheels (scrap 6061 aluminium) the way I wanted. I have not done a blueprint on this but would be happy to walk you through the process. 2 x 48 belt.

Ten

the original posting on this thread was about ringing (?) the anvil. This is a balance step for me sometimes. I just relax the arm and let the hammer go to the side to look at the forging and see how I like it. you take a look at a drywall guy and his mud tray in his right hand, taping knife in the other. Watch 2 guys at the same time. They'll be the same but different in the way they scrape their knife on the mortar tray. It's balance. Watch a mason laying brick and buttering each brick (or block). they all the same but they all different. This is some ways makes a comparison to forging steel on an anvil. you can talk till you blue in the face about it. I let the hammer arm rest a bit and relax the grip a bit and the hammer taps the anvil between forging blows sometimes. this ain't something I really practiced or prayed for. I noticed it happening in other smiths over the years. One day it just happened to me. It is an unconcious thing I think. Tapping lightly on the anvil hurts neither the anvil nor the hammer. I have virtually no experience in striker duty so no comment there. Regards

More than cool idea. What we need is to get hooked up somehow with a shipping concern and a central assembly area to put the whole thing together. Time is the deal for me and of course anyone else. Historic stuff like this should be correct. Once the size and details of the chain links are known we can proceed. Bait for the shipping concern would of course be promotion of their company with free shipping of the pieces to be assembled at an area to be decided. I can see this evolving into a project and needing a coordinator. Won't be me. I will however help in any way I can including R&D. Somebody has to decide how much chain and somebody has to have a national place to display it. Somehow I'm thinking that this has been done once or mebbe it's just caffene deficiency. I'm sure that if we look deep nuff we can find answers. We also will of course be using steel for the chain ?

OK, 'nother old guy responding (yawn). Dan, Junior (irnsrgn) is right. Saving your money is the gig. THEN you can make informed deciscions as you need things. A good sound business has money in the bank. your Mom and Dad are probobly helping you a lot now (consider that they are probobly paying utilities and your 'net connection fee and leave it at that). I am extremely glad to see that you are already tuned up to the fact that Mickey D's ain't the place to make your fortune. Hard work and persistance are tools but education is a tool as well. Hangin out here is an education. You may (if you wish) save some cash and attend some of the nationally acclaimed schools (and specific names escape me for just the moment). Rob Gunter is a sharp feller I believe. You are going to hear more on this in subsequent posts I'm sure (education). Experience is also a tool. You are gettin some and that's great. You have cars to buy and ladies to buy for in your life. New trucks today cost more than my first house. Your banker will be impressed with the fact that you can save (and earn) money (yawn). This I'm sure seems like boring stuff but it's a fact. If you wish to tread yourself, get a good toolbox to organize your hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, air tools etc). I own 2 anvils (115 lb and 150 lb Hay Buddens). Small one is in the trailer shop. The ONLY reason I would want a bigger anvil would be to draw on the horn (and you can make bottom tools for the hardie hole to fix this). I recently pointed tripod legs (at a rondy). 1/2 square stock. 3# hammer. One heat per leg. Bigger anvil would be a little nicer for lotta things. So would other tools. I pretty much budjet tools as I go. Discipline yourself to save money and think about doing that (tough to do I know). As you get older, clothes, place to stay, way to get here and there (including insurance for both) will eat your billfold. A nationally known and accredited school for smithing would be a nice trip for you and an education as well (financed with your own money). Rich is right too. Spend time in the fire because investment in steel, heat source (fill in the blank) and blisters = experience. You are welcome in my shop anytime (just holler b4hand). Most folks here would welcome you. It seems that Francis owning a smaller anvil to me is rock and steel in the cement that binds us. Get hammer control. Impress yourself with a new set of hex keys for your toolbox. Tirade (and lecture) over. Stop by anytime. :)

You need to stop by the shop and look my grinder over bud. 2 x 48" home built. You can acquire some machining skills building one. I grind stuff fresh from the forge (ladle etc) and have gotten 8-9 years service from it. HWoldridge built one too. Time being money, you may be better off just buying a new one (or asking for one as a gift works too !). Give a holler and we'll see about hookin up sometime.

Regards,

Ten

Ok, here goes. I'll borrow one from Roy D Mercer. " How bigga boy are ya ? " Reason I ask this is simple. Hammer size can or cannot reflect the users physical size. I know virtually nothing of you or your needs, wants desires or education insofar as smithing goes. If you are gonna go the local route, I'd suggest visiting an Ace or True Value (or Menards or whatever) and look their hammers over. Find a cross pien that is about 1000 grams and another that's 1500 grams. This is a place to start. Are you hooked up with any smiths or smithing organizations ? Tongs will be a reflection of what you wish to do (hold). Bar, rod, plate all need different tongs to hold them. A pair of channellocks will get you started. Actually I use a common pair of pliers a lot (just for handling outside the fire). My opinion would be to pick a project to forge and tool up for that (in tongs and hammers). Hot cuts, chisels etc will come as you need them. I would suggest buying a good hacksaw (read Nicholson or Stanley) for cutting for now. Let us know what and where your mind is going and we'll see what you need.

I was at a rondy the past weekend in Bentensport, Iowa. Nice and warm and sleepin in a tent down by the Des Moines River. Lotta friends there. Made a new acquaintence. Oakwood Forge from Fairfield, Iowa (posts here) and his wife stopped by and we actually stumbled into meeting each other (he saw my touchmark and referenced it from pics on this site). Small world. ZW ( whom I met years ago on the Pub) was on the way through and he was also set up at the rondy. ZW is from New Mexico. These 2 men are smiths that I would have never met without the net (Anvilfire and Iforgeiron). Good time was had. I would love to make it to Joe Rolfles hammer in and Possum's as well. Meeting here on the net is good to exchange ideas but then also meeting in person really makes for good time. I have journeyed to meet Junior Strasil (Irnsrgn) at his shop. Smaller world than you think folks.

As a post script to the ramblings above, a Miller 210 MIG is a good bargain and here we can open the gates for opinion and conjecture. The Miller 250 is an excellent welder. Pipeline and production welders use wire feeders on power sources that can also stick and TIG. A small 110vac welder (with cored wire) does OK for light work. I have built stuff with a Lincoln weld-pac 100. I would seldom recommend the purchase of this unit (or Hobarts/Millers equivilant) unless you into body and fender and then you will need the shielding gas and solid wire). Anything can be done with anything with the right determined operator. you will gain experience from many things. Purchase a good name brand welding unit from a good reputable local supplier. They have experience and parts. Sometimes there is a choice of suppliers. Feel them out by just shopping. Talk to local welders and tradesmen. get a good feel for what is available. Your money invested in a semester of training at a trade school or College will give you good returns on your time and money invested.

OK, my nickels worth. First and foremost, if you have no training on bottles, regulators and the associated gasses that are stored and pass through, get some training. The old guy at the jobsite that does the cutting and welding may just be an excellent source. However, I will recommend the local trade school or community college. You may go to church with the instructor. The point is, get training. Reliable training. Read technical publications. Become educated. The new torch set in my shop is a Smith. $165.- if I recall. One welding tip (or mebbe two, can't recall). Torch body and cutting head. I weld with a Henrob torch pretty much daily due to the nature of my business. I have a Miller Thunderbolt (that belongs to an old friend that no longer uses it but won't sell it. It's mine for life but he won't sell it. ) This welder is seldom used. My other welder is a Miller 172 MIG. This unit gets used daily as well. I build tooling and do production welds with it. .023 wire (solid, 75/25 gas) The stuff I do is mostly small. I have built 2 arches with this welder (light guage tubing). It meets my needs and was cheaper (remember this word) for the initial investment. I also have a Hypertherm 350 plasma torch. With this ensemble I get by pretty well. I have run a scratch start TIG on the Thunderbolt with pretty good success (stainless project). The posts above have really done a good job of explaining the basics (and Glenns posts of rod info are very good information. I often hide a mig weld in production. Some production has migs out in plain view. This is work for a company that has an established business and customer base. They have a line of products. I produce them (and it is an extensive line). I don't discuss this stuff much. Nobody sees it unless they come to my shop. It is piecework and pays fair. People sometimes come to the shop and ask just what a particular item (production work) is used or sold for. Sometimes I know, sometimes I don't. I don't really care on the stuff I don't. Just give me the check and order some more. I forge a lot of 14 and 16 guage sheet and we'll leave it at that. Acetelyne works excellent for this work. Acetelyne also works excellent for attaching a handle to a ladle in quick fashion. TIG is the future for me. It is spendy process. My Henrob does everything I want for now. The more tools I have, the more processes I can achieve. I ain't the brightest bulb in the box but I do have current running through me. Traditional smithing is really the key to learn just like traditional fusion welding (acetelyne in my opinion). Tenons, forge welds, rivets collars are all excellent methods to join with. Some I'm better at than others. Bolts are honest too. Threads and twist drills go way back. Don't let some idiot at a demo try to tell you that they didn't have these " back then". Acetelyne was discovered around 1856. It (as a gas) was used in marine environments and also shorebased for lighting. It was used to cut steel with. These uses were the gas only burning with atmospheric oxygen. Tanks and other issues were developed (including regulation and filler material for the acetelyne cylinders). I'll leave the technical stuff to Junior and the other smart (and experienced) guys. Suffice to say that acetelyne was being used as a primary welding medium by around 1910 in many areas. This kills using acetelyne at a pre 1840's Rondy but makes it an excellent tool for the trailer at an early 1900's demo or fair. Also an excellent tool to have in a museum shop that is dated around late 1920's or early 1930's. Rambling and using up lotta bandwidth. Be well folks. Flux cored wire gets used along with shielding gas in stainless plants to weld monster tanks. I tested art such a place recently. We'll see if they hire me.

Good info here folks, thanks. I learned at a young age the meaning of hydration. Just waddn't spelled that way or called by that name. One of the old idiots tales goes like this " The sorriest one in the bunch is the first one to the water jug. " I know myself pretty well now. As a young man I didn't. These things take time to learn. The movies will do bad things by showing proper ways of re-hydration. Most of us are close to water source. Water shouldn't be treated like it is a precious commodity and when you run out, that's it. No more. This may sound a bit resentful. My Dad never treated me in this fashion but some others did. Like you're a whiner if you want more water. The human race is a strange lot sometimes, in that some will think that their way is the only way. Does this mean that I ignore sound advice from informed people ? Of course not. Even health care professionals will ridicule you if you don't take their utmost absolute advice. Re-hydration is an extremely important thing. I personally drink a lot of coffee and keep a few things to snack on (cheese crackers and/or jerkey work well). Sports drinks were initially designed for the purpose of re-hydration. they (for the most part) make me feel bad, have a nasty taste in my mouth and sometimes sick. Tepid water to rinse my mouth is normally the thing that works for me. Salt intake (with some carbs) helps me. Cold juice (Cran raspberry/Cran grape) works well for me (in moderation). Sticking my complete arm in the slack tub will cool that extremity followed by the other arm. Cold wet rags on my neck cool me. The pump distributes the contents through the reservoir. The reservoir in turn returns contents to the pump. System temp is important and should be regulated. Your body is an incredibly well designed machine and as mentioned it will talk to you. Rich mentioned pulse rate. You should know yours on a normal startup of a day. Then you have a baseline to use. Some people can get to the point that their upper body will be hot and moist to the touch and their lower extremities are cool. I observed this in a patient on one occasion. The lady was unaware that she was really in trouble. She was however aware that she felt bad and needed attention of some kind. Your mind can and will play tricks on you when it comes to environmental things (heat/cold distress for the sake of this arguement). I am rambling somewhat. Firefighters deserve our utmost respect and thanks. As a former EMT, I have observed a fair amount of their professions needs and requirements.

I grew up on a farm (first 9 years anyway). Dad was an excellent farmer. Fixed a few things but nothin big. Always took stuff to Shike (Forrest) Robinson in town for repair or new engineering. Forrest was a blacksmith/welder/shop man. No machine work. This was in the 50's. I have always been associated with things mechanical to some degree. I was in the Navy 4 years ( aircraft hydraulics/flight line etc ). Fast foreward a few years. I wanted a big knife ( ok, just wanted one). Had made them in the past but no tools now (married, kids, working in a suit). Good friend had a small shop and I got hooked up. Made a bowie from a piece of leaf spring (acetelyne). Pitiful far as looks goes but whacked small trees nicely (for deer blinds). This was 1979-1980. first forge bought 1986. The teachings of the old guys came back to a degree but I had forgotten a lot (and was still pretty ignorant about lotta stuff). Not a whole lot smarter today! I have however learned a bit here and there.

I'll turn you an eye (if you mean forge, weld and true the eye up) on a piece of railroad track. OR on the post vise. I'll do it as Steve O'Grady and I won't be anonymous about it either. I also will say that I ain't the master blacksmith hereabouts. I just try to make a living and that means fabricate, so be it. Matters not one cents worth to me. I know folks that are broke because they won't let a customer have their way. It all spends to me.

B Willoughby, I haven't seen this yet so here goes. Welcome aboard. the worldwide community of blacksmithing is a fine place. You may or may not think that you have stepped into a pile. Nothing could be further from the truth. You get this many hogs in the same shed and somebody's gonna bite 'nothers tail and then the squealin starts. Fortunately, you are on a website that don't put up with this. Plenty places for that (squealin). glenn Conner and his compatriots are fine folks and run an excellent show. Again, welcome aboard. I got a hot skillet just waitin for some bacon so belly up and ask away. You WILL however get different opinions.

Steve ( Ten Hammers ) O'Grady

You welcome in my shop anytime

OK, I have no on-line image saving place so will just post them on the Gallery.






Edit to this post
Ten, posting in the gallery is great as I can then move the photo to the forum for you or others. Glenn