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I Forge Iron

Ratstomper

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    Eastern Missouri

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  1. Well, like others mentioned above, it probably doesn't have the material characteristics for knife work, BUT it looks like a good size and shape for a VERY cool lookin' letter opener...
  2. "I shall live tired, but I shan't retire." Leave it to a buncha blacksmiths to argue about correct technique when such an inspirational gem of craftsman philosophy pops up. ;)
  3. Are you letting the pieces air cool or are you quenching them? I've seen steel rust pretty quick, but not as quick as it sounds like you're saying...
  4. Guiltyspark, I would use those RR spikes for practice knives. It can never hurt to practice beveling and shaping a blade before you use your good steel. I've got a RR spike belt knife I made that has performed very admirably when I put it through it's paces. Can it cut through Miyamoto Musashi's armor and still be good enough for a sushi chef to make sashimi after? Well, no, probably not. "Quality" is subjective to purpose. No sense in using high-dollar super quality steel when something more cost effective will serve the purpose it's meant for. In this case, you can use cheaper RR spikes to practice your blademaking and if they're good you may even be able to sell them afterward (just don't make them out to be more than what they are). That sounds like a good enough purpose for them to me.
  5. Ratstomper

    No-Dachi

    Very nice looking blade! Interesting thing to think about: The famous duel at Ganryu where Musashi defeated his opponent with a modified boat oar was against one Kojiro Sasaki. It's believed that Kojiro studied a style of swordsmanship that specialized in this very type of sword. As some of you probably already know, Musashi arrived late to the duel with a makeshift weapon, putting Kojiro into a compromised metal state. I've also heard the reason Musashi chose to whittle an oar into a weapon for the duel was because it was slightly longer than Kojiro's nodachi. Goes to show that a good weapon is preferable, but a good strategy is key.
  6. Very nice look. As said above, the angle of the handle in relation to the blade looks like it would make for comfortable handling...and a nasty chop.
  7. A foot of railsteel will be enough to get you started. You'll want something that's hard and heavy as well as something sturdy and a good height to put it on (having an anvil too low or too high can really mess up your arm over time). I would also check out any local junkyards. Anvils are expensive and can be hard to find, but there's a lot of stuff out there you can use instead of one. I'm using railsteel myself at the moment. Once I get my hands on some cutting equipment, I'm going to cut it down and shape a horn and a hardy on it. Look for things you can modify for more uses.
  8. Coal will last much longer than charcoal. When I first started, I was using charcoal in my forge. I got some coal from the same organization Elemental did and it has lasted me much longer. It's also made blacksmithing more financially feasible, considering I'm not blowing through 20 bucks in charcoal a week. The tradeoff is that you'll have a (some say smelly) smoke that you won't get with charcoal. If you're somewhere that it won't bug anyone, see if you can get some coal. I would check with any local blacksmith organizations to see if they sell it.
  9. Ratstomper

    17th Century Rapier

    I've done a lot of research into historical fencing and love rapiers especially. Looks beautiful!
  10. I would LOVE to learn how to do this. I make Cigar Box Guitars as a hobby/side-business and always wanted to try making my own resonator cones....
  11. Gorgeous! I can't wait till I get good enough to do this kind of stuff. ^_^
  12. I'm sure this issue is already settled, but I admire you for sticking up for who you are and waiting until he decided to start it. I was in highschool just a handful of years ago and I distinctly remember dealing with the social alphas. At 5'8", I was a hand shorter than most guys, but deceptively solidly built and with a bit of boxing experience. I found once you knock a few heads, they know not to mess with you. It would have been SO easy to get dragged into pointless competitions to prove who had the biggest di...ego. In the end, it's about knowing who you are and taking the course of actions to fit that. It won't win you any popularity contests (and may get you in trouble more often than not), but it will always give you the satisfaction of doing what's right and knowing what it's like to be a real man; humble, hardworking and having no need for excessive force. It's a virtue that's missing among many people our age. Good on ya!
  13. Don't know if this has been mentioned, but a few years back I had a big issue with mice in the basement. I try not to kill things without a good reason and I heard clove and some other spices act as natural mice repellent. Luckily, I had a box of Stash brand green chai tea on hand with some of these spices in it. I stuck a bag in places I had seen mice as well as anywhere I thought they could get in the basement. Never saw another mouse after that. Still haven't replaced the bags and they still seem to work. No mess, no killing, the little buggers find somewhere else to nest and the tea bags smell kinda nice too. ^_^
  14. Hi! I'm a 22 year-old from missouri and wanted to get into somewhere where I can ask a few questions, meet some other metalworkers and learn more about metalworking in general. I'm familiar with arc welding and O/A cutting and welding. I've also been doing some amateur blacksmithing (for the last 4 months or so). I'm broke for the most part, so most of my learning has been what I've learned from secondary sources (books, internet, etc) or figured out on my own. I hope to learn (or teach, if possible) some things. ^_^
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