anvil

Very nice! 

very nice! 

Tendinitis happens due to improper use of a hammer. thus the joints get stressed. Weight or ease of your material won't change this. Research this, watch smiths work or whatever, just solve this problem. Many people as an example, do not use their whole arm to swing a hammer. Many over-use the wrist. some next lock the elbow and\or the wrist. The proper swing is a full body blow " from the tip of your nose to the tips of your toes". Thats how our body is made. I'm 76 and been making my living "by hammer in hand" and in front of an anvil since I was 18 or so. I've never had tendinitis. 

As far as heat temps for iron. Get it hot! When its yellow its mellow and when its red its dead. Blacksmiths have always said " Thems that beat iron cold, go to,,,," well its a family site.   but it will definitely be a hot place to work. If you are getting scale to the point of harming your steel, you are working your iron far too much.  The less you hammer your work, the better quality, texture, and time saved. By the way, proper forging temps can be found in any spec sheet, no matter copper, iron, steel, brass,, etc. For nearly all wrought and carbon steels the proper working temp is in the yellow range and its recommended that you quit when it gets to a red. This is for forging and major shaping whether its bar stock or sheet. Finishing and planishing is generally done at a red. 

Once you solve the problems of your tendinitis, you will be in a position to make a positive choice as to the material you want to use, meaning "which do i like the best" instead of "which will hurt me the least".  

Every material has its own ways of working it the best. No matter which you choose there is a tough learning curve to get to the place that you don't over work it,,, hot or cold. When you get to that point, thats when the real joy begins to blossom!  Each material has specific tools that work well with it. Another learning journey that is very rewarding and enhances techniques that are specific to itself.

I'm sure this is not what you may want to hear, but i believe it does address your situation and give positive solutions for you to ponder.

good luck and have fun.

beg, borrow, or steel,,, a welder and use the proper tool for a proper job?  Just a weird thought for a solution,,, 

The easiest way is "by hammer in someone elses hand".     

There is no standard choice for armor. Its your choice, which is the first hard decision. After that, you can start figuring out what tooling you want to use,, the next hard choice. Basically any choice with any metal that you will do yourself is not an easy pathway,,, depending on your experience and pocketbook. 

shop gremlins

I've never been a fan of double horn anvils. I use the right angles on the heel for many things such as, obviously, checking right angles and as a base line for making length marks along the off side, and would not want to be without them.

boy, When its hot,,, its hot!!!

Speak more on invisible joinery,,, I'm curious

They are for turning the heels on a horse shoe. I'm pretty sure they are custom not stock

I think that any oxidation in use will wear off. If you throw your hawk, when it embeds in the target, the oxidation will come off, as it will say in a sheath on your belt, high spots will be worn off. Hang it on the wall and it will do as you say. 

By the way, I really like your hawk. Well made and a pleasure to see!

Actually, I believe, core 10, like wrought iron, rust and doesn't flake. Mild steel rusts and flakes and rusts and flakes. So both wrought and core 10 hold up better over long periods of time with no finish. Because it doesn't flake, it seals out oxygen and tends to prevent more rusting. 

Jen, i'm still confused. Shouldn't the tong making class be making the tongs? Or are you making ring tongs so each station will have a set for a ring making lesson?

On 7/2/2023 at 7:56 PM, Goods said:

Well it’s done

Not only is it done,,, its well done!!    

Is the center detail forged, forged and filed, or do you have a top and bottom tool to make it?

Jen, why 4 sets? Just practice? Or did I miss something. Nice tongs.

Pretty good knife show. They showed a few things I like to see that I haven't seen on FiF, specifically watching a bit of the colors run.  I quit watching pre covid, to be honest. 

Frosty, we were talking a while ago about differential tempering. check out 15:30 for a way to do it, basically a heat source,a wet rag and a vice is all you need to control the color run. There are many variations including a coal forge for a heat source.   

"If you make a mistake, For goodness sake, be consistent!"

Far better than my first set. My first is best described as coyote ugly, and that would be high praise!  Still got them and use them,,, as a reminder of how far I've come.

I saw a youtube vid where he heat treated the new face on his anvil on the bank of a lake. He used a gin pole and a winch. Where theres a will, theres a way

Nice set of hinges!  

awesome!

exciting times!

On 6/26/2023 at 1:44 PM, jlpservicesinc said:

Why does everyone run away from "upsetting".  

You misunderstand, the real deal is realizing that whatever technique you choose, each creates its own aesthetic. You can get there using any, in this case, of the three, but each will get there more efficient, depending on what your final "look" is that you want. . In this case, if you want a long gentile tapering transition from say 5/8" square to a boss over a couple of inches,, then a upset is perfect, but if you want a real tight inside transition from boss to parent stock, then a welded collar is quicker and just automatically makes it happen. If you want a nice rounded say 1/4" radius on the inside transition, then using a spring fuller or your hammer and the edge of the anvil is the way. 

This is the reason we blacksmiths move iron, and just don't fabricate it, to get these different affects in our final product. 

And this, Jen, leads into another way we often end a "debate" on different ways of doing things and "whats best",,, Theres almost always more than one way to do anything, but rarely are all ways created equal.  So, all three techniques need to be mastered so that the choice isn't "difficulty", but "how do I want it to look". 

But without a doubt, I prefer to draw out over upset when there is no reason that one is better than another.

JHCC, I have an upsetting block buried in front of my anvil for just that purpose. And, lol, I do have a dirt floor.

Gazz, pretty cool experience working for Paley! I've had that pic on my wall for inspiration for decades.

It breaks my heart! Iron may be eternal, but life is so fragile. The iron in his heart and expressed by his hammer will remain always!

Amazing Grace played on the pipes and the Southwest background couldn't have been better! Thanks for that

10 hours ago, Goods said:

I could have upset it, but I find it easier to draw out than upset

Nice handle and details. I agree with you. A long drawn out experience beats an upsetting one most always in my book.    Another approach that is quick and effective is a forgewelded collar. 

Glad you are back playing in the flame, Jen. Nice tong beginnings. Takes me back to Turley Forge,,, forge weld the first day(horse shoe sandwich) and a drop the tongs weld within the next few.

Don't just stand there, do something!

My 25# Lil Giant has a contemporary history that is very special to me. I worked "on call" for Francis Whitaker for about 5 years from about '83 to '88. He supplied lodging for my stay in Aspen. One time he picked me up in Woodland Park, Co and we headed to a masters workshop in Rowe NM(Russ Swiders shop). On the way he asked me if I would take a 25# lil giant in payment for my time. Sheesh, I'd of paid him for the first hand experience,, but hey, what could I say. At that time my headset was traditional smith with no power tools. It only took me a couple hundred miles to realize the offer and what it meant. I then made one of my best career decisions and said yup, you got a deal. 

This hammer had sat on the front porch of a welding shop in Aspen for decades and many smiths had tried unsuccessfully  to purchase it.

Whenever I use, or just walk by my hammer it brings up great memories of that very special time and Man.

very nice! 

FWIW, My Grandmother was from Croatia and my Grandfather was from Serbia. My Dad visited Serbia, but the closest I got was working with a blacksmith in Prague for a month, thanks to ABANA in '87