So i made my forge(pics coming), i got my anvil, made a stand, using a shop vac and a pipe clamp for air control, got tongs, got 50 pounds of coke for my birthday, best gift ever, made a drift, cut off for my hardy hole, a hand knife, part of a kichen knife(from a 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 inch piece of 1060,, that took a lot of drawing out), tons of S hooks for plants, some rivets(really need to work on that), but i am having some problems that i just can't seem to get over or find a answer to.
1. That film that comes off of the metal when u are forging, it seems to be making little holes on my metal, am i not doing something right do i need to brush my metal more, i saw one video that said to put down some water first and it will stop that ???
2. the coke i am using becomes really sticky and glass like after a like one forge, is this just becuase of the quality of it, do i have to clean my forge more, am i burning it to hot.
3. My metal is only workable for like 10 seconds, i am working out side, and i am in vancouver washington, is it the ambient temperature of the air, do i have to heat the metal at a lower temp for longer befor bring it up, I watched a few videos and they didn't seem to have any problem and could work it for a good while.
4. Air controll, now i just am clamping the pipe from the shop vac, and this thing puts out the air hard, i melted through my first kichen knife in like 10 seconds, should i just macgyver together a better air clamp or is it just that touchy, or should i just make/buy one of those blowers every one uses?
5. making the holes, so i made a little drift shaped like this on the tip
/ /
/ /
/
| |
| |
That is if it was cut in half, but from videos of people making holes it usually pops out and mine kinda ,,, smooshess out, usually i have to flatten that part, and i saw that some drifts go all the way throe and out, mine is to long should i cut it down??? if some one could post picks of what there drifts/drift tips look like that would be nice
6. using the drift, so agian from videos i saw that people hold the tongs with there legs and then hamer and hold the drift, I most say i don't have this trick down yet,, and it might have gone flying once, thank god for safty stuff, am i just doing it wrong is there a better tool, like a vice?
7. and this is the last one for now, rivets,,, i tried to heat it up, put it in a vice and hit the top, but one of 3 things happen, it cools down befor i really can do anything, it doesn't shape right, or it twistes in the vice, is there a easyer way, and or tools that i need to make.
sorry for the spelling, for some reason my auto correct isn't working ??? i will fix it later, have to go make 3d printers so i don't have the time.