der schmied

Thanks for the input. I am currently using a steel pot (one given to me, not one that i have made or am thinking of selling). It is made out of 1/2" steel. I do a bit of large stock, 1" to 1 1/4", and a lot of forge welding with it. I recently used the one I made for my friend, and it works great. I think that, in terms of performace, it is no better and no worse, than a cast pot. The biggest drawback, in my estimation, is longevity (as Vaughn pointed out). That being said, I have talked to a few guys who, like PatRoy, have been using a steel pot for the better part of a decade, with no complaints or significant wear. Now, to be fair, these are HOBBY smiths, like me, and im sure the pots are not seeing tons of use. Being a newer hoby smith, I know how hard it is to invest tons of cash into something one does just for fun. I am thinking that, however small it may be, I will find at least a local market for these. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Thanks again guys.

Thanks for the input guys. Im not looking to retire on this, if I can sell a few, it would justify the recent purchase of a new welder to my wife, LOL! Thomas, that is a good idea, there are a few local events upcoming, and I think I will be able to tell very quick if its going to go or not.

Hey all, sorry it has been WAY too long since I have been on here, but two kids, a wife, and a "real" job make it hard enough just to get to pound iron, let alone pound on the key board! Anyhow, i recently welded up a STEEL fire pot for a friend, and made a few bucks in the process (of course, in my infinite wisdom, I neglected to photgraph the thing!). That, of course, got the old rusty wheels turning, what do you guys think the likelyhood is of being able to sell a few of these here and there? My initial thought is that I should be able to sell a few, as the cost to produce a good, solid, fire pot out of steel is fairly low, seeing as I have a local shop that sells scrap cutoffs cheap. I understand that a traditional cast pot is preferable to many, but the price point of those can keep many of the "smiths on a budget" I know from going that route. Open to any and all opinions you guys may have. Thanks in advance!

Well..... SOLD!

Sorry to hear that man. That’s no good at all. Any chance that physical therapy can help and maybe get you back into it?

Phil! Awsome work! Thanks for the advice all! Appriciate it, once i ger one done Ill post some pics.

Good ideas all. I have several of them, so I may try several projects to create differant sizes, angles, radius, ect.. Phill, I did'nt even notice the hammer you were using, I was too busy trying not to screw up what I was doing! I'd like to check it out if/when you make it back up!

Very good idea! Thank you Thomas!

Good point! Maybe I will just give it a shot and see what happens! Im sure that forging a whole hammer IS above my skill set at this point. I dont even have punches, drifts or slitters made yet!

Ok, I used a straight pein recently and found that my striking with the pein end was much more accurate and the placement of the "divot" was where I wanted it, as opposed to with the cross pein. And, frankly, I just liked it better. Now, I happened to stumble across a few cross pein hammer heads in my in-law's barn the other day and got them for the best price going...FREE! I was wondering if it would be possible to forge the pein from cross to straight. Ok, I know its possible, but is it worth the time and effort? And thoughts would be appreciated. Also, keeping in mind that I'm new to smithing, if it's worth it, will this project be over my head or above my abbilities?

Well, the angle to the mount looks to be pretty darn close to the inside (table side) angle of a pool table rail, and the width of the clamp looks close to the size of the old, well made, pool table rails. Maybe it was set up for a traveling cue salesman/repair man? No matter what it is, it still looks cool! And, as Im fond of saying, you cant have too many tools, never know when you might need a (insert obscure tool name here)!

Sorry about the pic size guys. I still cant figure out how to change them, but blackersmith gave me a few ideas in the thread I started about that issue, so thank you! And, thanks for the idea about the small gouge blackersmith! Took it to the open forge last night and forged out a new wedge so its all ready to be mounted and put to work!

Ok. Ill have to figure out how to do that Frosty. Ill look into it and see if I can figure out how to do that.

Sorry it took me so long to get thes up! Finally had a chance to get overe where it's being stored! I think I did alright. Any ID on this vise would be great! This is the mounting plate, showing the "C" inside a triangle. Small gouge in the jaw, should not be a problem to repair/clean up.

I attended an auction today and was able to pick up my first post vise :D . Its in great condition and has all the parts, minus 1 clip which will be replaced at the next open forge with my club. As I understand, the vise will work just fine without it. Its your average 5" jaw post vise, but I was like a kid on Christmas morn when the auctioneer yelled "SOLD" and pointed at me! $55, I feel, was a good price to pick it up as it is in great, working condition! A note to my fellow newbies.... Join your local ABANA chapter! Not only did one of my fellow club members tell me about the auction, but he met me there, helped me look over the two vises they had there (and anything else of interest), picked the best one, then stayed out of the bidding, giving me a chance to win it! And he buys and sells these things on the side to turn a profit! I know next to nothing about a lot of the tools of this trade and the members of my local ABANA chapter have been great with teaching, suggesting, helping me locate what I need and warning me off of things to stay away from! If you are new to this great hobby and have not yet joined your local chapter...DO IT! It is worth every single cent of the dues and much, much more! Ill post some picks of the new vise soon!

Thats great! I wonder if I can use this to justify that purchase to my wife? :

I use lump charcoal, 3 sheets of newspaper and a match. I get the charcoal going well and add on the coal. Im up and forging in about 10 min. Just my $.02.

I have been smithing for about a month now, only using coal. I had some initial concerns, and like "symptoms", as well. I found that, at best it would last for a few hours the next day after I woke up in the AM. Also, I noticed that, being a newbie, I was "hovering" over the forge and constantly looking at the metal, fussing with the coal, ect. As I started to get a feel for how long to leave a piece of a given size in the fire to get it up to temp, started learning proper fire management and learned to keep my coal damp to keep the dust down, I have been having less and less problems. Im sure it is almost entirely due to coal dust, unless you end up downwind of the forge for an extended period, then I would imagine that you would get some problems from smoke, ect. Also, breath through your nose when right over the forge, those pesky little nose hairs actually due serve a purpose (helps filter out the particulates). YMMV

Thank you for the info guys! Im gonna try to hammer a few out this week and post here for your review/critique!

Ok, I just found the intro to tools post on the tool ID section. I appologise for part of my question being asked that I could find the answer to myself. Have patience with me, Im still learning the site! :D The punches shown there dont APPEAR to have pointed tips. I am howevre, still a bit foggy on the taper to the punch size. If I was making, say a 1/4" punch, how steep should the taper be, if any?

Hey guys, I am new to the forum and new to smithing. I am blessed to have easy access (about a 50 yrd. walk) to a ton of spring steel, and would like to forge a few punches and chisles. As far as punches, Im sure this is a simple, classic newbie question, but should the tip be pointed and how steep should the taper be to the final "punch size"? Thanks for any and all assistance in this matter.

Thank you Curly! I will have to check that out for sure!

Hey guys. I’m a new smith (about two months into it). I have been slowly setting up my little smithy; I currently have a forge set up, a small anvil, a vise and a bucket of tools. I’m really having a blast with it! I joined my local ABANA chapter recently and have been learning a lot from those guys and am looking forward to getting more involved with that group. I have been "snooping" around this site for a while and have been very impressed by the knowledge and willingness to share of its members so I decided to join. I am interested in all aspects of the blacksmith’s trade and am just taking it all in at this point and trying a few things out as I go, kind of finding my own groove so to speak. A quick note about my name, der schmied. As some of you are aware that is German for "the blacksmith". My family has a rich German heritage on both sides, and a recent trip down ancestry lane found that several of my ancestors were blacksmiths in that country. Those discoveries lead to my interest in blacksmithing. Looking forward to learning from and sharing with you all!