george m.

Cultivator disks are also a good base for a fire pot. There is already a hole in the middle for a draft for the fire. I'd put some expanded metal across that to keep most of the ashes in and put a bowl of water under it to take care of what does get through. I'd install legs, make an expanded metal cone, cut a largish hole in one side and install a door, and then rivet or weld the cone to the disk, and do the same with a chimney on top of the cone. If you really want to be safe make a frame and cover it with screening in lieu of the cone or line the inside of the expanded metal cone with steel screening. Containedly, George M.

I seriously doubt that copper rivets in a two piece serving spoon would ever be exposed to enough acidic foods for long enough to cause any copper oxide toxicity. Any oxidation from a brief exposure would likely be removed when it was washed. Also, if you are afraid of crosscontamintion in cracks, etc. I suggest that a ceramic utensil is better. A vitrified surface doesn't hold much of anything if it is regularly washed. Toxicly, George M. PS Copper is pretty toxic to most bacteria.

Dear Thingmaker, Again, it is probably a semantic issue. I have always thought of a die as a specialized tool that forms the work in ways that direct blows cannot, e.g. fullers, particularly those which have a specialized shape for forming, say, a leaf or a decorative shape, or even a swage block shape. You appear to have a broader definition of die as anything that deforms the work in any way. If I am correct in interpreting your definintion of a die them I can see that making a punch or drift uses two dies, the hammer and the anvil. I am having a problem seeing how any specialized die would be used and that may be my problem, too narrow a definition. Communicatively, George M.

Dear Brian, Are you saying that a (or most) tappers can accomplish the task but a (or most) non-tappers cannot? Or are you saying that one specific tapper can accomplish the task and if a person (tapper or non-tapper) cannot they are not qualified to participate in the tap/nontap discussion? Logically, George M.

OK, I think it is partly nomenclature. I have always called the technique of hitting the work half on and half off the anvil to form a shoulder on the bottom of the work "half hammer faced blows." I have never known a specific name for the technique of holding the point of the work at the far edge of the anvil so that the hammer, which is angled to the face, doesn't hit the face and rebound before imacting the work if it is overlapping the end of the work. I assume that the hex at the head end is "just for nice." I have learned from experience to carry part of the flat side of the tool up into the "handle" portion all the way to the head. If I don't I have a harder time lining up the working end. The tactile sensation on the flats seems to be more accurate than the visual alignment. I see Alec is one of the smiths who tap the anvil before hitting or between blows as we have discussed on another thread. I still don't know where a die would come into the process unless you were using it to make a hex body. Thanks, George M.

Dear Brian, It may be because I am an old self-taught smith but you lost me on the second part of making a punch. I have no idea where half hammer faced blows and a die would come into making a punch. I've always just cut off the stock with a hot cutter, chop saw, hack saw, etc., drawn out one end to the appropriate size either rounding the business end or leaving it square, dress the ends either hot or with a belt grinder, and heat treat. I don't know where developing a shoulder with half faced blows or a die would come into it. Punchily, George M. PS I love the videos of yours that I've watched on Youtube.

If it is for a table/eating spoon forge it one piece out of about 3/8" stock (upset the bowl end to about 1/2" to get more metal for the bowl or, as someone suggested above, fold the end back and faggot weld it.) If it is a serving/cooking spoon make the bowl and handle separately and rivet or weld them together. If you started with large enough stock to make the bowl it will be a lot of work to draw out the handle. I'm assuming that you are probably doing a large spoon because a RR spike would be way to big for table use unless you were using a small mine RR spike and then it would be tough to get enough metal for the bowl. Servingly, George M.

Dear All, Thanks to everyone who has replied. From exeryone's responses it seems to me that whether a smith does it is largely the function of what they were taught. If the person who taught them did it they will, if not, not. There does not seem to be much "wrong" with it and there does not seem to be much "right" either. There seem to be plenty of good smiths from either school. I don't think I will try to develop the habit after all these years. It does seem to me to be kind of a nervous tic that doesn't accomplish anything. It may be that people who do do it started doing it because that was how their mentor did it and now think about why they do it and have to come up with justifications for it. The energy saving argument seems fallacious to me. The bounce of a good anvil is only about 80% of the energy used to raise the hammer. You have still lost at least 20% of the energy used to lift the hammer if it is only bouncing off the anvil. Besides, most of the tapping I've seen on videos is only a small lift and a quick tap or two, not a full strength blow redirected to the anvil face. Maybe I'm just an old White guy who "ain't got no rythm" but I've never felt thrown off if I don't hit with a regular tempo. The idea that "I have to hit 1 blow/second or everything goes screwy" strikes me as kind of wierd. I will say that when I see it done on a video I find it kind or irritating and seemingly wasteful of time and energy. I think that the smith should just hit the metal to get the most efficient use of time and energy. If he or she needs to think about something just stop and think. If thinking is needed while hitting just return the work to the fire and think the thought through. There is probably not enough time between a couple of blows to really process anything. Taplessly, George M.

Without more I have to question Pawn Stars Rick Harrison's attribution to Rome for the firesteel. That form of firesteel has been around from biblical times to the 19th century and it is very tough to accurately assign an age. It does seem to me that this "chain link" form is generally European while the form which looks a little like a pick or is an asymetric U shape (the pick part or the point is for knapping flint) is more mid-eastern/eastern Europe/Turkish/Persian. Symetrical U shapes were also common. Basically, it is extremely difficult to assign an age and culture to any particular firesteel based on morphology. That said, there are diagnostic Tibetan/Chinese firesteels which have a gently curve steel attached to a small leather purse for tinder. The only reference that I have ever found on firesteels is a little book I picked up at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London some years ago. It is Gli Acciarini/Fire-Steel by Paolo De Sanctis and Maurizio Fantoni, Be-Ma Editrice, Milan, Italy, 1991, ISBN 88-7143-118-9. Fortunately for me it is bi-lingual in Italian and English. There are, of course, references to individual firesteels in various archeological reports. The Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, NE has a very extensive collection and display of North American types. Simmons, Marc and our own Frank Turley in Southwestern Colonial Ironwork, Museum of New Mexico Press, 1980 illustrates a number of southwestern types on pages 120-121. BTW, this is a really excellent book that should be in any smith's library IMO. I like the word "firesteel" in preference to the equally correct "strike-a-light" or "flint striker." It just sounds cooler. Sparkily, George M. PS One garage door spring will make a LOT of firesteels.

For years I didn't use my modified Sandia propane forge in the shop because I was concerned about over heating the roof and rafters. A couple of years ago I put my hand over the forge's chimney, probably about 4 feet above the forge, and discovered that the heat was quite moderate. Someplace to put your hands when they're cold. Now I use it in the shop but not under some foam insulation sheets that I have up in the rafters. CO and ventilation is still a concern. I'm going to pick up a CO detector today at Lowes or Home Depot in Greeley. Warmly, George M. PS I suggest that you be scrupulous about sweeping up the sawdust and shavings in the wood working part of your shop. My experience is that sparks, etc. don't hold heat long enough to ignite solid wood, etc. but if they were to land in a tinder like substance it could get exciting. A chunk of hot steel does hold enough heat to ignite things. Watch out where your drops go if you are hot cutting. Also, if you wear pull on boots don't wear them with your pant legs tucked into them. Wear your pants legs over the top of the boots. I once knew a guy who had a chunk of hot steel go down into the top of his boot and he got burned pretty badly. GM

Dear Tyr, I have used coke for the last 10 years or so because my supplier (50 miles away) stopped selling blacksmith coal but did sell blacksmith coke. Also, because I am in town coke means fewer complaints about the smell. Yes, it does keep a constant blast to stay lit. If you have an electric blower you can leave the fire with the blower on low. If you use a hand crank blower you have to eat your lunch off the anvil while giving the blower a couple of turns every minute or so. The way I start it is that I put in 2 sheets of crumpled newspaper, build a "log cabin" out of kindling, put a fist sized pine cone in the cabin, put a handful of coal over that, soak the entire thing with charcoal lighter. Then I put another 2 crumpled sheets of newspaper over that and cover that with coke. Then apply more charcoal starter. I try to have enough coke on top of the 2d newspaper that it forms a roof over the fire as the fire starting material burns and collapses. Enough coke to cover the newspaper so that you can't see much paper is about right. I then try to light it as low down as I can, including making a tunnel to the first layer of newspaper. I use a medium air blast once I light it. I think that I may be overcomplicating things but it works and I rarely have a fire not properly ignite. Pyromaniacilly, George M.

I run my coal forge or the propane forge in the Colorado winter but I usually leave the door ajar. I do want to install a CO detector but I never remember when I am someplace that carries them. I also run a propane salamander type heater. CO isn't like heavy metals accumulating in the body. It does metabolize out but at a fairly slow rate. IIRC if you are exposed to some CO it is gone within a few days. I once had a mild case and felt OK in a few hours. A friend who was running a propane forge in a closed garage (his wife found him face down about halfway between the forge and the door) had to spend time in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to purge it out of his blood. The effect may be exacerbated at higher altitudes due to the fact that there is less oxygen in the atmosphere. Carbonaceously, George M.

Very nice. Am I correct that the cones on the 2d and 3d examples are copper? If you don't maind telling, what do you charge for them. Curiously, George M.

Just a suggestion if you are designing your own swage block: I have a small one, 50# or so, that I bought on ebay about a dozen years ago. For the most part it serves my purposes. However, one thing I have wanted that it doesn't have are triangular grooves. By this I mean true 60 degree equilateral triangles. It does have grooves with a 90 degree bottom but that doesn't give a true equilateral result. I've considered filing some in with a triangular file but that seems like a LOT of work and I haven't missed that shape enough to invest that much time and work. Sooner or later I probably will. Also, if you are making them large enough I'd suggest graduated bowl/ladle depressions. There have been times that I have wanted an intermediate radius between the small and large ones that I have. Finally, consider the effort needed to shift them around. 100 pounds is probably the upper end, IMO, for one man to shift, particularly us older fellers. Good luck, and let us know if you are going to have some excess ones for sale. I'm sure that there would be a demand. Depressingly, George M.

Dear All, I was watching some blacksmithing videos on Youtube last night and noticed several smiths (all apparently good smiths) doing extra blows while forging. That is, while forging doing one or two quick blows on the anvil face between blows on the work. They don't seem to serve any purpose and don't seem to be some kind of time filler while changing the position of the work. It almost seems some sort of nervous habit. Is there any rational reason to do this? I have to admit that I am largely self/book/video taught and have not worked with that many other smiths. Maybe this is a common tic and I just haven't been exposed to it. It still seems odd to me, though. Obviously, I don't do it. Should I? Puzzled, George M.

"What a great set of knockers!" Mel Brooks, "Young Frankenstein"

That is a very nice permanent booth. How many square feet is it (if you know)? Is it owned by the Ren Faire or you? How many weekends are you committed to? Do you have to pay a fee to the Ren Faire to use the booth? Enviously, George M.

Good luck. I wouldn't go to that auction with less than $5-600 in my pocket. BTW, check with the auctioneer to see if there is a buyer's premium. That can sometimes come as a nasty shock. I did look to see how far it is from here to Billings. 8+ hours and I don't NEED another anvil of that size. If it had been 4 hours or less I might have at least thought about it but in the end I would have probably stayed home. Hope you are successful. Let us know how it all turns out. Unacquisitively, George M.

Dear Leon, Set against those accounts of sword vs. machine gun barrel is the Mythbusters episode where they tried to prove or disprove whether this could be done. They used a WW II vintage .30 mg barrel and modern manufactured katana swords. The results, even when done with a machine which could swing a sword at several times maximum human speed were MG barrel: 1, sword: 0. Personally, I'm skeptical of something which cannot be replicated. Given the amount of effort needed to cut through about an inch of high carbon steel I'm skeptical of it being within human capability. (The Mythbusters even tried it with a red hot barrel.) Apocryphally, George M.

Dear All, What book would you recommend to someone starting out? I'm thinking Weygers or maybe Charlie McRaven's works. I'd like to get several copies to have on my table to sell at cost to folk who express an interest in the craft. Also, there are some really good and some really crappy blacksmithing videos on Youtube. Are there any you recommend? I could make book marks with links to those, ABANA, and Rocky Mountain Smiths. Also to regional teaching smiths like Frank Turley. Biblioholicly, George M.

I've used 1/4" garage door spring as the basis of fire steels (flint strikers) for years and have been told by buckskinners that mine are better sparking than most. Sparkily, George M.

Dear Glenn, I agree that the forge fire can be unhealthily bright and that some sort of protection is a "good thing." However, how do you handle shifting your focus from a bright fire to a dark anvil? Do you have some sort of flip up lenses? Actually, I don't look deeply into the fire very often unless I am trying to judge welding heat. Usually all I see is the top of the fire and I judge how hot the iron is getting by time and experience. Brightly, George M.

Just remember to put your hammer down before you slap yourself in the forehead. ;-] Concussively, George M.

I agree with Rockstar. Grind off one end of the rivet and then punch it out. Many medieval guilds had regulations prohibiting working after dark, probably for this very reason, quality control. With the days getting shorter and the fact that we're back on standard time you might want to get a headlamp for when you get caught short by Sol. Illuminatingly, George M.

Dear Richard, It's too bad that the first two smiths had lost touch with the part of the craft that includes interacting with the customers. I'm sure that the fun THE Smith was having is something that was in their past if it was ever there at all. In their defense, my experience with Ren Faires is that the craftspeople, particularly those with permanent sites like #1 have to put in so much of their own capital and time to the folk running the Faire that they have to maximize their profits any way they can. Hence the rap about magic swords. #2 may have just been burnt out. Years ago I was approached about being the smith at the local Ren Faire. I declined because I had known too many people who had not been treated appropriately regarding money and because it would have required me to be there for 7 straight weekends during the summer. That may be fine for "rennies" who make their living doing that sort of thing but for someone with a M-F job that's a long time to go without any time off, particularly considering the time during the week when inventory must be made. I'll bet THE smith didn't have to put in as much for the booth fee and that he hadn't been there for an extended period of weekends. But I could be wrong. THE smith could just be a good guy and the others jerks. Observationally, George M.