machine-n-forge

Well it was a good hammer to piddle with. It was made in China and was only $20.00, so I guess I shouldn't have expected much. The smith that I work with suggested that I buy one to get started. He is a traditional smith in that he only works with tools that would have been used in 18th century America (he works for a museum). So the Peddinghaus was off his list as a tool to buy. The Plumb looks more traditional. What can you do with this global economy? Chuck

Well I bought a three pound Plumb cross peen from MSC for a starter hammer. I had about a month or two of downtime when my baby boy was born ,so I really only have about a month of experince. That being said, I used this hammer while forging for everything. Right away the face of this hammer began to dent and the edges chipped at the slightest miss. So I have been eye'in a 1500 gram Peddinghaus cross peen ever since I started smithing. It arrived last Friday, so I was able to use it Saturday. This hammer was like night and day compared to the Plumb. It was slightly heavier and seemed to be much more evenly balanced. I forged a piece of 3/4 round into a nail header and it made light work of it. I guess what I am getting at is DON"T buy Plumb cross peen hammers, mine didn't appear to be tempered properly and case hardened edges could be dangerous chipping off. Has anyone else owned a Plumb? What was your experience with it? Chuck

Dude, I could only wish that my first project looked like that. That is very awesome. I hope you keep up the good work, which I'm sure you will. Chuck

The closest place to me is The Blacksmiths Depot (Asheville,NC area), which is about a four to five hour drive from here (Greensboro,NC area). So I don't have much choice but to have my coal shipped in. Gas in my old Jeep Cherokee would probably run me pretty close there and back plus they don't have anything to sell right now. So i guess I am just SOL as far as any deal goes. By the way 50 pounds of coal UNSHIPPED is $20.00 at BD. It is $20.00 just for shipping. Wishing I were in your shoes right now. Pault17, Thanks I will check that out Chuck

I'm not sure if this thread should be in this genre, but I was wondering had anyone had any experience with Reboy Supply Co. I am just about out of coal and The Blacksmiths Depot is currently out of coal. So I came across a company that will sell and ship 200 pounds of coal for $140.00. That is a little cheaper than BD ($160.00 per 200 lb.). Are they reliable and do they supply good coal? The smith that I work with ,who does demonstrations at the High Point Museum, only buys his coal once a year from BD. This coal is from the Pocahontas vein #2, so it should be some descent stuff. Any feedback will be appreciated. Chuck

It not much but it is a place to forge some steel. I just built a small lean-to on the side of my building. I bought a portable forge from an old man down the road and an anvil from a blacksmith that grinds tools in the shop that I work. I have a three pound plumb cross peen hammer and 50 pounds of coal. That is all it took to start an addiction. Who would think how such a laborious task could be so rewarding, and in a sense calming. Had a rough day at work? Just go home, light the forge and let it fly. No matter what the outcome is, I still learn and gain something from every strike of the hammer. There are many things that I can and will improve on shop wise and experience wise. But I can say that I am proud of my little hole in the wall of a backyard smithy. How did your first smithy look? Were you as proud and as excited as I am about your little getaway? Chuck

Larrynjr, The company that I work for is a shop that started out very small with 4 conventional mills and 3 lathes in a little garage. Over the past 36 years it has grown to a capacity of 12 CNC VMCs, 2 horizontal pallet changers, 3 CNC lathes and also has an in house tool grinding shop. We mainly supply to B/E Aerospace as well as Weber aircraft. Primarily seating parts and the occasional cosmetic gadget. to all, Thank you guys for welcoming me so warmly. Chuck

I would not try climb milling on a conventional machine. You can get by with it on very light cuts on softer materials but it is too dangerous. Your part my leave the vice, your cutter may break , you could pull head out of adjustment or all of the above. As said above climb milling is great on CNC but not for conventional. Chuck

Hello to all of you smiths out there. I have been forging now for about three months so I have a lot to learn from you guys. I just stumbled upon this forum and was thrilled to have all of your experience at my beckon. I have been a machinist for the aerospace industry for five years, so I have a fairly good understanding of metal and its properties. This hobby will hopefully open my eyes to other aspects of metal that I am unaware of. Thank you all in advance for any help and advice that you will send my way. Chuck