Ratel10mm

I imagine the more experienced guys will have better ideas, but you could try case hardening. Heat the face up, and cover it in carbon (coal dust, bone meal for e.g.) overnight.

Yeah mate, finally!! lol. Now I've just got to get on & finish all the projects I started at Jack's, Owen's, etc! :rolleyes:

Potentially good idea there Djhammerd. I was taught a possible way to hold the stock with your legs if the anvil's too high - knock the work down at an angle that it will sit flat on the anvil while you hold the stock between your legs. Of course, that isn't always practical. But it may help on occasion?

Bib type, off fleabay U.K. Seller said it was ex MOD. No idea if it actuallly is. But it is lined & has riveted eyes.

Hi all. I've finally got it together this afternoon & started doing SS leaves. Here's a picture of the first one. What I'd like to know is: Is it good enough for the project? It's definitely a leaf that's seen some life. However, I've been studying the leaves around here & not many of them are beautifully spear shaped & 'clean'. I intend to get better at these, but can I get suggestions for how this leaf would be better please? Cleaner edges? Better central vein (If so, how do you vein please?)? Lateral veins? Different finish (I did a brushed finish to black heat, then water quenched this one)? I think the next ones need to be thicker, as this one's possibly a bit thin to meet the specification. I want to make sure any leaves I send aren't going to detract from everyone else's. Thanks for taking a look.

Is the new cable laid the same way all the way through? Is it possible that there are contaminants in the new cable - dirt, threads, etc?

Welcome to IFI Raturay. I've never seen one like that, it's an interesting design. Hopefully one of our american friends will be able to tell us more. By the way, if you haven't already, please pop your name on the 'Oz Roll Call' thread, Dale's trying to create a bit of a database of Aussie smiths. :)

I've used one at my local college & found it frankly useless. The chips wouldn't move out of the way like coke. They had to keep being replaced as work melted & fused the chips together (not mine I might add! ). And the hot spot was small, so as you tried to push a piece into the spot, you moved the hot chips away & lost all the heat. I ended up putting some fire bricks on top to try & keep the heat in. As in Beth's case they had around 5-6" of chips. Maybe it needed a lot more?

Yeah, and even more over here! Seriously Rattlecat, if you can find the money, BUY IT!!!! :)

Greater mass under the workpiece means more force transmitted to the workpiece (I think) and better rebound for your hammer, which means less work for you.

Aha, you sussed it! Great looking gate Artemis. :)

Welcome Artemis. There's a thread for us Aussies here. No doubt Dale would appreciate it if you added your name to the list. Look out Yanks, the Aussies are taking over! lol

I'll start if I may then. Oops, too slow! lol In the case of chisel-type tools for hot forming, such as veining tools, decorative punches, etc. do you harden & temper like a cold chisel, or just harden? If I recall correctly, the chap who I learned basic tool making from reckoned it wasn't worth tempering such tools as they'd soon lose it in working the hot metal. However, someone else suggested that if you keep dipping the tool in water to keep it reasonably cool, then it was worth tempering. Who's right please?

Yes, that's the thing thanks. And thanks for the idea too! :)

Sorry, what's a spud wrench please? From the sound of it it cold be a scaffolder's wrench, i.e a spanner at one end and a podger at the other?

He wants 20K+ CASH???? That alone sets alarm bells ringing. However, I reckon a group buy could work, if we could get enough guys to contribute, and then maybe a raffle to allocate the items? Dunno how us overseas guys would work it, with shipping, but it's maybe an idea worth persuing, IF mr. cash only is for real & actually legaly owns the equipment.

No, you're not bound to wreck it. If you're better at book learning than I am, you'll probably be fine. If you're like me, then you'll find it helps enormously to have an experienced advisor or 10 to hand. As it's a birthday present I'd respectfully suggest that whatever material you're going to use, make sure you have spare, in case. All the old hands here will tell you, don't expect to get it right first time. It takes practice, practice, practice, and more practice. For example, right now I'm having a go at some leaves for the Tree Project. But since I have a limited supply of stainless, I'm making a few from mild first, to make sure I have the technique sorted so I am less likely to waste the stainless. The (succeessful) mild leaves will end up in another project somewhere, so that material won't be a waste either. Either way, axes of any type are a lot of work by hand, so I hope you have access to a power hammer! :D

It could work. The very first time I put hot metal, hammer and anvil together I was making pattern welded steel! However, it was at my good friend Colin KC's hammer-in, with Trond overseeing. Everyone there got a turn at that piece of metal, or at least at some part of the process of turning it into a knife. Don't be shy, just go for it & see what happens, having read up on the processes involved first. It's not as simple as you may think, particularly the heat treatment part. But you will have fun & learn a lot. WARNING: If you don't badly hurt or kill yourself in the process, you will be addicted! We accept no responsibility for aiding your addiction! Keep us posted. :)

Group buy?

Hi Graham, welcome to the site. I'm sure Dale would appreciate it if you'd post on his list of Aussie blacksmiths here. Take a look at the blueprints section, there's a huge amount of useful information there - all given free of charge by some world class smiths.

Very, very nice indeed! I hope your cousin is one of the lucky ones that gets through the cancer.

I'd better be, since we're going halves on a rental! :D

Welcome to IFI. I wish I'd known of that place when I had a callout at the BP services recently. By the way, Dale has a thread for all the Aussie members I'm sure he'd like you to post in it: Oz Roll Call