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5starhobo (blake)

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Posts posted by 5starhobo (blake)

  1. I have made multiple roundings hammers with Brian and Alec and a few more. My understanding, like stated before, is that when you isolate the faces, this allows you to use the edges of the face better since you have a little more space since the "cheeks" of the hammer arent sticking that far out. At the same time you are isolating the cheek material, this allows you to draw the cheeks out longer on both sides allowing for more friction since there's more surface area of contact. Thus you are less likely to lose a hammer head :) I wonder if Brian would pitch in for an answer here. I have a feeling im missing something. Hes the one who would truly know why he makes his hammers that way.

  2. Sorry to butt in here, but I've been looking for a Brazeal style rounding hammer in the 3.5- 4# range. Does anyone know if those makers mentioned have websites or are they only on ebay?

     

    I'm friends with Brian and he is on this website. Search him up. He has a website aswell. Just search Brian Brazeal Blacksmith in google and it should be one of the first ones. Hope this is helpful! I use both a 3.5 and 4.5 rounding hammer, both ones i learned to forge at Brians. Love them. And if you use the proper techniques, you seriously can move some metal! If you cannot buy one from Brian, check out Dave Custer at Fiery Furnace Forge. He too is on this site! He is one of Brian's past students and makes wonderful hammers and sells them on ebay. He doesnt have a website that i know of, but search fiery furnace forge on google and check out his facebook page. :)

  3. You're photography skills are pretty bad - horrible lighting, too much shadow obscuring the target, the angle's all wrong, and you didn't take several photos to highlight the various parts of the tongs.  What you end up with is a photo that shows the entire piece very poorly, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.

     

    The tongs, on the other hand, have a good symmetry, nice lines, good taper and you managed to get the jaws oriented well.  If that's your first set, it's definitely an indicator of your abilities.  Good job.

    Im aware of the bad photo qualities. I probably should have retaken them in better conditions. If you would like, i can post more pictures to "answer your questions."

     

    Thanks for the criticism! :D Helps me learn things i need to improve on, forging or not.

  4. A striker isnt just there to swing as hard as possible, they must also watch the piece just like the striker. They must learn to watch and understand what is trying to be achieved and strike with the force needed to acheive the right blow. This takes practice, so starting out with striking on a wedge splitting wood is a good start to achieve accuracy, but not power needed to do the right work. This takes time and practice but can be easily mastered with more work; Because its harder to correct a heavy blow that over-forged the work, than a light blow that should have been a little harder.

  5. A stationary anvil is important... :) I find that an anvil that cannot move at all, provides the best and most satisfying results.. I have worked on a 80lb peter wright, secured to a tripod stand with bolts and angle iron over the feet to where it will not move at all, with the stand bolted to the concrete floor below. No ring, makes a thud, doesnt bounce around. This felt like working on a massive anvil, when in reality  it was only 80lbs! Definately shocked me.

     

    Anvil ring/movement = loss of energy!

    So if the anvil doesnt ring and doesnt move, you technically should be rebounding more energy through the anvil!

     

    If anyone caught any flaws in what i said, feel free to correct me! I would like to learn myself

    :) just my $0.02

  6. =) It is really nice to see you and Blake being able to reproduce what you have learned through the summer. Partly that was my teaching and that makes me a bit proud ^__^U. But also Blake did a great job remembering the fuller forging and YOU remembering all that and being able to reproduce and go even further! If you want some constructive critique tell me and I shall advise you, especially on the tongs!

     

     

    Yours

    - Daniel

    Yes Daniel! It was definately more challenging without the top swages.. ;)

  7. Yes i really appreciate your hospitality! I am planning on visiting again, and am helping spread the knowledge. The demo for my local association is in planning and i am still discussing it.

     

    Believe it or not i have started the article, just hard to find time to write it with so much school work ect. but it is in the making!

     

    Hope to see you again and hope you and karen got the little note I placed in the shirt envelope when i shipped it back! :D

     

    Stay safe!

    -Blake

  8. Do you have a picture of the stock you started with and the marks showing what is what? Other than that they looked like they turned out well for 2 people! :D

  9. Hey guys! Thought i would show you the champion 400 blower i got the other day for $150. Not too sure if i got a good deal or not but i don't see too many that still have the tripod base. Anyways it runs smooth and looks like it still has the original handle :) Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated!

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  10. Very nice and I'm on the did a lot of the same thing side!

     

    Instead of mucking with it to repair why not make a set of jaw covers---they might deal with the spacer issue too.

    yes I've thought about that :) thanks for all the comments guys! Not matter what I'm gonna put her to use :) Is 44 inches on the long side of vises? just curious..

  11. feel free to ship your shop down here if you are ready to give it a break ;) 

     

     

    You're going to have to try a LOT harder than that to offend any of us Blake. About replacing us older generation types, I'm ready for a break, how about hopping on up and I'll just kibitz while you work? Seriously, I'm ready for a new generation barn cleaner, dog poop scooper, brush controller and . . . Tree killer.

     

    Hmmmm, I'm a pretty darned good cook.

     

    Frosty The Lucky.

  12. ill be sure to ask him because i am very  curious myself. He did show me his fathers cut off hardy and hammer. Also forgot to mention his grandfather was a smith too. Showed me some of his tongs too. Those things were so old. Bet they had stories to tell. I got the vise while in louisiana visiting relatives. Didn't know the guy but my uncles friends with him so i will try getting in touch next time I'm over there and tell you the findings :) Yes i stopped by old n' rusty's while in the area and showed him the vise also. He suspected it was filing or some other type of wear but wanted to see what all you guys thought too! Thanks for the comments guys :) gonna get her set up here in the next few days :) 

  13. Hello people of IFI! I was given this vise from an elderly man who's father was a blacksmith. He really liked to see a young man take interest in such an old craft. Anyways. I got it free and am wondering what might have caused the little divot in the jaw. Any ideas and comments would be greatly appreciated. Not really sure how you tell what make a vise is but if anyone knows i am curious of the maker :) thanks again! enjoy! 

     

    The vise has a 4 inch jaw and is 44 inches long. Compared to all the other vises I've seen that seems to be on the long side. Any thoughts? 

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