Pa.Dutchman

I would hate to guess how many steels I made from heavy comercial garage door springs. Our black powder club used to give them away as prizes for the junior shooters, each kid got a prize. I would zip down one side of the spring with a Oxy-map torch and make a mess of blanks. Then to the forge to heat, straighten, and clip off the burnt ends on the anvil hardy. Then I'd draw the ends out to a point and form the little curls. Next heat, the big curls. Next heat I 'd use the flatter to forge em out flatter. Next heat treat. I quenched them in water and drew the curled part back to blue and left the face about straw. It sounds a bunch more time consuming than it really was. I doubt I had 10 min in each steel. B.J. Habermehl

Larry,Thanks for the heads up about the oxide dust. Luckly I'm not real dust sensitive, My problem with my old soft coal forge was due to smoke. Even though I had a verry eficient hood and chimney set up, coal is not a B.J. friendly fuel. BJH

I live in the town of Northumberland in Northunberland Co. If ya have a map handy follow the Susquehanna north till it splits into two branches. I live 1 mile from the split. BJH

I am looking to buy a propane fired forge. Was thinking about NC's Whisper Baby (single burner) or the Whisper Momma (two burner). The unit will be used for small stuff and heat treatment of lock parts. I do not intend to get into forge welding. I build muzzleloading rifles and wish to make my own locks from time to time. Pluss other odds and ends. Just looking for some expierience based observations on these units. BJH

Hello I am B.J. Habermehl. Been working with metal since highschool. Had a smithy in my old garage untill I discovered I had adult onset asthma so the coal fired forge had to go. I have been forgeless for a few years and am planning to set up a gas fired unit up. Been building black powder rifles for 17 years, and I have found that I need a forge again to make lock plates ect. Talk about Iron in the blood, Dad was a Marine Machineist in the Philly Navy Yd. Grand Father on Dad's side was a blacksmith and machineist for the RR. His dad was a blacksmith also for the railroad also. Funny how family trades sometimes run. B.J. Habermehl