Ian

Hi John,
I'm part way through writing to them as I speak, I was also thinking of trying B.A.B.A. too. I've got a while before the deadline so I'm hoping to get a few letters from folks like Brian Russell, Pete Oberon, Chris Topp and such as well as the internationals like Moony and maybe even Uri Hofi. I'm lucky in that I've met them all, and worked with some so they might help..

Hi all,
well it seems to be coming down to it at looooooong last. I have been formally asked by the Board of Stepping Stones Farm (Soon to be renamed Stepney City Farm) to write and submit a final proposal for the Blacksmiths Forge I started on the Farm over a year ago as a volunteer.
This is meant to include a full business plan, projected revenue stream, the whole nine yards in fact.

As part of that I'm wanting to put together a presentation in which I would very much like to include some letters of support. I'm not asking people to recommend me specifically for the job (unless they've seen my work and want to) but rather to write letters supporting the 'idea' of a working forge and it's value to the general public and so on. I'm hoping a few of the blokes I met that remember me might chip in but the simple fact is the more letters I can get saying that a Forge is a worthwhile idea the better the chances that they'll give it a go. I'm hoping that it'll be myself and Sean who get the agreement to run it, but it will have to go to tender first so the more I can impress them the better.
If you look on my profile you'll find my gmail address, could you send your letters there so I can print them out?
It'd be great to throw a massive stack of them on the table at the end of the presentation with the words "Oh yes, by the way, these are letters from Blacksmiths around the world who also think this is a good idea".
The Farm has come a long way in the year or so I've been involved but it still desperately needs some sort of income that isn't tied up as a grant, so far my offer of 25% of what the forge makes is the only possible 'free' revenue maker the place has apart from chicken eggs and manure!
After some serious digging around I believe we (myself and Sean) should be able to put thousands of pounds into the Farms coffers, if we can convince them that this is a project that has real legs, your support might just do that.

Thanks to everyone at IFI for tagging along with my trials and tribulations so far, things are starting to come together!

As always Brian, excellent work. I like the way you use the edge of the anvil on the second half face blow (to under sling the front of the jaw), tricky for a beginner to do that without flattening the first half face blow that made the cheek. Great demo of technical skills.

About time you were up and off your a--se Bloke
sorry I haven't been around to say so sooner, been out in the wilds. Well the outback anyway.
Leg pulling aside, I for one am genuinely glad your still kicking mate. You had me worried for a spell. Give my thanks to Deb and the dogs for everything they've done to make your recovery a speedy one and next time you decide to drop a tree drop the bugger somewhere you're not ;)

keep going matey，sending good vibes from Korea after visiting Oz

Blokes everyone, 'poms' included know the only thing that should go in a pie warmer is a growler.
Beer on the other hand should go anywhere as cold as it can without actually freezing. Simple!

Put me on the list bloke

I've booked the flights (thanks to the generosity of Mr Glenn Moon), and I'll be staying for a month.
REALLY looking forward to working with Moony and earning the tickets and especially looking forward to opening a tin with youse mate. I'll have summat for youse to take home as well

Need to get some sun and some perspective mate, I've lost more than just weight since we last had a tinnie.

Good news!
I knew Hephaistos was the right bloke to " 'av a word with" about this. He didn't like the sound of having some competition it seems
Debs, time to breath out at last. Frosty, don't do that to us again you silly sod, time to shift your a-se out of that bed and back home with your Mr's.

Genuinely made up to hear you are still kicking bloke

Stepney Green, Andrew.
A place called Stepping Stones City Farm. I have a tiny little shop I share with a mate of mine who's also into metal work. Nothing very impressive at all right now but its better than nothing :)

Deb

I'm not a man who's ever prayed to anyone or anything but if it'll get my Mate Frosty off his bed and back home with you then name your chosen deity.

He's been one of the few people I can talk to who really understands what I've been going through (Diabetes) and I want you to know how much of a difference it's made to me knowing that I've had a friendly ear.

You need anything you let me know flower. Next time you see him tell him from me he better get his ar-e out of that bed before I come over and drag it out.

If you can't get hold of a proper vacuum pump then raid the local dumps for old refridgerators. The pumps on them draw a decent vaccum, especially if you link two together. I use such a set up for vacuum assisted casting of metals.
I'd also go with the idea of a seperate tank to draw down. You can build up a large vacuum and then when your ready hit it all at once.

I use Brooks (or Brooks Vaughn) cast steel anvils and of the four I have they all ring like bells. Magnets and chain help, but I'd still say wear ear defenders.
I love my Brooks dearly, especially the 1 3/4 cwt. They bounce my 'workhorse' hammer back (4 1/2lber) like a ping pong ball.
I agree that the shape of the London pattern anvils is most likely to do with bending and curving, I often tip my anvils over to take advantage of those lovely flowing curves.

Scarcety/value of iron had far more impact in very early anvil designs, before the middle ages say. Look at the viking era stuff for instance. What we would consider a stake anvil was pretty much all they had to work with. A block 4 inches wide by 6 inches long by 4 inches deep with a spike under it that was hammered into a solid oak stump is what I saw at the Ribes viking museum in Sweden. I was told that granite anvils were also used at that time too.
When you look at the quality of work produced then on such 'anvils' it makes me smile at how much time and effort is put into finding a 'proper' anvil by modern would be Smiths.
Most of us spend 90% of the time hitting on a spot no larger than 6 inches square anyway, often less.
Mass under the hammer is the most important thing to consider, thats why a peice of RR track about a foot long on it's edge is as good as a 12 inch tall anvil. Only difference is there's a lot more to aim at on an anvil, the RR track is a smaller target

Seems like your in no mans land between my old stomping grounds of Yorkshire (West Yorkshire, Pontefract) and John N in Lancashire who still fails to see he was born on the wrong side of the Penines
I'm living and working down in the 'big smoke' but there are some very clever blokes still up North. John is one (even if he is Lancastrian) and there are others too like Pete Oberon and Brian Russell, who are both world class.
Contact BABA or look them up and see if there are any members near you. It would be well worth your time.

Ian

Hello Andrew,
would you be the same Australian chap I met a few years ago before my trip oversea's who worked in the Armoury at Leeds?
If so really glad to see you found this place, and thanks for helping inspire me to carry on with my plans to pound Iron.
Good to have you aboard. I've got my own little forge down in London now and am slowly getting it sorted into a bigger and better one.

Ian

Feathering means to decrease to power of your blows successively, from hard to soft if you will.

That hook portion of the halberd had another function as well, albeit a very grim one. Once you'd knocked your Knight off his horse you still then had the job of getting at him underneath his armour. Ever seen an old style tin opener? Nuff said :D

Thanks John

John,
I sent your man a postal order (I don't have a cheque book)for the asking price about a day or two after I spoke to him on the phone, to the adress he gave me. We agreed he'd call me when it arrived, but I've heard nothing and its been a while. I've been just too busy to chase him up to see whats happening but from the above my only guess is he hasn't got it. I'm going to go nuts with Royal Mail if thats gone walkabout with one of their Posties,

I mounted three four gang extention leads into the forge at the Farm. One is screwed to the joist above the main workbench, another above where the moveable bench usually sits and one at waist hieght next to the forge. All the power tools are plugged in above head height with their cords hanging down. Left on the benches nothing trails along the floor or is a trip hazard. All the wiring runs along the ceiling and through the joists.

Chalk that one up to experience Brian

When I worked with Willem Jonkers in holland I saw a miss hit with a sledge produce similar results in a friend of Willems. In his case I thought he'd got away with it (he jerked his head back pretty quick) until I saw a trickle of blood appear from where the nose bridge of his glasses appeared to be. Poor sod had to actually pull the bridge out of his nose, it had been driven in to the bone. Bled like a tap as soon as he pulled it out. Cue paper towels and pressure, closely followed by a pair of black eyes and a trip to A & E.

Blacksmiths Purple Hearts are the scars he carries that he can still remember the cause of

We don't have an English equivalent to the Purple Heart, seems getting hurt in the line of duty is an accepted risk for a soldier not worthy of a medal here. It's that whole stiff upper lip thing dontcha know. Madness.

Pine Tar? Have to try and find some of that here, as I prefer natural remedies.

BTW Frosty, forget stitching yourself up mate (been there, done that) SUPERGLUE is the answer. A brand new tube is usually sterile, (if you can't blag some of the medical grade stuff) and I always keep one in my first aid kit at the Forge. Better to 'possibly' deal with a secondary infection than have someone bleed out on you, IMHO. We both know what a 9 1/2 inch grinder 'could' do to someone if it turned nasty. People forget superglue was created for triage.

I'd say you should go with a lighter hammer first and keep that one for using on tools (punches, chisels etc etc) certainly until you know your swing is okay. You need a swing that feels loose but has the speed and control and power needed. Look at the Hofi technique for instance. People tear themselves up going at it hell for leather, ask around. A lighter hammer is faster and has a smaller face which means it will still hit pretty hard, you won't lose too much in the way of what you can move compared to the other benefits.
An engineers ball pein hammer of 2 1/2lbs is a good starter. They have a pretty sharp face so a flap disc to soften the edges is a good idea for a begginner, less likely to put big dents in something with a missed blow.
Failing that then a straight peen hammer of same weight is just as good.
My favourite is a left handed diagonal cross pein that I made with Glenn Moon in Oz.

Take some round bar, say 1'', fuller into the bar about 1/2'' from the end and reduce the bar to 1/2'' to make the shaft of the piece, then fuller in the appropriate head. The rook for example would need the hofi style round bar clamp so you could upset the castles tower, you could then use a round punch to go into that say 1/4'' creating the towers wall and use a flat headed punch to put the turrets in around it.
The bishop has that cross slit you could hacksaw in, it's easy once you just look at a simple chess set.
Want to do quick multiples? Say pawns for instance, then clapper dies are the easy way to go, or if you've a press then a set for that. Simple shape.

Frosty is right when he says between wrist and knuckle height for the face of the anvil. Stand next to your anvil with your feet shoulder width apart. Let your arms hang loosely by your sides and make a fist. That fist should be at the same height or perhaps an inch or two lower than the face of the anvil.
I've been shown that rough benchmark by at least a dozen professional Smiths.

Have you looked at the bloke on ebay Dave? He sells by the half tonne and tonne. Me and Sean took a half tonne off him a couple of weeks ago. Only hassle was the communications. He uses a courier so there was a gap where we didn't know if it had been dispatched. Walnut sized ( 'pea' grade I guess?) stuff. Not bad at all, I'm getting a good two or three hours of heat at least before I need to clear it out. Wasn't too dusty either, certainly of a similar quality to the lot another Smith I know is using. Came stacked on a pallet so was easy to put in place next to the forge building. Biggest difference was the price.

Ebay Item number: 350189825458,

It's a bit of a 'how longs a piece of string question' mate but if you've already got a rust finish on it then that rust will act as some protection from further rusting. You might look into painting it with a 'rust' coloured finish. (red oxide base for instance with a speckling of a few different brighter reds and oranges).
If you put a gun to my head I'd say a year at least, but it might last two or three or even more.
Experimentation's the only way to get a definate answer but I doubt your client will want to wait till you've found out for sure :D