Dan C

Sweet design! I was thinking it was a Christmas sleigh or type of ornament that could be used to then later burn the Christmas tree.

Maybe this is the answer to the question what do wannabe drunk college swordsmiths do late at night? Hey I got an idea, let's create a totally off the wall newbie question and post it to IFI, then sit back and watch the responses. Every time someone says "read the knife making lessons" you have to drink!

Sweet deal for $150. The flour trick for me worked okay, but what showed me the most on my very worn PW was as the sun was low in the sky, the sunlight hit it at just the right angle and allowed me to discern more writing than anything else. A spotlight at the right angle seems to work pretty well too.

I'm definitely interested in volunteering in Fredericksburg, and putting upcoming events on the calendar. I was planning on taking some time off around Spring Break to paint my truck anyway, could take a break from that. Not sure how many opportunities I can make with work requirements, but I can certainly help some! If my oldest kids are available I'm sure they'd like to help as well, both are getting experience working hot metal and comfortable talking with spectators. Do y'all ever volunteer at Pioneer Farms in Pflugerville? I know we've seen demo's there before, but one weekend with the cub scouts there wasn't a blacksmith available.

It's sad that it took me over a year to finally be able to make one of the events hosted by Balcones Forge here in Central Texas. My only excuse is a busy schedule with family and work, but for any new or old smiths who haven't joined their local ABANA group find a way to make the meetings, you learn so much more from an experienced smith than you do on your own! Yesterday we met at a replica of a historic Swedish blacksmith shop near the center of Austin and I've never felt so welcome by a group of people. Everyone was incredibly friendly and willing to share their wealth of knowledge, much like the IFI family we have here. It really helps to have someone with more experience watch over your shoulder to give helpful advice based on what your doing. I was forge welding 4 pieces of 1/8" square together to make a small Christmas ornament. The 1st forge weld was very burnt, 2nd not as much and then the 3rd, 4th & 5th went much better and easier because of the advice provided by one of the more experienced smiths. Here is the 2nd ornament of this type that I made. It's about 4-5" in length. Then today we got together again with some of the members and I was very fortunate to have my two oldest kids with me today at the forge. Each of them got to spend time forging icicles and showing spectators what they were making. Then while we were driving away both of them without me even asking how they liked it said that next time there's a meeting not to go without them! A special thanks to Laurie and Craig for all their help today, we had a great time! Below is one of the bottle openers Craig made for my kids, since neither of them can drink decided it'd be a good ornament as well. Then an icicle my 13 yo son made. He had first made a real fine hook on the end but burned it up and had to redo it.

Christmas tree ornaments. Love the above projects, all very nice!

I'm one of those that from time to time y'all have either corrected on the forum for what I've done in the shop or told to check the knife making classes. Maybe at the moment I'd didn't exactly appreciate it but you were right and I'd tell myself not to do that again (then later I might screw up again). I've never taken it personal and now I find myself amazed most times at the amount of patience and restraint that is shown. Many times I find myself having to shake my head and walk away from the computer because of some of the green questions that are asked without looking first. Thank you for all the work you've put into this site and the help you provide. It is greatly appreciated!!!

Very impressive, both the film and the kitchen knife you forged!

Similar situation for me though I was using blacksmith coke before. There's information on using charcoal in the forum, my research here and my experience has been to turn the air down considerably and putting firebrick around the firepot so I can pile it up deeper. I've been burning & smothering wood in a 55 gallon drum until I can build a retort.

Here's a few simple ones I made this weekend. I need to make some with the basket twist next.

Search youtube for "beeswax coating metalsmiths" I'm not sure how this mix would work for something that is always going to be outside, guess I need to test it on something and find out. I do find that it works well preventing rust on things I've made. Before I used to use only BLO. If you search this area of the forum you'll find more than you wanted to know regarding finishing. http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/20-alchemy-formulas-fluxes-etc/

What about using a mix of BLO, turpentine and beeswax? Would that do better or worse for preventing rust if kept outside?

Looks nice and very functional. You may want to consider a dump gate. Far easier than unscrewing the end cap.

Can't tell if you have a dump gate or not. Do you? Here's mine prior to adding a 2" pipe for the squirrel cage/blower or the steel plate for the top.

You can easily make your own charcoal. Search youtube for "making charcoal for a forge" Good job on the forge, though you might in the future want it to be in the center of a table of sorts so fuel isn't being wasted on the ground and it provides support for whatever you're heating. This picture kinda shows what I mean. For using charcoal I need to do something like Thomas suggests to make the firepot deeper. Works fine for coke & coal as is.

I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I first read she's confined to a garden. I feel better now after spending time with my well used friend chained in my garage and am now longer jealous. It does appear she'll be well cared for until maybe the day a future son or daughter in your lineage puts hot steel and hammer to her table. Then the long wait will have been worthwhile and all will be right again, at least in one part of the world. Keep her safe from harm til then and thank you for sharing the pictures. She's a beauty!

Just filling up your mower can be dangerous. And how many times do you see people filling up one of these at the gas station and then putting them in an enclosed car? http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/04/21736375-warning-scientists-say-gas-cans-carry-risk-of-explosion

What's already been said above and make yourself a to-do list and keep moving completed items to the finished list. Then just keep at it. Later when you look at all you've completed your confidence and satisfaction will grow.

I'll echo what's been already said and what I did with mine. Put her to work for a year and then decide if you want to do any repairs. For $300, paying almost a $1 a lb you got an incredible deal!

#1 sounds like scale or hot rust, wire brush it off and you may want to make your fire deeper by adding more coke, turning down your air will help as well. #2 are clinkers you get when using coal and coke, drag these out with your fire rake #3 depends on the size of the metal you're working and the ambient temperature, colder it is and the smaller the piece of steel the less time you have between heats #4 my squirrel cage or blower is hinged and I adjust the angle at which it blow air into the tuyere I'm not following what you're doing with the drift & rivet, many things you need to stop between heats and figure out what you're going to do next before heating the metal.

Granted the steel is less than the desired level of carbon for edge retention, but I made one for a friend for hunting on his request. I quenched the blade in straight ice water and then baked it in the oven at 325' for an hour to relieve any forging stress. At this temperature the blade did not change color at all, so it's not tempered at all. My friend has since used the knife to gut and field dress a hog, which have very tough hides so he was pleased with how it performed. My personal preference is to forge weld in a bit of old file or other tool steel into the cutting edge but my experience with the HC spikes has been a functional knife, just expect it to not retain the edge as well.

Oops no, was hitting it with a tool steel hammer. I can say I've gotten my money's worth out of it and will continue to use it for a while after grinding the edges. I've got a suitable piece of 5160 that I'll forge into a new drift and use this one as a model. Thanks Kubiack for the Brent Bailey suggestion, nice things on that website.

I have the drift from Kayne & Sons, after 10 or so hawks the struck end has mushroomed. Can the ductile iron be forged back into shape or should I grind away the mushroomed edges?

The more interesting tools I've made is a spring loaded hold down, a bending/die from a RR clip (not much to do other than fitting it to the hardy hole) and last picture is a bickern forged from a jackhammer bit.

The 3x's I've forge welded a HC bit into hawks, one I split and the other two were wrapped around a RR spike end that'd been squared off as seen in this picture.