chichi

I suggest we not lose sight of the more important issue. (Tong reins are just a teaser). To use a business term I dont like, the takeaway is Brians method for moving steel efficiently. He showed that in his video on drawing tapers. The key seemed to be that a small section of the iron is pinched on anvils edge to get efficient movement of metal versus full flat hammer blows on the anvil flat face. I guess the rounding hammer is also key because it concentrates the force in a smaller area than traditional flat hammer. Do I have it right? Brian, Please complete the lesson for our benefit. I often forge the reins because upestting for the scarf and clean up of the weld take almost as long as welding.

Thanks Francis,Jim, and Thingmaker.. Your reply was very helpful. You are apparently not as full of your self as other posters.

Can someone direct me to a tutorial on making box joint pliers. I remember seeing a video years ago about smiths in a developing country making pliers. They were knocking them out like crazy.Of course, there was a lot of preparation done before the steps shown in the video. Thanks.

I believe there is an example in one of the German/English Blacksmithing books I have and whose title escapes me at the moment. The book has an example of forging a bull, letters ,numbers, flowers etc. I will look for it in the morning.

I have read the Brumfield article(outstanding) and it was a basis for how I made mine. His are much better looking. I developed my own style to fit my skills or lack thereof. I work alone so that also changes the approach. Brumfield forges his plate and pan. I forge braze the pan to the plate. I also do the frizzen a little differently but same end result.I cheat on the tumbler because it is so easy to make on a lathe versus making a special tool. The bridle is simple and the sear is not too bad. The main and frizzen spring are not too bad and the sear spring is simple but a pain due to its size. Rockstar, I can try to get some pictures for forging the hammer but it may not be for a week or two because I am quite busy at work. It is funny. I have offered to provide info on lockmaking on the NMLRA site a few times and no one expressed an interest.I am not expert but probably better than anyone who has not done it.

I do believe the butt weld was more common and it is done without a scarf.I believe the spiral type is more of a jump weld. I have done short barrels like this but found it more difficult than the butt weld style.Mick's pattern welded barrel is very beautiful.Did you use a solid core around which the pattern welded steel is welded. I heard some guys use this metod and have a machine shop bore out the core so the barrel could handle smokeless powder.

Bill hit the nail on the head. You need more mass than 1/2" for the lower jaw. Here is how I do it. Lets say you use 3/4 square. Fuller in at about a half inch from the end. This section will be the vertical top piece. I cant recall the proper name. Fuller about another 1/2 in down again. Both fullers are about 2/3 of stock depth. Drop another 1/2 inch and fuller from the back side about 2/3 depth. You now have 3 fullers. Flatten the first to make the vertical part but leave it thick because it will be your handle later. Now, you want to forge out the lower jaw. Hammer in from the sides below the first fuller about 1/4 in down from the top of the lower jaw. This will allow you to hold the piece in the vise so you can spread the jaw. To do this , you need to cut the piece from the 3/4 bar that has been your handle. Cut about 1/2 to 5/8 below the last fuller (the one from the back side). Take a very good heat and lock in vice just above the last fuller. Beat down on what will be the lower jaw. You want to spread the thickness as well as thin this section. It may take a few heats and a set hammer is helpful. After you establish the jaw, lay the piece on its side(Using the top piece as the handle) and forge the lower section (thru which the tumbler shaft fits). This is just a flattening process but dont forget to leave a section for the shoulder that stops the cock by hitting the lock plate when the cock is released. This is a little tricky but after a few attempts you will get the hang of it. The frizzen is technically more difficult. You need to forge weld high carbon steel (make a sharp bend at the edge of the weld)and shape the lower section that is fitted to the pan. This section also needs to be shaped in a way that will cause the frizzen spring to keep the frizzen up. I love forging these parts so ask if ou have more questions. You wont find more than a couple of guys who have done this work. Ask me how I know.

KYBOY, If you are serious about building a rifle, PM me. I can help on the barrel welding and lock making. I have made a few locks and have the forging part down fairly well. Getting info on lockmaking is very difficult . Reply to Ken G. Yes! I have forged 4 locks and a barrel since we were together at Bookies. I have not completed the barrel (ie. bored and rifled) yet. I got off on a tangent a year or so ago but plan to resume. Hope you are well!!

Outstanding!

I have welded a black powder barrel using 3.5 in wide wagon tire by 3/8 thick. I also used 4 by 1/2 which I thought was a little too heavy. The wrought in tire is poorer quality and there will be splits that you need to reweld. When you swage the barrel round , that will tend to thicken the sides. I made a barrel and swaged the billet round and it ended up just too thick with a small opening.. I couldnt get a 1/4 in bore drill to not snap off. If you can find better wrought, use that but a tire was used in the day. If nothing else, the tire will be good practice. After a few hundred welds, you will find that the welding is the easy part. Boring the hole is more work. PM me if you need more info. I am no expert but I do know one. Good luck.

A little OT. A friend of mine restores cars. He was a body man of the old school. He would adjust the fit of a door by hanging on it while the door was open. Uncanny how close he could get.

It is very nice. Good job. Is it comfortable when in use? I make the common style(mountain man type) and always thought they were a little rough on the knuckles.

It is good to see that others find pleasure and the efficiency in such a basic tool.

I think we sometimes overlook the efficiency of some hand tools such as the cold chisel.Whenever I work with sheet stock up to about 1/8, I like to cut with a cold chisel whenever possible. It is fun and goes quickly as long as the piece is not too clumsy to work with. Do others use the cold chisel for heavier stock? I am not talking about a bar that gets scored and bent until it breaks. I am talking about more intricate shapes. Would 1/4 inch be feasible? Are there special techniques? The front jaw on my vise is slightly lower than the back. I can put a piece of sheet in the jaws and chisel almost horizontally using the back jaw as the back stop. Is that the intended purpose for the jaw or just a useful misalignment? I know you want a scrap piece on the avil to avoid scars and dulling the chisel. Anything else less obvious? What is the best blade angle? Thanks.

Could it just be a triangular piece of flat stock to start. Two chisel cuts to make the spurs on each side and the middle section is fullered out wide and rolled into a socket? I suppose the spurs have to be bent out of the way while working the middle section. Just a guess.

Maybe someone here knows where to find it. There is a you tube video of a german smith that forges a mouse over the anvil and leaves a very long distinctive tail on the mouse.. If you can learn how to forge the mouse, the humming birds on the wire with the long tails should be a similar process.

Thanks for the tip Dancho. I would work on the horn but mine is a little large for the axe I was making. I agree that more material above the slit would make it easier. Keep up the excellent work.

Dancho, I am a fan of your work. A few months ago, I made a small axe so I could try to make the eye with the two elongated spurs on top. I dont know if that is a good description but you probably get the idea. To do this,I slit and punched the eye so that there was about a half inch or so of material above the slit. This gave me enough material to pull the spurs out as you have done.I opened the hole and inserted a cold bar . This gave me an "internal anvil" on which I could easily pound the heated top and move the metal to form the spurs. Is that the techniques you use? I believe you said you dont weld other than the steel for the bit. Good work!

Jeremy, Outstanding. There is,I believe, a fairly well known table made by a Smith over 20 years ago featuring the frog. It has a series of pieces emerging from the center of the table (under a glass top) and progressing to each corner. Each piece is a little more developed until the last piece in each corner is a fully developed frog.It grows from tadpole to full adult. I still remember seeing that one photo over 20 years later. I tried to find the steps to make the frog and never could. Your photos above are much appreciated. Did you make the table to which I refer?

I would love just a 100 mi. trip. I am near La crosse and go to the coal yard under the bridge in Green Bay.It is $200 a ton and useable. I can weld all day as long as I break the fire down every hour or so. It aint Pochahontas that I bought many years ago in Milw. for $135 a ton.

Just a follow up. I tried a small TIKI lamp. It looks like an ink jar with a wick. It cost $3.00 at the garden center.Burned clean. I extended the wick and got a larger clean flame. I think I will make a Betty type lamp and use Kerosene.

I bought a little TIKI lamp and will try that oil.I will post after I give it a try. Thanks.

The Gunsmith of Williamsburg video shows the smith using the smoke from a candle to coat the barrel .When the barrel is fitted into the stock, the soot marks the high or tight spots that need to be removed for a good fit. I wanted to try this technique while fitting some parts in a gun on which I am working. I bought a cheap Yankee brand candle and tried to produce the smoke soot. The candle burned clean. I used a low flame from my aceteylene(sp.) torch which was effective. I would prefer the simplicity of a candle. Anyone know the type of candle or technique to create soot for marking? (I also tried Dycheme layout dye but that did not work as well as the soot from the torch.) Thanks.

D. Ravizza, Dont keep us in suspense. Which of the two triangular locks did you make and which is the original?

I will describe how I forge braze powder pan(where blackpowder is held) to a lock plate on a flintlock . As described above, the pieces need to be in position while in the fire. I forge the pan, file the mating surface flat and shiny. I then drill a 1/8 hole in the lock plate where I want the pan. I also drill a 1/8 hole in the pan and pin the two pieces together with 1/8 rod. (I sometimes use two pins). The parts are held securely and in close fit. I put the plate with the pinned pan in the forge and heat. Once it gets red, I add flux and then keep up the heat and touch some brazing rod to the joint. The rod melts quickly and the brass/bronze runs into the joint. I stop the blower and let the piece cool a little. I then remove and quench. The joint is really strong. I did a test piece and beat the pan and I couldnt beat it from the lock plate. Instead of rod, I could use little pieces of brazing rod in the joint and it would work as well. This is easier than forging the pan or trying to weld a pan to the plate and it is historically correct. It is a good skill. I have done a few other things using this metod. Give it a try and good luck.