chichi

Thanks for the reference to Jon Laubach's video. I own it and used it as a reference when I forged my first barrel. Frank Turleys describes the process well. However,the" Quest for the Indian Trade Gun" by Heath book goes into lots of detail and describes other methods. It is, in my opinion, invaluable if you are interested in barrel forging.

I am in the process of forging a flintlock barrel and a friend referred me to the book,"Quest for the Indian Trade Gun" by Robert Heath. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the process of hand forging barrels. Maybe not too surprising, there were many ways to forge a barrel and the book describes several processes well.The author reveals some counter intuitive tips about the barrel making process. There is also a good discussiion about forge welding, the historical methods of iron making and other smithing topics. That is all in addition to the research the author did on about 20 different barrel remnants found at various historic sites. His research covers the quality of the wrought, type of weld, size and bore of each specimen, and the likely source of the barrel-English, French, etc. A good read! BTW, I do not sell or have a financial interest in this book.

Ferrous, I joined NMLRA a year ago for this reason. To date , all replies to my questions have not been very helpful. Dixie sent me a note saying they dont have the book. I have the Journal of Armsmaking technology that was devoted to locks. I have made several locks based on that article but I am looking for additional perspectives in some key areas.Your reply is by far the most responsive I have received to date so thank you very much! I will try e-bay now that I know the title of the book you recommend. Maybe Pryor Mt. is still around and I will find him.

Ferrous, I tried both sources and no luck.

Ferrous, This is exactly what I have been looking for over the last year or so. I did not see it listed on the Dixie Gun Works site tonight so I sent a note asking about it. I really hope they have it. If you have a copy and want to sell it, please let me know. Thanks!

I have read vol 5 and love it and the other volumes. Unfortunately,there is little discussion about locks in Foxfire 5.

I believe the guards are slotted at the top and slip on the blade from the bottom. They can then be soldered or pinned.

Beautiful craftsmanship.

Too bad these faces aren't used with doorbells. If they were, you could always comment before pressing the buzzer "that face sure rings a bell".

One of the volumes of the Journal of Armsmaking technology is devoted entirely to lock making.I obtained a copy which was how I learned to build my first lock. I was looking for another perspective and additional insight.I have found little else on the subject. I can readily forge any of the parts. Except for the tumbler and plate, I think I could forge all of the parts in one morning from wrought iron wagon tire stock and high carbon from hay rake tines. I forge braze the pan and bolster to sheet steel and I can do this and the parts in about 1/2 day or a little more. It is getting the fit right and filing to final dimensions that takes time. I am looking for tips on finish and assembly. The tumbler is time consuming to forge and grind, and so easy to make on a lathe. I take the easy way out and use the lathe.The plate, pan, and bolster were traditionally forged or brazed and I braze them in the forge so that is traditional. I hope to get the rest of the rifle built. I have welded up a rough barrel and started working on making the boring drill.

I am interested in flintlock lock making and have made a few from parts I forged. It is hard to find informatiion on the subject so any reference is appreciated. I saw a blacksmithing tape for sale at Pieh Tools which features Herschel House. At the end of the tape, he apparently talks about tuning locks. The tape is over $30 bucks and is a beginners course so I am only interested in the lock discussion. Has anyone seen this video and could they comment on the lock tuning part of the video?

To do a modern video version of one of the elements demonstrated in the Forging Germany film posted last week. Pick any of the skills he demonstrated and show your proficiency for the benefit of others.Limit is say 3 to 5 minutes. Try to do with as much speed as the German Master Smith. It is not expected that a new skill can be done by any member as quickly as the German Master but that is a significant aspect of his ability. Thanks for participating.

Frank, Not yet.

Thanks for the interest and keeping the ball rolling

On 11/2,De St Uby posted a great video of a German master smith demonstrating the forging process for various decorative elements. The video was done in the 1920',s and shows what a master and striker could do with apparent ease and speed. Really inspirational. The work is a little hard to see in some scenes and the subtitles were in German so ,altho great, the video could be improved . This gave me the idea that maybe the more experienced smiths on this forum would be willing to take one or two of the elements and make a short video showing what can be done today with modern iron and skills . If four or five smiths volunteer, all of the elements could be covered. The modern smiths would be challenged to push their skill level and speed and we could all learn from their efforts.It would be similar to the great videos Mark Aspery has put on You Tube, but for these particular decorative elements. Is anyone game? I'll donate a t shirt or two.

Thanks for all of the advice. I am going to talk to Sid and order a new key and try that first.

The wedge that holds the top die on my 50 lb. Little Giant keeps slipping out. I inserted a few shims of beer can aluminum in to take up any slop and the die stays put for a few heats and backs out. I beat the wedge back in and repeat the process. If I recall correctly,I have the flat side of the wedge facing the back of the half dovetail and the tapered side facing the die. I beat the wedge while the die is in the hammer as opposed to taking out (would not know how) of the whole fixture. Any tips on what I am doing wrong or suggestions? Am I the only one who has had this problem. Is it time to order a new wedge. The end on this one has mushroomed so I have ground it over the years. Thanks.

I believe the blueprint shows a fullered groove going the length of the blade. I think it would be hard to do without a striker.Also, is a groove that necessary? It spreads the metal so less is needed but the cost of the extra metal is insignificant and the fuller is time consuming to make. Is that why you did not make the fullered groove?

Very nice work! How would your name painted on a small board look suspended from the horizontal member. That way it is easy to read and can fix the problem of reading from the "backside" of the sign. But, looks great as is.

Based on the middle hammer in the picture Frank sent, I dont think my hammer is special. It is probably a regular forging hammer. I dont have a camera so I cannot take a pic. Thanks for the replies.

I picked up a nice straight peen hammer at a junk shop. An older gentleman asked me if I knew the purpose for that type of hammer. I said it looked like a typical blacksmith hammer about 3lbs or so. He told me it was a "saw smith" hammer.It was supposedly balanced in a way useful for that trade. Is there a special hammer for guys who work on large circular saw blades? If there is such a hammer and a person on this forum who has a thing for this type of hammer, I would part with it for a standard blacksmith hammer as the design is not that interesting to me. It is rather elongated and I would prefer a lower profile Hofi/Habberman style hammer. (I dont expect a Hofi hammer in trade).

I believe the first "Blaclsmith's Journal" video shows how to make a star shape out of a cross section of a 2 or 3 " bar. In the end, the star is carved out of the face of the bar. It looks great and is relatively easy to do. Check it out.

Re Sam's question,I did not hollow grind the back of the Sen. It would seem that would make a weak edge. But,what do I know other than what I have works poorly. I will wait for pictures so I get it right.

Frosty referred to a Sen in a recent topic and it reminded me of my poor experience with the Sen I made. My Sen looks good and seems to be properly hardened but I have no idea what the edge bevel angle should be. I tried blunt and sharp and had poor performance with both. Is there anyone who has had good results with a SEN.If so, please describe the edge angle, hardening process and use of this tool. Is it better than a large file? Similar questions re a metal scraper used to true up a flat surface. Thanks.

Frosty, Can you describe your Sen, especially the edge angle. I made a Sen and have not been able to do much with it. I believe I might have too low of an angle on the edge. Do you have a picture you can post? Thanks