jake pogrebinsky

Exellent job,Bogdan,(as usual). I,for one,really do appreciate all the logic of the archaic forging technology that you so clearly demonstrate. The changes brought by the industrial revolution were,in many ways,detrimental to both the process(for the smith),and the quality/aesthetic of the product. I've just finished an axe that could be the anti-thesis of your style:Modern alloy,much welding,much grinding,HT'ing,and the rest.It clearly was a process very wasteful of fuel and time,really underscored the difference in approach between the philosophies.For me,anyway. So thanks much for all your hard work in researching the past methodologies,very educational. All the best,Jake

Thanks,Bentiron,yes,derangement is a wonderful force,very useful in forging in particular! Bryan,sounds great.Do come down,if ever you get a chance.Motoring,the trip back up-river will be very gas-intensive(and it's $6/gal here now),but possibly still worth it.Static trip,canoe/kayak/raft would only take 5-6 days,and the Yukon is a class-0.0000 river,you could ride a log down comfortably.The rig is cheap to barge back up,unless it's small enough to fly back with you.Air freight back-haul from here is not bad,$1/lb the last i heard,so that's also an option.The trip down is neat,beautiful country,and many different kinds of it,too...

Thank you,Thomas,you're absolutely right!Well,actually,with my education i couldn't possibly work in any specific style,and so use the term "gothic"in jest. It actually would be very neat to learn the particulars of a given historic ironworking tradition,classed and objectified by some bright brain.Or to even just see some detailed pictures of the joinery. Something like the late Ms Meilach's books(not that i've actually seen any,but did hear tell),on some of the old European styles.

Darn,Bryan,my scene here is so confused that i still don't know if/when i'd be able to hit the road-system.Married to my dumb sleddogs,it's like being any other kind of farmer,very tough to get away.I'll let you know immediately if it were to work out. Glad to hear that your progress is slow,and systematic.No sense to rush things,spring's almost here anyway. What sort of access do you have to a mech.bansaw or a shop-saw?In case i get completely dysfunctional here,and can't size the stock for you,i'll send some chunkier stuff.WI is dead-soft,and if you can cut off a short/fat piece you can easily draw it out by hand,it's actually surprisingly pleasant.But with any luck will try to run it out for you.

Thanks,guys. Michael,i'm sure that you,of all people,are aware that work like this does not make any economic sense.So,i've let my record-keeping go(i've a better quality work out there that i have no photos of at all). I'll take a couple more after the oil,just for s...ts and giggles. (That's a primary reason why i bother producing stuff like that,as well as posting it here). Don,the installation is about 600(roadless)miles away from me,so that i won't be present.MAYBE,the client will eventually send some,but usually people forget. The weight is somewhere under 40#,i'd say.Not too scary to dangle there,but would take some thought supporting.

Well,another long-ish project is drawing to a close.A 6-candle hanging job,commissioned by a gentleman from Anchorage(muscling in on your turf there,Frosty). The concept is to suspend 6 candles up in the air,to achieve it by means of forging,and to make it appear so,as well.The setting,when installed,will be suspention under a 16' clear span(on a system of pulleys to lower et c.),over a very massive cherry-wood table.The owner keeps bees,and makes his own candles,and the irregularity of those was taken into the design considerations.As well as the hoped-for drips and runs(though real wax does the minimum of that,unfortunately). All in all,the irregularity of the hand-forging was the focus(as is usual for THIS forge).The plan beforehand was minimal,leaving lots of room for the shape to be dictated by the way the iron itself choosing to act.Having said that must admit that i've worked even sloppier than usual,and many individual details came out more crapulously than intended,technically.Was i a perfectionist,i'd re-do much detail,but alas,i'm not,so out the door it'll go,after some final adjustments + a hot douche of waste motor oil. Even though the technical shortcomings are glaring i still hold that the FORGED object must needs be shaped according to the way that the hot iron distorts,first and foremost.THEN there needs to be the COMPETENT execution of FORGING processes.Thus,between the plasticity of iron and the joinery the assorted sketching/hypothetical "design" et c.,has very little room in forged work.But this is just my deranged view,and even i fail repeatedly to live up to it.Such is life. Anyhoo,this is around 3' by 2,the material is mostly 1 1/2" dia.round obtained from an old anchor chain.Some 1018 hr scrap.100lbs of propane + 150 of store-boughten,Poca coal down the hatch.The photos are not the best,but are just to provide an idea.

Sorry,but must EMPHATICALLY disagree with Glenn,and all others advocating procrastination in regards to chamfering. Metal,hard as the face is,is extremely brittle where it meets the corner.A medium-strengh blow with a 1-lb hammer is guaranteed to chip it.One does have an accidental blow fall,every once in a while,and the edges do spall,and have to be ground out later anyway,but in a random pattern. I also disagree with the chamfer increasing toward the hardy and the tail.Next to the horn is where the hardest work is done,and the radius should be largest there,3/8" or so.Toward the unsupported counter it can decrease to almost sharp,to true-up some inside corners,perhaps,but that work is done gently. Anyone that has ever pounded a stake onto the ground would understand all the mechanics involved.And no one is safe from an occasional wild blow,so... As to the gentleman bladesmithing on an undressed anvil,well,i suppose that you do light work,and that you do it gingerly,not much mass in a blade...Technically,the proportion is(supposed to be)1/10.mass of sledge/mass of anvil.I've exceeded that on occasion,had to.And a heavy sledge blow anywhere close to the edge will spall it,for sure,physics,you see...(Temperatures matter,as well). Sorry,but i do hold these views categorically.

Congratulations,Bryan,what a magnificent tool! After a while,do chamfer the edges,though,they're awfully fragile.Will hurt your work,too,but mainly for the sake of the anvil itself. Amazing tool,can only imagine using something like that.100# is the biggest anvil i've spent time working on,and only the last couple of years,mostly used a 50# before. Very happy for you!

That's fantastic about your anvil,Bryan,very happy for you-excellent! I may be in Fbks early in March,if so will holler(not sure if i could get out to visit,but will sooner or later,and would definitely hope to do so around the forge). If not,i'll mail you some,or send it with someone going to town.Maybe they can leave it somewhere for you,AKFeed or the like.I need to forge it down to some sencible for you shape,1/2"-ish,i'd imagine(?) My computer is woefully dsiseased,i'm afeered,and i'll update when i can.Better send this before it crashes again.Best regards,Jake

:PBryan,it's great to see you making such progress,right on!You're obviously not wasting any of this nice weather we've had. If i may,i'd like to suggest something about orifices in general: They're always best slitted,vs punched.Especially as the stock gets smaller,as the distortion grows proportionately(punching is a one-sided process,or nearly so,and therefore unbalances the mass locally). Brian B's style of slitter geometry is exellent,you'll find it very easy to get comfortable with. One of the ways(of myriads,as usual in forging)is to slit the stock,forge the slit almost closed again,and taking a very high and localised heat,upset the slitted part.That restores some of the mass displaced by slitting.In the process the aperture is left round,so that the subsequent drift geometry is simpler-just a round taper. The photos illustrate the 3 steps:Slit,upset,and the finished drifted hole next to the twin of the original stock. This is just something to keep in mind,i don't want to impose anything on your learning process that you wouldn't be comfortable with.So just in case,it's a classier way to make a hole in any stock.1/2" sq.would be good for that,round-even better(as it'll torture you with the uncertainty of centering everything... ). What i need to do is get some WI your way.I may have a trip to FBKS coming up,if not,i can stick some in the mail.I'm really well supplied with the stuff lately,for a change.Just need to size it down for you,as it's mostly in 1 1/2" round. You're doing great,the very best of luck from down the valley here.Cheers,Jake. P.S.The above described upsetting usually distorts the daylights out of everything,shockingly so.But,is surprisingly easy to uncluster,as well.The entire process is VERY informative,general forging coordination-wise.But,needless to say,all of that is my,crackpot view...As always.

Igor,in the forging process(no matter how smooth),the Carbon is lost from the outside of the sword/tool/whatnot,necessitating removal of N-th thickness anyway. (NOT that it doesn't help to forge as accurately as one can.On his website,Mr Don Fogg has a very good description of HIS technique(very interesting,and uncommon in the general forging)). One can(and should strive to)forge as smooth as possible.The finished plane is a combination of all the dimples of each of the blows.Combined,they CAN make a smooth surface. Differently shaped hammer-faces help in that,specialised hammers/handled tools such as a flatter and a planishing hammer,different heat ranges,smooth anvil face,and the rest. However,finishing the work smooth by material removal is as old as forging.Scrapers are very effective,but so are the files,and any number of natural abrasives used in whatever form. Weapons and other tools were finished smooth for a number of reasons,corrosion resistance among them.

Hi,Mark. The "best" material for anything is something that you've grown comfortable with.Forging it,heat-treating,all of it. Mild is definitely an alternative to WI,even better in many respects(consistency,for one). Use mild,if you're comfortable with welding,subsequently,or cementation.Both are great things to learn and to practice.If not,then most 10xx steel would probably be easier to get good with,and preferrably new material. The difference between the heating and normalising is the temp.The grain enlargement happens above critical,and forging heat is usually WAY above that.Normalising only takes it to,and the 2-nd and 3-rd times,below critical. Best of luck.Jake

Cracks such as the one at the "waist" are sometimes termed "brashness".They can be caused by a number of issues: *The spring being used,it(the flaw)could've already been there *Improper thermo-cycling:Worked too hot,without enough normalising cycles,oran initial anneal,causing the enlargement of the grain,thus weakening the intragranular connections.Or,worked too cold,causing a partial work-hardening,and thus stressed to breaking. *Harmonics.Basically a type of work-hardened damage caused by the parts bouncing around while forging one or the other. *Nimber of combinations of some/all of the above... One major change of a plan that i can think of would be to leave the fullering to the very last. And,if one absolutely must use this steel for the job,to try working it very hot(yellow),with frequent normalising heats.Holding something like this,bar-bell shaped weight-wise,is best by placing the tongs as close to the weak spot as practicable.

Bob put it so well that it's hard to add to...But here's a couple more: Hang a coffee can with some glowing coals from your woodstove under your blower,you won't believe how easy it'll get to turn! Just forge away and ignore the snow,everything that you'll need will stay clear by use,you'll soon have your work area all worked out.The cold won't bother the tools,or the steel(i presume that you're not forging critical parts on that Boeing contract).It'll even teach you to work faster! Count your blessings:The light is exellent outside,hard to beat by many a heated shop.Also,you won't overwork your heat-it'll look cold while still quite hot. Throw some junk ply or roofing over the whole mess when you're done for the day-you'll be all ready to go tomorrow again.

Very well put,Don,thank you.Yes,once one is comfortable working deliberately,then the sky's the limit as far as creativity goes.Before that,i guess it all depends on one's "talent",innate ability.And for many of us winging it ends up looking sub-par. Jeremy,good for you.I wouldn't know how to compute by volume(booted out of 7th grade...).I usually do the most primitive kind of figuring:Measure and mark from the unworked end of stock,to at least know how much it took to forge a sample of what i need.Done at several stages it can provide somewhat of an idea.Experimenting like this is not the most economical way,coal/time/stock-wise,math is cheaper! But then again,the original stock is not always regular(been working much anchor chain lately),and so winging it is always present in any case,so it's all a balance.Yet another reason to cover all bases,if possible.

Mensuration was always essencial,even(or maybe especially)before the industrial revolution,when the blacksmith became the machinist. Traveller,inside and outside caliper,and a lead or leather strip to take down curves were the tools ALWAYS at hand,in constant usage all day. Repeatability,to name only one of the concepts,was paramount.(We're talking stub-axles for a wagon or a cart,vs.some goofy plain-twist on a candlestick). I've seen an old(early 20th century)textbook for blacksmithing tradeschool,in England.The FIRST exercise there was calculating the measurements and shape of a quadrefoil,so that the last lobe that has a weld in it will come out even.The precision was high.The students in the photos looked about 11-years old...(Wish that i was there).For those whose remarks above advocate random eye-balling:How many quatrefoils have you done?What if there's a number of them collared together?Or how about the pitch of the elements decending down a stairwell?(Curving/compound...?). As it is,doing serious work randomly is reinventing it all,one needs it,it did not come about as an accident.And for those serious about learning,please don't overlook that most important skill.

Neat axe,Dancho,thanks,and it's great to hear from you on this resourse. Personally,i consider your work some of the world's best,in all of it's many aspects.Axes and hammers,and other tools in particular. I think that many here would be very interested in seeing much of your other work,as well as your very well thought-out theory behind it.(Again,personally)I find of a tremendous value your research into the compression fit in both the axe and the hammer-eye,as well as your thoughts on the balance of axes. All the best,Jake.

In principle(stripped of all the technological niceties),you have almost all that you'll need. The air supply can use being larger volume,maybe 1"+ or so.(In keeping with the bare basics)you can build a plywood box,vertical or horizontal,and use a corresponding plunger to pump air.Or just get a hair-dryer.The pipe delivering the air can be iron,clay,mud wood,or little flat rocks covering a ditch in the ground,whatever. The admission of air can be right through the side of your forge,a bit above the bottom.Just pile the fuel up to and around it. For fuel,you can wonder some distance till you come upon a goodly pile of dry branches.With a shovel,dig a pit two-two and a half foot sq.Build a fire inside the pit,and keep stacking cut branches on top of it but making sure that it burns bright-don't smother it.The speed of you cutting branches with a sweed(bow)saw just about makes for a right rate.When the hole is full,cover it back up with the sod that you carefully removed,and chink with some dirt.(Repeat later,after you remove the ready charcoal,the neighbors will never know!). Voila!In a day or so you'll have enough fuel for a few hours of forging.Then the difference between you and very many production smiths(blade and otherwise),in Asia,will be very small.Just an odd apprentice-helper or two Oh,and a few decades of experience,but that just simply equals the coal that you've burned. So,go forth and work on your guerilla coal-obtaining skills! The best of luck,Jake

Teejay,i see,well,tell him at least that the sulfur inclusions are visible with a nekkid eye(it may matter in a finer metallurgy of bladesmithing),but that the BTUs are there,no problem. And no,i don't believe i've had the honor to meet him.It is a big state,and i'm rarely on the road system.My regards,though,and all the best to him and the other Wasilla smiths,Frosty,Mark C,et al. On your question,afraid that i'm not much help.Bryan,any thoughts?It's just between building,and scavenging my tooling i could not think of anything that i,personally,would need...Also,Alaska is fairly plugged-in,and the mail-order scene is well developed. Possibly,Wes,a bladesmith working on Kodiak Is can think of some specific knife-related tools that are hard to come by(if he chances to see this). Mustadd that it's somehow very satisfying to becasually exchanging noteswith someone from Oklahoma-neat!Cheers there,Teejay,and good forging! Rio Bravo-just out of contrariness,i can say just the opposite,and it will be equally true!I understandwhat you mean,though,am a compulsive reader myself(often,to the detriment of productivity). But,back to your thought:Actually,to "translate",implies a mastery of ...Both,i suppose.So,one DOES need to speak the proper Forge-tongue(i.e.technique),to be able to express one's elf in this medium!Cheers to you as well,sir,and booksare,indeed,way cool!

Hey,Bryan.Hope that you don't take my posturing seriously-i'm funning,of course.My "lifestyle" here is stupid,at best,suicidal at worst,but in NO wise an approach to sensible forging. I have endless respect for those of us that are prudent,take their time studying,proceed with calm and dignity.You'll end up way further that way. The propane forge is nice,for some things.Very different from coal. The cold is actually less kind to gas.Once the 100lb bottle cools down to our temps,you've pretty much had it.Besides insulation,and the heat source,it'll take time to warm up.If it's inside.Outside-forget it.(Forging inside with a tank next to you is unsettling somewhat,but it is what i do,no other way.) Coal is actually more practical in the low range of temps.Put your bunny boots on,and you'll find yourself stripping to a comfortable gear layer,soon. Sorry,i lied about that low-pressure center.It moved off,beyond the hills.We're probably in this spell for a good while.Well,we were overdue. Stay warm,and all the best to ya,Jake

If this works for you-cool!Power to you. Personally,i like better support under the assorted driftables.A drift with it's conical section precludes the exact support,yet,any wider space underneath than the minimal lends a bending moment to the work,pinching the drift. The sharp edges of the penetration also look ominous,to me,but that's me. The sound technology would be to provide support as close to the drift as ever one can come.Usually,that means the sides of the drift,as the taper is somewhat less. What cannot be supported adequately(closely),is better off flying,as any resistence at N distance from the edge of the drift will be bending the work upwards. But i'm repeating myself,anyhoo,all this IMHO,and good luck.Jae

Teejay,i can tell you what i now at this point,and even more later. This stuff is NOT for the fainthearted... It is a soft bitumenous coal contaminated with stuff that,vaporised,can hurt you bad(per my engineer friend and associate). It does not coke,but forms ash and a silicate clinker,depending on the blast(i surmise).The slag is very sticky,andwill do a job on your iron,important to maintain the depth of fire. The structure of it is flat/plate type,so it's not easy to manage in the pot. The BTU's are very high,it roars with enough air(will oxidise your work unto ...bad states,anyhoo). Beside being a masochist,one must have a serious forge-hood,and very fire-retardent surrounding area.The fines,inevitable when buying large quantities, create diplays that are pretty scenic. All in all,i wouldn't recommend it to a beginner.Many of these effects are true of many kinds of coal,but it don't make it much easier,and this stuff can discourage a less experienced person. For years i've been spoiled by the assorted Poco types,but it would not be practical to use for what i need it for.(I need to run a LARGE fire,without any regards to saving fuel). So,depending on what your friend wants to do,it CAN be tamed,but god helps us all. The very best of luck,Jake

Aw,c'mon.Bryan,get your butt out there-it's only -41! OK,never mind,just envious of all these books,only read a couple of those,good for you to've gotten them.I did spent about 4 hours forging yesterday,have a frostbitten spot to show for it,andspent all day today installing a barrel-stove,about time. Wanted to tell you that i started to use that coal from Healy,the Usibelli mine.It is foul(visible sulfur inclusions),and acts weird.Am having to learn to manage it like i've never used coal before,sq.1.BUT:It IS usable,and does work in the bottom-blast.(With a LOT of blast,i'm using an oil furnace blower,though the handcrank is sufficient). I've 1 ton of it to go through,so will be able to tell you more about it soon. Don't despair(yet),i can see a large low pressure center heading your way(my visibility south is extensive),shouldbe there by Friday,i'd say. Stay warm!Jake

O.K.,it works well enough right this moment.Use the buttons on the top of the page that says "Cannot be displayed..." Darn,i wish that i had a printer,i need this stuff.A friend most generously sent this to me.