New2Smithn

Lupiphile i do recall reading somewhere,maybe in one of my books that there were two different things that low grade coal could contain too high a content of,dont remember right off what they were but one could potentially cause the iron to become hot short and the other could make it cold short meaning it could fracture in the higher temp range or after it had cooled it could fracture.I will dig around later on and see if i can find it and if so will post the info.

I have had this same issue with a railaoad spike before but thought i may have let it get to cool during the process

Very nice work,I also like the cross alot and those twist are awesome!

I have a book also titled elementary forge practice that i purchased off of ebay but it is smaller and soft cover,i think it may be a reprint but it has those same type illustrations.I thought it was a decent deal for like 8 or 9 bucks i think i paid for it,i still see them on there once n a while for anyone interested.

Yah Dan C i was meaning EBay for some reason at the time i was thinkn that i read somewhere on here that u couldnt actually use the name of another company,something to do with advertisement or maybe i just come with that crazy idea on my own lol...anyway glad u found it i have one that Chase Saxton and Dave Custer i believe forged together it is definetly a real nice hammer and for sure moves metal nicely I have noticed that Dave has had his hammers for sale on there regularly here lately so anybody lookn for one keep an eye out on there

Firey Furnace Forge has a 4.5 lb Brian Brazeal style on the E-++y site for sale, buy now...I recently purchased a 4.25lb he and Chase Saxton forged from that site and can say it is definetly a really nice hammer.

Looks like you nailed it!...those are very nice!

I bought 750lbs back around April or so,when i called the place for priceing the lady i spoke with give me a price for nut and a price for lump coal so i was assumeing by the name of the place that it was a coal minning place are something like that but when we get there it is a scrap metal slash waste disposal service that happens to have one big pile of coal around behind the office wich is mostly big lump coal and also had quite a nit of fines as well but they loaded me up she cut the price a little and i was just happy to have a good supply of coal.I done the same as you and spread a tarp out beside my shop and off loaded it onto that and pretty much jist bust it up as i need it,i went and purchased ine of those big metal trash cans with the idea of bustn it all up and filln up the big metal can but has yet to happen,every time i get it about quarter way full i end up bored with the coal bustn and excited to have more forgeing fuel and end up fireing up the forge before the can ever gets full....but anyway i always just find a way to get comfortable on top the pile with that can close by and ise one of the bigger lumps of coal as an anvil and do as Glenn suggested and turn the piece you are busting on its side so you strike along the seem and most tines it will bust apart pretty easily that way for a hammer i use a massons hammer it has the small square face and a flat chisel like cross section so its perfect for the coal bustn but im not sure there is any easy way to go about it other than to just get r done i normally grab a nice cold adult beverage to go along with the chore! Oh and remeber the safety glasses those little flyn piece of coal will put your eye out or at least a good little blood spot on the ole eyeball!

Very Nice!

Thatt is one sweet lookn clock!!

Really Nice!!

Absolutely Gorgeous! Awesome work!

Hello nankbrown i to have been strugleing to forge tongs and have the exact same story...i have watched all the youtube vids bought Bill Epps tong dvd and watched all these videos countless times and at the end of the video feel the same way you do,as though i couldnt have the steps any more clear in my head when i rehearse the steps in my head i feel as thiugh i already have the tongs made but as soon as i lay the hot iron on the anvil and start to lay down the hammer blows i quickly realize how new i really am to Blacksmithing i have tried the Brazeal way and all the Bill Epps methods for a total of about 6 tries useing 5/8 sucker rod wich is hard as a brick bat even when good and hot..well finally i have managed to forge a useable pair of small flat bit tongs from 1/2" mild steel they arent the greatest looking tongs but they work and hold 1/4" really nicely they took me a good while to get them done and ready to use probably far longer than stock that size should but they were great practice and i figure working with the smaller stock would help hone my skills for bigger ones but anyway i used a machinest speed square the kind with the slideing rule to make the mark to start the first set down for the jaw area and the made a 30degree mark across the anvil for the second set down for the boss area once these areas were laid out i went through them a couple times to make sure they were shaped nicely and clean them up a little once that was complete i then forged the third set down for the rear of the boss on the second tong half lay the marks down on the anvil again in the same exact spots and reapeat the prosses except on the last set down for the rear of the boss heat it up and quickly hold it next to the first side to try and make sure you forge the rear of the boss in the same place as the first either eyeball this really quick or try to make a mark nefore going to the anvil then if you get all the right try not ruin them when riveting them wich i almost did i used 1/4" for the rivet becuase i was scared anything else would be to big and i had a heck of a time with that task especially being my first time makeing a rivet but anyway sorry for such a long post and hope it wasnt to much rambling on but seen i am in the same sitiuation i figured i would at least try and help one other thing check out the dvd A Blacksmithing Primer 2 its where everything really seem to come clear for me on tong forgeing his way of teaching is really clear as is all the others who i have watched but for some reason that ine last vid seem to really bring it to lightfor me...at least i think so anyway! Lol. Have a good one and Forge on

Hello IronDan89 I am also very new to Blacksmithing,just got started getting everthing together back around January or so of this year and cuaght the bug pretty hard pretty much eat sleep and think Blacksmithing even when i cant be at the forge im in deep thought of how bad i want to be there! Lol...anyway do just as Glenn says and read read and read some more there hasnt been to much info j havent been able to find here ob the forum especially on the basics also U Tube is full of info if you need to see things in action buy yourself a few books The Backyard Blacksmith is a really good read with plenty if info to get you started i would suggest once you have a way to heat your steel to concentrate alot on getting a good fire built and tending that fire especially if its solid fuel that aline will be quite a chore till you have the hang of it also back to the book...you can carry that book out to your smithy open it up on a table close by you light a fire in the forge and start smithing every time you run into something basic you arent sure of while forgeing,set the iron to the side reference the book for an answer to your question reheat and start to beat again trust me if you will get ou there and just beat your brains out both mentally and fisically you will soon start to see your self makeing some advancements anyway this is my first time posting anything really and hope that this long drawn out speech is helpfull to you in some kind of way. Hope it all works out for you! Have a good one and Forge On!

Those are definetly very nice...i recently purchased Bill Epps tong makeing dvd and attempted to make a pair of bolt tongs from 5/8" sucker rod like the ones he makes and failed miserably! Though they do some what resemble a tong the two sides are so far off they will never work but they were fun to try and i will be back at it try n again my next off days! Hopefully a i can post some pics of tongs as nice as yours when im done