Jan

Send more pics of that machine while in operation when you are ready.Can't wait to see them,Mick.

Best explanation for sword doodling newbies,what I've EVER read is there:
anvilfire Armoury - The Swords and Helm page

Quote,,They are moving production from Chzeck to USA,,quote.
First thing first-it is CZECH for starters.Secondly,they are NOT moving to US,check on original page : Pr

I have found another site,where you folks can download some metalworkingtinsmithing books.

The Sheet Metal Shop .Com

Enjoy;)

Ye,
got it just a few days later,after this post.Anyway,there ARE some books you CANNOT download,such as Armour&Weapons of Charles Ffoulkes.... :)

Neat setup,
what about riveting them rings too?Originally it was done in the past,'cos when that maille is bigger and heavier,it has tendency to rip apart by its weight.Or split open during wearing.

There is certain percentage of people,allergic to ingredients(nickel) included in some s.steels.A few weeks ago I've got this reaction while putting my bare feet on galvanized bar stool(!).Sweat dissolved minimal amount of it and poor me had sore blisters for over 1 week...You never know,what's gonna itch you 'till is too late.Anyway,if is it ,,common" (understand ,,cheap")sheet metal,used for sinks and other stuff,it SHOULD be OK.

If I can add just a bit-for me worked adding piece of soft steel(or even iron,if available) between them two pieces(to somehow mimick soldering).It works sometimes better and one doesn't need to upset ends.Handy especially when making plenty of rings.

Dale, good to hear of you.Last nite I have watched Oz movie ,,The Ten Canoes";I've contemplated about lot of things,hoping you are all well,prayin' for rain...

Jan, if those are your photos, please post them in the IForgeIron Gallery.

Sorry for responding so late,Glenn-none of these pics are mine.I was competing in this show for last time in '97.And I have also no idea who are authors of these works.Just stumbled upon them on our local browser,that's it.

well, i do have a bunch of old leaf springs in the carport...i know many leaf springs are made of 5160...but i have no way of telling...came off an old toyota pickup

It should do the job-it's Japanese steel after all....;)

If you gonna make hollow or semi hollow disc pommel,then fitting the stone can be much easier.In the past pommels with cavities were sort of reliquaries,with piece of shroud or wood behind stone,mostly crystal.This was the ,,A" side of weapon,more visible to onlookers.How to make such pommel is story longer than any thread,so get your hands on books of late genius Ewart Oakeshott,good luck.

Etching & engraving weren't only methods used in history.You can also inlay letters-there were various metals for this method:iron,pewter,gold,latten.Check on the Ulfhberth's and Ingerlii's swords-http://www.vikingsword.com/
Btw,I have had forged sword blade in my hands for the 1st time around '84,I was apprentice at that time and very impressed.Anyway,it took me more than 10 years of everyday practice before I was ready to make one the proper way and even today I'm not completely sure,if I do it right...

Hi,
this site may give you some insight into swage blocks-read what is written under each picture of interest.
Swage Block

To download any books from Scribd you need to join the site!! it is free, and only takes a few minutes of your time

I did it already,but still have no idea how to download it(and I have tried couple of times).But also I don't need it physically on my drive-reading online is OK for me.

By the good luck I have stumbled upon this web pages: Scribd Once there if you type such words as blacksmithing,bladesmithing,metalwork,samurai,weaponry,armor etc.,something always pops up.People are uploading books there on daily basis,so new additions keep showing all the time.However there is no way to download it(as far as I know),but you can read it online freely.

Hi Ragnarok,
years back I was at BABA AGM(2005) and some hammer was there for sale for 900

Interesting,how stone and sword still fires some imagination.I have posted my view in chat room,but I will also leave it here for future references.Sword in the stone is matter of historical fact,as is sword in the water.It served one purpose only -the magical burial of beloved weapon,to avoid anyone(if possible) to recover it.For this purpose (sword in the stone) was created small coffin,called by modern archaeologist the cyst and sword put in it.Sometimes was sword accompanied by helmet,shield or both.Over millenia this act was misspelt and misunderstood to great extent.
It has ,however nothing to do with testing the blade and now this Arturian legend still lives on as a urban myth and Manga story.
Other references:Ewart Oakeshott-Archaeology of Weapons

Jan, cow horns? What did they do, rendure them like horses hooves and apply the molten goo to the ironwork? Yuk! I may still try your black parafin recipe if I can find some blacktop down here.

LoL,I DID apply cow horn on hot stuff one day at some demo in Ireland and there was that woman,making faces first,then shouting:Stop it!STOP IT!!!!
She was behaving like at dirty protest demo,really,but I kept going.
It was my demo,after all and sometimes I like to see my spectators suffer,to let them know that this job is NOT easy one.;)

Did you try to take off anvil(of powerhammer) and to put some hard flat steel into its groove?
It may give you more clearance.I was servicing plenty of blunt chisels(must been thousands over them years) for pneumatic hammers(Hilti,Bosch,Makita etc.) and often masons required pretty wide edges on them.So I did it this way,when they were short enough.Long ones we had to do by hand and that's real pain in ring,'cos them steels are hard enough to let one dislike this job quite badly.Oh and we were using Russian powerhammer MA with 80kg ram,there is clearance something like 1 foot or even more.

Jan, your recipe sounds pretty waterproof! I use bees wax just because it is a traditional finish to forged items. If I want it to last outdoors, your stuff sounds effective but so is paint.

No resolutions,'cos life is complicated enough. }:>)

Other overlooked thing about beeswax is that is it more porous than paraffin,so atmospheric humidity can affect surface of your finished product in short time.Here is my recipe for black paraffin:Melt down desired amount of this material and then add blob of asphalt(leftover from road builders).Stir gently for some time.After a few minutes that blob is gonna be smaller,but never truly dissolves,so take it out.Melting point of asphalt is higher,but in this case it doesn't matter 'cos goal is to have black paraffin.Enjoy

Hi,
my basic method of finding out is that I would drop(or throw) any bar to concrete floor(even repeatedly)-it rings.Basically,higher sound means higher content of additives.Next step is spark test.Out there are many books on this subject,as you know it needs bit of practice,but don't worry it takes not sooooo long time to learn it.:)

I was very satisfied with one particular brand,but I'm not sure,if it is available in your area.It's called Sif-flux and contains bronze or copper particles.The color of this powder is pinky. If you'll happy with shaping copper bits and pieces,move on next level and try mokume-gane.Good luck