arkie

​There is already a new,lengthy thread on the forum about HR vs. CR steel.....

​10-4

​A couple of days ago, TechnicusJoe posted a new youtube video where he made a set of tongs from RR spikes and after forging down the head and finishing the tongs, he had no apparent cracks or cold shuts....check it out. Good video. Very nice tongs.

If you are wanting new steel and not scrap, go to your steel supplier near you. It is MUCH, MUCH cheaper to buy the full length pieces. Around here, the 1/4" rd and sq normally comes in 12' lengths, the 3/8" through 1" comes in 20' lengths. Most suppliers will cut them in half for 6' or 10' pieces at no charge. If you need shorter pieces to fit in a car or SUV, take along an angle grinder and cutoff wheel and cut your own lengths yourself for free if they do charge for cutting. CAUTION!!!!...take along your PPE if you cut your own...safety glasses, gloves (and face shield if you have one).

You can usually download most docs from the Miller website. If not, cruise on over to www.weldingweb.com and post your problem there. Probably a better source of info on welders.

Both videos are the same.

My son once said..."I know everything, I just can't remember it all at once..."

scotty, Those openers are beautiful...great work! I like the way you textured the "vine", but even more so how you twisted it around itself on the loop. Kool !!

Frosty, I got a quote once from one of the stamp making companies (don't remember which one) for a simple three letters inside an oval, 1/4" size approx. Cost was around $135. Too much for my blood. Bought a stamp from a tooling company, one letter with a circle around it, 1/4". Cost then $14, now $16. Maybe when I win the lottery I'll get a fancy one. Tried making about three; all were disasters.

Try "googleing" it first....wikipedia second....then take yer chances!!!

Nice work. Those are just the right size to fit in your pocket. Did you forge them with them being that short, or work with longer steel and cut it to length and round the handle ends?

I think you're right on that one...they would be fourgly. Is that in Webster's Dictonary?? Should be.........

If I hadn't ground the welds, they would be double fugly......

Frosty, here are mine....ain't they purty??? Kinda fugly, actually; but they did and do work.

​I have a pair of those! They were the first tongs I ever had. Had to buy a pair later, then started making them and buying some.

Some folks "refurbish" or reshape used farrier's nippers into pretty good tongs.

Yard art is a good start. You can forge different shapes of designs, make flowers, animal objects, BBQ accessories, make objects from horseshoes, make wind chimes, dinner bells (triangles), sundials, drink holders, snack tables, water hose holders, candle holders, plant hooks, garden tools, to name just a few. Most can be tack welded or utilize short beads, therefore not a lot of welding experience is necessary (grinders clean up a lot of mistakes....). Search google and yahoo images for ideas on things you might like to make. Etsy and Pinterest have lots of things you might try. I would be best if you can hone your smithing skills and do more forging than welding. Have fun most of all.

One can NEVER have too many tools....

Alan, No apology needed. We often do not know what other smiths' experiences, equipment, tools, etc. consist of. Many of us have extensive resources, other use only hand tools; some forged, some welded. My flatter is only used for hand hammer finishing and flattening of pieces that lend themselves to just that. There is no heavy hammering such as with a sledge and no strikers. The handle, though only about 8" long, seems to work fine with no discomfort and the welds were made on preheated steel. Under normal use, I see the welds holding up fine and as mentioned earlier, if they give way, I'll either reweld or make another. There is no hammering force on the handles, they are only there, of course, to guide the flatter position, The hammering force is vertical on the axle and plate. Your suggestion of slightly crowning the head is good. I'll probably do that.

​If one does not have some of the necessary equipment, i.e. swage blocks, power hammers, strikers (not equipment, I know), etc........then, one welds what one can. BTW, I class myself as an amateur, and my welded flatter gets the job done magnificently!!!! Hasn't broken yet, and if it does, I'll just make another one.

A fellow blacksmith brought one very similar to your's to one of our meetings and it forged quite well. You can take it anywhere, no power required! Yeah! You will enjoy forging with it.

That old post vise was a diamond in the rough. Good job on the restoration! Hope it gives you many years of use.

​Well, Dan, The picture of my flatter was taken right after I finished making it, so......yes, it was at the time unused. I might add that it has gotten quite a bit of use since then FYI! Let's concentrate on the OP's question and not how much I have used mine.

​We don't know how many other tools he may have, do we? A flatter is certainly a very useful tool to have; I use mine frequently. He merely inquired about that specific tool and the steel he had on hand to make one....'jus sayin'

You're probably gonna end up with a really nice post vise, there.