Willow Brookes

Hello All, I'm wondering if any smiths in MA use gas forges, and whether you have had issues when installing a gas forge in your shop. I ask because I am looking into renting forging space in Massachusetts. I normally use a gas forge when working, and I have been discussing this with the owner of the place I am looking to rent (It is itself a blacksmithing school). Apparently, though, there are several legal snags to using a gas forge in Massachusetts. There is a law (248 CMR 3.04(1), I believe) on the books that says that no unregistered gas appliances can be used or installed indoors. "Board Required Product Acceptance. Only products and materials that meet the product acceptance requirements of 248 CMR 3.04(1): Board required Product-acceptance may be utilized in gas fitting work in Massachusetts unless the Board has waived the necessity for product acceptance per 248 CMR 3.04(1)(h)." These appliances have to be registered as safe by the Board. As far as the owner of the building knows, there are no makes of gas forge that are registered as okay to use indoors according to Massachusetts law. I'm wading through the legalese right now, but I'm wondering if anyone could shed more light on the ins and outs of having a gas forge in MA. If absolutely necessary, I can set up a coal forge, though I do a lot of production work. Thanks! Sincerely, Willow

Hello, All, Straight to the point: Is blacksmithing and the teaching of blacksmithing, and craft in general, important in this day and age? If so why, and how? How does your relationship with the craft bring meaning into your life and the lives of those around you? I'm curious to hear what you all say. :) Sincerely, Willow P.S. I hope I don't sound too much like a schoolteacher, sorry if I do! :)

Jim, I just looked up your post, the project is really interesting. I might try to shape my class with that system in mind. Also, Mr Turley, I just realized that I accidentally wrote your name as "Turkey", I'm so sorry, it was a typo! :s

All of these ideas are wonderful, thank you! Mr. Turkey, thank you for your insight into the upsetting process. I learned to "stave up" (has a nice ring to it) by making somewhere around 100 decorative upset ends on the end of 5/8 bar for a gate in a production shop. We used the method that you described, forging a blunt taper.

Thank you both so much! Your ideas are exactly what I was looking for. I perhaps should not have used the term "traditional" as it is so vague. I should have said "hand processe", maybe? Anyhow, my current curriculum is as follows (I am continually revising, so if you have any suggestions please let me know :) Class 1: S Hook from round stock Skills learned: basic behaviour around the forge, two sided tapers from square to octagon to round, scrolling, bending over horn, tong use. Class 2: Nail to the wall hook, with twist Skills learned: Bending jig use (if I am going easy on them), basic twisting, isolating mass using edges of the anvil. Class 3: Colonial Mushroom Headed Clotheshook Skills learned: Principles of working flat bar, isolation of mass with fullers, spreading, dishing, bending jig use (if I haven't shown it already) Class 4: Bottle Opener from Flat Bar Skills learned: Slot punching, drifting, working holes on the horn, punching round holes, decorative punching. Basically punchapalooza. And using strikers to punch the larger bits, as an intro. Class 5: Simple toolmaking (small hot chisel, round ended punch, horse eye punch). Skills learned: Heat treating, a bit of tool geometry, some filing. Class 6: Animal heads Skills learned: Step by step processes, sculptural punch use, splitting with chisel (ears, horns etc.) Class 7: Forge Welding a two hooked hook with eye Skills learned: Forge Welding Class 8: Student requests (usually Damascus (more striking) or basic knife shaping) That is my current curriculum. I have been doing 2d animal heads, but just learned some simple 3d techniques that are nicer looking. Looking at my curriculum, I'm tempted to cut out the s hook and replace it with nails, or similar like you suggested, Frosty. It might be simpler? Also fewer hooks, and a touch of upsetting. Then I could get more into upsets with the bottle opener technique that you linked to, VaughnT. Up until now I have been using flat bar to make a similar opener, but the square bar method would allow me to fit upsets in their nicely. This all assumes that I can fit a smoke machine and several mirrors into the budget. Now, where would I find moon rocks? Thank you both! Willow

Hello, So, I am looking for ideas for smallish two hour projects for beginning smiths that can introduce them to the process of upsetting. I am a blacksmithing teacher at a small school in New England. I teach evening and weekend classes.The evening classes are once a week, three hours per class, eight classes, where I introduce the fundamentals of traditional forge work from tapers to slitting and drifting to striking to forge welding. However, the one skill that is missing from my classes is upsetting. Does anyone know of any good short projects to teach upsetting? I ideally like the students to be able to use their projects in some way (hooks, bottle openers etc.) Thank you all in advance! Sincerely, Willow