Metalsmith21

Never ever mill the face of an anvil!!! Did you wreck it? Couldnt say without pics. My time has been limited for smithing. So im no expert. But as ive read all faces will dent reguardless of mutalation from milling or everyday use, although your anvil will aquire dents from work even more so now that the workhardened face has been milled/rusted away. Only pratical remedy is to work harden the face by smithing on it. (Less than 100hrs anvil time) -over 150hrs of research-

Thanks glenn cant bring up the calender on my phone for some reason.

Any blacksmithing events happening late jan early feb?

Stealing "ideas" is like saying because i sang a song with the word "it" i stole the word from all these other "artists" singers. The item is made by you. You fired the forge. You bought the metal. you hammered the iron.

Would love to see the finished blades!

Take a file to it, if its been hardened the file will just skate across it, if it hasnt been hardned it will shave off some metal.

First question, is the drill bit deigned for metal? If so when was it last sharpened? Did you use any lubrication to aid the cutting process? To drill through any metal will take at least 5-10 times longer to drill than wood.

Thanks

Where abouts in Arizona are you located? Im just starting out and would love to get in contact with your supplier.

Yes it is thomas, i couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called. So has anyone made crucible metal out of the listed items in the first post?

I asked about a billet because i was cirious if anyone had melted the metals into a billet not a bloomery. Like canned Damascus.

I cursed my black luck at not being able to find a job around home, and continued my job as a truck driver.

Just cirous if anyone has made billets out of metal shavings, scale and black iron dust (harvested from streams and rivers) and if done before how so?

Your probably better off with a hallow sheet metal anvil shaped object, would be as big or little as you like while being 100 times lighter.

Everyone knows of the glove eater hand power tools...but even the staionary ones can bite. Didn't properly brace and due to my empty mindedness and thought my fingers were stong enough to hold the piece in place. The drill press yanked the steel pipe cap from my hand and sliced open my left pointer finger, and took a nice chunk out of my nail on that finger as well. Just be aware. I must thank you folks on here that warned me about the gloves... it could of been worse had a glove been present and my hand would of been wraped in the bit, broken wrist no dout. "Do things safely and right the first time, else you may not get a second chance to do it again"

Not a wire wheel story my self but a remindr to do things right the first time: After reading the stories about the gloves. It was the first thing I did right. In the process of putting together my first brake drum forge, I wanted to drill sone holes in a pipe cap, so I figured id use the drill press. There I made my first mistake. Instead of taking the time to adjust the platform and brace the piece with a clamp, I figured hey! Ill just told onto it with my fingers. worked at first..then when the drill about punched through the top it slipped out of my fingers and beat them a little while the piece spun on the drill. Then I made a third mistake. Figured if i came from the bottom it would wedge it self as the drill bottomed out.... started out great then it slipped my fingers again this time my finger caught and the drill bit sliced open a nice 1 inch gash on my pointer finger. Didn't bother with the hospital not unless I see bone. Needless to say it woke me up and after the clean up, I did it the right way bracing it and clamping it down for the rest off the holes. Lesson learned: Do it the right way, the safe way the first time.

Love to see pics of the work.

Has anyone ever made a trophy set of tools made out of Damascus steel just to hang on a wall to look nice?

Get a sketch pad and draw out some ideas, look up some on the internet, go to some antique stores in town and see what they have, use the ideas to make some drawings and get your customers opinion. and go from there

Thanks for the replies, but which will burn longer and get the most fire time? 50lb of coal or coke? I've read the above threads couldn't find my answer sadly.

Coal vs coke, same brand, same location, same amount of air. Which will last longer?

I would wonder if you moved the tuyere up higher into the fire pot and in the surrounding area build a false bottom thourly drill holled so it looked like swiss cheese. the false bottom being level with the top of the air inlet, allowing the clinker to melt down and seep into the real bottom without blocking your air flow?

Tuyere - the air inlet that connects the fire pot to the airline/ash dump.

Measure twice cut once. Too short? Forge weld and cut again.

Todays society is sadly swirling in the tolite bowl headed for the sewer. Its all about the milliseconds. gotta have it now or should of gotten it yesterday before i wanted it, the jobs that keep our country afloat (USA) a majority have been exported. And what jobs do remain get no respect. Even though the people who we provide the services to would be drowning, dead or starving without us