Jeff Mack

I would guess that there is a difference, but it's been a looooong time since I took chemistry. The Sodium Bisulphate works great for non ferrous stuff, and is cheap. Just not the thing for iron alloys.

Indeed. The MSDS is just where I figured out what Sparex #2 is made of. :)

Grog is small pieces of fired clay. It, like the sand, will help control shrinking. It should be available from a ceramics place, if they carry raw materials. I think Dick BLick art materials can get it too. They are online. Jeff

Thanks! How far fwd do I need to cover? The forge will be belly level, and the floor of my loft is 8' up. It looks like I'll fabricate some kind of hood to protect the ceiling, and get rid of as much heat and exaust as possible, and supliment that with an exaust fan high on the wall if required. Now I just need to figure how big to make the hood/heat guard. Oh, do I need anything over the forge itself, of just the front edge and "dragons breath" zone. Thanks!!! Jeff

I can never find hats that fit my thick skull. At a size 8, even adjustable baseball caps usually don't fit. Looked into custom ones at one point, but the price tag made me think about all the tools I could buy instead. Jeff

Anyone know of a good deal on LP regulators, guages, hoses, etc...? Jeff

Thanks everyone! I'll be sure and get a CO and CO2 detector installed too. Jeff

That potato idea is cool. Never thought of that.

After deciding the hurdles in getting a coal forge up and running indoors for winter were more than my budget could handle, I started to think about a propane forge. Dodge made the tail end of a LP burner for me this weekend, so that part is coming along. Now I'm wondering about what kind of exaust I need for LP. I was thinking about mounting an old kitchen stove hood, with a blower attached, a few feet above the forge, and running the exaust through a thimble in the wall. Is that going to be enough? Any thoughts on what kind of CFM I need to look for in a blower to exaust all that? I'm planning on a second, smaller blower to pull air from outside the other side of the shop in along the floor. Any thoughts would be a great help. Thanks! Jeff

Have you annealed the file? If not, you will want to. As it comes, it is likely too hard to drill.

I keep lots of baking soda handy. But, since the ingredients in Sparex #1 don't show up on it's msds, I figured they must be safe. Just have no idea what it might be.

I use a product called Sparex #2 for my non ferrous work (ok, I use the active ingredient from sparex, sodium bisulfate IIRC, that can be had from swimming pool places a lot cheaper). It works great. A few minutes in the stuff when it's warm, and the fire scale wipes off. I know there is a Sparex #1 for iron and steel, but the MSDS for it doesn't list the active chemical. Seems to be made of something safe. Any ideas, or anyone use something other than vinegar for the same job? Jeff

Anvils and bick iron: I've not seen any large anvils from that era. One theory being that they lacked the ability to heat that much steel (later water driven bellows could push a lot more air). There are records of areas with thousands of smelters in the Viking age, and smelters that seem to be a part time business of a farmer/smith/smelter. If you were in an area with bog iron, and had the land and the time, iron was an available thing. I think the size of the key was likly necessary to move the internal bits of the lock. Jeff

Part of the chest, it's contents, and a little about it can be seen here: The Mastermyr Project Another view, including the front of the lock plate: Mastermyr It's from Gotland Sweden from around 1000 AD, give or take. It had a bunch of viking smiths tools inside, so it's a great resource for what they had in that time. There is a book called "The Mastermyr Find, a Viking Age Tool Chest from Gotland" By Greta Ardwidsson and G

Thanks Tyler. Ran into him on chat last night.

I learned, last time I was in the chat, that others here are Viking/Medieval history buffs like me, so I thought I'd throw this out here. Anyone know how the lock on the mastermyr box works? I can't tell from the pics and illustraions I've seen. I'd love to make a full scale replica, but the lock has been stopping me. Thanks! Jeff

Drove past the yard in Valley on Sunday. Looks like it's just beside and behind his house. Hard to tell from the street if there was anything good, and I was heading somewhere, so couldn't stop, but it might be worth a field trip. Jeff

Ribe Excavations 1970-76, volume 2. Mogens Bencard ed. This volume covers metalworking, mostly casting, evidence from the find. It has crucibles, molds, tuyeres, and raw materials, illustrated with informtion on each. Good stuff. More as I dig through my book shelves.

The Viking Age, by Du Chaillu. It's 2 vollumes, with lots of illustrations. My copy was published in 1889. I think there might be a slightly later publication, but I'm not sure. Some of the book is wrong, so you have to take it with a grain of salt, but it's an interesting starting point. Since it is such an old book, it might be worth ILL'ing it to your self first, to see if you want to make the investment. The Treatises if Benvenuto Cellini on Goldsmithing and Sculpture. My copy translated by C.R.Ashbee. It's written in period (16th century) and covers goldsmithing, sculpture, and relating arts like coin stamping. I'll add more later. Jeff

A few of us on chat talked about starting a list of books we have and like that cover this era. The big 3 De Re Metallica The Pyrotechnia On Divers Arts I've got a ton more, and more info on those. I'll dig all my info up and post in the next day or so. Jeff

If I recall correctly, the water in vinegar will freeze before the acid will, so you can put some regular vinegar in a dish in the freezer, and shim off the ice that forms to concentrate it.

Valley isn't too far from me. That would be great! Thanks! Jeff

Ebay, but the prices are usually high. I've had the best luck at large flea markets in more rural areas. What I've found there has generally been a ton cheaper than anything I've found online.

Yikes! That seems expensive. If I read the web correctly, consumer pricing on scrap steel should be around $0.12 a pound. When I first got started, before I found my anvil, I bought some railroad rail for about $0.10 a pound over the river in Council Bluffs, but they had to meet me at the yard, and they were over an hour late. I guess some folks are lucky, and have good yards in their area. Jeff

So far, I've not found a good scrap yard to wander around. There is one off 24th and Vinton in Omaha, but they are really spendy. Anyone have a good place to look? Jeff