Burkey

Buy what you need to get started. Make as many tools as you can yourself. Not because you should just because you're a blacksmith but because it saves you a hell of allot of money which helps allot for a beginner. I forged my third hammer yesterday, still have two more to do. You learn allot and I think I've saved a couple hundred already. Not to mention what I've saved making my own tongs.

I already have a set of wolf jaw tongs for that, I'm making another set with longer jaws next, those will have to be rebar for the size of the jaws I want, I don't have anymore round bar stock.

cheers for all the suggestions guys. made a couple more 14mm round bar

I always wear gloves. The other half complains when my hands get messed up from work or my hobbies.

I tried filing it after a quench and it took some material off. Tried cold bending it, unusually hard to bend but no snap.

I've made a few tongs since starting out but I've only really made one set of usable tongs before this, the others were made of thin junk as practice, so, this is what I made today, 20mm square, holds nice and firmly with no wiggle. Any suggestions? And yes, it's reobar, I'm pretty much broke as of late so, I got it for free.

I mean a froe, I've seen them used to scrape along a freshly cut tree to take the bark off, seems easier on my back than using my drawknives, not sure if that's a good way to use a froe though. I haven't been forging for long at all so anything at the moment is a project haha.

Cheers, I might make up a log dog next, might be handy for bucking firewood. A froe might be handy just for debarking some of the larger logs I find but I dont think I'd really use it unless I was using the wood for turning or carving.

Yupp just like I keep all my cold chisels. The edges are chamfered around the striking end.

The idea is they bite into the wood a little and keep it in the log.

it's about 200mm long and fairly fat, about 40mm thick if not a bit more. heat treating was just getting just above losing magnetism, for 5160 it's supposed to be at 830c, i rough ground it before heating it, quenched the tip in oil then held it under a light to watch for the heat to flow into the end from the rest of the body to get a light yellow temper and then quenched the whole thing in water. rough and crude method for hardening but it's being used as a beater, all it really has to do is keep and edge and not snap, I found a relatively fresh log and split it with it, worked exactly how wanted it to haha, kept an ok edge, was able to shave my arm with it after the initial buff, after splitting the log it still was able to shave my arm hair so It's exceeded what I wanted it for.

I guess this'd be the place to post this. first thing I've really forged apart from tongs. mild steel body and a 5160 insert forge welded into the end.

Ah, I read up about the ABA but found it a little daunting to get involved in. I've visited the bloke from Mont de Lancey. Hes the guy I picked the anvil up from and a couple bags of coke. Nice bloke, gave me a stump for free and a bunch of plans and a handful of rivits. Lucky he gave me the stump as all the wood here I've bucked short and split for the firewood stack and I didn't really want to use my splitting block.

well, I cleaned it up with a wire wheel on the grinder and gave it a go over with a bit of clear coat, re-greased the screw, screw box, hinge and any place where there'd be moving parts contacting. Forged up a super simple bracket, couple wedges, leg bracket and a spring. the ghetto mount is just for now, it's decently solid and will do for the time being until I sort my workshop out. taking the rust off of it I found the makers mark, tried google, no help. it reads R (arrow symbol) C

Can't say I do mate, feel free to drop by and have a beer and a gab when you're in the area.