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.

I managed to pick up a little leg vice that sits a bit taller than the anvil which is just over 900mm. I'll have to fab/forge a bracket and spring (I've got some 5160 laying about) And the workshop is a 4 car garage thats never had a car in it.....I plan to clean this weekend, as you can see it really needs it.

Hey all, I'm in hoppers crossing vic, if you're around the area my workshop door is normally open.

I might as well show something I've made. Heres a couple draw knives made from 5160 hardened and tempered. And yes. I snapped one....clamped it before tempering. They cut great and making handles is so much easier now.

cheers, I can never say no to more tools so ill keep an eye out for one.

My vice has been through at least 40 years of being bashed tight with 3lb hammers along with some horrid abuse and the screw is still in great condition. Im surprised something hasn't snapped yet. I have a large industrial mig and I'm an expierenced welder. I used to do allot of fabrication for my father when he was still with us.

I have a cast steel vice thats about the same size of the anvil. It's one of my favourite tools. Vertical and horizontal pivot with a pipe clamp on the other side of the jaws. Is there much more advantage to a leg vice? Hammers have been fine so far. I stand on the other side mostly. Im sure they'll end up standing on a log after I aquire more and tongs will replace them, the ones I have are currently hanging on the other side. I stand a decent bit away from the anvil as I'm a tall lanky bloke so I havent gotten any snags as of yet.

G'day all, I'm a mechanical engineering student from Australia and I've recently sectioned off an 8th of my workshop to a little blacksmithing setup. I've been making things out of anything I can for as long as I can remember, allot of woodwoking and woodturning and a fair bit of metal fabrication. So far I've been practicing scrolls, drawing out, squareing off, twists, etc I've made myself a few tongs and a cutting hardie tool from 5160 and have a few drifts and a few more tongs I'm planning on. If anyone can suggest a few essential/really useful tools to make up id appreceqte it. Ive tried searching but couldnt find much using my phone. Thats about it, here's my setup.