Gergely

Well, for starters bad weather, that caused there were not many visitors. Almost no sales were made, income only covered the fair fee. But that's in the cards, nothing serious. A couple days earlier I talked with the man who ordered the fire place tool set, and he said he'll come and look at it at this fair. By noon on Saturday I received the information he is abroad somewhere and had been for a week... That didn't take me into a good mood. Plus all my tools got so wet I have to clean them all and it takes time while I have to make other things in a hurry. Actually it was a fun day, but you need some level of sense of humor to enjoy it Now off I run to work, 'cause lots to do and time is so short today, again. Bests: Gergely

As I read your post about the long wire wheeling I thought I show this home made cleaner drum I have. I don't use it very often but it comes very handy when you got to clean many small items. It's ugly and noisy but it works alone. I just put in it some steel chips, bits of soap, a little water and the workpieces - turn it on and do something else. No shop time for me on Monday but I managed to get my hands on some old iron. Bests: Gergely

Thank you, they have the grade nr so I could identify the alloy in the Hungarian system. It's Bz8 - I give it a try sometimes when I go to the big metal plaza next time. It's a real disaster to ask people about bronze around here, I got even from professional turners the answer: hmm, yes, there are some bronzes that are harder than the others. The only actual info I could find was, that in the beginning of the 1900's a famous Hungarian blacksmith used Aluminium Bronze for his delicately forged chandeliers. Bests: Gergely

Thank you, Frosty! I hope wood chopping brings me more relaxation as pain - my lower back feels a bit lousy. And I wish I could see trees everywhere around here: 1. I like trees, you know those that don't want to kill you 2. this was an exceptional winter and all our firewood is gone by now. Take care! Beautiful bowl! Can you please tell what grade of bronze you use for this work? I've tried to forge some bronze before but it was ugly disappointment. Bests: Gergely

Okay, thank you, Robert! yesterday a book followed me home: A Concise History of Modern Sculpture by Herbert Read. (The Hungarian version) I saved it from the rain And a beautiful and big (~25kg/55lbs) stake anvil did not follow me home for my great sorrow... Bests: Gergely

Wow, now I'm more envious about the crane as I was about the chest... (What do you call it btw? Chest, cupboard, drawer something?) Bests: G

Thank you, Aus. I'm very tired now as the last two weeks was a bit overwhelming. Today was craft fair day, and it was as bad as it's possible. Tomorrow I only take the mobil shop off the trailer and chop some firewood, 'cause you know, it's fun Bests: Gergely

Wow, 45 drawers! What a treasure! Or treasure holder maybe... Very nice score. The crane is nice, too Bests: G

Thanks, Das. The design was inspired by a Czech blacksmith. Me too The tools got carnauba-beewax mix finish. The business ends will loose their coating in use, but I didn't want to paint them with heat resistant paint. I think if someone owns hand made ironware they have to accept the fact that it needs to be taken care of. I found a brush manufacture here in Hungary, ordered 4 of these from them. They do all kinds of brushes from tiny to giant sizes. Actually they are the only maker that sells brushes for fire place tools on-line. Bests: Gergely

It's done, at last! And tomorrow we go to a craft fair. Bests: Gergely

Finally, it's done, only lacks finishing. It's a real burden off my chest... Bests: G

billy, smoko, akubra - you gotta like Australian English! found all those on-line, btw, so all clear... Bests: Gergo

I'd say a good hydraulic press with appropriate tooling will do the job. As far as I know... Bests: Gergely

Oh, I love the old harrows as forging stock, nice old mild steel or wrought. Of course this applies here, one pond away. Funnily I just found a harrow that has wrougnt iron only in the teeth and none in the body.

Something like this: Fireplace tool stand. A quite big one LittleB - Nice bunch! I very much like the plant holder. Bests: Gergely

Early morning job: the longest taper I've made yet. It goes from 48mm / ~2" to 18mm /~ 3/4" width on a 1400mm/4,7' long stock. Thickness decreases in the opposite direction. Hopefully I can finish this work today. Lots to do...

Congrats Das, well deserved! That really is a beauty, and a good welder is the finest investment a starting/growing metal shop can make. Use it happily Gergely

Hello, I started this reply 10 hours ago, hopefully I can finish it now. So: I'm a pond away from you but I'm pretty sure there is no such scrap yard that holds possible tool steel seperately. The scrap yard point of view is: magnetic steel or not. It can be wrought iron from the 1700's or bearing used in a race car, whatever. Look for axles, vehicle coil springs, bearing parts. Othervise you really cannot know: I wanted to buy a piece of thicker round stock once, found one, took home and found out it's HSS. I was even able to identify the steel grade. - How did I do that? It was stamped in the stock Spark testing is a powerful skill you must develop if you want to play with scrap material. It's not invincible though. There are just too many alloys with very different qualities... Now back to the OP: Steel grade is quite impossible to know if the maker itself doesn't want to or can't tell. Nevermind That type of tool steel will serve you well if you make your tools from it. Those steels generally are tough middle C content tool steels with some Mo and/or V and/or Cr in them. Sometimes a bit of Ni, too. You can make the tools you mentioned above, and if you find it's not satisfying, you make them again from other stock. It's the way when you use scrap. One more thing: if you want to heat treat that material do it like this: when you're done with the forging heat it to orange/bright orange, let it cool in air touching no cold surface. (On the top of your ash/slag if you use coal, or on any pile of ash.) when it's cold try it with a not too coarse file. If it bites heat it again then quench it in some oil. Try the file again. If it slides and not bites temper the steel as the needs of the application requires. If the file bites heat the stock again and quench it in water. The file will slide now 'cause it's tool steel so it has to harden in water. Temper it as you want. The smaller bits around here are oil quench material, the bigger ones go with water. Okay, this was my add to your questions. Hope you can use some of it. Happy hammering! Gergely

They do, don't they? I made the left one on site - people liked to see how the big nail transforms. I really need a lighter/dismountable forge instead of this one. It weighs around 80 kg-s and I'm a bit tired to take it back and forth. I like that table, too, It had lots of working hours in it, and even I may be capable to make a better version I don't want to discard this one. Yes, kovács is the word. Pronounced as covatch, if co pronounces as in the beginning of: coin or co-worker, and the a pronounces as in far. It was borrowed from slavic languages about 600-800 years ago. Before that blacksmith was called 'ironbeater' or 'beater'. Bests: Gergely

You're surely gonna need the ball sometimes. I recently have a crave for bigger half spheres for power hammer tooling. I have one as an anvil tool - I don't use it very often, but it's definitely worthy. It was a part of a truck, can't remember the name, Thomas Powers wrote about it several days ago... From yesterday's fair a 3m/10' long 40x10 / ~1,5x3/8" flat stock followed me home. I really hope it's wrought or at least some fine old MS because there is 10-12 more pieces left there. It was something like reinforcing element in the roofing of a very old house. I go and test it ASAP. Bests: Gergely

Thank you, guys! Sunday went with the fair. And when my wife and I got back home the heating system of the house was all upside-down - so plus a couple hours of desperate running around. I really enjoyed a nice sauna at the end of the day... Be well soon, Aus! Bests: Gergely

Cleaned and waxed some more things for tomorrow's fair.

Wow! Nice and heavy g

Hi Mick and welcome! Based on your words you have no clue about the how to-s. So Nr1. task would be to read a bit. This site has real helpful info from the very beginning to the expert levels. You can find titles of books here, too. Those written by very good craftsmen can enhance your knowledge. And it is useful to know what you want to do. As for the SS chips. In this situation of yours the wisest choice would be to sell the chips for a scrap yard and use the money to get some usable steel pieces for knife making. Please don't take my assuming and suggestions as an offense. I may understand your situation wrong. I say what I say with a good and helping heart. Good luck: Gergely

Hi Vaughn, Reading through this topic had me ask one question: are you really sure that you want to use this rack as a stock support stand, too? This would be a very rarely used function but it limits your design pretty much. Plus as my experience says, for a support unit you ought to use something light and quickly movable. (Kicking around a fully loaded rack even on wheels, that can be annoying.) Also supporting any stock may be needed more often at the forge or by an arch welding bench. - My point is: with some minor plus work you can make a lightweight multitask support while your options go towards a better way with the tool rack. Bests: Gergely