teenylittlemetalguy

nice job Wicon!

Hi, Mike. Are you here in Alaska? PM me and we can talk if you are. If so you just missed our Group Build on Gas forges, but we could help with plans for you and sourcing parts locally.

Awesome job JHCC!

I am so tired of hearing about forging swords, I need one of those as well. 8-)

I have a soft spot for portable equipment. I have made numerous portable kits mainly for use at our club meetings. Happy to see your set up. I see it really lacks nothing. 8-) on that last photo what is the hammer with the guard?

The one on my portable forge is light but works well for what I normally do. Diamond holes on the frame, front and back stop twisting and allow for the 3/8" stock bar to be slid in and out as needed. The dogs slide as well so they can be stowed for travel. the whole rod stows in the leg.

If you want to weld steel it is easier to accomplish than Mokume and typically cheaper to practice with.

amazing machine!

Please note the meeting is Saturday the 15th. 8-) See you there!

That looks like a scary dig to be in, glad you are done with it!

The Blacksmith’s Project Book Antonello Rizzo ISBN 978-0-9979798-2-4 Hardcover, 248 pages, over 900 color photos Mr. Rizzo has assembled a very nice overview of 20 projects as done by skilled artists. These are not your run-of-the-mill blacksmithing projects, but are nearly all sculptural in nature. You get a chance to see how a professional gets to the end result they want, which is a real treat, and with 900 color photographs it has a lot to offer. Many of the smiths in the book may be familiar-the most notable being Zeevik Gottlieb,who shows you his main steps in creating a steel figure. The photos are close, clear and very informative, giving you a good look at a real master at work. Another particularly interesting project is the eye-opening design and construction of a Venetian door knocker. Seeing the layout will spur you to consider the proportions you use in your own work so you can reap the results as well. All in all, I think this is a worthy follow up to Mr. Rizzo’s previous book and is definitely worth your time, especially if you are looking to expand your own work artistically and differentiate your projects from others.

cool, thanks guys!

I may want to do this myself. Charles how high up from the forge floor would be reasonable? also please enlighten me on JABOD?

Danjmath, no matter the heat source with coins there are things you can do to improve your chances and the quality of the results. The mantra of CLEAN material is very important. Even though it is possible to use uncleaned pocket change it is an advantage to clean it. It gives you a similar starting point every time so you can focus on what else you need to adjust to do it better next time. Scale that will interfere in a weld on most non ferrous materials is a REALLY thin layer, often it is hard to see. Don't be fooled, sand immediately before cleaning and welding for most consistent results. Scale needs air to form so the forge needs to be running just a little rich to slow it from forming. This also means leave it in the forge till ready to weld, no taking it out just for a look. Coins are lumpy, which makes little gaps for hot gases from a forge or torch to get in and make scale, undoing all your hard work of sanding and cleaning. often the only welds actually being made are the high spots where the coins touch, it is difficult if not impossible to simply hammer past that remaining thin line of scale and make a solid billet. This has got to be the number one issue smiths face with coins and most won't have the insight to see the root issue because it is not as critical when welding steel. Aquick couple blows from a flat faced hammer on a cold coin can really be an advantage when welding later. Good luck to you!

in my opinion heat is heat, so I would go for cheaper. I also like to make larger billets and a torch would be less favorable. Even though not as cool you generally can get better product using a kiln with temp controls.