brianbrazealblacksmith

Randy, go back to the very first post on this thread and there are pictures of it.

Keith, there are many different ways to make the v-bits. I myself do them with hand tools and a hand hammer witch I do not suggest emulating. If you have the equipment, you would be better off checking out the way Grant Sarver makes his tongs, forged to finish. The only thing that I would suggest doing differently than any other tongs out there on the market is making the v-bits a little less than a 90 degree angle to hold square stock even better.

Yes they are. I saw Roger recently when I was in Pontiac, Illinois, and delivered one of his fire pots to another smith here in Mississippi.

Like I've told many people, drill a 3/4" hole and take a heat and drift it with a one inch drift. It only takes one heat. Mike Tanner, Yesteryear forge, is the only one that did that, and it works most efficiently. Or pay someone to water jet it.

Mike Tanner's version...

Mike Tanner's version...

Like what Grant Sarver said a while back: the only difference in a hot cut or cold cut is whether you are cutting hot or cold material. I do not harden my hot cuts, but I do harden and temper my cold cuts. The one on the right looks as though it was used as a cold cut from the damage to the struck end. Dress that before using. A hot cut does not get damaged on the struck end so much unless it is struck improperly. A properly used and maintained top hot cut or hardy hot cut can last several life times.

Lakeside, that last comment does not pertain to hardy holes, avoid dressing the bottom side of the hole of a hammer or top tool. It wouldn't make much difference for the anvil hardy other than creating a bigger job than necessary. I use worn or broken belts from the belt sander to dress hardy holes and hammer eye holes. For hardy holes, tear an appropriate sized strip, and go in your hardy with a "shoe shine" motion. I do strongly suggest that you dress your hardy holes before you use them, and never use a hardy in your anvil that was not made or fitted properly in your hardy hole. Also, never punch over your hardy or pritchel holes!

Nice job Mike, you got anymore of those?

Hey Brian, ironstein. Yep, the tools keep evolving. The students walk away with better tools than I have most the time. I keep on telling Lyle that we're going to have to take a few days off and make ourselves some new tools. Steven did really well, and with his interest and drive he should go far. He has already been studying and sharing blacksmithing for a while now. he has quite a few videos that he has posted on utube under Lakeside Forge. I've been to Shayne Carter's shop to teach a class and demonstrate. Shayne is one of the top farriers in the world and has been for decades. If you or anyone else has the opportunity to get around him and work with him, do not hesitate to glean what you can!

Nice dinner bells, Jeremy K!

Steven has spent 3 1/2 days learning about forging techniques that move metal with Brian Brazeal here in Mississippi. Steven is an enjoyable person and worked diligently to improve and did improve each day. We would like to thank the Alex Bealer Blacksmith Assoc. for the grant that enabled him to come. Check out Stevens' accomplishments....Karen Malone (Brazeal) https://picasaweb.google.com/117030057799529631445/StevenBailey02?authkey=Gv1sRgCJCT966G5Yr3Uw

Mine is 27 3/4" high. I suggest no taller than 30", but shorter is better. You want the full throw of your sledge hammer. While at the Ag museum in Mississippi my anvil sunk into the ground and stopped at 18", and that was even better for the striker, but a little low for the director.

Evfreek, the smaller top fuller, the bottom fuller, and the hump tools are all the same radius and width. The radius is made with a swage that was made from an inch and a half piece of round stock, but the width of all of the tools is a little over 5/8" wide. I have seen and heard of many people misinterpreting this information. Some made their tools like a 1 1/2" half circle, and that won't work. The hammer would turn out much too long.

Kelly, you should just wait until I get there, or give me a call and we can discuss it. Lyle and I just got back from Minnesota.

I believe everyone missed that thread!

Monty, the dies or surfaces I choose are half of the flat face of my hammer and the flat face of the anvil while holding the material at an appropriate angle. The hammer is tilted in the direction of the angle that I am holding in relation to the anvil and not tilted as you would to fuller material with the tilted flat face opposing the angle of your hold. Like Alec said I will use flat punches occasionally, but rarely for punching very thin stock cold. I will also use a flat punch when I want to end up with a countersunk hole, and I will punch from one side like a farrier punches holes.

I call the two rectangular pieces next to the corner of the tong jaws in the picture hump tools. They are just an adjustable bolster for supporting the hammer or top tool while driving the drift. I came up with them as a simple solution for being able to do classes and clinics with the WCB. They travel around the country doing farriers competitions with ten forging stations, and their anvils all have a one inch hardy hole. The hump tools enable me to forge hammers on anvils with one inch holes.

I'd have to have that where I could see it to make that choice. The thing you are after with a hammer eye drift is the size of holes you are planning on making, and the length you are comfortable with.

Yep, forging is all about surface area contact!

Luke, I typed the first few answers inside the quote spaces, but it showed up like the quote.

First you need a punch and drift like this: Then you make the handled punch Then the top and bottom tools, and by then you'll see that you need to get a striker or a power hammer. Alec S came here from England and spent 12 days with me and Lyle,LDW, and he and Monty have been forging hammers and top and bottom tools since he has been back to England. They had never used strikers before, but they get together and do it now. Alec is not a large person either. He is 13 years old and weighs less than 100 pounds. The lone blacksmith is a modern phenomenon.

That is his number on his card, and I just saw him recently at Pontiac, Illinois. Try again. I believe he has everything for about that same price.

Hofi has some really good things to say about slitting and drifting where you are concerned with the growth due to punching or slitting and drifting. The information was in the old blueprints.

Portable tripod beater, that is an anvil! I sure am glad I made it. That thing has helped me and others make hundreds of top and bottom tools and hammers, also. Most of the people that struck on it had never struck before, and there are the scars to prove it. Mine is made from mild steel, because that is what I had. Mild will work and may be best for a "beater", but just about any brick of metal about that size would work. Mine is 4" x 2 1/2" x 10", but your brick would be even better.