brianbrazealblacksmith

Thanks, Eddie! Look the third picture shows the undersized slot opening drift and the true size sizing drift. No one ever asked about that, but Dave Custer put it on another thread and made a YouTube video of I it after he came here.

I understand exactly what you're saying,Thomas, and I agree with you're points.

I think he meant what most every one thought he meant, Thomas, or he would have said otherwise by now.

Well said, MLMartin!

Arftist, I don't say that to brag. It is just the facts. I've been doing this since I was 20 and mostly 7 days a week 12 to 18 hours a day and I have more than 100,000 hours in with a hand hammer. I've slowed down a bit since I hit 50 four years ago, but I'm still out there at it almost every day.

Good answer, trinculo!

I've done a lot of production where I'm forging hundreds of the same thing, and I definitely count the heats and the hits. That is how I know what to charge. I've learned to rate my hammer just like a power hammer and use the appropriate hammer for the job at hand.

I just asked for reasons why to weld on reins, and now there have been some reasons given and some references, also. Thanks for the responses. I especially liked Bigred1o1's response. I've seen horseshoes welded from bailing wire, but farriers colleges don't teach that as part of a curriculum.

I consider the last 300 years as the start of what I'd call modern. Since man began to make iron and steel more efficiently. They began to use more and make heavy gates with light ornaments gilded with gold. I understand the need to teach that style in Europe, since they require continual maintenance. But forging steel for its economy of use has not changed where it is a necessity. Man has only gotten bigger and better. Just look at the industrial forging done today.

I apologize Gerald, but I'd still consider the reason of it being faster and easier as an excuse and not a reason. I've had teenagers come here that can forge tongs faster and easier than most adults. I don't have people attempt tongs or other things until they get familiar with techniques that move metal. I use "old" techniques to move metal with ease and efficiency, and it is not "hard". I was shocked when I first got around other blacksmiths and saw them banging away at metal on the flat face of the anvil, and I call that the modern tradition that got started with associations. I've been called a "traditional smith" but I don't call myself one. I'm a general blacksmith and I forge with techniques that are as old as when they started forging iron and steel. Some call them my techniques, because they are different from most of what you see out there, but it don't call them mine. I forge the "old" way in this modern day with no tradition to guide me.

You're welcome, Borntoolate!
There are different hammers in some of the videos that range from 3 pounds to 6 pounds, but for most of my work I use about a 3 1/2 pound hammer. I traded my 6 pounder with Alec for his 4 1/2 pounder that I made with him the year before last, arkie.

Beammeupscotty, you should take some videos of yourself and see why it's taking you so many heats. I learn a lot from watching others especially when there having a hard time at it.

Welding for a reason, like JNewman said.

Sorry, Thomas, but they have taken my pictures away from IFI and I don't know why, but I'm going to ask another question tomorrow about how "traditional smiths" do it and see if that gets moved to another section besides General Discussion where I usually put my topics.

Sounds like Charlie Brown! Wha wha wha wha wha wha wha.

Thomas, he said 4 inches.

1 heat.

MLMartin, you say it's "traditional" to weld on reins. I think it is a modern tradition.

All bars that you buy from the metal store are forged from larger stock. JNewman gave a reason that I can understand. I do not understand the excuses that some of the others are giving.

I was hoping someone that teaches this method would chime in and give the reasoning behind it. I had been smithing for about 20 years before I heard of modern smiths welding on reins, and I participated in a workshop where they were doing this. I would not do it again though because I like my reins to be lighter and have more spring. I'd still draw the reins out to achieve that, and it's much easier to draw a small section of 3/4" than an equal volume of 3/8".

I think they did it in the past to conserve on their better quality steels, but I'm just guessing.

Why do modern smiths weld on tong reins, and why did they do it in the recent past?

I get by with a forge, vice, and anvils, and have been able to make everything that I need with those tools. I do give classes in hopes of enabling others to do the same, but I'd like to have many other types of equipment to do more.

Use Iron Mountain Flux to forge weld it together. You can take your time to place the pieces together because you can stick or tack them together without having to be at a forge welding temperature. Then you can secure your weld with another heat. I wouldn't bother scarfing your joints either for a picture frame.

Allan Kress had a spring tool that he made that swages that style of corkscrew from round stock. Allan was the demonstrator at the Pontotoc Affair last weekend in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He did not demonstrate that particular thing, but he explained it and passed the tool around. I believe Allan may make that particular spring fuller for sell. He and his wife, Allison Bohorfoush, set up in the tailgating section at a lot of conferences that I've been to. Allan also teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School and is a featured demonstrator at many blacksmithing conferences. Allan makes many different affordable tools designed to make things easier. Google him.

Thank Ruben, and you're welcome Jacob!
You won't be spending hours watching my videos since most are less than 10 minutes long. You should watch some of Alec Steele's, Daniel Lea's, and Dave Custer's videos also.

It is best not to cut off all the way when making nails, so you can bend the piece and point the tapered side up to heat the head side and not risk burning your sharp end. You don't need tongs either nor do you risk losing it in the fire. Just ring it off in your nail header.

I don't wait till it cools. I just break it off while it's still attached, so I don't have to bend over and pick it up. If I'm doing several pieces of the same thing and I get to the point where I need to cut off, I will tap the cut off piece and drop it on my anvil or the floor.

I would suggest to never cut all the way off, so you don't need a soft hammer. Cutting all the way off can be dangerous just like cutting a piece off all the way on the face of an anvil or a cutting plate. The piece that is being cut off can fly away. Cutting to the center will not allow the loose piece to fly. It will fall to the ground if you cut all the way. I also would recommend not hardening a hot cut so it doesn't damage your hammer face if you hit the hardy. It will only damage the hot cut. If you have a hardened hot cut, both your hammer and hot cut will get damaged.