Black Maple Forge

We are currently buying a dacron string of the correct size that has a serving. Thanks for paying close attention!;)

Well, after spending a bit of time working on it, my brother and I put together this medieval (styled) crossbow. It has a recurve 150lb prod. It was a pain making the nut/tumbler and tickler meet correctly:mad:. This one has a steel nut, but for the next one, we'll probably use delrin. I hear it is a suitable horn substitute. The pictures are mostly self explanatory. What do you think?:cool:

I have soft coal, and I always wet it. I never really tried not wetting it, because I was always told to wet the coal to "help with the coking". I can easily get my coal up to welding heat this way, so I do not complain!:rolleyes:

Mine was FF...

Maybe it's just me, but I cannot find the video:(. Could you get me a direct link? Thanks!:cool:

Well, for the first question, I am using black powder (not smokeless). I am not sure of the powder amount, that is why I am asking if anyone has any suggestions. It is hard to find a lot of information on gonnes nowadays... I am here asking if anyone can help in proper construction, or give any advise compared to muzzleloaders of to-day with similar sized barrels. I am not going to blow off a limb (it was didn't happen too much back in the day, but it can still happen) as I am loading, then propping the gonne in a vice (aimed at metal with wood behind it) in a vacant area, then I light it from a long distance with an old fashioned match (the cord that slowly burns, not the strike on box ones).

I hate to be the one to say it, but I have heard that melted aluminium gives off "toxic" fumes. I have also heard that the fumes can raise your chances of getting Alzheimer's. Check this out: Aluminum It could be handy to know...:cool: I would suggest a lot of ventilation. Cheers!

2" with F black powder. Sounds good. How much wadding do you use exactly? It might not be a gonne, but it is about the same size. I am curious...

Thanks for the "constructive" criticism. I have decided since I am not sure of the steel, I will just make one from wood, or else buy a ready made prod.

I was originally going to make an older fashioned wood prod (~Greece 500AD), but I just wanted to see how plausible the idea of a metal bow was.

I thought 2" would be way too large. I did try a shot, but my missile was an odd shaped rock, and my wad was a small piece of brown bag... Do you have any pictures of his gonne? I would love to see some pictures!:D

To be honest, I am not sure what kind of steel it is. I had not thought of hardening it (for some reason).

Has anyone ever made a gonne (medieval gun- sometimes referred to as a hand cannon)? I have tried (and made one with a 2" opening!). I will probably try to make a smaller one that actually shoots soon (in this one the powder just fizzles violently- the opening is way to large). Just thought I'd ask if anyone has any pointers for me! Yes, I know the "legal" regulations... And the "safety" stuff. Thanks, and enjoy the pictures (most of these are not mounted on their wooden poles yet).

Hello again, all! I was wandering if anyone could tell me the best way to temper a prod (metal bow) for a crossbow. I was thinking of making the prod from a piece that is about 2" wide, somewhere around 20" long and around a fourth inch thick. I believe that straw is the correct temper colour for springs, right? What is the best way to get a nice even temper so the prod snaps back to it's original shape after bending?:confused: Thanks for any insight!:cool:

That is a beautiful peice of work! Keep it up!

This head was made to fit on either 3/8" or 11/32" shaft. Better on the 11/32"... 70 and 100 grains? How did you do that? (My first arrowhead that I ever made was around a thousand grains:rolleyes:)

-Thank you! :cool: _______________________________________________________________________________________ In case anyone is wondering: My very crappy picture (done in paint:o) shows the basic design of a war arrowhead (or extreme hunting head:rolleyes:). I tried to show the wood shaft (brown) entering the head (in grey), and how the head's socket does not fully connect to the whole blade. This is all because of the basic method of bodkin head forging. When the end of the steel bar is flattened, the flat metal is wrapped around itself creating a socket, and the wrapping motion leaves a part of the head looking incomplete. Here is a good youtube video showing the process of head making (pretty much the same process I use). YouTube - John Marshall forging medieval plate cutter arrowhead Sorry I couldn't explain in clearer words...:(

The head has a slight dip in as it gets closer to the socket, but the socket is even with the tip. It is a side effect of a traditional way to make arrowheads quickly. The arrow flies beautifully. The grindmarks are just a side effect of good sharpening:rolleyes:! No, actually I didn't want to clean it up, because it gives it an older look to it (they could also be rust/dirt marks- the arrow was shot quite a few times ere the pictures were taken).- Personal opinion. If I were to sell it, of course, then the choice would be the buyers. Thanks for the constructive criticism!:cool:

I made my lightest arrowhead today! It is a small bodkin (around 1 and a half inches tall), and is somewhere between 100 and 150 grains (about .01 and .02 pounds). Take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think! Don't mind the dirt. We shot it a lot before we took the picture:rolleyes: (My brother made the arrow and fletched it) In pictures 2 and 3 a very large piece of dirt can be seen on the head... Yeah, I forgot to clean it before taking pictures.:rolleyes:

I said the EXACT SAME THING today! I tried welding 3/8" rebar to 1/2" mild steel... It didn't work so well. I decided that reduction would be better than welding-for what I was making.:cool:

Finally! Only 3, but they say it all! Picture 1: The chimney (from inside) Picture 2: The chimney's draw of smoke and flame (I practically threw a fire together for the picture!). I am proud that this chimney ACTUALLY draws in smoke! I also added a small hood the help catch smoke that is far away from the chimney's entrance. Picture 3: The top of the chimney {and my make-shift 12" opening rain cap!}. It slowly widens to the top- I thought it might help with the draw (and it was partially accidental!). The picture makes it look worse than it is.:mad: There we go! I am proud to have this forge. Thanks for looking!:cool:

That is very nice! I am sorry, but as of yet, I havn't even tried to make a keyring... But looking at yours is inspiring!:D

Well, after trying it out (two days ago) I learned that it draws wonderfully! There was NO smoke at all! I made a make-shift rain cap 12 inches above and it also worked very well. I am very happy with this chimney now! (When it stops raining, I will try to get some pictures of it completed, and sucking up smoke/flame)

Wooo! In the whole week, we finally had a day of (not rainy) good weather! That meant, I got to mostly finish the chimney, put the shop back together, and get everything organized. Except, I only had enough bricks to get the chimney up to 3feet and 3inches above the roof... Will 3'3" above the roof work well for ventilation, or should it be higher?:confused: I am thinking of just adding a rain cap, but I need some ideas on if it should be taller or not... I will post some pictures soon! Thanks!

Thanks!:cool: And, thanks for the insight!:D