Tyler Murch

The "HC" means that they are high carbon rail road spikes, not that they are high carbon steel....

It may be IHCP bar. Induction hardened, chrome plated. 1045/1050. Carbon from .43 to .55. It's good stuff. I use it for hammers. Just grind the chrome off outdoors before forging.

I got two JPH books.

Thanks Thomas. Sounds cool. I'll look that up.

Twisting pattern welded material can make it stronger. This is what the celts did during the migration era. It would pop off any scale, making better welds, and the forces of twisting after being welded would make any weak welds apparent.

Lookin' good

Nice'ns Oak.

Michael, cool!

Is those Wally blocks, rt? Good score.

Remember, you should use rainwater or distilled water for quenching. The minerals in most water from the faucet can be troublesome.

Now.....what is the brass on the spine for?

I hear ya. Although you can cut any shape out of a piece of steel, and grind it to make a knife, forging can lead you in new directions as the piece of steel changes shape with each strike.

It doesn't have to be tear drop shaped, but it is important that it has 1/8" of taper per 1" of drift length. Average finished size of a tomahawk eye is 1-1/8" x 1-5/8". I really like the flattened octagon shape. Basicaly rectangular with the corners chamfered. A pieced together rectangular drift can be made by forging 4 pieces of flat stock on edge to the 1/8" per 1" taper, and welding them together.

Ed Thomas, did Mart ask for a tutorial? No. This isn't rocket science! You can get many ideas from the book I recommended that you may not get anywhere else. This goes for all books. Saying that these books are a "terrible recommendation for someone learning the craft" is crazy.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/free-blacksmithing-books-web-2032/#post15592 Lookee here. The book I recommended can be read on the internet.

This book has several shop layout plans, and was originally published in the 19th century. It's a collection of articles from an old blacksmithing newsletter. It also has plans for coal forges and shop tables. Amazon.com: Practical Blacksmithing, Part One (Volumes 1 and 2): Books: M. T. Richardson

Brine is, shonuff, faster than water.

You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks SO DON'T EVEN TRY

AM, Tong rings or something of the like to hold them shut. The riens are supported by susspended chains while the piece it is holding is resting in the forge or on the hammer dies.

Oh yes. Those are forging tongs.

Hellacious. I got a pair of 42" tongs from a guy. He also had some nearly as big as those, but didn't want to part with them. I'm working on it.

What's some good stuff you learned at Howard's?

When in doubt......it's a fake.

I want to add something else about the warmed oil quench. People ask me all the time how warmed oil is a faster quench than cool, room temp oil. It has to do with the thickness or the viscosity of the quenchant. The thicker the quenchant is, the slower it quenches the piece. What happens when you heat something?....The parts that make it up begin to move faster. When the oil is warmed up, the little parts that make it up begin to move faster, this makes it thinner and more viscous which makes it a faster quench. You can actually see the difference of the thickness of the oil with your own eye. Try this and see. Put a stirrer in room temp oil....lets say 70 deg. F. Lift the stirrer out, and watch the oil drip. Take note of how thick or thin it is. Then, do the same thing with oil that has been heated to 130 deg. F. Notice how much faster it runs off of the stirrer and how much thinner it is. Now, back to the topic!