Tyler Murch

1050 is a very shallow hardening steel. Each time the steel is normalized, the grain becomes finer, and the finer the grain is, the shallower hardening the steel is. Perhaps you are getting only a very very shallow hardening and are taking it off from polishing. Try one normalization, maybe two. Three is overkill. Also, when going into the quench, go at the lowest temp you can manage while still being fully austenized. Less heat going into the quench means that less heat must be removed in the quench.... 1050 must be quenched very quickly in order to harden.

Wrought iron is made in a bloomery furnace. After smelting the ore, you are left with a bloom. The bloom is then consolidated by forging down some, then welding. Then it is further refined by folding, welding, and drawing out- this process is repeated until one is satisfied with the quality of the wrought iron. Here are some links The Rockbridge Bloomery Lee Sauder -- http://www.leesauder.com/maxpages/Home You can also find information on Don Fogg's Bladesmith's Forum under the Bloomers and Buttons section.

This is what I do for tong rivets and rivets in a lot of other things. The general rule of thumb for length is leave 1-1/2 times the diameter of the rivet stock to make the head. So for example, with 1/2" stock, leave 3/4". So for 1/2", use a piece of 3/4" plate with a hole in it. Insert the straight rivet stock into the pieces to be riveted. Place the work on the 3/4" plate, the rivet stock going through the hole. Head the top, or at least get it started, then flip the work over, setting it on the anvil this time, and head the other side. The advantage with this method is that both heads on the rivet can be made in one heat. I'm writing and illustrating an article on this method that will be in the Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild newsletter.

My friend and I, myself swinging, forging a 36 pound hammer from 4" sq. We got it slit and partially drifted, but did not have enough power to drift it the entire way. It is made to order for a patron, and I am now in the process of milling the eye.

That's a beauty Karl.

Martin, I'd really like to help you. This type of thing, building forges from the ground up to heat large pieces of steel, and forging large pieces by hand is one of my many cups of tea. My phone number is listed under location on all my posts. Call any time. We could even do it at my shop, or yours, or somebody elses, whatever works out.

So you're a member of the Bealer Guild? Another local member of the guild named Michael Dillon has a 750 pound air hammer. No sweat. If you want to forge it by hand with sledges, let me know. I would love to help. I've done some large forging with sledges. Have you thought about making it in halves, top and bottom, and electric welding together? That is how Peddinghaus makes their larger anvils.

If he has big paws, Hammer would be an excellent name.

. . .if someone asks you for your ID, and you wonder "inside diameter???".

Yes. Tap water is usually no good. Don't get me wrong, I'll use tap water to quench a center punch or a cold chisel, but I would not use it for something like an ax or hammer. Use distilled water or rain water.

Tom Tongs are 8650. Not 5160.

Georgia red clay will work in a pinch, and what about fireplace cement?

Frosty, what does Al oxide look like? Salami, You're not really supposed to grind aluminum because the dust can be extremely flammable mixed w/ iron oxide dust. But you know me, I do it anyway!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I live on the edge.....

chestnut BURL

Why Frosty? The texture came from what it was poured on to. The top side is smooth. Borax works. Borax all the way, baby!!! I've welded stainless just fine with it too.

Grand idea Thomas.

At our last blacksmith's guild meeting, there was a short and simple demo on aluminum casting, and it made me want to try it. I knew somebody who had several old ladles from an ironworks shop that went out of business long ago, and I bought four of them. So far I have done one casting. It WAS going to be a bowl.

Dan, first of all a rounding hammer's face spreads material in all directions in an equal amount while a cross peen spreads nearly all of the material in only two directions. I prefer the mellow, large radius like this one. It covers more surface, does not sink in as deeply, and compared to most of the extremely narrow peens out there, it could be called a hybrid peen/face.

Thank you all. I'm glad it looks so comfy!

Lump charcoal, real charcoal, natural charcoal is what the stuff you want is called.

This is my latest hammer. I'm keeping this one:) It's about 3-3/4 pounds. Forged from 1-3/4" 4140. Oil hardened and selectively tempered. I make these for sale as well. Contact me.

I'm right handed and I use the horn to the left. For me it's easier to work with because I can work at the face and the horn without moving my feet. If the horn were to the right, I would need to move my feet. Look at hardy holes. When a hardy hole is located on the tail, and your horn is facing to the left, there is the danger of your hand coming in contact with a hardy tool while you are working on the face while there is a tool in the hole. Now, English pattern anvils have the hardy hole on the tail,but MANY, and probably the majority, of anvil patterns have the hardy hole on the horn side near the junction of horn and face. Example: The German anvil, the French anvil, the Italian anvil, the Euroanvil, the Hofi anvil, the Tom Clark anvil, and more. ....p.s. Horned anvils have only been in wide use for a small fraction of the time that blacksmithing has been practiced.

Art is human influence. It comes from the world behind the eyes.

"The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?" Pablo Picasso said that.

That's very good for a first. Here is a tip for the next one. Know that with a hatchet like this, when you set it down so that the blade and the end of the handle is touching the ground, the center of the cutting edge (perhaps a little above the center considering your hand isn't at the very bottom) should touch the ground while the end of the handle is on the ground. Your hand at the bottom of the handle is the pivot point so it needs to be in cahoots with the center of the edge....kind of hard to explain right now. If you are going to make axes, hatchets, and tomahawks, a copy of The Ax Book by Dudley Cook is great to have. He covers what I am talking about in it. There is a great chapter where he explains what makes an efficient ax.