Varangian

For a new fella, can someone define for me the A36 characterstic mentioned above? I'm no metallurgist, so what are the identifying features for metals? I see hardness ratings, Krup, etc. Anybody want to give the Campbell's soup condensed version on this topic?

I, too, am a forging green pea, and I would definitely finish it. If nothing else, it's good to time capsule your early work. RR spikes aren't made to be able to shave with, but the convenience is that if you want to make a knife that doesn't require the extra step of making a handle, they're pretty convenient. You can add a twist (or a couple) , wrap the handle, or even pound out the head and work the metal in the other direction. Get creative, and don't worry about making anything special. Spikes are cheap, and I end up recycling most of mine as "learning experiences." When I make something really notable, I keep it.

I, like the originator of this post, am a green pea at the forge and knife-making. I have made several RR spike knives to a rough finish, but am now looking at taking the next step to finishing them. I have read that the best way is via belt sander, but several sites have mentioned that there is a vast difference in belt sanders for wood vs. metals. I am doing this on a budget (well, frankly, I'm just a miser) and don't want to spend hundreds on a sander. SO I have a few questions to throw out: 1.) How can I tell sanders designed for wood versus metal? 2.) Does anyone have one they can recommend as a decent unit that won't break the bank? 3.) Is there any merit to the combination unit with the side disc? Is that a valuable feature, or something I could just as easily skip? 4.) Lastly, for a benchtop unit, what do you feel is the best belt size for knifing? By the way, I am also located in SW MN, in case "/Y" happens to see this. /Y wont see it, according to the site logs, he has not returned since posting this.

I am located in NW Iowa. I burn bituminous coal, which i light with a very small paper and wood bundle. Clarify this for me. Green coal cooks down to coke, which is light and styrofoam-like. Is it done burning still that point, or has it just cooked off the other worthless junk and us now just a more purified fuel source? How do you know Shen a piece of coal has been fully depleted and is worthless in the fire? Next, what is the point of watering your coal? I have a cast iron pan, so it's not recommended anyway. But I don't understand the principle behind watering in general.

I'm. A newbie with a hodgepodge of equipment. I primarily am making RR spike knives, but can't find a tong that properly holds the large end. Please tell me what you use, specifically, and where I can get them. I have been asked to do a demo for a historical society in August, and can't risk a hot spike getting away from me with bystanders around.

I need to take this from the MOST basic perspective. I have a three legged pan/rivet forge with a hand crank blower. I'm not getting enough heat out of it to take a RR spike up to cherry. Could someone please lay out what the coal strategy/system is for using a pan forge? How should the coal be arranged? How deep, and where? Should there be a grate of some sort over the tuyere? Should I insert my stock into the base of the coal fire or the on top? (Shoving it into the bottom seems to disperse my fire. Maybe my fire just isn't big enough.). ALL HELP IS APPRECIATED.