Arpspasm
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Posts posted by Arpspasm
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I have finished building my forge and smoke hood for it, fired it up for the first time and the hood didn't do what it suppose to do, smoke poured out of it everywhere but up the flue pipe. Needless to say I kept it burning for half an hour or so to experiment as this was my first time and I was having too much fun to stop. I left feeling pretty sick and I've been that way since for (72 hours) I have flu like symptoms, cold chills to burning up and one hell of a lower aching back, headaches and a cough. I've had a bit of a cold beforehand but it's a mystery to me if the coal fumes did me in or it was something that was just going to happen?
btw, the shop had no door or windows installed at this point so the smoke wasn’t confined in the shop. I will say I will never do that again and will redesign my hood before firing it back up.
Could someone shed some light on this topic while I lay here and suffer some more?
Thanks
This may be a stupid question but did you use any galvanised steel in the construction of you firepot e.t.c.? I am only asking as burning zinc can be quite hazardous to your health. -
OK, Here goes, Nice design, mediocre execution. I don't know how long you have been doing blacksmithing but some of your forging techniques need work. I don't have a problem with the short rays but your long rays have very poor forging on the ends. They look like they were cold forged and maybe they were because you don't have a fire big enough to draw them out further. Your welds are not the best that I have seen but then mine aren't all that good either but that is what grinders are for. The spirals going in to center could have been more uniform if a jig was used but you have to make one to use one. Overall it is an exciting looking piece from a distance. The center medallion is very nicely done and helps to give it depth. It all looks good against the corrugated panel.Not to hard on you I hope.:cool:
I agree with all your points and as I said I had to rush it to have it finished for their launch. Not that I am making excuses but it wasnt finished to the degree I would have liked. I also am no stranger to tidying welds up with the angle grinder, I wish I could afford a mig as I find them a lot neater than the tiny stick welder I own.
Thanks for the critiqueing its also what I was after (as well as the ego stroking
)
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Do you want some critique or are you just looking for feel good comments?
Of course critique away. -
It's very nice. Is that a glass sphere in the center?
Its 3 pieces of steel beaten out into a dome then painted.
Thanks for all your compliments guys much appreciated. -
Hey all, Here is a couple of pics of a sculpture I did for a friends shop. It was a little rushed to have it ready for their opening so it wasnt as tidy as I would have liked.
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Hi there,
I have been having trouble finding steel cable to try making a cable knife. Bunnings only has galvanized or stainless cable and any other places I have tried seem to be the same. Does anyone have a good source in Australia? -
Nice job! Were you trying to cook up some lunch in that second pic?
I didnt realise that the chooks were laying in my forge and I stood staring at the large white piece of coke for a while until I realised it was an egg.
Thanks for all the compliments if you could see a close up you would see all the flaws and the non uniformity of the scrolls. I will have to make some jigs up. -
What you cant see is all the times I burnt the ends of pieces of metal or all the other mistakes it was a great learning curve. Thanks all.
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Hey there here is a pic of my first blacksmithing piece. It came about because my boss asked if I could make him a set of gates, I had been wanting to begin blacksmithing so I used his deposit to set up my forge and purchace tools and bits I would need. The photo is of them before they were completely finished and with all the remaking of mistakes and learning as I went I probably earnt about $15 dollars an hour but I didnt mind as it allowed me to start forging.
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Hey All,
My name is Daniel I live in Maleny, a small town in the sunshine coast hinterland an hour or so's drive north of Brisbane.
Great to meet a few other black-handed Aussies. -
Welcome to the site Daniel. Please add your location to your profile, as there may be someone close by who can help.
Are you using flux?
Are you getting the steel to near white heat (NOT sparking!)?
What steel are you using - I understand that some have too wide a metallurgical difference to weld together.
Don't HIT it the first time, just tap it firmly to set the weld.
in order:
Flux yes plain borax.
at first I think I wasn't for fear of burning the metal but have been getting as close to sparking point as I dare.
Steels a few combinations the once that the welds seemed to fail quickest contained a layer or two of pure nickel sheet. I scrapped the elaborate mixes and have had some minor success with a mild and high carbon steel mix (1010 and r-6?)
Sorry for the slow reply I have been making a new letter box which hopefully will buy me enough points with the wife to spend another few days experimenting with the billets.
By the way thanks for all the replies you advice is appreciated.
P.S. The failures I have had was mainly the welds delaminating Which I think I can put down to "too little heat and to heavy hitting" I will see if I have any luck with my latest billet and post some pics of the success or failures. -
Hello all,
Have been learning about blacksmithing through trial and error (mostly error) for almost a year now. The last few days I have managed to ruin 5 billets of various metals in an attempt to get a handle on pattern welding I'm not too disheartened though and I plan on trying again in the morning probably with a simpler combination of metals. I suspect the one of the main problems is a bit of a lack of knowledge of exactly what colour I am after for the forge weld but its a joy to have the forge fired in any case so I dont mind if I mess up a few more times to learn.
Regards,
Daniel
Scot sword ban
in Swordsmithing
Posted
I sent a sword over for a customer in Scotland a couple of months ago and although he spent a while organising the correct permits and such there wasnt too big a problem for him (Though it did get held up by customs for a bit.) I think if any Scottish collector doesn't mind a bit of hoop jumping they shouldn't have too much of a problem legitimately aquiring a sword.