bigfootnampa

It's a vacuum, nature abhors it!  

I am curious too... so take pictures for us please!  It seems unlikely to me, but even I could be wrong!

That is a common way to make this type of tools!  IMO it is easier for beginners to forge them monolithically (from one piece of steel).  Still, because it is commonly done it is clearly possible, and you certainly could do it that way!

Dan; NO it is NOT the same as edge packing!  When a piece is heated and then forged the forging process is continuously interrupting the grain formation... effectively preventing dangerous grain growth!  When a piece is repeatedly heated and forged very little, or not at all... the potential for grain growth is VERY HIGH!!!  If you practice forging vigorously with each heat, you will rarely have much grain growth to worry about.  Lots of beginners forge so tentatively or ineffectively that grain growth gets out of control and their metal becomes severely weakened.

Here is a picture of a couple that I still have.  Not a great picture but you can get the idea.  I LOVE these!!!  I still tend to use a full size scythe for  most work... but these are supreme when cutting tight spots and close quarters!!!  These are old J-bolts... probably around 35 points of carbon... it would be better if they were higher carbon material.  Big manufacturers used to use something around 1080 to 1090 I believe.  Don't get me wrong!  I could chop an acre of weeds four feet high with either of these in a couple hours!!!  You'd spend longer winding the string on your weedeater than I would to get the job done!  They could STILL be BETTER though!

Excellent LastRonin!  Looks like you need to spread the material for the wide end of your socket more though... before you begin the roll.  I find that I need 3 1/2" to 4" width there to make a good socket.  It looks as though your metal is thick enough there to do it, if you had spread it wider.  All of my nice ones have been claimed, bought or gifted... I am reduced to planting with a pitiful store bought model!!!  PRAY for me!

VERY NICE!!!

Personally I tend to start out by slightly curving the blade tighter than I intend for a final finish.  I leave the back of the blade slightly over thick, as well, and forging this to final thickness helps to minimize corrections required to adjust for straightening caused as the bevel is forged in.  I leave the bevel slightly thick at the edge to allow for better success when heat treating.  I grind to final shape after HT.  I like to temper my scythe blades till I can cut with a file.  I put long wands on mine between the tangs and the blade to increase reach, minimize stooping and allow greater speed at the blade edge.  A slightly toothed edge is better than a very slick one.  The old guys used to like to hone their scythes and then hang them outside overnight and let the dew and rust serrate the edge for the next mornings cutting!  I tend to use a file cut edge honed with a diamond steel to a similar effect.  The rust and dew method is fine though when it works out that way!  Work with a nice scythe a few times and your soul will HOWL if you try to regress to an inefficient, dangerous and NOISY weedeater!!!  NEVER go back!!!

So true in every field.  Beginners are commonly told not to mix oil and water paints... but pros often do it!  Good reasons in both cases too.  Where trouble happens is when addressing a mixed group or thinking that you are advising a beginner who turns out to be an extreme expert pushing the envelope all out of shape!  The advice for one level can be quite different than that for another level of understanding!  Experts will usually sort the differences but beginners can get in lotsa trouble by hearing stuff not meant for their ears!  Why "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing"!

And remember... you two are also part of that group.  :)

True!  I try to watch for opportunities to hold up my end!  The bar is set HIGH!

The better punches are made of steel that stays pretty strong even when heated... like H series steels.  You'll find that medium carbon steels of any kind will make pretty good punches.  Yes you can use mild steel to punch with... but you'll get limited service from it.  Better IMO to stick with medium carbon for such tools and then go to the better alloys for tools that will be used for high production purposes.

HMM... that is surely 1045 or maybe 1050!  It's OBVIOUS!  (BTW we use blue font to signal sarcasm... just so there is no excuse for not getting it)

It really is not possible to say.  The intended use is often a very good clue.  Otherwise buy some and try it!  Do a hardening test and you'll know a bit more.  The way it works under the hammer is a good clue if you have enough experience to interpret it.  A spark test is difficult to read and pretty useless unless you have known steel samples handy for comparison.

They use them in surgeries.  My wife was watching as a surgeon showed his off to a rep... split all of his stitches open and blamed the nurses for it!!! He had it set too high to do what he was wanting to demonstrate!  They also use them for eye surgeries... can be programmed to work to complex tolerances not possible with manual controls!  Imagine a tool that could cut a leg off... or cut just halfway through the skin of that leg... they exist!!!  

I have seen this also!  At my first BAM conference I splurged to buy a good anvil (260 pounds) and as my son and I carried it toward our truck two smiths saw us and SPRINTED over to help!  I now know this to be common behavior!!!  As a group these are really exceptional people!  

Yes!  The transition space is critical!  Do NOT make the V cuts!  Forge the Vs in by upsetting the angle iron from the edges.  I have done this with spear heads... which have very similar shapes.  I haven't tried it for trowels because my beta tester is VERY TOUGH and I need at least medium carbon steel to pass muster on trowels!  

Okay how about laser scalpels?

I don't know if it will be any help, but we used to recycle old electric heater coils to make feather cutters for arrows.  We'd use a simple cone resistor and shape the wire to the feather profile... securing it so that it almost touched the arrow shaft as it was rotated by hand and it would burn all the fletches to the same profile with great accuracy!  The wires were NOT sharp... just burned their way through the feathers.  

As I always advise... SAMPLES, Samples, samples!!!!  You could mock up a test in a half hour!  Load it with tools and see for yourself!!!!

ausfire; Maybe try upsetting the ends a bit before punching?  Then upset the slit too, rather than drifting it?  Also use a slot punch rather than a slitting chisel?  Just a few strategies that occur to me which might help.

Hair dryers work pretty well.  Some have a few different settings.  Most leaf blowers put out enough air to supply at least a dozen forges!

I like the header, though I prefer to forge mine with integral handles.  The nail is of nice proportions and looks like it will work well!  I usually avoid quenching my nails and headers.  I prefer to have an extra header or two handy so that I can let them air cool.

I really like the look of your hollowing knife!  I would have beveled it on the convex side of the curve, however.  I have not had much luck with the small one handed scorps such as the one pictured.  The problem has been excessive chatter.  I would suggest a heavier stiffer blade and arms to minimize chatter.  Looks like real FUN!

Well, yes Pecan IS Hickory... but not all Hickory is Pecan!  Lumber guys can't easily tell the difference... they sometimes market both woods as "Pecan-Hickory"... which wood only exists in lumber yards!

Hmm... I have a basket maker's froe that is pretty petite but still at least thrice as big as a RR spike!  I'd like to see that little froe when you get it made Thomas!  I use my basket maker's froe mostly for splitting shims on job sites.  Pretty handy for that!  I have split quite a bit of firewood using a large heavy froe and a small one hand sledge.  Generally better than a wedge IMO... but dependent on individual log characteristics.  I have a few old froes and a few newer ones... kind of a froe fetishist!  The old ones are generally thicker at the back (struck) edge... mostly that is a good thing.  The bevel is usually nearly the full width of the blades on the older ones too... also generally a good thing.  For splitting shingles the older ones were usually fitted with a handle that curved slightly toward the blade... giving better split control.  This feature just gets in the way when used for heavy splitting like firewood!  It impedes the striking path!

As far as wood for handles... several threads have dealt with this before.  Pecan, Hickory, Osage Orange, are ideal.  Most Oaks, Elms, Persimmon, Ashes, are excellent.  Maples are pretty and abundant but brittle.  Hackberry (Elm family) is also ideal... strong yet flexible!  Mulberry is pretty good IMO!  Locusts are usually quite good as well!  I don't know much about most of the understory woods (Dogwood, Redbud, etc.) but I would expect some of them to be good!  Surely you have many of these to choose from!