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I Forge Iron

B. Norris

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  • Location
    Omaha, Nebraska
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    Bladesmithing

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  1. Dave, I do not think that opperating under a DBA (Doing Business As) will offer any liability protection to you. You pretty much are stuck with a Limited Liability Company (or is it Corporation?) or forming a bona fide corporation, if you want to avoid personal liability. Corporations have their own set of problems, like having to give up control of your business to a governing board. I suggest you take your concerns to both an accountant who specializes in business and corporate tax law and a lawyer with the same specialty. Another source of information is the public library. ~Bruce~
  2. Ooops! How did I leave that out? It is in Bridgeton, NJ.
  3. Long story short. I've bought a nice table forge on Ebay but, my original arrangements have fallen through. The item is for pickup. I am willing to pay $100 for somebody to pick the forge up for me and prepare it for shipment. Alternatively... I will sell the forge to anyone interested for $110. Email me at: ME, please use "RE: Forge" in subject line. ~Bruce~
  4. Many of the modern manufactured anvils are not as hard as some of the older anvils. A typical range for them seems to be from 52 to 55 on the rockwell C scale. I believe Old World Anvils to be about 55 on the C scale. I've used one and liked it very much. However, an anvil can be hardened more than that without the edges chipping out. My take on it is that the anvil would be harder if the steel used could do it. The alloys getting used are ones that have a reputation for deep hardening and toughness but, that is at the expense of a few points of hardness. I like Hofi's anvils for the fact that they are at 57 on the C scale, nevermind the South German Style which is my personal favorite and the steel being 6150 which is awesomely tough stuff. The other anvils I like are the Refflinghaus anvils imported from Germany. A guy here in Nebraska sells them. Refflinghaus Anvils However, they are not inexpensive. I'm curious to see the prices on the Hofi anvils and if they are less than the Refflinghaus that would be my choice. Something that was pointed out to me a while ago is that it is far better to have a hard anvil and use a softer hammer than the opposite. Much easier to dress hammers that have gotten dinged up than an anvil, never mind making a new one!
  5. Metal fatigue is the presence of small cracks that are not visible to the naked eye. They are the result of the metal being stressed in some way. I have had good luck with etching leaf springs heavily before I make anything from them. A good long etch will show up any cracks that are present because the acid gets in the crack and removes enough material that they become large enough to be visible.
  6. They probably came off a semi or a dumptruck, if so, they are likely AISI 5160. This steel is a little stiff under the hammer unless you get it good and hot, in the yellow range. Instead of trying to heat the whole spring up perhaps you could cut a piece off, your forge should have no trouble getting it up to temperature if it were smaller . Typical Chemistry Carbon 0.50% Manganese 0.80% Silicon 0.30% Chromium 1.00% Vanadium 0.15% Typical Applications Chisels Punches Fixtures Pump Parts Machinery Parts Splines Piston Rods Springs
  7. Here is something that you could do with your sledge head, or another piece of scrap, to extend the working range of your anvil some. New Homemade Anvil Design - Bladesmith's Forum Board
  8. The forge in the picture is not mine, it is just to show what kind of setup I am thinking about.
  9. I heat up a big block of mild and set it on my anvil to warm it up in cold weather. When it looses color I throw it in the slack tub to melt the ice some. Couple of big chunks like this let you get to work pretty quickly and do not require electricity.
  10. I would like to have the opinions of others working with charcoal on the best kind of setup for a charcoal forge. Bottom or side blast? Does the side blast really make for fewer sparks than the bottom blast when using charcoal? Depth of firepot? Shape of firepot - should I have a gentle slope like the coal ones or steep sides as recommended by another smith? I can have all the oak scraps I could possibly want from a cabinetry shop. Free! I have made a few barrels of charcoal from it and am burning it in a "Lively Washtub Forge." So far I like it. Now, I am thinking of building a more permanent forge with a table to give me a bit more room to work. I am doing blades as well as general blacksmithing. Tools, hammers, odd stuff. I was thinking something along the lines of this, just was not sure of the exact dimensions to make the firepot. Do you think, with this design, if you need a bigger, deeper, fire that some firebricks could be stacked in the trough on either side of the firepot and the work could be run through in the opposite direction?
  11. I suggest soaking the holdfasts in vinegar overnight, or maybe longer, to remove all the scale. The vinegar is a mild acid and will leave an ideal surface to hold whatever finish you apply. Be sure to rinse the piece off with something to neutralize the vinegar: 409, TSP, ammonia, Baking Soda dissolved in water, etc. Heat the piece back up to about 500 degrees and wipe it down with beeswax or mineral oil as it cools. Keep doing this until the piece stops smoking. Just like seasoning cast iron.
  12. Regular mineral oil is a laxative. I would recommend "food safe" mineral oil, available at cooking stores, also known as "salad bowl oil."
  13. Thank you, again, Mr. Williams, for providing us all with a place to meet. You have a great shop BTW!
  14. Files, unless they are case hardened, have between 95 to 100 points of carbon (0.95 - 1.00) and can make excellent knives.
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