CBrann

I usuaully start with a chunk of steel thats bigger than the hardy hole mine start about 1" thick, 3" wide and about 5" long, I forge about 1/3 to the hardy hole size. hen I drive the whole paice down onto the hardy hole to shoulder, then forge the top to whatver I am making, be it hardy, fuller, stake tool whatever. I have some leaves from a dump truck that are what I make my hardy tools from. I know its high carbon, and not good for everything, but I work with what I have.

the first thing I did was make a square stake so I could vice grip the hot peice to it, so I cold hit the other end with a sledge hammer. I work alone.

Where was that post about free blacksmith e books, aparently I lost that book mark....been searching cant find it. Arrrg! frustrated by this!

I took a broken pickaxe with a wide blade on one side, cut it off, and forged it to fit my hardie hole. it is about a 5/8" radius, and about 2 inches wide

Really all you need is a wide rounded surface with a little height. think about it like a crosspein, except you swing the hammer and strike onto the pein.

Frosty, Thanks, haven't read either of those but they are on the list now. I am self taught, with the addition of this site and Anvilfire.
It never occurred to me before to keep the width in control as well. I feel like I am learning basic old lessons by trial and error. After the fact it looks silly simple.......

I am not sure that this is a great idea, but I have been thinking about this for a while.

I have read a few books on blacksmithing, a half dozen or so, Ilgen, Weygers, others, and I notice that there instructions on how the strike with a hammer, highly detailed. But there are other instructions like: fuller.

There is no process on how to do this. There are no instructions on how to use a fuller. I just realized this the other day. I was drawing a rail road spike with my fuller, and "discovered" that if I strike several times to fuller deeply in 2 places with a hump the width of my fuller between, then strike the sides a couple times to keep it true, then drove down the hump between the 2 fullered places, that I drew about twice the speed as not keeping the sides in.

So I guess I am saying that I have not seen, in any books, a set of instructions, or a process, or blue print, that actually describes the use of tools besides the hammer, and hardy. I have seen stuff for chisels, punches, drifts.

But not for a fuller. Am I a simpleton? Am I over complicating this?

Let me know what you all think. At least some of you should get a chuckle from this.

Georgia?? I would suggest charcoal.... all that BBQ down there should have have some charcoal around.... or talk to the local Guild or ABANA chapter those boys and girls will help you!!

remember charcoal takes a little pressure of air, but a lot of it ,think high volume low pressure!!

GOOD LUCK!! a start is all you need, it will all make sense soon.....

Drewed, circumference of 3.14",

Also on the topic of fullers and peins which is most effecient a narrow ie 1/4 " radius or a wide radius 3/4 or 1" radius?

I use effeciency in terms of rate of movement of steel in thinning or drawing out.

Brilliant!! Great idea! and sounds well thought out, and planned, and I can't wait to see the pics of the blank! Congratulations on pushing the envelope!

Can't imagine that they charge .50 to $3US/lb does that give you any pause or worry to get the welds right?

You said they tend to shatter wen hit with a hammer. Do you know why? is it like heating cast iron and hitting it?

could you explain how theres 24 k layers, I saw here was 200 of one and 120 of another? But how does hat make 24,000
in any case its extra cool!!

doesn't matter what anyone says, do you feel like you should have paid more or less? You made a bargain, and paid, so in your mind the value and cost are close enough.

Compare your 138# used to a new 120# Old World for $625 anvil or Nimba 120# $900

Nice looking anvil by the way.

I feel bad but I use Victor traps, and a poison bait under the brand name Hawk, I buy it at feed stores.

I have allergeys, and don't need my house/kitchen destroyed by mice.

moth balls are good to deter mice/rats/snakes, but the mice still invade... and must be dealt with.

I thought the coleman mantles had Strontuim something in them. Yttrium?? hmmm...

just checked on it... Coleman does us yttrium oxide now...non radioactive.. but the knockoffs made in India or wherever still have something radioactive in it... the warning label doesn't say what....

Excellent explanation of the Golden Ratio... going to look to see how to draw them!!, like this thread it is fruitful!!

Steve, thanks for the info, forgot to post earlier, that page is hard to read, the format is strange, informative but strange....

BIG THANKS !!!

I kept thinking I needed a 4 or 5 lb hammer for regular smithing, but after trying to swing my 3 lb crosspein all day, I am thinking I want a 4 or 5 pounder for working the flatter, hot cutting heavy steel, or other large swage tooling or texturing.

A smaller better controlled hammer will do more work than a large sloppily used warclub. Work on good technique, take care of your body, you only get one, and replacement never work as well as original equipment. I am a rigger for a living, I need my shoulders to pull rope and chain, so working to forge till my shoulder falls off is not a good idea.

Did you know that you can strengthen your muscles so much you can pull the tendons off the bone, sometimes even pulling a piece of bone with it? Commonly done with the tricep muscle, also easily done with the muscles around the knees too!!

I live in a small town, work with coal, and am on good terms with my neighbors.

I have spoken with my neighbors and asked them to make sure my house is on fire before calling the FD, and I have friends there too!

But the local constabulary has asked me not to shoot my cannon in the back yard... I think if I don't, then we'll stay friends.

I am interested in selling knives/ sharp item in in Connecticut, and have had no luck finding any info on this, and would like some guide line or some places to look.

Not looking for free legal advice!!

Also is there any federal law that is important? for shipping purposes whatever.
is there any way to verify age on -bay or other auction sites?

sorry if this is in the wrong place

I like the idea of cutting out, and you could make a texture swage and heat and beat, to make them all the same texture or 3 d shape, also use a chisel (hot or cold) to mark the main vein, or add texture

Glad mine is not the only dog that eats them...

People really buy them??

I put mine in a pile on the corner of my property, once the pile gets big enough, and I get the ambition, I will either build a cupola using the clinker as part of the refractory or in post holes under my shop to true it up.....

My dog eats them. I need to shorten his leash. I guess he'll figure it out on his own.

I tried to melt some copper pipe in my forge.. in an iron ladle.... turns out that iron melts before copper... it does melt under an OA torch....

Imagine my surprise when I watched my ladle go up in sparks.... (I'll admit I may have gone with too much heat, but it was an experiment..... and I learned something)

It looks great, but I can't figure out what it is.

Any square edge in my house or shop works as a bottle opener for me.... but after a long night at work I ended up making a combination Mace/bottle opener for a guy..... seemed a little redundant... but was a good time and worked well!!


lost the pics on my crashed computer and he is on tour

Are you asking about "real jobs?" or other hobbies....cause this is my hobby, my real job takes most of the rest of my time....I am a stage hand... I work too much for my own good....

I take care of my Wife, house, truck and dog,.... and if there is time I hammer iron and steel!

Sounds coool...

drank it down to 20 Hz, and they'll see things an dfeel things but not hear em!!

I work in the entertainment industry, and we deal with 100,000 watt PA systems, and 1500 watt bass cabinets, by the dozen, so I have seen/felt some of the things you are talking about.

Good stuff, Thanks for sharing, any video??

I don't know much about etching anything, but I am going to ask any way....

why would you want to etch graphite? and what is it on? what is it you are doing that you want/need to etch graphite?

If this is a dumb question please ignore, but this idea is fascinating to me.

First time I have seen any reference to graphite outside of crucibles or pencils or a lube or nuclear reactor.