Dave Hammer

If you are going to have a guide system, use the high density plastic. You will have less friction. That's my story... an I'm ah stickin to it. Actually, I've heard (second hand) that Clay advocates the swing arm treadle as the best design these days. You might toss him an email and ask for his current thoughts. I built a treadle hammer with a guidance system using high density plastic. It has served me well. I've also played with one with the wheels and then used a couple swing arms. I'm convinced the swing arm design is best. YMMV! Best advice..... Decide what your actual goals are for your hammer. Think about what processes and type of tooling you want to be able to use, then try out some of the designs before you build.

Everything TASMITH said about etching is true, and very well described.... Some blacksmiths etch their logo on knives (and I'm sure other projects) in that manner. However.... When I hear the word 'etching' associated with blacksmithing, I also think along another line, which involves etching the entire object. This is accomplished by submerging the entire object (without a mask to partially etch it) into an acid solution. The longer the object is in the solution, the deeper the etch will be. When a blacksmith (or bladesmith) forge-welds multiple pieces of various types of steel together to make 'damascus', the final product is usually 'etched' to showcase the patterns that emerge when the steel is 'etched'. There are many solutions used to etch steel. One of the most common solutions used by blacksmiths is duluted Ferric Cloride (it has been sold by Radio Shack (called Etchant) for etching printed circuit boards). Actually, I think any acid will work to some degree (vinegar, lemon juice.... as well as much more caustic acids). Just be sure you take strong precautionary measures if you use caustic acids. Suggestions and formulas can be found online. Google 'damascus steel' to see examples of etched steel. Most will be knives and swords. Using the 'images' feature of Google brings up some excellent examples. If my understanding is correct, etching essentially 'eats away' the weakest areas of the metal object, displaying a 'grainy' look, which is visually enhanced by the differing colors of the metals affected by the echant. If you have seen wood that has been 'sandblasted', the effect is similiar. It's not uncommon to use etchant on objects other than damascus also. I've made leaves and key fobs with wrought iron, then etched them to show the fibrous characteristics of the wrought iron, and bring out visual evidence of the forging techniques used to make the leaves.... These particular examples were made from rims from early wood wheels. The less refined the wrought iron, the more pronounced the effect from the etching.

Isn't Clay Smith demo'ing at Yesteryear Forge next month? I don't know if he has forged a rifle barrel, but I have seen him forging a pistol barrel during one of his demonstrations. If he hasn't made a rifle barrel, I believe there ARE artisans at Williamsburg that can and have. Ask Ken Swartz, he would know who.

Ptree.... What is the size of the steel shot you have access to?

I believe square tubing has the advantage over an i-beam for reasons stated above. I like to make my frames very heavy for stability. 1/4 inch wall would be a little light. I would recommend 1/2 inch walled square tubing if you can find it. The base needs to be heavy also (minimum of 3/4" plate, 2" is better).

Clay Spencer is a giant among blacksmiths, and one of my favorite demonstrators. But... he didn't design the tire hammer, Ray Clontz did. Clay sells plans and leads workshops where the hammers are made. I exect he probably improved the original design, but we need to acknowledge the original designer... Ray Clontz.

I second the "saddle" answer.

A little more detail about how the jaws are mis-aligned would be helpful. If the top of the jaws don't line up vertically, and the difference in height of the jaws is a lot, the hole in the swinging arm may need to be moved a bit (welded shut and re-drilled). If the problem is vertical alignment, but is just a little, you may be able to grind a little, or heat one vise jaw (at the thin part of the neck) and bend it down or up a little (a twist in a jaw would be fixed this way also). If the jaws are out of line horizontally, is the swing joint tight? If not, tighten the bolt as much as you can and see if the alignment improves (obviously, it can't be crushing tight, or you won't be able to move the swing arm). If that doesn't take care of the problem, you may be able to heat the center of the swing arm and bend it a bit to get better horizontal alignment of the jaws. Post vise jaws move apart in an arc, not a horizontal movement. Some vise jaws meet evenly when they are closed, others don’t. It seems to me I would want my jaws to be vertically parallel when I put the most commonly used size of stock between them (again, heat the neck of the jaws to adjust this). You don’t need big equipment to adjust a post vise. Heat areas that need to be adjusted slowly in a coal fire (disassemble the vise as needed), then adjust on the anvil with a hammer (you will be suprised how easily HOT metal bends). If you need to move a hole, and don’t have a welder and drill press, I’m sure you have a friend with one. A picture of the problem would be nice.

I suggest you decide what you want to make during your demo, then have a dress-rehersal at YOUR forge a week or so before your scheduled demo, making all the items you are going to make at the actual event. Doing this will let you work out any kinks you would not want to happen during your public debut. Make note of all the equipment and materials you use during your run-through, and you will have your list. Good luck.

Heat.... Beat.... Cut.... Curl....

You need more tools....

Any product from Larry Zoeller would be a good choice....

Quarter inch round is not going to be heavy enough for supporting your blower. A single 1/4 x 1 inch bracket probably wouldn't be enough either. 1/4 inch plate could be used, but, if I had the inclination to attach it directly to the forge, I would use heavier material (maybe 5/16th to 3/8" plate), welding that plate to the forge and bolting the blower to it using the existing holes. Personally, I'm not sure I would attach the blower directly to the forge. I would probably make a stand (pipe on base) and use flexible pipe to the forge so I could move the blower to suit differing needs.

I use a "Mr Heater" 0-60 PSI regulator, purchased at a big box store (Manard's). I crank it all the way down and use an Alcon needle valve to control the volume of the propane. Cost was about $20. The product number is F273719 (Propane High Pressure Regulator with Soft Nose P.O.L).

You shouldn't consider spending time learning skills wasted. Think of it as an investment.

Arbalist.... Every wrench is adjustable if you're a blacksmith!

Air intake on atmospheric burners (no fan involved) can be controlled with chokes. If you are totally sold on blown burners, they are great, but more expensive to build. Jymm Hoffman probably has the the simpliest design for them. The major cost is associated with the blower. I think he is recommending a blower from Kayne's and Son that costs about $150 now. Pictures and discussion of his burner design can be found on forgemagic.com in the picture gallery (under Jymm's folder). An alternative for you to consider is the side-arm atmospheric burner. It is simple to make if you have a few tools. The trickest part is to get the inner burner tip pointing straight down the tube. If you have a lathe, it is a snap... if not, it's a little tricker, but a jig on a drill press will do the job. These burner's can be made very inexpensively. I have seen them sold, complete, for as little as $40. Take a look a the following website for pictures and descriptions of the latest incarnations. Propane Forge Burner Design / Sidearm Burners Lots of luck...

If you want to see ironwork, go to the National Cathedral. If you have interest in other historical sites, there are hundreds of choices within an hour's drive or two (museums, battlefields, famous homes, water wonders, parks, caverns, harbours, ets..... I'd suggest borrowing or buying a "What to see and do" type book for DC.

Anvil height is a personal thing. The knuckle height is in a few blacksmithing books, but isn't necessarily what will suit you best. From my experience, I have learned that if you are usually wailing away with great intensity on stock, the knuckle height may be fine, but if you are working with a bit more finesse, you might want your anvil a bit higher. Mine is several inches above knuckle height. It serves my wrist, shoulder and back much better than when it was lower. IMHO... It all depends upon what type of work you are doing...

The cost associated with building a gas forge is directly proportional to what your needs and skills are and how good you are at scrounging materials. Some things that generally need to be purchased include regulator, hose, tank fitting, thermal blanket (ex...kao-wool), blanket coating (ex... Plistix-900 or ITC-100), plumbing supplies to make a burner, firebrick for doors, firebrick or refactory for the floor. These materials alone could run as much as $100 or more, depending upon how large you want to make your forge. I also use a good needle valve to control gas volume. Most of us who would build a gas forge could scrounge (with little cost) materials to make the forge body and stand. If you have to buy new materials and pay someone to do the welding (or construction), it would generally be cheaper to buy a gas forge from someone else. Your first efforts should be to figure out what you are going to do with the forge. If all you want to do is heat up to 1/2" bar to make little things (leaves, hooks, etc), you only need a small forge. If you are going to want to make larger things (tools, scrolls, sculpture, etc...) and want to be able to forge-weld, your forge requirements are drastically different. PSI can be controlled by a regulator, but alone, is not a heat indicator. The amount of heat you generate (as indicated by Glenn above) will be determined by the amount of gas and air you inject into the forge. Some forges run with low PSI, others with hi PSI, depending upon the design of the burners and air supply source. Good 'starter' gas forges can be purchased on eBay for around $200. It is difficult to build one much cheaper.

NateDJ.... The hats, although not really difficult to make, require a little tooling and a non-marring hammer (I use leather). The tooling is easily made by a blacksmith. I'll think about putting together a blueprint later this year.

These are two I have made many of. The leaf is wrought iron etched with ferric cloride. The hat is mild steel.

Ptree.... Remind me to talk to you (at Quad States) about how a friend of mine deals with leaning trees when he cuts them down....

Ron Hicks posted.... "Some day hope to have a better shop set up where I can bury a log on end in ground like the old Blacksmiths." Is that the way old blacksmiths are supposed to be buried? My anvil base is cut from a white oak stump. I used a chainsaw to make a truncated pyramid, then a circular saw to cut slots near the top and bottom. Steel bands (1/2 x 1 inch) are used in the slots (with tighteners) to keep the stump from splitting. I added some holders (screwed on the sides) for my swage block and the hardy tools I use most. Works for me!

Point and shoot.