Alfie

My first nutcracker, and some tongs I made a while back(not for smithing purposes - they're fire tools).

Well, if you're really stuck, I can send you some conviently shaped chunks of leaf spring if you can paypal the postage (shouldn't be more than

you lie - where do you live in the uk? I live in cornwall, and although the scrappies aren't fab, it is worth going to have a chat. I just found out there a about five near me that I never knew about. If you live anywhere near me, I would be happy to give you some decent steel.

Yeah - stone, especialy granite, will chip a lot more readily than metal. granite has a very rough, wide grain texture, and if you break it you will see blobs of stone ranging in size from grain of rice to a pea.

I was just idly reading through some wikipedia entries on early smelting techniques, and saw an article on the refining of pig iron. M thought was that if you can accidently 'burn off' carbon in steel by taking it above welding temperature (I have 'killed' the hardenability of some knife steels by getting them too hot), could you not hold mild steel at that heat for a predescribed time at a temperature above welding heat, thus making a 'wrought iron' ish material. I am pretty confident I am wrong, but It was puzzling me, so I thought I would put it before y'all. Alfie

stop making pointy/sharp things start making pretty *socially acceptable* things dress my anvil learn to sing properly

it looks to me like the vanco has no platen, but am I just going mad? thanks for the advice alfie

can anyone comment on the accuracy of this list? Directory Search Output

hey I am buying a belt grinder to supplement my underpowered bench grinder it will be used for grinding knives, general cleaning up of work and shaping wood. I have a budget of about

It would be my pleasure however, it may be more economical to buy it new, and pay a trained gibbon with no legs to forge it into nice round bar...

Here are three 'blacksmith-handled' knives I bashed out I think they turned out quite nice they are all forged from old round or triangular files the one with the larger flat handle and red-brown sheath is going to have a cord wrap handle. I made the sheaths from some nice offcuts of veg-tanned leather i picked up, although you cant see them very well due to the appalling photos heavy crits please...