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?
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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...

I have about 100ft of steel cable from the barge that serves as the family workshop. It is straight steel cables (not galvy or stainless).
It's fairly heavily rusted, but is free for anyone who wants it.
It is in penryn, so pm if you're interested

Why I fancied having a go at making a laminated chisel was because the blade could be ground all the way up to the hilt, while staying tough and hard, without re tempering and other related nonsense
but i think I will wait until I have a more reliable forge
my setup is currently just a massive torch on a firebrick hearth
which can get to welding heat - i tried with some success welding very small bits together, but not with any reliablility at any useful size
but i am making a #proper' forge, so may well reawaken this when it's finishes
thanks again.

thanks for the advice
sorry, my bad. I meant panel or tenon saw
on the welding, i will probably practice with some mild steel to get the hang of it before using the high carbon.
I am presuming they weld the same?
thanks again
alfie.

it's a small world!
I live very near mousehole - it's a nice place, but a bit twee.
hehe
good lights though...

I think I am going o have a go at making some woodworking chisels with the japanese style laminated construction.
My plan was to use some thin L6 from a coping saw blade, laminated to some bright drawn 1018 by cutting both into equal and appropriate blanks, fixing together with wire after thourough cleaning and application of flux, heat to a bright orange heat and smack'em together. I would then follow this by forging to shape, arc welding on a tang etc.

Please point out the schoolboy errors, and any tips would be greatly appreciated.

thanks guys
I might have myself a go at one of they spanner knives...

I have access to a lot of horribly rusty, blunt and huge drillbits
although i could easily use the shanks, would it be possible to clean them up, take it to welding (bright orange?) heat and forge into round bar?
thanks
Alfie

I use a gasser
but in theory
would a HVLP spraygun compressor work?

thanks for the prompt replies
methinks i will just kiss it with a belt sander to remove anything especialy flaky/high. I'm pretty sure the anvil is in fairly good condition inside - it rings like a bell.
it is real rusty on the sides though, which means the edge of the face has a pretty jaged edge. I am presuming that can all come off?
thanks again
alfie

I have aquired an anvil for nothing, and have been using it to slight effect recently. This is handy, as I have no money. The anvil face is fairly pitted (around 4mm deep at most?), and a bit rusty. what is the best way to get these out? is it worth it? I hope to use it for general stuff, and a bit of of knifesmithingish stuff aswell.
thanks in anticipation
Alfie.

hey
Any working blacksmiths in the cornwall (specifically falmouth/penrynish) area after some free labour (sweeping, striking, shovelling, whatever) in return for sharing a little knowledge?
Am relatively experienced with basic metalworking - grinding, very basic machining, woodworking, and rather irelavelently luthiery(?) and general common sense...
Alfie, 14.
thanks

It doesnt quite count but I was cleaning out The metalworking shop in my dad's workshop he works mainly in wood and the metal shop hasn't really been used in 15 odd years terrifying quantities of stuff two dozen adjustable taps worth far too much morse and square taper bits ranging from very small to very big (technical measurements?) vast quantities of taps and dies at least 4 dozen loads of sharp files/rasps ranging from needle files to about 24 inch files loads of really old dull files/rasps = loads of 1095ish tool steel a few sizes of ball pein hammer a 'thor' copper mallet/hammer hot cutter a sledge a club hammer head I rehandled and painted green a weird hammer shaped somewhat like a pickaxe but with two flat, blunt ends a monster propane torch a huuuge (3 ft+?) AJ spanner loads of grinding disks and loads more stuff! Along with stuff that i knew was there so counts even less.
oh joy

I am very inexperienced, and probably talking out of my posterior but surely you could get a small woodburner, like a 'squirrel', take off the doors, and stack up firebricks around the entrance till have a 3-4inch hole to put stuff in, thus retaining heat and not melting your face off.
you can pick up little woodburners cheap and easily and with a bit of welding etc it might work they get Hot but that's just me talking and my head isn't enourmously reliable.

hello
I'm called alfie, as my username sugests.
I live in cornwall, and was brought to this fine institution because I am the tender age of 14, and have started teaching myself how to work metal, and would greatly like to find knowledgable locals to talk to.
I scored in that my dad has a workshop with a much underused metalworkinjg machine shope, so I have access to an early 20th century industrial lathe , the most beautiful pillar drill you have ever seen (it is 7 foot tall, and has the most beatifully graceful castings), an anvil and a nice big propane torch
and it's all on a big boat!
which isn't nearly as impractical as it sounds.
I have been making stock removal knives for a year or so, on and off, and hae just started forging stuff. It's all pretty basic - candleholders, knives, coathooks, but I am improving.
slowly.
hello!