ericthered

He doesn't call himself WagonMaster for nothing eh? :-) In the event you didn't want the "wagon" floating around the back of your truck during the trip back and forth a rectangle of 3/4 inch plywood with a rope sling would work as well. For the really heavy stuff reinforce it with 2 X 4's.

Hi JJ and welcome to IFI. There are a great bunch here and wealth of info. If you fire up your forge and start hammering you'll be surprised at how quick you warm up even in Michigan. I lived in Iowa and it worked fine there. Besides...you get more done than when you sit inside. Post some photos of your work.

Welcome to the forum! There is a veritable wealth of information here from experience and uninitiated alike. Life experiences of the vast and varied backgrounds makes for a fertile forum. I hope you enjoy.

I'm of Viking descent and proud of my heritage. Eric (Aric) the Red was a famous Viking I'm claiming in my lineage.

There is a forge already complete in the tailgating section. It is an incredible deal. The hand crank blower (if in good condition) is worth the price of the forge, and you don't have to spend your time finding the parts and materials to fabricate it yourself.

Welcome to IFI Barb! There are a bunch of characters here to be sure. Pretty much anything you want to know about the art can be answered here. As you know, if you've worked with molten metal making jewelry , sometimes hearing the process isn't the same as doing the process. The guys here are more than happy to help.

You could also put a granite or stone top on it with a wooden drawer.

Are you thinking wood top and drawer? Steel or iron frame with wooden drawer?

Welcome from the forge fires in the South. I'm a former Iowan myself. These are really good people and will help you a bunch.

What were you using for wire? I am wondering about dis-similar metal corrosion down the road.

Do all hardys get heat treated?

What is the best way to warm an anvil?

Thanks for the link. It answers a bunch of questions in plain language some of the other books don't.

Woody, If you don't mind, cc me with that list as well: seniorasi@gmail.com

Hi Guys, I need to make a few tools myself. Drawknife, travisher, froe, spokeshaves, and some hardys of various intended duties. I'd love to make some hammers as well but that luxury down a way on the "to do" list. Obviously the froe will need to be somewhat tougher to withstand the blows from a mallet while the shaving tools merely need to hold an edge during the duty cycle, preferably a razor sharp one. I don't mind purchasing "new" steel if it means ending up with a superior product. Any suggestions?

What is blister steel? I know wrought iron has a grain in it similar to wood and is low in carbon, does that figure into the equation?

Hi Thomas Dean and Thomas Powers. TD, your forge is designed and built way better than mine. There are features mine only wished it had. It's been a while since I've dug it out but it is stored inside out of the weather. I didn't paint mine either.....now you've got me thinking.

Thanks for the info on the swage. I noticed the plans for the drawknife in the blueprint section. It looks like a good one. I would like to draw out the handle for the drawknife I plan to make and swage the handles so I can thread them and use lathe turned wood handles. It sounds like a grand plan for a relative newbie but I hope it works out. The steel is the thing I wonder about though. I' like to use tool steel for the heat treating properties but not sure about what to get. Any suggestions?

The forge is still in the mini storage. I promise I'll get down there soon and post some photos. I rebuilt it while I was in college about 20 years ago. The fan was rattling because it was so worn out. The leather strap that turned the fan was toast. The handle was rotted from being left to the elements. I have no idea why I even bought the thing other than it seemed a shame that after serving its owner so well it should be left in a heap to rust into oblivion. I drilled out the fan bushings and turned some brass to fit the holes. The fan casting seemed really brittle when I was drilling it. So if any of you choose to repair one of these old gals be careful not to break it. Tight new bushings ensued. I fashioned a new oak handle, again with a brass bushing, so the rod for the ratchet is threaded into the bushing through a mortise I cut in the handle. The rod locates the brass so it doesn't fall out but yet it is able to ratchet smoothly. Those are a few of the mods I made to the forge. I have a hand crank blower that I picked up and am going to mount either on the forge or on a separate stand,(now that I have the ratchet repaired:-) haven't decided which yet. I may make a collapsible stand with wheels for more efficient storage. I am getting some great ideas for portable forges from the guys on the forum. It would be nice to have enough room for a permanent forge. But alas, My shop goes from cabinet shop to body shop and back again. I'm currently restoring a 1971 Nova SS car. That will be done soon and then I'm setting up the forge to make some of the tools I'll need for the Windsor chairs I'm making for the wife.

Me too! I want one! Here is a thread from another forum. Not much info other than steel source and some photos of the tools he used for the handle hole. forging a hammer

Thank you for the hearty welcome! Also thanks for the info on the coal. When I started way back in the day it was either find someone in your own area that knew or figure it your self. The forum concept is definitely awesome. Guys imparting their knowledge for no other reason than to keep the art alive is very cool.

Hi Guys, I'm from Tennessee and am getting back into blacksmithing. Anyone know where I can get some good coal in the Memphis area? I have a ratchet style forge I made some parts for and got it running again. I just need some coal. Also am interested in purchasing a reasonably priced swage block. I mainly need one with smaller half rounds so I can tap threads.