Dan Crabtree

If you run a 3/32 7018 you can get good drop thru with them. Its very tricky took me about 2 weeks to get the hang of it but the drop thru looks nice. Good looking welds. The 6010 is nice and uniform. I'm taking welding classes out at southwestern Illinois college and they put ya to work. We weld from 8am till 10:30 am take a 30 min break then back to welding until 1:30pm. Really great classes though.

We had a millermatic 200 thats about 20 years old in our shop and over time it got weaker and weaker until one day it quit welding altogether. I noticed the handle heated up on the gun and when I took it apart I noticed that it had been repared with electrical tape before and now all the wires were fried and the whole gun was shot. So yesterday I ran out to the welding supply and bought a new gun for it. I hook the gun up and it runs fine for awhile and then I noticed the wirefeed was not quite right. The wire was binding up somewhere in the torch hose or head and causing a birds nest. I took it out and re ran the wire and re-adjusted the tension on the rollers. Then I had the same problem so I flipped the rollers over (im running .035 wire and the rollers are for just .035 I belive, couldnt find any other markings.) and changed the tip and I got it to weld for awhile with no issues but it seems like the rollers might still be slipping. Is there anything I forgot to do?

If the plate is too big to move around easily I would use an oxy/act torch and get it as close to square as you can. Then take a file or die grinder to smooth out the edges. drilling in thick plate can be very time consuming. If you are good with a cutting torch I would go with this method.

Ya I want to be President, just trying to win over the blacksmith delegates.

Thanks for the very kind words from all of you. I just got the drawings together for a gate at the top of a stairway and will be looking forward to sharing them with all of you when it is done. It is nothing to complex, s scrolls at the top and bottom and vertical bars that are twisted running inbetween. I did undersell myself on that gate but everyone has to get their foot in the door some how and I saw that as an opertunity so I took it. Thanks for all your support and I will try to repay you as best I can with my advise and opinion on Iforgeiron.com

we put a magnet on our drill press to stick the chuck too. However this was not fool proof being as that a few people in my shop dont put it back and even I am guilty of this. one of the best ideas that I saw was in my highschool shop. they had a retractable chain that pulled the chuck back up to it when you were done using it. The only problem with this was that some people would forget to take the chuck out and turn the drill on and wrap the chain around the drill, but this could be easily avoided if they would have just paid a little attention.

As big as you can get is what I would recommend, Also if you are making one try to find as flat a surface as you can. I have had peices come out not as square or even as I like just do to the fact that my welding table has warped over time. a 4x8 sheet of heavy steel would make a great surface but the size of your shop must be taken into consideration as well, you dont want to limit your forging area because your layout table is too big. Another recommendation I have if you have an oxy/act or plasma cutter is to make a seperate table with a heavy expanded metal surface or several wide plates welded so that the thinner edge is running up and down for cutting. I made one with expanded metal and a tub to catch the sparks thrown out from cutting. It decreased the mess around the shop from cutting and reduced the chance of a fire as well as making a convient replaceable table to cut on. I picked this idea up from welding class.

in my opinion the more light the better. yes, you cant see the dull red colors with good lighting but when you are forging you dont want the steel to be dull red. I have pretty good lighting in my shop and it helps alot. Also you must take saftey into consideration. the less light you have the more dangerous it is to work in the shop. In my opinion dont belive in the dimmly lit shops of the last centrury because I can almost garentee you if they could have had bright florecent lights they would have. The only light that I have noticed to effect forging is direct sunlight which will make a welding heat look like a normal yellow forging heat. I say the more light the better and the safer.

(edit) In hind sight the only time I can remeber turning the lights off in the shop was to harden a large sword that I could not tell if it was all cherry red with the lights on, but as I metioned before this was not totally safe and I defintly stumbled over a few things while I did this.

it was a comissioned peice, im charging them around $1000 for it, and they got a really good deal. I have been working on it for awhile now. The 2nd half is almost done, Ill post pictures when I get it all welded together. I need to forge 2 more swans, 1 more rose, and 2 S scrolls and thats it. then its off for powder coating.

Hey everyone, It has been awhile since I have posted on iforgeiron but I have been pretty busy. In the last few months I have been taking welding classes at southwestern illinois college and after talking to a few people about blacksmithing they decided to do a few newspaper articles and even had the local news station come out to the shop and do an interview. I have it on youtube.com , you can search for it as "Blacksmithing at Crabtree Forge" or click on the link YouTube - Blacksmithing at Crabtree Forge

please let me know what you think of my work.

Anyone have some info on SIUE, ofcourse a college isnt going to come right out and say oh well this class is horrible dont bother with it. Im going to get my welding certificate while still in highschool thanks to my shop teacher so I can get that out of the way. Im looking into SIUE Metal smithing for after college, and would this be considered a Fine Art degree?
I know very little about college so please fill me in. I decided to leave the money for college and make enough money to buy an air hammer or what ever tooling I want, And i forgot that I have a drill press, the table just needs to be welded back on.

just google SIUE Metalsmithing to get a look at the class, Its only a 30 min drive from where I live so that would likley be the ideal college if some of you recommend it.

Thank you all very much for the information you have given so far.

this one is so often over looked as a blacksmithing term used in every day life. Im suprised that since I chimed in so late no one got it but I thought of it today at a demonstration.... Red Hot

Well the game plan is to make enough money blacksmithing to pay for gas without having to start flipping burgers. I have 1100 dollars worth of items im taking to sell at a large craft show this weekend. Im considering an air hammer being as that we have a large air compressor at the shop. I have been blacksmithing atleast 5 out of 7 days of the week for the last 2 years so I have a pretty good concept on how to work metal. Right now im making roses from sheet metal (power hammer cant do much there). The reason im considering the air hammer is for smaller items J hooks, S hooks, Etc. Which i make from 3/8 sq. The plan was to be able to make these items quicker and sell them cheaper because these seem to be the items that move at craft shows. Honestly im really lost as to where to start in actually making money blacksmithing. I had 500 buisness cards made hoping to get some work in the winter months when the craftshows arnt going on.

Also for sheet metal roses how much do most of you charge? It takes me 4 1/2 hours to make one and ive been pricing them from 60-85 dollars they sold good by just talking to people and showing off my work but not at craft shows. Most likley do to the rule of craft shows... Around $20 and looks good in a double-wide.

I also understand that tools dont make the blacksmith, the blacksmith makes the tools. Im not wanting to buy tooling to make better items, just make them quicker.

I know there isnt a magic button you can push to make money, it only comes from hard work and determination. I just wanted to make that clear, I dont want to come off sounding like someone who just wants to get rich quick, I just want to follow a dream of mine pretty much no matter what the cost. And look at that there I go rambling again.
please comment.

Well, I live in southern IL and i have tired pocahotas coal and I didn't like it. There is a place in Murpysburo in southern IL I think it was around 180 dollars for a ton. I think it works much better than the Pocahotas (Sp?) coal you get from Brazil Indiana. But thats my personal opinion. I know many smiths prefer pocahontas.

The place is called Boss Trucking Co. in Murphysburo, IL

I was talking to my mom this morning about takings some money out of my college fund for the shop. I have been blacksmithings for 2 years. I have full intentions of become a full time working blacksmith. She understands this as well. If im correct i belive there is an ornemental ironworking course in Edwardsville, IL, Im not positive but i know there is one within 45 mins of here, which I am planning to attend. Thats pretty much the only college course I want to take, maybe a buisiness course to learn how to properly run a buisiness as well. There is 10,000 dollars in the account, I was thinking about an air hammer or a power hammer. What would you suggest? Ive asked a similar question before but now that my family is taking my desicion seriously and they understand that there is money in blacksmithing, also that its not just some dirty, burly, guy swinging a hammer at a hot peice of metal i think its time to start thinking about investing some serious money into the shop. Please give me your opinions and suggestions for tooling, classes, ect.
As of now my tooling consist of:
2 peter wright anvils 1 120lbs and 1 130 lbs
2 post vices 1 of which is portable
2 forges, a third in the making one is portable
MIG welder
Oxg/Act Torch
1 large welding table
2x70" belt grinder
Angle grinder, drills, and other hand tools
various hammers and tongs
Vertical Bandsaw
Chop saw

Here are a few tools Im interested in and would like some more information on

Power Hammers
Air Hammers
Trip Hammers
Fly presses
Anvils (Would a larger one make working more efficient?)
Anything else you can suggest.

All my forges are coal. What are your thoughts on propane or natural gas forges for a full time shop.

Thanks for your time for reading such a long winded post. I am greatful for all advice and comments.

Hope you didnt forget about me, Internets been out for the last few months and I havent had any access. Been working in the shop hard getting ready for my show this weekend. Well, while I been gone I had a birthday, so your favorite 15 yr old blacksmith is now your favorite 16 yr old blacksmith Well, if I can get back from the shop in time hope to cya at the hammer in tomarrow, assuming nothings has changed.

I noticed alot of talk around the boards about newbie anvils, and we all know about the section of RR track anvil but what are some more unique anvil ideas.

I was thinking tractor weights. Ive got one that I found, havent used it as an anvil it just sits below my peter wright if I need to use it for something, havent figured out what yet but it might have some use so might as well take up space lol The one I have is steel, about 2 1/2 inches think I dont think it would be HC or anything but they are very easy to come across. And hey, if ya have access to a welder try to get ahold of three or four of em. Weld em all together and then using hardening rods on the surface, I think this would make a great anvil, but for the guy starting out with a hole in the ground and a cheap hammer this would work just proped up with some kind of wooden stand.

Also, A section of a Semi truck axle. They are 2 inches thick or so, great for making hammers, they are pretty tough steel and If a base was made for a good section this would work fairly good i think.

RR track anvil (advanced version)
Im joking about the advanced part but I came up with this for a friend of mine who needed an anvil and couldnt find one so he ventured over to my shop, we took a 3 ft section of track, a 1/4 thick plate about 3 inches wide and a foot long, and a section of angle iron, I put the angle Iron in the forge and curled it up and brought it to a point for the horn, I left the back three inches of the angle iron unchanged so it could be welded on. The angle Iron was pretty heavy stuff, Then Welded that onto the track, The back three inches of the beak can be used as a cutting hardie being as its still a sharp angle, The heel was the plate that I punched through with a round punch for a pritchel hole and a square hole punched through with a RR spike, this was so he could use RR spikes as a hardie shank, Welded that on, and your done, Quick project, only takes about 2 hours and you have a functional anvil, also if your working where you can make as big a mess as you want, coat the thinner part of the RR track with clay, It will deaden the sound alot so you dont tear up your ears, I tried a chain and all that other stuff but the clay seemed the most effective, but its pretty messy.

Wow ive been talking for awhile, but I hope this helps.

Whats forge rash? Never heard of it before. Anyway if you plan on becoming a production smith I would find it impracticle to make your own charcoal and use it, being as it takes a few hours to make it and you have to wait till the next day till you can use it.

And well since the inevtible battle over which is the better fuel has started I will cast the first stone for coal.

I prefer coal over charcoal for quite a few reasons

1. It burns clean if tended properly
2. it forms a "coke cave" which can be worked in similar to a gas forge.
3. If your forging in one of these "coke caves" you can find smaller items with out having to rip apart the whole fire.
4. It burns long, I can work all day using little fuel and go do something else for a while with out being to very concerened about wasting fuel.
5. Coal doesnt produce as much ash or hot embers that fly out when exposed to air, and these can start fires easily
6. people just seem to expect to see a blacksmith working with coal and not charcoal.

Thats just what I have to say as far as wat I think the benifits fo coal are.

Sounds like saving money up and gaining more experience is the key thing to do here. Yet, im woundering what is a treadle hammer? Is it a foot powered hammer or is it a type of power hammer, around here alot of smiths call the power hammer a treadle hammer.

I have attended serveral hammer ins and a rose making class, I have the basics of blacksmithing down pretty good (if there ever is such a thing haha). I can move alot of metal by hand. When i was starting out I loved drawing stuff out, I would take a half inch bar and make it 1/4 inch then make S hooks out of it just for fun. I use the money im currently making from shows and such for steel and tooling I cant make. What classes would you recommend? Ive never used a power hammer before but the place where they hold the hammer ins at has one, I could ask for lessons if you find that a powerhammer would be a good investment.

If you were to be a full time blacksmith, what tool would you buy? Now I know quite a few people are going to ask what am I making, well that I really have no idea, I make iron roses, furniture, bbq tools, and such, Going towards a kinda funtional artist type. would you get a:


500 lbs anvil (i currently have a 120 lbs peter wright) feel free to make another anvil selection

Power or air hammer ( I currently dont have either)

TIG welder (I currently have a MIG welder and oxy/act torch and see no need to upgrade but just asking)

Please suggest other tooling, Im not trying to jump into being full time right away but being as im 15 atm and will have my license in a few months I would much rather be a blacksmith than work at mc donalds or some other fast food restraunt. Ive been working at it for about a year and then some. Any comment or suggestion is welcome.

nope, I just wrap em around while hot.

If you dont feel like forge welding down the one section like Ed said I would reccommend using a collar (like Ed said) I love using collars, the creativity is endless, One of my favorite collars or wraps is take a piece of 1/4 inch round, forge a leaf on one end, taper the other end and wrap it around. Make sure you have the wrap good and hot the whole time otherwise it will probally end up loose. Metal expands when it is hot and shrinks when it cools and this is what creates the hold on the two peices, and if you want to cheat (Ill admit it I do it some times) electric weld the two together then cover the spot with a collar.

I started out blacksmithing as wanting to be a bladesmith, well I still make a knife every now and then but I switched to more of a blacksmith but that grizzly grinder gets used almost everyday im in the shop. Its one of the most versitle grinders ive ever used, its great for wood and metal, I have a few tracking problems but I think thats my fault. to sum it up, I highly recommend the grizzly belt grinder.

I guess you could say steak turners are my area of expertise lol. Its great to hear your having a good time at your class. Just dont forget what you learned and dont just apply what you made making a steak turner to making a steak turner. Blacksmithing is a combination of processes and creativity to achive a final goal. Once you get the basic processes down just about anything is possible. Get your process down well, right now drawing out maybe well mastered, but forge welds seem just about impossible. I felt that way about a year ago, now a forge weld is just a simple process, but there was a day when it seemed impossible. Keep up the good work, you have a great craft ahead of you. Btw, If you look in the gallery and go under my name you will find a ugly person with a stupid smile and also a picture of 3 steak turners, Those are examples of what I mean by dont only apply what you learned to one project, I took what is ussally a fireplace tool handle and added it to a steak turner, its important to be creative, but more important to have fun. happy hammerin, Ill shut up now.