Blacksmith Jim

I try to go to our local flea market about once a month when they run it. It only runs 6 or 7 months a year maybe. I usually have a few things I'm looking for specifically, mostly punches, chisels, files and until recently old pipe wrenches to use as twisting wrenches. This most recent trip I found one that should do me just fine for 99% of the twists I want to make, so I probably won't pick up anymore. But occasionally I find hammers or hammer heads or an odd pair of tongs, or just some totally random metal thing I decide I need. Flea markets are indeed a great place for blacksmiths..

Coke smokes a lot less. I really like it. Although a very talented smith out here recently talked about one advantage he thinks coal has over coke, and I would have to agree. He has found that coal maintains a good 'edge' of the hot spot. In otherwards it goes from hot spot to out of the fire in a very small distance. Where as coke tends to gradually cool the farther you get from the fire. So if he only wants to take a heat on a certain section and he really doesn't want it to get hot beyond that, he prefers coal. Hope that makes sense...

Anyway, I wish I had a source for good metallurgical coke out here. It's all coal for miles and miles.

Beautiful hammer! Thanks for sharing :)

A nice video I liked his torch setup..

Hofi, thanks for uploading the photos! It looks like some great works were made!

Ive been a computer geek for ages. Years ago I was setting up some servers and had to name them. I like the phonetic sound of 'regional chaos', so I choose to name some servers that. Eventually I snapped up regionalchaos.net to host my website. I try to use the same name across different forums and resources, that way I don't have to remember a million different names. Now I would probably choose something more professional or mainstream, but hey, it is what it is!

I'm yet another Jim.

Sam,

I don't think fire maintenance is harder or easier on either a side or bottom blast. The only thing that is sort of a PITA is the size of forge, since it is bigger and has the attached water tank etc. Mine could also be made a lot smaller in general. It was built over sized. But heating up metal and getting the metal hot in a specific place is easier for me in a side blast. Much less constriction due to the size of the firepot.

Pam, I've heard of motorcross and dirt bikers doing just that for field repairs.

I recently decided to go with a 225 AC/DC Lincoln stick welder. I'm pretty happy with my choice so far. I don't have a huge welding background though, just a community college stick welding class and some random blacksmith projects.. I was thinking about taking a welding survey class this winter and getting exposed to gas welding, mig and tig..

I'd think a perfect tank wouldn't be galvanized? :confused:

Hollis,

I can't speak for John, but in my setup, most of the box is filled with fines. If I want to clean it out and get it in tip top condition for forging, I'll remove all the coal / coke off the top, and be left with big bed of fines. Then I'll shape a long fire pot in the fines perpendicular to the tuyere. Using a little water to help pat it down in place helps.

What are the dimensions, i.e. diameter of the back of the cone, ditto for the front, how long, what diameter for the blast pipe, how big is the water tank, etc?

I'll have to get back to you on specifics... Roughly speaking though (this is all speculation from my memory), the cone is about 10 inches wide at the back. The air blast is about 1" wide. The nose of the cone is about 3" wide. The cone is probably about 14" long. The tub holds about 3-5 gallons of water, I only ever fill it 3 gallons full or so. Never had a problem with the water or tub getting too hot.

Tomorrow evening is my forging night. I'll try to take some pics and measurements then. The digital camera has been acting up though...

My forge at home is a side blast. A good friend of mine who is an Englishman built it. He welded up the tureye by rolling sheet to get a cone. The center is a pipe and a large washer connects the end of the cone to the pipe.

I love it.

Seriously..

It is so much easier to heat a specific section of metal then any other forge I have used. No more worries about building the fire up huge to pass a bar through, or bending a piece so it fits down in the pot. It is awesome. I just stick the metal where the hot spot should be and make sure the part I want to heat is right there, then pack the coals around it, then pack the coke around the coals, and its hot in no time. It is seriously easier then every bottom draft or gasser I have used (I've only been smithing for a year and a half or so tho, so I'm not an expert..).

My friend the Englishman was always ranting to people about how much better a side blast is, and everyone thought it was funny he would rant so much. Now that I've been using it for a while, I've started ranting too!

Build one, you won't be sorry

Now I just wish I could get a local source for metallurgical coke...

Yeah, I think he had to fab a few parts, one being the foot treadle. It looks great in his shop, and you are right about Dave using it to its potential. He has some very large an impressive sculptures around his place.

That's funny that you sold it to him. He told me the story a while back about how he got it. It was a fun one to hear.

Another neat deal, was that I met some old woodworking tool collector at Dave's. He told me a few stories about how he had found some old sites way out in the woods where railroad companies or sawmills had set up shops then abandoned them after their work was done, or after a fire, or what not. Sounded interesting. Then he mentioned that he actually knew where there was a hammer similar size to the 4b just rusting out in the woods somewhere. He said a railroad company had brought it out and used it, then when they were done, just pushed it down into a ravine with the rest of the equipment they didn't want to haul back. I'm sure it would be prohibitively expensive to try and salvage, and is probably rusted through, but it was a pretty neat story to hear non the less..

That was the one mike He's got a great shop, and is a real nice guy.

Yesterday, before I read this thread, I was out looking for a few tools. I decided I would try to buy American instead of Chinese just to support the US economy. I quickly discovered that the problem was I couldn't find any US made tools. I did find a couple of tools made in Mexico.. A little closer then China, but still not US.. I went home empty handed..

Looks great Blackbeard! Should be a lot of fun :)

A different acquaintance of mine has a Nazel 5b. He makes a lot of hammers with it I believe. Seems like big hammers like that would be great for a lot of different production forging applications. You can move soo much metal in one heat it just seems ridiculous.

The guy with the 5b has been threatening to hold a party / hammer in for the last year+ But I haven't had a chance to visit his shop yet..

I was really bummed when my camera didn't work. I wanted to post a picture of forging under it up on my cube wall at work. It would be a wonderful distraction from the desk job..

Sounds like a fun thing to try! You might be surprised ;)

From what I hear, propane gas is heavier then the general air around us. So it will settle into low spots. I've heard a lot of people caution against using propane in basements or other below ground areas...

I was able to forge under a Nazel 4b last night. What a fun experience! Those things move metal sooo fast. I played around with a long 3/4" rod and just tried to get the feel of the hammer with it. I made a few playful designs on both ends. Then I tapered down a jack hammer bit to fit my hardy. I think I'll probably make a bending fork from it, or a bic for starting penny scrolls, etc.. Before I went I had to try and think of something productive to forge with such a big hammer!

I wanted to get pics but my digital camera wouldn't hold a battery charge :(

I hear lots of people like hickory. I'm just a lowly beginner, but I buy handles from the local farm supply store. They actually carry a 'blacksmith hammer' handle that is pretty much what I'm looking for.

One thing to look out for when using a store bought hammer is whats holding the head to the handle. Most are covered over with a resin or glue, so you don't really know. Most store bought hammers that I have forged with have come off of the handle with moderate use. Some of them are half resin and a small metal plug or something. Not a good solid wedge job at all..

Great score! I've been looking for a few of those things for a while now! Congrats :)

Yeah, I just found it from searching. Thanks for the heads up.

Hi All,

I am working on getting my post vice up to usable condition. I had to forge a few parts to mount it, and build the stand, etc.. Anyway, most of the work is done, but I need to pack the the screw / housing with grease again. When I opened it up while initially cleaning, a lot of dried grease came out. There was none that was fresh, as the vice likely sat unused for years.. I have some 3 in 1 oil for the base joint, but am not sure what type of grease I should look at for packing up the screw. Does it matter? Should I just look for some form of generic grease? Any info is a huge help.

Thanks