Alan DuBoff

Smith, I didn't coin it, but it is a great name. I think they went through other names to derive on the one they have now, and I've seen reference to "Students of Olde-Tyme Technologies" on some stuff. I suspect they use what they have now for simplicity. Going to Ardenwood is always a treat, it's like stepping back in time 100 years. The era of the historical farm is 1890-1920, so there is some electricity around, but not very much. Getting some water yesterday was too much, going to the pump in the courtyard and filling the watering can...it makes one really understand what folks did in those days. Aside from the coolness of the historical farm, Scott Thomas make the smithy what it is. Having him and being able to have access to someone like him is invaluable to me. Working metal is fun, and knowing how to work it properly is helpful. There will be some folks that have never forged a piece of steel in their life, yet they will be able to learn and create this knife. Maybe it will encourage them to do similar at their home, get a few tools, and have at it. It doesn't take a lot of tools to get going, it just take several to do it properly. (that sure sounds like hypocricy )

Maybe so, but there are a lot of plans and diagrams on building a burner out of off the shelf parts, and I did talk around to several folks, here on IFI, and elsewhere when trying to decide. What most folks said was that yeah, you can build one, and most of them did...but they couldn't get the consistent flame and/or quality of flame they could with a milled burner such as the T-Rex. It comes as a cost though. Also, I'm not pushed to get my forges completed and functional at the moment, but suspect I'll get the solid fuel forge going first. Having Ardenwood Forge to go to each week is not helpful in getting my forge going, since I have several pieces to put in place to be able to safely operate one in my yard. QFT. Some say that propane is very safe, that it can only light once exposed to air, and that it can only blow when it's compressed. The big issue it seems is the CO leakage, and certainly burners like the T-Rex and/or Mongo burners present more concern in this regard, if you have them going to the max in a small forge. I will emphasize that I'm not trying to go "all-out" and get as much heat as possible, the use of propane would be for convenience. I already have a 20 gal propane tank (one of the exchange units from the BORG) which hooks up to my small heater I drag into the shed once or twice a year. Might as well reuse that puppy! A forge is no different than any other tool, that is that there are bad, decent, and good examples of such and one needs to decide on what is acceptable for them. To me, having a clean unit like a freon tank, with quality insulation like kaowool, firebrick floor, and a quality burner like the T-Rex was at least somewhat acceptable for myself. Certainly will. It will be a little bit before than happens, still have another month wait on the burner, at minimum (45-60 day backorder...Rex Price must be doing something right to have backorder like that!;-)

Gents, We have a group of folks that meet over at the historical smithy at Ardenwood in Fremont, CA, and this Thurs. we have a project starting up to forge a patch knife. This knife was forged from a coil spring, and the handle was made from an old wagon wheel, by Scott Thomas, the blacksmith at Ardenwood Forge. Scott joined IFI, but not sure if he's following the knife forum yet. He should be if he's not, since he makes some very nice knifes and swords, IMO. (linky pic)

Great idea, I've seen Tod's post before, haven't done it yet though. I have a lap-sharp that really gets my edge tools sharp, but this power strop does look like a sweet idea.

Stu, Those look good. Most tongs seem to go for about $15-$25 at flea markets around my area, but I only know others that have bought them. I don't have any tongs, but have a nice selection over at Ardenwood. I haven't gotten that far yet, working on some tools before I get to tongs. Tongs will be something that I will make, I hope, but I'm not adverse to buying them. I've seen some pretty nice new ones for about $25-$35.

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no need for input here.

Stu, I don't claim to be an expert and because of that I was concerned in getting the proper fittings and such myself. I decided to get a burner from someone that I know uses the proper pieces. Could I have saved money and time? You bet, it was a 45 day wait to get the T-Rex burner, but I wanted to have something that I felt would produce the type of forge that I would want, should I keep it, and if not it will be something that will most likely sell quickly if I wanted to off it. I enjoy DIY just as much as the next guy, that is what attracts me to blacksmithing in the first place. However, knowing it would take me time to understand the safety factor, I opted the easy route for the burner. There are a lot of quality burners for sale, might be worth looking into if safety is a concern, and I don't know if it is or not, would err on the side of caution if it was me (and I did;-)

Welcome Scott! You just snuck in under the wire for your 1 week committment to post, but this is none the less a good step! You have a lot to share with these folks, and there's a lot of folks that can share with you, so welcome to IFI. See you tomorrow! :p

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I agree that it's not worth risking health over CO, but I don't even have a propane forge yet! So far I'm going solid fuel, but will build a propane when I get a burner (ordered). No real rush for me as I have a smithy to use each week, and heading over there tomorrow. How much does a CO meter cost? Can they be had from a local BORG?

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I'm being taught to use no gloves at all, on either hand. If the stock is hot, cool it in the slack tub. Otherwise use tongs. A large tall slack tub helps, like the barrels at the smithy I use. I need to find one for home... Curious about the hammer handles though, all the ones at the smithy are smooth and I don't feel any problems. If the handle gets slipery, seems like one might be working too hard, I don't know. I certainly prefer an old, smooth handle, on the hammer.

Actually that's true. Seems that's a common style, using bricks to form the forge. I guess for the most part I would be doing the same by building a firepot of such on my solid fuel forge. The difference being that I don't have to worry about air if using some type of atmospheric forge (worry in the sense of providing it).

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no need for input here.

Good show Stu, that last pic looks fine! Cookin' with Crisco as they say! ;)

Stu, similar as those wooden vises on benches, it's invaluable when working with hot metal. Apprentice, not sure yet, haven't seen it up close. They might not close tight, but should be fixable. Frosty, it's a honker, it's 7" jaws and 107 lbs. Yeah, I'll have a couple things to fix, like adding a spring and the mount is not clear to me, but looks like it might slide up and secure the square section at the top, I'm not certain.

Ian, That looks like a "tool" to me. That's the grey area with knifes. You can have that knife in a sheath in most states, AFAIK, I am not aware of any regulation based on design of the knife/tool/weapon. Can I use one of those to carve wood if I can't carry it? Can I touch it? The problem with the U.S. is that each state typically has it's own regulations for this type of stuff, so it might be true that some states have ban'd those based on weapons, I don't know, but there's 50 states let's not forget, and they vary in laws in regards to weapons. I don't see why that knife would be considered more dangerous than a bowie knife, and those are about a American as apple pie. With that said, for all I know those knifes might be illegal in California. :rolleyes:

AFAIK, it's legal to carry any size knife inside the U.S. It is illegal in some cases to conceal a weapon, and a knife is considered a weapon in some cases, so there is some gray area. If you have a knife in an exposed sheath, there is no limit on the size of the knife you carry, AFAIK.. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

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Frosty, I agree you can build a darn good burner cheap, and you've shown just that. Most everything I've read about the better burners is that they're worth it. I've talked with several folks that have built their own burners and never got near the results that they do with a T-Rex or similar. Not that everyone needs that welding heat, but most want it if they have a forge. I'm seen cautions and warnings about CO leakage in these forges, but a friend of mine says that it's so small it's not worth worrying about. What to make out of that?

no need for input here.

no need for input here.

Hey knowledable ones, isn't the difference between 1084 and 1086 just 2% of carbon? Seems those are very close to each other. Can inexperienced folks like me tell the difference between them? (if I was forging them, that is ).