Forging Carver

No one size tongs is best. You can never have enough tongs as I am just figuring out and I'm pretty new to this! Anyways, for railroad spikes you want tongs that will hold 5/8" as DSW said, which is just under 16 mm. if you want a pair of tongs specifically for railroad spikes, check out this link. I'm not sure how well they work, but if they are specifically made for railroad spikes then I assume they will work for their intended purpose. Hope this helps you a bit. http://www.blacksmithsdepot.com/railroad-spike-tongs-18475.html

Alright thanks. I really had no idea how to word this so let me try again. I am making a forge out of a freon bottle with Wayne coes directions. On the forge he a flare at a 45 degree to mount the burner onto the forge. This makes the flame twirl in the forge for a more even heat. On your forge, you connect the burner through an elbow connected to a flange. My question is that how would I connect your burner to my mount? Would I just skip using the elbow and flare and attach the straight pipe in my mount, or is there something else you would recommend? Thanks very much and I hope this is more clear.

Hi frosty. I see in your off that you attach your burner to a connected that is connected to the forge with a flare. My question is that I am making a freon forge, and I am going to have my burner connected to a flare that's cut on a 45 and welded to the forge. Does this mean that I can just skip the elbow and flange step and put the piping in my connector? Thanks Yeah I guess you are right. You would be shocked how much I researched on gas forges and burners! This hasn't came up in my research, but I should probobly research some more. Thanks

Well I would imagine cooking over coal isn't the best idea, but I am sure some guys have done it. I know some guys keep their coffee warm on the overhang part of their forges hood.

Why do you want to hollow the back of your chisels?

Nice work! What you said about the char handles feeling like rubber just happened to me! I oiled it and now it feels very grippy! I personally like it like that. Thank you for all your help Ethan.

Oh ok. So if the burner can turn down the heat of the forge, why do some put needle valves on the line? Hey must do something different I imagine. This burner seems like a much better option than others, and seems much cheaper. I think I would be able to make this for $20 no problem. Thanks

Well the issue is that right now my forge is a brake drum with some piping and a hair dryer. No table, no nothing. So I can only put coal up to the rim of the brake drum. That being said, I have to put my long stock at an angle into the forge. Also, part of the reason is also that I need a new air source. My hair dryer produces too much air, and turning it on and off everytime the heat is done is a pain. My next coal forge will have a table, better air source, and will be a bit higher.

That's a pretty cool idea! I need to try thinking about doing joinery like that!

Nice work! I love doing large work like tools becuase I love projects where it is mainly hammering. The only issue is that my forge is a bit small to make stuff like this in right now. I tried once and won't be doing it again until I get a better forge!

You know frosty you are right. Nocking on wood doesn't seem to help either.

Oh wow heat coloring. That is a really good job of doing so. I know it can be tricky to get such an even color.

That's really nice! The brass brush coloring on the hook part was a nice touch. I think that was a brass brush you used. Is the back plate made from a larger one of those texturing tools, or a cross pein?

I am interested in seeing those pictures as well. I love seeing how people make beautiful forges out of what looks like rusty scrap pieces. This will be a good comparison picture. Thanks

Nice. This one is 3.5 pounds. I asked Alec Steele and Beian Brazeal which weight for someone with my credentials, and they said 3.5 pound. In fact Alec Steele told me that when he was 14 he was using a 3.5 pound hammer despite his small build. He even said that he often felt a 3.5 pound hammer was too light and he would use a 4.5 pounder. The way these are made though, make this hammer feel just as heavy as my 2.5 pound hammer when I swing it.

Alright. I might need a less powerful burner then. The volume inside the chamber of a freon bottle forge is 259.2, so I will have to research a good burner for this volume.

Do you think is burner will work well for a freon bottle forge? Thanks

Yeah lol. Well I meant like a small snow storm nothing more than an inch. Blizzards are no fun. You next time I will have to specify

I really hope it is still available once I get the $285.

Alright, unfortunately at the moment I don't have the cash right now. I am sure there will be others.

Oh yeah that's much easier!

This guy is selling a champion 400 on Craigslist for $285. He says it works great. Is this a good price? If not what should I counter with? Thanks

That is pretty cool. I would do what frosty said. It would be something I would put into my room, living room, or shop just to admire the coolness of.

Well we are in the middle of a blizzard and my forging area is covered with 2ft of snow. I am so glad I put everything under the deck yesterday!

I'm might need to make one of those for my parents. How is everything held together? Thanks