Forging Carver

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.

On January 25, 2016 at 7:59 PM, Frosty said:

You can turn it down that low no problem, you just can't turn them up higher than they'll go.

Frosty The Lucky.

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?

15 hours ago, matto said:

I have that forge all put together if you need pics.  The hand crank looks like a tiger which is the econo line of canedy Otto.

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

13 hours ago, beammeupscotty said:

 

 

 

 

 

So how do you do the texturing on that hook?it must be a pain to do on round stock. My quests would be to put the round stock in a hold fast and then chisel away. Thanks

Nice find! My dream forge is to get myself a buffalo forge with a champion 400 blower.

Thanks for the tip terry. We have lots of honey at my house. Not to get off subject, but honey is a great thing to have around. It is great for when you are sick to plop some in your tea or coffee. Also, if you get honey from local bees it helps to stop allergies. This works becuase the bees are pollinating the local plants which get traces into the honey and your body builds a tolerance to the pollen in your area. Now we find it works for burns. I know a lot of this doesn't have to do much about the topic, but I figured it would help some of you out.

Ok thank you. For general forging I hold my hammer about half way on the handle thumb down. I have Mark Aspery's book on how he shows how he swings the hammer, but I tend not to swing a different way. I suppose as long as I am not getting any pains, what I am doing must be ok. From there I can work on efficency. Thanks for the help

6 hours ago, gote said:

 

 

I agree with what as been said above but would like to express it slightly different.

Ask your body! It knows (unless it is too confused by advice from others). The advice on swordsmanship by Minamoto Musashi can be paraphrased as "do not think about how you move or hold your sword - kill the enemy".

The same is true for hammering. Do not focus on the hammer. Focus on the steel or (as Frosty says using a martial artist's trick) just below the steel.

The process starts from the feet. Stand comfortably and stable. Keep you body comfortable and stable. Move your arm in a natural way. Hold the hammer in a way that is not tiring and whack away. If you are not hitting where and how you want to, you are probably standing in the wrong place and/or your anvil is not of the right height. (or you are tired. If so: quit for the day)

Do not hold the hammer thigter than is necessary - it is tiring and the handle is not a life saver. 

If you are doing fine adjustments, your thumb may be creeping up on top of the handle. Do not force or prevent that. To most people it is uncomfortable and inefficient to hold the thumb on top when banging away. (It may also be bad for you)

When you lift your hammer there are two kinds of forces. The pure lifting of the weight and the bending moment on your wrist. A heavy hammer on a long handle gives a high moment and is uncomfortable. A lighter hammer gives more bang with a longer handle and the same moment on the wrist.         

 

That is exactly how I I vision everything. I am not concerned about my posture or how I swing, although now I will be thinking about it next time I forge and wind up messing myself up. Same thing goes for me when I play basketball. When I practice making shots, I make very little. But when I am in a game and just make a quick shot not thinking about how I set up, I usually make them in.