JHCC

A few years back, some wag wrote to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in England demanding a refund for the bell they had cast in 1742 for the Pennsylvania State House, as it had cracked. Whitechapel wrote back to assure the complainer that they would be happy to refund the full purchase price, so long as the bell was returned in its original packaging.

When I restarted blacksmithing a few years ago, all I had left over from my teenage beginnings was my anvil and two hammers. It's amazing how you can start with so little and make all the things you need to make more. Of course, that can lead to "make a tool to make a tool to make a -- what was I making?" syndrome....

Welcome aboard! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Make sure you connect with the New England Blacksmiths Association (http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/). There are a number of NEB members here on IFI, and they have some pretty killer gets-together.

You could also put the bricks in the oven set at 200°F (or a bit less) for a couple of hours, to help drive off any moisture.

Yeah, I'm calling -- well, a term that would get me banned -- on that one. Let's go with "ahistorical nonsense". On the other hand, if anyone is interested in a fascinating study of -- inter alia -- the role of blacksmiths in the ritual and religion of one part of central Africa, The Mande Blacksmiths by Patrick McNaughton is a fascinating read.

As a long-time kilt wearer, I wouldn't consider either of these "formal". Formal sginean-dubh almost always have handles made from carved ebony (or other dense black wood) with silver or gold fittings and even jewels. The antler-handled sgian would originally have been used in hunting and similar rustic situations. That particular bit of pedantry aside, these are very nice. Your damascus looks very nice, and the flower is very nice. My only critique would be that the level of finish on the handles isn't quite as good as that of blades. Some more time invested in that area would not be wasted. Keep up the good work.

The above advice is very good. I will just add one detail: invest in good tongs. You can heat the metal in any number of ways, you can hit it with just about any kind of hammer, you can hit it on just about anything sufficiently heavy and solid, but if you can't hold it firmly, you ain't forgin' nuttin'. If the flea markets and garage sales in your area (and what is your area, by the way?) don't turn up anything useful, a couple of pairs of basic tongs from a commercial supplier are well worth the investment.

The plan is to mount it on top of this old gas grill base, which is currently the support for my forge’s removable flue and previously was my hammer rack. Still figuring out how to make that happen. Nice that it already has a spot for the propane tank, though.

No, after a misspent youth with insufficient hearing protection.

From the novel The Nine Tailors (1934) by Dorothy Sayers: "Even if we could get the car out to-night, I'm afraid the axle may be bent, and that means a blacksmith's job."

So, you take a jaundiced view of it?

Be easy to find in the shop, too.

To answer your second question first, Yes. Should be fine. To answer the first, sand on its own tends to be a bit loose, but as you continue to use the forge, ash from the fire mixes with the sand and makes a mix that stays in place somewhat better. An old trick is to put a tin can in front of the nozzle of the tuyere, pack a lightly moistened mix of sand and ash around it to form the bowl, take the can out, and build your fire. Once the bowl is filled up with burning fuel, the sand can’t collapse inward.

Update: the first helium tank became a super-sucker for the forge, and the second is on its way to becoming a gas forge after all. A coworker gave me a beer keg she'd found in the garage of a house she just bought, so that will be the new slack tub as soon as I get the top cut off.

Says the man with the Beaudry #9....

That's the basic idea, but rotated clockwise about 30°. Good; I shall plan on that, then.

Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! There are several good threads on rust removal and vise restoration; take a look at those and see if the recommendations there are helpful.

A question about alignment of the burner tube relative to the forge: most of the pictures shown here have the tube running horizontally or a bit below, with the burner blowing either straight down or a little off TDC. I'm planning to set the block of my NARB so that the flames enter the forge horizontally and roughly tangential to the interior of the shell. This would mean that the burner tube will be vertical, as in this photo of my setup awaiting refractory: My question is this: should I leave the burner in this alignment, with the tube rising UP from the plenum, or can I have it pointing DOWN? If the latter is okay, the air inlet will be below the opening of the forge (possibly even below the level of the top of the stand), thus reducing the chimney effect and distancing the air intake from the heated forge exhaust. Additionally, the gas supply line would be both farther from the heat and not sticking out in the middle of my (rather small) shop. Any thoughts?

The beginner's guide to anvil buying might be worth a read.

Yes!

True, but a later version could be oriented vertically and/or have the elements overlapping rather than stretched out horizontally.

Cool idea. Maybe the next version can use the gears and derailleurs from a ten-speed.

Just needs a corncob pipe and a button nose. Save the coal for the forge, though.

Completely full — of air!

This one is. It’s interesting how many recent comments on this thread center on vessels for beer.