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I Forge Iron

Jon Lewman

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Posts posted by Jon Lewman

  1. Played with some more. One piece worked great, the next piece as soon as I hit it split into 3 pieces. 

    Getting some different materials. 

    Guess I need beginner steel, lol. 

  2. Learn with mild steel, they make good tongs and are more forgiving for when you are starting out and are afraid to work when Hot.

    You didn't fail, You had a lesson.

    Neil

    afraid to work hot?

    I havea spot o my belly that says it was hot...Lol

    I will try agsin with mild steel. Not sure of sucker rod properties? 

    I have no experience of sucker rod - they do not exist here but looking at the pictures I get a feeling that the stock has been overheated. Silly questions but did you get sparks at some time during the process?

    Göte

    hmmm, not sparks. I did have those pretty little dancing sparkly things a few times when pulling out of fire?

  3. Now that I look at my pictures. The jaw that broke looks like it was cracked. The corners of my "anvil" are sharp, and I did have a pretty sharp corner. Might need a bit if a radius there. 

    Here is my awesome anvil and my cutting tool...

    20150924_202134.jpg

    20150924_202140.jpg

    That old Mattox actually cuts really well. 

  4. Did not quench them. 

    Using 5/8 suckered rod. 

    The first one broke at the rivet hole whIle punching,  when I hit it, I saw it rip apart from the punch. I figured it was because the center punch spreads and basically rips whereas a drift shears. 

    So I guess it must be that I left a sharp corner? 

    Maybe I should've normalized after working? 

    And why did the material split when I tried drawing it down?

     

  5. So my first set of Tongs broke while punching the hole. I figured because I used a center punch instead of a drift. 

    Tonight I cut the broken end off and rebuilt it, drilled the hokes and pinned. Was happy with the results. 

    Then when I tried to use them, about 10 hits in and the jaw snapped off. 

    Been using sicker rods. I have also had problems drawing it down. Two different prices I squared up, then when I tried drawing it the end split into 3 pieces?  

    Any ideas what I am doing wrong? 

     

    20150924_202705.jpg

    20150924_203256.jpg

  6. Thanks Neil

    Always loved metal work,  actually studied black smithing for years. Knowing how things "used" to get done actually helps me figure out how to do things in a machine shop! ! 

    And the Salt Fork guys are local ABANA. My job has me pretty busy right now, but hoping to connect with them soon! 

  7. Hi, I'm Jon (goofy wave thingy here)

    From South East Kansas, son of a mechanic, and I am a machine shop foreman. I have watched 4,782 hours of you tube on black smithing. I can prove it by the $280 worth of extra data fees last month. 

    Built myself a brake drum forge, and charcoal retort and been playing around for a few weeks. Which equates to about a good weekends forging with my schedule. I bent some stuff, looped some rod, twisted a mess, decided I needed to make something so I got some suckered rod and fashioned out a set of tongs. They looked great, was rather proud, very symmetrical for a first try. Only took an hour.  So now I need a hinge hole but I do not have a drift. I have a center punch, that'll work! 

    So that jaw I sent flying, would that be because a center punch spreads the steel and breaks it in two pieces, or did I do something else wrong???

     

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