Smoggy

duh !

Charles, I have some scrap copper sheet from a water heating tank (we deduced it prudent to install a replacement when after some 50 years it developed a leek) the inside of which has a rather hard, dark green coating of what I believe is copper oxide, I managed to remove it with an over night soak in glacial acetic acid, worked a treat! I now have clean copper sheet and presumably, a quantity of copper acetate, (re Thomas.) Suggests to me that the cautions re cooking/acid/copper have merit at least within the conditions I mention above. (Maybe I should see how the same batch of GAA reacts to tin!!!!)

Then you'll soon learn the following; 1, shorts are fine, as long as they reach your boots. 2, See #1. 3. It will be. 4. So does steel. 5. Not when you have one. 6. You're not wrong there! 7. But they're gonna love the products.

If you are going to have to fabricate some sort of mounting, is it worth considering fabricating a dedicated small vice table to mount the vice on? Maybe wheeled for easy placement and stowage (just two wheeled legs) and could also incorporate addition tool and material storage and other handy features......just the type of thing to use up some of those old random machine parts....! I have my biggest machine vice mounted on such a table, one legged as it was made to latch on to the winch roller of my 4x4 as a stop gap work station.....I'm still pondering it's next step on the evolutionary ladder that is tool making!

"...It then occurred to me that I'd learned that from what Don said on the BBC show, and he standing right next to me. ..." Priceless Joel, does he know...?

Thanks for both the follow up info and inside perspectie Joel, I'll have to have a search for the C4 series now..... (maybe one of the mods can do some forum forge welding and splice this reply to the original thread)

Welcome to the forum Kardall / Jeremy. I hope you do manage to sort a demo forge out, maybe directing those that make the decisions to some well chosen videos of public "in period" demonstrations cold help you swing it.

That is exactly what it left me wondering Glenn. It would be nice to know and even better if all three are cutting the mustard in the metalworking world in some respect. Would I have shaped up? As a novice, I could not honestly say I would have.......after a lifetime of metal manipulation,,,,,I recon I could have scrapped through!

So many posts recently have reminded me of various aspects of this TV episode, So as I've not seen a link or reference to it here, I found it on Youtube. I'll say no more than I recommend you watch it when you can find an hour, you'll not be disappointed. (I hadn't expected other than a plain link, how did I manage that!!!!)

Keep us updated on what you find inside, bearings and gear wear would be the likely worst faults. Neither of which needs to be a serious pain to rectify, even with the basic of equipment/tools......provided you have the time and basic skill levels.

Rather than make the assumption, I'll ask............Anditya, are you intending running the fan directly from the motor at the full rpm rating, or will you be including some form of reduction gearing between motor and fan?

There are as many answers to those three questions as there are Blacksmiths! I will now likely disagree with much that is posted above..... 1. Between the stone age and the iron age, there was....the bronze age......but before they found tin and made the first alloy (Bronze) was the Copper age, which is rarely referred to. So the smelting/refining.casting and forming of metal originated in the copper age. The major difference is that now we have such a great selection of metals and alloys that I very much doubt that any worker of metal in any sphere ever uses a fraction of them. 2. I'm not a Blacksmith, my training is in engineering, Blacksmithing is one of many disciplines that enhance my other skills and permit me to construct what I otherwise could not. 3.The same as it ever did, it is the means to produce an item in metal, The skills are the same as ever, the applications are manifold by comparison, it just happens that other technologies provide a plethera of alternate possibilities. In some parts of our world the original traditional blacksmiths shop still persists, providing goods and services to the local community in our modern world. (p.s. do heed the advice above as regards a locality, it would surely score you some extra marks if you also submitted a few photo's taken on a visit to a local Smithy to proide evidence of your research, when the rest of your classmates just google wikipotluck !)

Ah! A how long is a piece of string question! As I know zilch regarding sword making.....I shall sit back and enjoy the forthcoming replies.......

Lets think about that one Quint, as far as what matters the only difference twixt new stock and your scrap is: The steel supplier has taken scrap, reformed it into uniform long lengths and sold it to you at a premium price (after the stockist includes his profit), for you to cut down and reform again! So unless you are making parts on an industrial scale, you are paying for something you obviously don't need. Looks like you are doing fine as you are Quint. It is also my opinion that if you are buying the stock, and making both identical.......you may as well have just gone to the store and purchased the finished product at probably half the cost and little effort. Personally, I'd rather have two slightly odd, repurposed, handmade items, keep up the good work.

Ian if you google image for "watchmakers thread plate" all should become clear......

If you've mangled the original bolt, I suggest your best option is to find any type of bolt with a known thread that fits......from their it should be relatively straight forward to determine what bolt you need......which will have a 3mm hex recess head of the appropriate type. You do have a selection of odd threads don't you.....or tap sets?,,,no! DUH!!!!! This is what happens when someone has a good idea......and everyone else jumps on the band wagon and chuffs it up....Whitworth sorted it out and the rest of the world scuppered the plan!

This sounds like your going to have some unexpected fun......keep us posted.

I enjoyed my school years, did reasonably well in all subjects except for French, the only language class option......which I cunningly wangled my way out of.... Aced "metalwork" where I got to step it up from the usual enameled copper key fobs to casting alloy statues. I was payed to keep the teachers cars on the road, sold them my artwork and taught some of them to sail, including the sports "mistress", who was also the captain of the England Women's Basketball team........ All in school time, what was not to like about it!

Nice job on the anvil stand, simplicity of design and functionally, spot on! Jumbojak, I recessed by block anvils into tree stumps with the drill/chisel method, not as laborious as one may think. Provided you only go to a sufficient depth and no more, in my case 2" max, and they sit nice and snug. (and that eucalyptus stump I used is like bell metal once seasoned, I'll be using more for dishing stumps)

You've more or less got the job done just the wrong order of construction. Make a guard from brass to finished dimensions and test fit to tang. Then epoxy the rough (but close) shaped wooden handle to the brass guard and fit to tang. When it's set up, file and sand the wood to fit the guard to finish. It's much easier to finish the wood by hand to fit the brass than the other way round so you;ll not need a grinder and produce the heat that causes the epoxy to fail. If your wooden handle is now short of "meat" to file/sand down (and you have no alternative) consider adding contrasting material into the handle for bulk and an extra feature!

As you don't have a London Pattern or other bic'd anvil. I suggest you look towards making suitable stake system, you'll soon find you need more tools and percussion surfaces. If you have a vice available make tools to be held in it, if not a stake stump or a mobile hardy hole. To resize the hole for a bottle opener, you would only be using the end of a bic, so if you can find a lump of steel of approx 1" dia, just draw it down to a point, mount it and bob as they say is you uncle....

I don't know the correct terminology, but hazarding a guess in order of appearance I think they may have been produced by the following procedures: Twist Fold Twist and folded crimped crimped and folded I'm sure one of the more experienced bladesmiths will be along shortly to put me straight and assign the correct terminology ( they's darn prutty tho int they)

I beg to differ, my engineering background provides the following appropriate formula..... Z x Y = 2. You'll find this works for any degree of complexity, be it a safety razor or a saturn v rocket..........it either works/fits or it don't!

Welcome to the forum BS, please add a location to your profile, if folks know in what area you reside they are better able to help you. Until then, you could use coke or charcoal, depending on what you can get and you choice of fuel may dictate what type of forge you would be best using.

So, you've managed to, sort out a basic forge, a functioning anvil, and you've had a go at making something. Top marks from me Micah, can't fault you so far. Some would say a pair of tongs is a bit ambitious for a beginner, I agree, but that don't mean you can't try! Just not likely to be entirely successful. You've obviously been paying attention somewhere as you seem to have the rudiments correct, finesse will come. As you stated you need some tongs, and other tools too, looks to me your on the right road. Plenty of good advice and guidance being offered above, I would suggest, elevating the anvil at least to the height where you can sit at it will help you no end, so be on the lookout for some sort of base, and find some stock, loads of stock, as much stock as you can get your hands on.......