MrDarkNebulah

As someone relatively new to the craft, under a year, I have to agree with you. I see all these post saying to not bother with junkyard or unknown steel, but that is the only way I was able to get into it. Don't be discouraged if all you have is rebar, just get to it and try things out.

Don't forget about the whole witchcraft thing...

I'm going to trytaking some photos today. Ill keep you posted with how  they come out.

I made a lightbox today  and I have to say the pictures came out nice. They are a bit fuzzy  since I used my phone and didn't spend a lot of time on getting them perfect, I just wanted to try out the light box.

Thank you everyone! This had been very helpful. Sorry for posting this in the wrong spot Glenn. what about pictures of larger items like a fire poker? I don't think that would fit in a light tent very well. How do you guys accomplish good pictures of things like that?

25 minutes ago, Lou L said:

This is how English teachers blacksmith....with Shakespeare:

 

Macbeth:

Is this a hammer which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible

To feeling as to sight? or art thou but

A hammer of the mind, a false creation,

Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

 

Hamlet:

To smith, or not to smith, that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous stock reduction,

Or to take arms against a sea of newbies

And by opposing end them. To smith —to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That my anvil is heir to: 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd.

 

Ive got to say that seems like a bit of a misquote... But I like it better your way.

Hi everyone. I searched around a bit and I couldn't find any post dedicated to this idea. I am applying to colleges this year  and a lot  of them are asking if there are any creative elements in the student, and if so to submit a portfolio of their work. However, I have no idea how to take a good photo. So this question is going out to all the people out here who do this for money: How do you take good pictures of your work? Are there any tips you can share? 

P.S. Sorry if this is in the wrong spot, I thought that this would be a good discussion but wasn't quite sure where  it should belong.

thats ok I found it for you and merged them

I didn't make this one, but I did a job shadow with the man who did. His name is Ray Maheu and he specializes in bits and spurs.

Cold Iron by Rudyard Kipling

Gold is for the mistress -- silver for the maid --
Copper for the craftsman cunning at his trade."
"Good!" said the Baron, sitting in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of them all."

So he made rebellion 'gainst the King his liege,
Camped before his citadel and summoned it to siege.
"Nay!" said the cannoneer on the castle wall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- shall be master of you all!"

Woe for the Baron and his knights so strong,
When the cruel cannon-balls laid 'em all along;
He was taken prisoner, he was cast in thrall,
And Iron -- Cold Iron -- was master of it all!

Yet his King spake kindly (ah, how kind a Lord!)
"What if I release thee now and give thee back thy sword?"
"Nay!" said the Baron, "mock not at my fall,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all."

"Tears are for the craven, prayers are for the clown --
Halters for the silly neck that cannot keep a crown."
"As my loss is grievous, so my hope is small,
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

Yet his King made answer (few such Kings there be!)
"Here is Bread and here is Wine -- sit and sup with me.
Eat and drink in Mary's Name, the whiles I do recall
How Iron -- Cold Iron -- can be master of men all!"

He took the Wine and blessed it. He blessed and brake the Bread.
With His own Hands He served Them, and presently He said:
"See! These Hands they pierced with nails, outside My city wall,
Show Iron -- Cold Iron -- to be master of men all."

"Wounds are for the desperate, blows are for the strong.
Balm and oil for weary hearts all cut and bruised with wrong.
I forgive thy treason -- I redeem thy fall --
For Iron -- Cold Iron -- must be master of men all!"

"Crowns are for the valiant -- sceptres for the bold!
Thrones and powers for mighty men who dare to take and hold!"
"Nay!" said the Baron, kneeling in his hall,
"But Iron -- Cold Iron -- is master of men all!
Iron out of Calvary is master of men all!"

On 8/13/2016 at 4:37 PM, JHCC said:

Here are my first two proper hardies. The first one (bottom) was a bit too small, so I made a new one (top). Both are made from torsion bar. 

What is the purpose of the fuller at the start of the taper? Is it just decorative or does it serve a purpose?

If you use a  coal forge you want to make sure that the stock is in the reducing section of the fire. That will cause much less scaling. I  believe Glenn has a sticky on how to make a coal fire in the coal forges  section.

How thick in diameter and what length is the wood that you use for fuel in the forge?

On 10/6/2016 at 7:54 PM, littleblacksmith said:

In the point of the heart, you can do what I think is called a hobberman (??) bend. basically using the edge of you hammer, or a cross peen to draw it out into more of a 90 degree "point".

                                                                                                                                           Littleblacksmith  

My Google-fu is turning up nothing in the sense of a hobberman bend. Can anyone help shed some light here? Thats one of the things I wanted to address on my hearts, I didn't like the bend that much.

The heart on the left. Ignore the other things, they were experiments.

You guys have definitely made me think. This is actually an individual project Frosty. 

After some deliberation I realized I have two clear options that have come to me. The New England Blacksmith fall Meet is coming up and I know I can get some higher quality coal there. So one option is buy some good coal and work to fix up my forge. The issue with it seems to be the air grate is messed up. I can't get the fire hot enough. So maybe I get some coal, use some of the money saved from building a gas forge and try to pick up a welder for cheap. That way I can fix up my forge and get some good coal as well as have a welder around

My other option is to plunge ahead with the gas forge. I did some asking around and found a company that actually fabricated the gas forge shells for another local smith nearby. If I can get that I could proceed by simply buying a burner and making the gas forge that way. 

Right now I'm leaning towards the coal forge idea.

None of the forging would ever be done at school, as there isnt the equipment. Infact, my school actually recently shut down all its shop classes. Thats a good consideration that both of them will have necessary time consumptions. I'm not saying I'm going to get rid of the coal forge, I'm saying I might want a cleaner and quicker options. However if you guys are saying that a gas forge isnt necesarrily as great as I'm thinking it is, I might have to reconsider. Another thing pushing me to go with the gas forge is that the is not a good coal source around me for right now, and my forge is going to need work to get it more efficient.

I would normally agree, however there are a few things that need to be addressed. This is not for a college. I'm a senior in highschool, and as a graduation requirement every student must do a "Senior Project". This is a year long course that has an entire class dedicated to it. The reason I want to get a gas forge is that It takes me a good 20 - 30 minutes to get my coal forge up on running. The propane forge would give me a lot of extra time for forging, as I already have a busy schedule. I do like the donating the bench idea. 

Oh! Another reason for the propane forge is that if I can get the school to pay for a propane forge for myself I definitely want that.

You guys bring up some very good points. I'm not quite sure how the $600 works, but if I make a project and donate it to the school then I get to keep what I spent the $ on I believe. I was thinking of classes, but the only school with in an hour and a half I've taken the general blacksmithing ones. The ones I haven't taken are intro to bladesmithing and making a kitchen knife. What they do offer is a $50 membership fee to go to the open forge night every friday which I will probably do. I was looking at Devils forge and they have the majority of their forges at around $350. I thought of making a propane forge, but it is a very intimidating process, especially since I dont even know how a proper one works.

Those are good ideas guys, thanks. They've definitely gotten me thinking. Here's another thing I'd welcome your advice on: I have $600 I can get from the school to spend on this project. What should I buy? Right now I'm thinking a propane forge, probably from devil's forge unless someone has other advice/recommendations, and some steel. I have an anvil, a coal forge, and the basic tools. What else comes to mind for spending money here? There is a class nearby I might be considering, but it is on bladesmithing. 

Hi everyone. I've come here looking for help with some ideas. For my senior year in high school each student needs to do one gigantic, year long project. This project is devoted an entire class period everyday, and culminates in a 45 minute presentation describing it at the end of the year. I was thinking that I wanted to do something with blacksmithing for my project.

However, I'm not sure what to do exactly. How do i turn the whole hobby of blacksmithing into one year long project that can culminate into something big? Just to give you guys an ideas, some previous projects other students from years past have done are, starting up a debate team and hosting a debate, running the school model UN program, making a dining room table, restoring a vintage car, etc.

I was thinking that perhaps I could do something like attempting to complete the ABANA journeyman skills list, (https://abana.org/resources/journeyman/index.shtml), but I know that realistically I wouldn't be able to complete all of them. What do you guys think? Any and all ideas and opinions are welcome and desired. Thanks in advance!

It wont harden at all if it is very low carbon. It is fantastic for anything except tools or things that need to be hardened. Ornamental work and the lot will be great for it.

Leaves are simple for demo items.

Im pretty sure that the older spikes had more carbon. But like you said I'm sure one of the more experienced guys are going to come along and tell us the correct information.

You can get an edge on just about anything. The issues with Rail knives is they dont keep the edge.

We don't want it collapsing into a Brain hole.