nashdude

If someone could pass me the A1 sauce please

Yeah... it's that important.

YouTube - A1 Steak Sauce Commercial

An idea I would have for you when grilling is to have something built up along the sides of the firepot that has some height adjustments to lay your grilling grid onto that.

My thoughts exactly. The charcoal wouldn't actually go IN the firepot---rather, it would go on a pan (set on the lowest height pegs) OVER the firepot, with holes punched through it to act as a barbe-tuyere

Also, I don't think you would want the blower running while grilling.

What? Seriously? Then where would my charcoal get its air from?

/sarcasm off ;)

Since deciding to build a coal forge, I've been thinking mobile. I wanted something on wheels, easy to disassemble, so that I can take it with me wherever I go. But I got to thinkin'... I ain't gonna be going nowhere!

This past weekend, I went out to the flea market---netting a sweet deal on an old drill press, I might add :cool: As I was headed home, I noticed a pile of brick being salvaged from a demolished building. I started thinking about this grill my step-dad made out of some spare brick that he had left over from a job.

Then I got to thinking---brick grill... coal forge... brick grill... coal forge. Ever the cheapskate, I started considering how I could COMBINE the two, so I don't have to shell out money for two fixtures when one might be built as a "multipurpose" fixture

So... is there any reason I couldn't build one of these things? If they CAN be compatable, I would design it with a blower pipe in the side for the tuyere, a catchspace underneath for clinkers, and a firepot deep enough to allow for a grill above the charcoal.

Thoughts?

Unfortunately, I'm still lining my shop up---setting up my forge and whatnot---so I can't really say one way or the other, but I think this is the route that I'm gonna go.

If nothing else, you could build one yourself...

Blower Plans

It doesn't sound like the file is getting hot enough at only a red heat, of course colors are subjective. Getting it to nonmagnetic should be a better standard to go by.

Was about to say the same thing. Good tip on the wood ashes, though :)

That is some gorgeous work, bro.

LOL what's ironic to me is that, in these stories, the uber-sword generally uses stones to sharpen it :rolleyes:

Agreed. Also, to make things easier, you can draw out the gem settings as you're making the cup. For example...

Note how the diamond is being held to the ring in this image. See how those "arms" are folded over the outermost lip of the diamond? These "arms are first created straight. Then when the diamond is placed in the setting, the "arms" are folded over. It would actually be easier to set gemstones in a sword pommel, as you have a lot more metal to work with.

My two cents...


Copyrighted photo removed and a link put into the text.

Hehe pretty cool. Was the 4140 salvaged from something else, or brand new?

Very nice, dude. I bet the thickness of the cable sits better in the hand than some of those loop handles that you see on other blades. Good job :)

I love the pattern in the blade! I'm not usually a Damascus guy---it can be kinda gaudy if the pattern is too pronounced or regular---but I really like the random, NATURAL feel of your pattern.

Thumbs up ;)

Kinda where I got the idea hehe

Why steer clear of the edges? Is granite more prone to chipping at the edges? May sound like a newb question... but I guess that's because it is :p

I asked this question on another thread, but I figured I'd get a wider range of answers if I made it its own thread.

Back in the day, before there were horned anvils and the like, blacksmiths used whatever flat surface they could find as anvils. Japanese swordsmiths used cubes of steel, or even stone, to hammer out their work. I believe that the best stone anvil to use was granite, but I could be mistaken.

As the local king of scrounge, I called around and found that some of our funeral homes and monument dealers give local folks free pickins at their cast off granite---headstones and monuments that are broken or otherwise unfit for their commission.

My question is, has anyone here actually USED a granite anvil? If so, how did it serve compared to your steel anvil of choice?

Another option would be to use a one-brick forge. It's a simple little deal made of a single soft firebrick and a bernzomatic torch. Nothing fancy---just enough to wet your whistle, give you an idea of whether or not you really want to put the time, effort, and resources into blacksmithing.

Here's a write-up on the one-brick and similar micro-forges...

anvilfire.com Blacksmithing FAQs

Welcome aboard :)

or you could just buy a $5 used hair dryer, that should supply all the air you need.

Of course it would. Thing is, for tribal stuff---or those of us who just love the notion of not being dependent on electricity---you need something that's operated manually. And I don't care how many gears and pulleys you put on it, there's no way to hand-crank a hairdryer up to speed :p

Do you think the fiber glass resin is expensive?

Not hardly. In fact, it's VERY easy to come by so long as you have an auto parts dealer in town, like Autozone or O'Reilly. You can probably even pick it up at the local hardware store, like Ace or Home Depot or Lowe's.

You just need to remember one word... Bondo

Bondo Fiberglass Resin Repair Kits

I don't suppose you'd be willing to scan the relevant pages and upload them into the blueprints section...? :cool:

I don't see where the gas powered leaf blower PDF is relevant. It's designed (the impeller in particular) for lots of RPM and way more flow than a fire needs.

Yeah, I didn't look at it real good before I posted. I just saw "plans" and saw the diagram and assumed that there was something included that obviously was not.

Good comments, bro. Thanks!

I actually WAS considering calling the local mortuary and see if they have any cast-off granite...:rolleyes:

First, I am the google master. In researching the various aspects of bladesmithing, I've come across a HUGE number of tutorials ranging from making wire damascus to mokume. But one of the most interesting things I've found is how to make micarta (click here).

I've got friends that have made micarta from linen, denim, flannel, even old army camo. So I was wondering if anyone out there has used materials OTHER than fabric? Granted it wouldn't be "micarta", but it would be interesting nonetheless. What about leaves? Pine straw? Spanish moss?

Thoughts?

Thanks yall! I'm rather proud of it (to the point of being obnoxious, I'm sure...).

This is actually the only knife I've ever made---first, last, and the totality of my bladesmithing hobby thus far. The guy that got me into it (whose workshop you see me using) was pretty impressed with it, and convinced me to look at the hobby a little more seriously. I was just after a hobby that I can share with my son as he gets older, but now I can see something a bit more...

...lucrative

Anyway, this is what spawned my interest in blacksmithing. Nash 101 :D

WOOOHOOOO!!! Jackpot!

http://www.vintageprojects.com/home-garden/LeafBlower.pdf

I'm still researching the whole centrifugal bellows idea, and I ran across this little gem. It needs tweaking for max performance, but it gives the same general idea of what I was talking about in my "busted leaf blower bellows" discertation

Blower Plans

Wally World had some oval washtubs embossed with "Cold Drinks" and "Beer" for $8, one of these days I'll make the one I got into a forge.
Charcoal Forge

Love the link, BDF... thanks!