Navaja

30 minutes ago, Frosty said:

30 minutes ago, Frosty said:

45 minutes ago, Glenn said:

For most blacksmiths, you would need a wide angle lens AND an aerial view.

  And that I would like to see

30 minutes ago, Frosty said:

 Take a picture of all your tools! is pretty useless unless you're having an auction

 

      OK.   

   Folks usually like to show off the stuff they have made & other folks usually like to look at it, but fair enough.

 

On 17/03/2016 at 3:51 AM, Ish675 said:

 I need an anvil

   Or any big bit of steel.

  Here's a photo of my stuff, an axe, bowl adze, hammer, knife & I forgot about my "mechanics knife, fork & spoon"

  I've made a few knives but didn't include a machete as I guess it's just a big knife.  Haven't had a go at making tongs yet as I got a few from a flee market, maybe some wood gouges next.......

     How many different tools have you made that you can gather in one photo?

     I started out making blades but have gone on to make Adzes, Axes & Hammers & have only scratched the surface with simple stuff,  maybe pliers one day .    lt would  be cool to see how many different tools can be made,  a homemade "tool kit" I guess.

      So please show us how many different tools you've made.      

      I think it only fair that five different hammers count as a hammer not five!  

8 hours ago, VaughnT said:

Only thing I'd recommend is that you do away with the screws fencing it in.  Forge yourself some nice spikes and fencing to dress the whole thing up.  Honor your anvil and she'll be happier to perform with you.

OK, will do 

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Lets see it was around 1972, as I recall it was on the left side of the train when heading from Toledo to Madrid and closer to Toledo;

I'll go look tomorrow.....  

• Nice work & useful tools.      

       On my "to make" list.......

6 hours ago, Bud in PA said:

I like your anvil. I don't know why I had to have a "regular anvil" to start out. Yours looks like it will do anything mine will do, and probably much cheaper.  

    The block is around a 100 pounds, it' d be nice to have a horn & holes though, driving the eyes on these hammers would have been easier, as it was I used an old weight with a hole in it balance on top to use drifts on, not easy to do by myself.

7 hours ago, littleblacksmith said:

I've always wondered how it would be, to forge with a dogs head hammer. I cant stand using ball peen hammers cause they aren't evenly balanced especially the bigger ones, so I probably wouldn't enjoy using a dog head hammer. though very nicely made hammers.

                                                                                                           Littleblacksmith

Nothing wrong with your anvil, the londen pattern anvil has only been around for about 200 years. before that many smiths used ones that probably looked very similar to your chunk of steel. if this helps, I started out using a 10 pound sledge hammer head, than I used a "railroad plate" (not sure if that's what its called), then I borrowed an anvil, then I used a piece of railroad track, and then I finally found a 100 pound Trenton anvil.if it works for you than it works just fine.

     This style of hammer has always looked very uncomfatable & just wrong to my eyes, that's why I thought I'd give them a go, that & a simple excuse to make something else I could manage!       I have heard many sing the praises of this pattern for forging bevels on blades, my reason for wanting to try them, in the hand they feel like they will to some extent be self aligning due to the mass under the handle.    The handles are angled down a few degrees.

   I'm not in a hurry for an anvil, all things come to he who waits....... Just how long 

6 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

So you probably wouldn't like to hear my tale of being on the train from Toledo to Madrid my last evening in Spain and seeing a beautiful double horn anvil dumped in the brush next to the track---No way to get it and no way to ship it if I did....happened in the early 1970's and I still mourn it!  

NC

 

6 hours ago, Bud in PA said:

 

  Can you remember where exactly, I 'all go look 

 .....  Couldn't resist the title, sorry    any more names?  

  First go at posting pics & first at forging hammers, nothing fancy but wanted to try this style of hammer so here they are-

  Made from an old axle, I don't have an eye drift so split with a chisel then a metal erectors tapered drift/hole aligner.  That made for some "interesting" shaped eyes that needed a bit of filing & a lot of careful shaping to get the handles to fit tight.   They just happen to weigh 2 & 3 pounds.

  I will make a eye drift for my next attempts & will work the cheeks flatter.  Quenched in warm oil & tempered by running colour down to the faces.  I haven't used them yet, might have to shorten them a bit but will try them first & see what happens.

  A picture of my humble set up-

  Anvils must have been all over the place in this part of the world in the past but after looking for a couple of years I've only seen a few & they won't part with them........

  Take care.

For what it's worth it might be worth balancing the fan, I got hold of an old forge with a hand crank blower that doesn't even have bushings, it sounded like a hand cracked air raid siren because of the badly out of balance fan "chattering" like crazy.

  After balancing it is relatively quiet & good to use even though there is no difference in wear.  I just made sure the removed fan when balanced on a couple of flats edges didn't have a heavy spot that settled at the bottom each time.

On 25/01/2016 at 10:46 PM, Forging Carver said:

 Also, part of the reason is also that I need a new air source. My hair dryer produces too much air, and turning it on and off everytime the heat is done is a pain.

I had the same problem, a large hole in the supply pipe covered with a sliding "half pipe" gives infinitely adjustable air without restricting or burning out the supply motor.

17 hours ago, Smoggy said:

 

Do you flit back and forth or are you migratory, spending the winter in warmer climes?

Back & forth but mainly Spain, I work here.

Been lurking for a while & have picked up some really useful information from this great forum.

I split my time between southern Spain & the UK, am mainly to into bladesmithing & knife making but enjoy reading about anything blacksmithing so a lot to go at here!  

 I see a few familiar names here from other knife related forums so know I'll be in good company.....

Take care.