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Often I get asked about why I spend all this time making something that just right way. Hitting it what seems to be for ever.. Or why I choose a 7/8" round bar to upset to get 1.250 square bar in a video. this video towards the end of it pretty much sums it up nicely. (timeline 24.28) I strive to do the best work I can do on all items and it has to meet my requirements as to what I am trying to achieve. Also watch how Francis swings his hammer.. https://video.unctv.org/video/folkways-fire-forge-blacksmithing

Arkie, I'm not a journey person. I'm a result person. it's the end game that is always the prize. Sooner I am done the better. . LOL. Back in the day and even today I look at everything as a time frame. Sooner it's done the less it costs both me and the person at the other end. . For a beginner I feel taking ones time is important.

IRing rust: If you had seen me forge before I quit.. You would be shocked how fast metal can move by hand. I looked through my journal the other day. A spring lock was 1.5hrs start to finish. It would take me 3.5hrs now. A carving hatchet like shown now I think of as a full 6hr demo. But back in the day was 2.5-3hrs start to finish including hardening and tempering. I can forge out to near 90% in 4hrs but it is a struggle for sure. I have thought so to about being knowing vs doing, back when I was in my 20's and even into my 30's. ( I only used to forge when I had paying work and if it was once a week i was still ontop of my game).. I know now that is not the case. the only way for me to get back into shape and keep it, is to forge 3 or 4 times a week. this would have me back to full steam in about 6 months. I'm 3 years out of retirement and while I see steady improvement across the board I can also see the deficiencies. I forge once a month or so now, if not a longer time in between. . Knowing how to do something and then actually being able to apply it is a different ball game all together. Many of the earlier "How to". Videos show this slowness. its fun to watch videos from last year and even ones older as there is a certain understanding that simply gets missed when one does not practice enough to put it into application. Saying vs doing.. Still good videos and great from a beginner aspect as the forging is slower and more watchable. As I have gotten older I have found I fully know how to do something and can explain it, but the ability with "Hand to eye to Hand" is slower. this slowness is the age related aspect. Proper lighting is crucial now. LOL. I can't see details in the metal as clearly though I have pretty good vision. So to stay on top of the game regular forging is what I need. Again, 3 or 4 days a week is ideal. During the summer I do a bunch of demos which by the end of the season I'm feeling pretty good. But then I do very little forging during the winter other than for videos. which are about 1-1.5hrs of forge time, once a month. LOL.. Hardly practice. I'm a righty but think like a lefty maybe.. Getting the Blacksmith teaching facility up will change a lot of what is going on.

primarily scroll work for the side shelf. the scroll can work right under the side shelf instead of bumping into the side of the anvil like on a London or anvil with no side shelf. But it's a great place to use just like the corner of the faces on a normal london or North german pattern anvil and can also be used like a set used in the swage when doing knife work. this is a right hand anvil and I have it pointed as if it's a lefty anvil. the shelf should be on the other side away from me with the horn to the left. I technically need a left handed one. i don't carve per say. but I do make hammer handles and ax handles and such. The reason why 3 in as nearly many weeks is because they are tough to make vs a sandwiched type like wrapped tomahawk or even a regular ax where the tool steel is merely put in the middle between the sides. I'm just now starting to feel like I'm starting to get back into forging shape after taking off 13 years. Brilliant railroad track anvil construction. LOVE It. Your a smart cookie.

fun right. Figured others would get a kick out of it. I love when I forge something and they always ring. Hammers, Axes, knives. Just plain old neat.

Last demo of the year. . 1018 body, 1095 tool steel edge, Wrapped and tool steel applied one side only. Forged, filed and awaiting heat treatment and handle. 20191019_160352.mp4

Nice vise. Great job on getting ready for use. 671jungle. Thanks. Appreciate the kind words.

It's all good steel and they are all hardened pieces. The larger cup piece is called the cup and it has the stub shaft. there is a ring on the outside of the cup to hold the dust boot. I cut these off which gives me about 1-1.5" of a round slide of the cup. I then cut this ring on one side and open it up. I use an abrasive cutoff blade. What I do is forge the splined shaft down before I cut the cup off. the rounded inside section makes it very hard to hold while forging the shank to fit the hardie hole.

yes, the outer housing part can be used as a dishing tool. All the parts inside are good quality carbon steel and can be used to good merit. I would shape the axle stub part while it's still pretty easy to hold. I usually cut off the outer ring part and this is good chisel or knife stock.

Years ago I had a stump I was using and when I started I put the threaded rods thru to use the hold down the way I like it. I noticed about 2 years in that a crack had formed but never gave it any thought.. Well until I changed out the anvil.. Turns out the rods running thru it were what was holding the halves together.

Well done JHCC and Stash. Always great when JHCC (John) makes the rounds. Journeyman for sure.

Your welcome.. I call it the way I see it.. Good work is good work. It shows good technique and the pickiness is how you get good. Many people never get that good even after years of working at it because they have the good enough bug when it still needs a little more attention (a lot).. LOL.. You have made steady progress and there are a few on here that inspire me to do better.. You for sure are one of those. Keep it up. Again, i love those S hooks and the spooky critters. nice work all around.

CGL, nice work. the forgings look nice and clean and smooth. Well done. Love the horse shoe s hooks. I think it's great you reference where you found the info. That really is the best way to give credit where do. Very nice indeed.

Frosty the original shop was moved to OSV. There the anvils are free to move around as the place had a cellar put under it for heat and some electric tools down there. this shop is supposed to be an exact copy of the original shop before it moved. and the stumps are put into the dirt under the floor. I'm guessing in there original locations. this shop was primarily used to forge tools for the lime quarry behind the shop. Actually a very well to do quarry. This particular smith also did some wagon work. the forge on the other side seems to have a little more room. I think the work bench might have been moved forwards a little more which cuts into the forging room. Thanks.. I will forge one more at the next demo. A smaller version.

Thanks and yes I do enjoy sharing for sure. Once the teaching facility is up and running I am hoping to do some long distance stuff too. My pleasure. I forge welded on a thin section to reinforce the eye. You can just see the weld seam. JHCC. Great job but I'm not quite sure how it works? I don't want to sound funky.. but is is like a bread box? I mean I don't see any opening to put the ashes in..