Forge 4

Thank you, I shoulda done dat first. Guess I just needed a kickstart in the right direction.

Thanks y'all for your 'vice. I guess I better put my reading glasses on now.

That is the basic idea I'm using for my forge, and I was thinking about cutting some firebricks into shape to fit inside the inner edge of the forge to refract more heat, would that help at all?

Hello, I'm building a forge from a brake drum I got from a friend at my local auto shop, and I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on where on earth to get started. I want to forge some knives (starting with railroad spikes. And I was thinking about forge welding some Damascus or Japanese blue steel into the blade for a "real" edge). What are some things I should know? My favorite style blade is a long slender/curved kind of blade, what are techniques to achieving this? How the heck do I heat treat anything? Do I need a heat treat oven? How do I temper the blade? How do I quench it without making the metal warp or crack? I don't know anything, so any knowledge y'all can impart will be greatly appreciated.

Hello, I'm a baby blacksmith, just starting out and hoping you guys can help me out a little. I am building a brake drum forge, mostly for knife making. I was thinking about using some cut refractory bricks around the inner edge to create a fire pit in the center, and hopefully bring the temp up. I'm thinking coal for fuel, and from what I've heard and read it's not really that important what you use as long as you can figure how to make it work, right? I don't have much room at my house I'm trying to keep everything small (and very, very cheap). What should I use as a small anvil? I live in the country near a lot of mining scrap, so would a railroad track be okay for blade smithing, and is an old sledge hammer head okay? Also, I'm terrified of killing myself with galvanized metal, so how can I tell if something is galvanized? Like any scrap or piping I get from my local junk yard? Any advice you would give to help a COMPLETE newbie?