Lou L

I love it! I’m pleased to think my zip ties increased their anticipation, thereby multiplying the “What the heck is this?”, moment upon reveal. We should have put a note to them in there.

Honestly, John has it dead to rights. If you want to feel better about all of it just read more Mark Twain quotes. There is a reason the award is named after him. He was amazing at reminding us that, ad a group, we are brutally flawed. Only in individuals do we meet our potential as a species. edited to add my original thought: Don’t even waste your time teaching them. It is a lose-lose proposition for you. Odds are they will just perceive you as a blowhard know-it-all and ignore you...and, even if they have an epiphany, it will do little to change the misconceptions because they are unlikely to spread your gospel. Sadly, it’s best to say nothing unless people directly ask you for explanation.

This needs context! Can you give the background story without incriminating people?

Sorry for not responding earlier, all. I’ve been quite busy. Haven’t even had the time to forge or come here during my week vacation. But, many thanks for the insights. I’ll keep at it until I am near 100% success rate when I draw out a weld. I’m thinking I may have been too gentle because my last one worked beautifully. I hit it lightly to tack on the first heat then let in to it once I knew it was relatively solid. No delams.

If you have the room and the funds get the best band saw you can for sure. The portability of a porta band is irreplaceable in certain situations, as others have already pointed out. If you own a chop saw you may be able to wheel and deal with the wife to get two ways to cut metal. You can sell your chopsaw and buy an Evolution miter saw that cuts wood and metal. That will satisfy the multi-purpose aesthetic. Then you will be close enough to even to justify getting the bandsaw of your choice. Search for the video of someone cutting an I-beam with the evolution saw to be convinced. My nephew bought one for the shop he works in and it has become a crew favorite.

Sorry @SLAG, good point and I should have noted. I have been working with A38 1/8” round stock and 1018 1/8” square stock. @bluesman7, I did all of the drawing out at forge welding heat and seriously felt that weld improved as I went. Then, while refining the piece at cherry heat to get ready to make the corkscrew, there would be a delamination. I was able to reweld to good effect but, eventually, something would give. I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t a threshold to how much abuse a weld can take.

There is so much information about improvised anvils on the site. Do a search for that term on google and add “iforgeiron” and you will find a bunch of ways to do it cheaper and better. Don’t get married to the idea of the traditional anvil shape. Save money and wait until a good one pops up...it will.

Ba dum dum. Funny stuff there @JustAnotherViking. Watch yerself...he has a grammar hammer with your name on it now.

Gorgeous setup....color me jealous.

That’s a beast! I don’t even have a hole in my entire shop that I could drive that through. Kudos for the hard work forging that thing. It looks straight and true. Keep your eyes out for some barrel drift pins used by iron workers. I got my hands on a bunch of them cheap and use them for drifting bottle openers and for forging the rounded lip on the opener. I recently saw a Brian Brazeal video (he’s started posting to YouTube again) and he uses them as well.

Agreed, beautiful knife there. Well done for sure.

Buy the tongs that work with the stock you have in hand. Wolf jaw tongs are considered excellent all-around tongs but I don’t own any. Whatever tongs you get will become the template for your future attempts at tong making...so get something “mainstream” that you can copy in different sizes later on. My personal opinion is that tongs are the most important part of the kit for a starting smith. Holding the steel with control will get you better a lot more than a super anvil will. Good luck, Lou

I can’t find my information on this and it has been thwarting me in the shop for a few months now. I’ve been doing faggot welds on small stock (usually 1/8”) to make baskets with great success. But, nearly every time I draw the welded area out the weld eventually fails. I’ve been trying to make a corkscrew with a basket twist handle for a while now and have amassed a collection of scrap as a result. After making the weld, I draw the material out to about 1/8” round again but it always fails. My question is this: Are my welds just substandard or is it unrealistic of me to expect that much out of them? Your brutal honesty will be welcomed

I asked for the Swag table for Christmas! I have an old Craftsman table saw that could relatively easily be converted into a beefy table for my portaband but I’m not certain I want to destroy the saw. Plus, the Swag table will take up so little space. For me, I get so little time in the shop that projects like this = no forging possibly for weeks. I’m lucky if I get five hours in a week. My wife promised me time to try to make some simple gifts for people this weekend and yet here I am, two days in a row, watching the kids while she is out doing things she had planned all along.

I think it is a steel drum...and should produce enough volume that it would easily cut through the sound of the rest of the marching band. If the top part happens to be solid then maybe it is an anvil that needs to have a bunch of plate steel removed.

The title of “curmudgeon” is not to be taken lightly here on IFI. They regularly remind us that we are members of an international community of well-informed people. One of our friends in another corner of the world may have the answer and shouldn’t be expected to wade through American history...even if he/she has a better grasp of it.

Very nice, Alexandr. Lots of parts and time put into that piece....I hope you were well paid!

Thanks, I’ll give it a try for sure. Hi 3stly, I’ve just been going it on my own and didn’t think to contact NEB members near me.

I’m perplexed as to,how people are acquiring coke. I can’t find it. I’ve tried. It is my desired fuel for my setup and I’ve been settling for anthracite. I really have enjoyed using bituminous and a hand blower but I love just having the fire sit and wait for me regardless of what I’m doing and changing its characteristics with a flick of the air gate.

Seriously, read up on the improvised anvils. I found it to be uplifting to find out just what you can do with very little. A big block of mild steel or A36 will do wonders. A big old sledge hammer head set in a log is plenty. Get to work on the cheap, keep that envelope filling up with “anvil fund” change and you will have your choice in no time. Just keep your eye out and be vigilant. I checked Craigslist religiously until I found mine and got in the truck immediately.. Trust the guys who already posted...they have forgotten more than I know. I just wanted to chime in with a new guy’s perspective.

That press would demand at least $1500 anywhere near me. This depresses me because my wife would rubber stamp $500 for that lot all day with Judson’s sales pitch.

I recently had the opportunity to see Dick Spreda’s Weaver Hi-speed press in Stowe, VT and I officially desire one intensely. They seem to be scarce....of course. I’ve done an awful lot of digging for information and advice on presses and it seems to me that most smiths stick to a certain few types for a reason. In the end you have to be willing and able to pay for what the big boys use if you want something that “works”.

Hey, if you make it on to FIF you can grill Theo for advice. Nice blades for sure!

Ba dum dum... that one was a winner.

This one is perfect! It’s a small 1/8 hp blower for yard inflatables. I got it on Amazon as an open box scratch and dent. It is pretty quiet and puts out much more pressure. I forged yesterday and much of what I did was play around with adjustments of the air gate to see how much control I have over the fire. I have lots