Andrew Martin

Have you tried Google? Looks surprisingly like the armourer's sheet metal forge on anvilfire.

Yeah, it's a good show, lots of high quality smithing there! I do think they exaggerated a few things, but most people wouldn't want to watch a show like that with out a little bit of drama/suspense.

Speaking of which- Mr. Furrer, was there a particular reason you took the sword out of the quench before it cooled below the flash point? Or was it for theatrics?  What would the Vikings have quenched in anyways(assuming they didn't have canola oil or Parks 50)?

I picked up this spike the other day and noticed it was smaller than a standard spike. I vaguely recalled reading somewhere that WI spikes are smaller than mild steel ones, but the rust pattern on this spike didn't  scream wrought iron. Anyway, did a bend test today and it does seem to peel instead of break. Having little experience in identifying wrought, I thought I would ask those of you who work a lot of wrought for a positive id. What do you think?

I like the bottom one better because the top one looks too sharp and pointy, and seems more asymmetrical. I don't really like the bottom of the second piece; definitely reminds one of fish fins! If you combined the top of number 2 with the bottom of number one, that would look best IMHO and be pretty close to what most 'traditional' fleur de lys look like.

I second all the advice above. make sure you KNOW all the applicable fire codes and laws - it's cheap insurance for when the fire marshal comes knocking. Checking in with the local PD for insight on the neighborhood is also a good idea, especially if they happen to suspect the property owner of any shady dealings. Btw, you and/or the owner may need some kind of insurance or another, find out about that too. 

Do scrutinize the lease agreement very, very carefully so there will be no misunderstandings between you and the owner. If you have questions about something not in the lease agreement, ask! I speak from personal experience when I say that if there is some kind of misunderstanding or lack of communication between both parties it can go downhill quick.

Other than that, it sounds like you're about to land a sweet space. Be considerate of the owner and your future neighbors and you will be A-OK. 

19 hours ago, Frosty said:

I AM a reasonable guy. 

I thought that was what you meant, just making sure I didn't misread.

They probably meant 10.0% and forgot the decimal point

There is also (Ashes to Blades) -  this thread.

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

ANY grinder, other than a right angle disk grinder. Put a wire wheel or buff on a disk grinder and it's NO GLOVES PERIOD!

Just to clarify, do you mean you wear gloves when using abrasive wheels in your disc grinder, but not when using a wire wheel or buff, or do you never wear gloves when using a disc grinder? I've heard different opinions on this and some do suggest wearing gloves when using abrasive wheels. I keep anything loose away from spinny grabby things-didn't take more than one close call with an untucked shirt and a drill for me to learn that lesson....

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 1:47 PM, JHCC said:

Modeling clay (plasticine) is better than potter's clay: you can mush it down and start over, whereas potter's clay will eventually dry out.

Thanks, I forgot to mention that! Any hobby/craft store will have plasticine or something just like it, I can get it for around $6/pound usually.

Have you tried using modeling clay to "forge" a tong blank? I did lots of that when I was learning to make tongs. Repeat the process 5 or 6 times (yes, I am serious), you will be very surprised at how much you learn in the 30 minutes it takes to do that instead of the 4+ hours it would take you to do it once in steel. It would be good idea to take notes between tries.

Also, have you looked at tong making videos on Youtube? I learned quite a bit from watching Technicus Joe's tong making videos. If you forge a modeling clay pair of tongs straight away after watching those, you can practice the getting all the details down.

One thing I don't see mentioned above is that, in the USA at least, taking a knife to school is probably a BAD idea. Different school districts have different rules; have you asked your teacher(s) whether or not this will be an acceptable school project? If they give the OK, go right on ahead, but they may prefer you to make a coat hook or bottle opener instead of bringing a sharp object to school. Besides, coat hooks and bottle openers are standard beginner projects - much easier to forge than a knife.

On ‎3‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 2:22 PM, C-1ToolSteel said:

I live in the USA and call the area in the middle Central America. Seems like most everybody around hear does, actually.

Do you mean the middle part of the USA, or the middle part of North/South American continents? At first I read your statement the second way, but then I realized you could of meant it the other way 

4 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Pretty much anything can kill you if you consume too much and there are things like rhubarb where parts are edible and others are not.

True, I'm just very careful about eating wild plants if there is any doubt as to whether it's toxic or what species it is. I heard a story once about a toddler who was given nightshade berries by accident because someone thought they were grapes. Now, if you know what it is and you know it isn't t toxic and is edible, and you're absolutely sure, then you can make some pretty decent salads in the middle of nowhere.

8 minutes ago, Marc1 said:

That may be so but the plant in question is edible. No danger there.

Are you sure? I only ask because I once checked out a book about N. American poisonous plants, their side effects/symptoms, and what causes those symptoms. Plenty of the plants in that book were toxic because of some group of compounds involving oxalates or oxalic acid (been awhile since I read the book). IIRC some of those plants were reportedly edible only AFTER boiling/cooking thoroughly. Wish I could remember the name of the book, it even said how many pounds of green potatoes you'd have to eat before noticing symptoms.

Pancho, I'm a bit east of Cheney, so kind of between Kingman and Wichita. Thankfully, my area consists more of wheat fields than cattle pasture, so we don't usually have too many flare ups. We did nearly have a tornado in our back yard a couple years ago, but that's another story.

Oh, I can't take credit for coining the phrase "knee-mail", I saw that somewhere on here and thought it was hilarious

Very sorry to here about your misfortune Pancho, everyone affected by the fires are on my knee-mail list. I had really hoped we wouldn't have a repeat of last year's fires but I guess it was wishful thinking. We haven't really had any major fires up this away , but I remember our house being right underneath the smoke plume from last years fire. That one was a hundred miles or so away I think and I could still smell it inside the house!

Thomas, I heard lots of people had problems with their fences getting torched last year (almost as much of a problem as the shortage of hay). Sad to think the misfortune repeated itself this year, putting in new fences isn't fun.

On a more cheerful note, maybe this one torched up another few hundred of those pesky cedar trees!

3 hours ago, Anachronist58 said:

The particular species of plant is key.

Is that gray-green wood-sorrel? At least I think that's the name of what I'm thinking of. Occasionally I see a clump or two of that around here.

Going to have to bump up "Go to Quad-State" on my priority list a few notches....

That is aweing. Just the fact someone was willing to try that is inspiring, but to have the skill required to execute it? That is even more inspiring. I wonder if how many people have done this in the last 30 years or even since the last WI/steel faced anvils were manufactured?  

Couchsachraga, I'm no expert on forge welding, but I might be able to give a few pointers. The two most common causes of a weld not taking are 1) oxidation between contact surfaces and 2) not enough heat.

To correct No.1, vigorously wire brush the scarves, or even file/grind them down to shiny metal before you attempt the weld. Also, remember to flux sparingly, too much flux creates as much of a barrier as scale does. I sprinkle on the borax at a red heat till the steel looks 'wet', then I stop sprinkling. In addition, fluxing does no good if your fire is oxidizing, make sure it is adjusted to as close to neutral as you can get it!

No.2 is corrected by careful observation/repetition. For mild steel: First, watch for the flame to turn yellowish as the fluxed steel approaches light yellow. Then wait for the flux to bubble and sizzle. Carefully watch for the sparkler effect to begin. When sparks start flying, get it out and tap it a few times. Some welds weld all the way in one heat; most need more than one.

Do all that, and remember that confidence is EVERYTHING , and you'll have it.

I should mention I've never welded with a gas forge, only in coal forges.

horse, same to you, either the forge is not hot enough, or the atmosphere is not neutral. I've frequently heard both complaints from smiths who use homebuilt gassers, that's one of the reasons I use coal. But others see it the opposite way, I just know what works for me!

Edit: it's possible you aren't using enough, but quite unlikely. Some do without fluxing at all, the real trick is a neutral fire. Flux just allows us more room for error.

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 9:52 PM, littleblacksmith said:

The most important part of this tool, other than the structure, because obviously if you have poor structure, than it may not hold up to constant sledge hits from a beginner striker. Like I was saying, the second most important thing is the grind of the punch tip. If it isn't ground properly, either it wont punch a plug, or it wont be as efficient as it could be with the "correct" grind.

Littleblacksmith, do you know what angle your punch tip is ground at? I've been searching for a number but can't seem to find one. Anyhow, thanks for the close-up photos, I can already tell that my slitter punches need to be ground at a less acute angle.

Technicus Joe also recently posted a video (entitled "Why Blacksmithing Sucks", IIRC) that thoroughly explains faster techniques of drawing and why some work better than others, etc. It's kind of a long video, but it's very, very informative; I found it very helpful in understanding how fuller shapes are more effective than flat shapes when drawing.

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 4:58 PM, gote said:

Sorry I do not understand. I believed that a pound is approximately 0.45 kg both being dimensions for mass.

Then for practical reasons we calibrate our scales (which we use for weighing) in kgs (or pounds) rather than Newtons since we usually use them to determine mass. We do not buy a Newton of potatos we buy a Kg or a pound. A Newton of potatoes is probably a ton of new potatoes or??? 

Now I'm confused... isn't it "a pound(weight) is to a Newton as a slug(mass) is to a kilogram"? Or do I need to review basic physics again?

Frosty, you lost me- how does .375" not exist?

I think I may be getting early onset Alzheimer's....

Wow, my air gate was a slot cut in the tue pipe with a scrap of sheet metal shoved in, way more rough and ready than yours lol. OTOH, you won't lose the gate as many time as I did.