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I Forge Iron

Charcold

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Posts posted by Charcold

  1. Just as a disclaimer please don't grind, weld, or attempt any other repairs until you here from experts, you could end up damaging the anvil and you'd be far from the first! 

    That out of the way I don't see any damage that I'd personally repair. 

    The "bridge" area between face and horn is a bit mushroomed, but that's no big deal. Some smiths use that part for chisel work I've read, intentionally sacrificing that area should the chisel slip. They're sometimes not hardened steel, which could explain the shape.

    The face doesn't look bad, we certainly see worse posted on a weekly basis. No major gouges that i can see on the face itself, and the edge looks not too bad either. If there are rough spots you simply need to avoid them on your work. A plain block hardy tool could be made if you need a perfect corner to work against. 

    The horn is blunted, this was done intentionally most likely to avoid a sharp point which you'd never forget if you ran into. That's fairly common, some sharp horns have been the cause of ripped pants, cuts, and worse. 

    Looks like a wrought body anvil of some kind, im sure someone will be along shortly to let you know the maker. 1-0-3 is likely the weight in hundredweight system 1(x112) + 0(x28) + 3(x1) = 115 lbs

  2. at Robs, primative was a poor choice of words. Maybe traditional is better? I see a lot of more modern equipment in their shop but the forging at the start is done with one man holding the flatbar on a post anvil of sorts with 2 strikers using hammers that look handmade and in a Japanese style (only way i know to describe it, seeing this makes me think perhaps its common to a lot of asia). Just a guess but i wonder if that large anvil is cast iron, as they dont seem to be using it very much for forging and it looks like it would be worth a fortune in that area. 

    at Frost, not offended in the least. i did a few searches on google trying to see if there was already a thread and couldn't find any, likely my fail on the keywords. so i decided it was worth a post, i'm going to be checking out this channel in the future more if they post this type of content more. 

  3. Ahhh not a problem that makes total sense. If i said that i meant it that it's youtube's goal, or even just their PR spin. I don't think the changes they made have improved quality of content overall, and especially not much in blacksmithing. 

    When they first started it was an attempt to cut down on click-bait DIY videos. that was a legitimate income maker for 3-4 years. All of a sudden people didn't have to search "how to change a tire", then watch it, and apply it to their car. You could just search "how to change a tire 2005 Pontiac Grand am". As an example. Most of the videos were basic, there were many duplicates of each subject, and that was just the DIY aspect. It became a problem with more click-baity subjects like "how to make 500$ a week with passive income" where you're just saying "have a massive youtube channel and get paid to endorse products" or some other pile of worthless info. but the title gets u 100k views and it pays out. In todays algorithm that would get a massive like/dislike ratio in the first day and get buried in the search query more consistently. 

    but theyve made it harder to make money for people that make good content in combatting bad content. 

  4. Great article thank you very much! I needed something like that to show my family, who seems to think cast iron has magical properties nothing else does! We got a nice stainless pan set for our wedding and my only complaint is they get SO HOT compared to the teflon i'm used to. but with the right amount of butter nothing sticks!

  5. On 4/19/2018 at 4:37 PM, rockstar.esq said:

    Charcold,

    I appreciate where you're coming from but I disagree with respect to the youtube monitization thing. Youtube is acting as a gatekeeper and they're doing bupkiss for quality control beyond the typical politically-correct pablum.  There are a lot of high quality educational videos that are blocked, de-monitized, or otherwise censored without explanation.  The power they wield over content creators is absolute.  As soon as a new "digital kingdom" is tall enough to cast a shadow, the same old protectionist racket falls into place.  Naturally, workarounds to youtube are underway.

    I agree with all of this so I'm not sure what we disagree on. :lol:  I did leave out the bit about how even if you make a perfectly instructional channel you still may not be able to monetize, i think my wish for people to have better videos is "for the good of the craft" rather than meaning "this is how you make money". Admittedly confusing reading back over it as i weave a bit inbetween thoughts at times. 

     

    I think after reading all of the replies over this thread my position comes down to this.

    If you are determined to be a content creator, and you have a subject in mind for a video. It will be advantageous to you as a creator, and to those you're instructing, to post something of a summary here with simple bullet points about the information you want to include on that subject (something good creators usually do anyways for their reference). This is a way to close the gap between knowledgeable master smiths who aren't interested in making videos and younger smiths who have videos in mind. This brings up a bit of a moral question about citing your sources in the eventual video, although I'm sure most member would be tickled pink just to hear "thanks to the curmudgeons over at IFI". When I made this post it was in the specific context of how a user who has since been banned from the site (who had a very limited knowledge base about blacksmithing) could draw on knowledge in a very easy way to improve the content of his channel (since he seemed very determined to make a youtube channel).  I think that's a very effective way to address what seems to be a reality in the internet these day, those most willing to make videos are often not experienced enough to instruct. 

     

    Since then we've got on to a few tangents, which is fine, i think it was a good thread. But i think that paragraph above captures what I was saying pretty well with some things added based on the conversation. 

  6. what you need to realize is that as soon as anyone starts talking about repairing an anvil people jump on it. it happens all the time, people think they're repairing an anvil and instead they ruin it. people dont want you to be that guy. 

    as soon as you can take pictures of that forge, or the new one you might get. maybe the fan you say is broken would be good to get pictures of. 

  7. I think we're getting confused because you keep saying things like "i'm going to weld a plate to it" or "i might start a yard fire to forge weld" or "i'm practicing arc welding now". maybe when you're considering things say "hey guys i'm thinking of _______. how does that sound?" to clear up the confusion. 

  8. If you ordered that ball bearing right now, it should be at your house in 5 days. If you don't think that anvil will work fine for 5 days, you're wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong but you don't currently have a working forge, so what do you need an anvil for in the next 5 days? Shouldn't your focus be on repairing than forge and not the anvil? What is the status of that and what do you need to do to finish that forge repair? Have you posted enough photos to be told what, if anything, to repair? 

    you need to follow the advice of people trying to help you and post pictures of the results, then wait for further instruction. or im afraid to say people wont be helping all that much longer.  

    if you think you're close to making money, before even having made anything, you should consider getting a job. not being mean but you're probably not going to make money in this trade for years, if ever. 

  9. I understand your situation entirely, you don't seem to understand what I said tho. You don't need the ball bearing right now, you just need to wait on repairing that anvil until you get it. In the meantime, as i said, the anvil will work fine, as it is, without repairs. And buying online is just fine, amazon has plenty of ball bearings for under 10$. The top result is a 3-pack of 1" ball bearings for 7$. 

    If you're suggesting you build a "yard fire" to "forge weld" a plate onto the top of the anvil please stop. That wont work for a number of reasons. If you're now fixing things out of boredom expect to ruin quite a few things. been there, done that. 

  10. You should take some time and upload as many photos as are needed to get advice before doing anything on that forge or anvil. The anvil especially. Hearing that you plan to "fix" the soft face likely sends a shiver up most of the user's of this site's spine. That's likely to end up like fixing a muffler with a pop can. It looks like you got a really nice forge and anvil donated to you. The anvil is likely in working condition as it sits now, unless it has been through a fire, which you'll likely only find out by posting the results of a rebound test. 

    From reading your posts for a while now I can guess your response, "but i dont have a ball bearing, what else can i use". You do this quite often, get advice, then try to find an easier way instead of just following the advice. ANY hardware store is likely to have a steel ball bearing for 1$, literally one dollar. If not amazon will be your friend. You can go on using the anvil as it is, just dont even think about repairs until you test it with a ball bearing. Not a hammer that you think is doing the same thing as a ball bearing. A video or photo of a ball bearing test posted here, then wait for advice. and be ready for the fact that that advice is probably going to be "dont repair it". 

  11. 34 minutes ago, rockstar.esq said:

    .....(Redacted for page scrollers)

    I think we can avoid error-ridden workarounds by changing institutional incentives.  Generally speaking, I think we need to make it profitable for the wrong people, to do the right thing.  

     

    Couldn't have said it better myself. One thing in favor of that is Youtube's new model for monetizing videos. Rather than supporting clickbait as they used to views and ad plays are far less lucrative. They also raised the ceiling on all metrics to make it harder to start earning. In the olden days you'd start earning revenue based on clicks and ad plays right away, and it would scale to better levels as you got more popular. Now adays the algorithm is far more complicated, you need to have consistent views, a good like/dislike ratio, avoid content that can demonetize you (such as swearing), subscribers, and most importantly ad clicks and ad buys. Since moving over to google ads and after a few controversies youtube wanted to clean up it's image to be more advertiser friendly. so they demonetize  mature content more, and use a fancy algorithm to try and match creators with applicable ads for their content. this in theory should cut down on clickbaity things as people don't usually buy from ads on clickbait videos and should make people think harder before getting into it as it's harder to rise up the ranks. 

    I'm keeping an eye on streaming, artisan streamers are on the rise in a lot of crafts. and i think long form open speech is a better medium for blacksmith instruction than 10 minute videos. 

  12. 4 hours ago, JHCC said:

    And yet, people keep making them!

    i think it comes down to most people, even when trying to make money, being somewhat lazy. You get the bright idea that you can make a video and the money will just pour in. Watch a few "how to make passive income" videos, that's a huge fad among my generation. The number one suggestion is "make a video instructing something and collect income from the views." But that info is outdated, after adpocolypse youtube change how they monetize videos, and its less view based and a lot harder to make money. Still people are getting the message that being a content creator is an easy way to augment their income, which isn't really the case. Sadly it only takes a few minutes and no prep to make a video like xxxxxxxxx made, he just set up the camera for 1 shot and did 2 chop edits. Likely 10 minutes of editing. Might have even been a cellphone camera. 

    xxxxxxxx mentioned in a video that most of his videos lifetime will make 5-15$, and he's one of the "popular" smiths with high views. He also doesn't fill his videos with the number of ads some do tho. 

    Names of third party's removed

  13. I'm assuming you're talking about a young man from england who makes large knives and swords? In terms of blacksmithing instruction i agree, but i dont think that user is trying to instruct anyone as most of his videos don't even have all that much commentary on his process. I'd lump him into the entertainment category. Although he has done a good job of advocating for respirators while grinding which is a big safety hazard i see on youtube. 

    If you're talking about someone else I may not have seen their channel. 

    The best instructional videos are generally plain jane and don't attract the number of views someone can make a living off of, but I'm sure a few of the smiths on youtube with good content that make a good amount instructing. 

    Still tho, in the context of what I said to xxxxxxxxx i dont think that changes anything. He made a video with the goal of instructing people, then got mad when he was told his video wasn't all that instructive. If he came in saying he wanted to make a living off of youtube I'd have stayed quiet, only because i don't like the idea of advocating someone take advantage of ignorant viewers for money. 

     

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  14. My statement meant that I don't have the expertise on blacksmithing to make credible blacksmithing videos. I don't have a youtube channel, but I have helped with editing and posting videos for my friends in video games for youtube, twitch, justintv, and a few other sites for years. Regardless I don't think its true that you need to be an experienced content creator to judge the saturation of the market, companies regularly do market research before entering a field. This market research isn't perfect, people still end up finding success and difficulties in markets that defy their market research. To apply that to this topic tho I think we can all agree that basic videos with incomplete and/or incorrect information is a saturated market on youtube. That's clearly evident with a simple search that brings up perhaps a hundred videos similar in tone and information to what xxxxxxxxxxxxx posted, all with sub-1000 views which is a benchmark for monitization on the site. In reality since the adpocolypse making money on youtube requires far more views and is far less lucrative. Following that same logic look at all of the large blacksmithing content creators on youtube, by-and-large they give good info (T-Joe, TA, etc) or state at every turn they are in the learning process or for entertainment only (thinking people like xxxxxxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxxx). So it is true that entertainment can in fact get you as many views as good concise informed blacksmithing information, however there was no entertainment value to xxxxxxxxxxx content, and by his own admission he was trying to build into a larger channel. My suggestion was to stick to good info, use the site as a resource, and set himself apart from a saturated market. I don't feel that any of that info is wrong nor that I need to make 100 blacksmithing videos to give that advice. I also recognize a bit of irony in being told i need to be an expert to give advice to a person i'm telling to seek expert opinions for his advice channel. But i'm more than willing to address any parts of my post that aren't correct, it has been stickied and presumably is looked at. If the criticism comes down to you haven't made 100 blacksmithing videos so kindly be quiet then we're at an impasse. 

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  15. Thanks Glenn. Just trying to let Marc know I think there are 2 things at play, how to give good advice that experienced smiths can get behind and endorse on the forum, and how to make the most money on youtube. I personally believe they are the same course in this situation, but i understand marcs point about bad information not exactly standing in the way of big profits on youtube generally. A great example is a youtube DIY instructor who I won't name that made the soup can, plaster of paris, and sand diy forge to be used with a propane torch. Countless people I'm sure have made that forge (me included on a boring saturday a few years back) only to realize it struggles to heat up even nail sized stock. 

  16. On 4/17/2018 at 4:28 PM, Marc1 said:

    When you decide to make a video and publish it on YouTube ... and then when you have done say 20 or 30 of this videos ... then maybe you will start to have an idea of what it is to do this,  why people do it, what is the market like, potential payments, how to get the numbers etc. and when you are at your 100 video, then I may be interested in hearing from you what is the best way to make a video.

     

    you're missing context. My post, which was not stickied by my request, came from a specific thread. That thread was around the time that xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx was posting on the site (before he got banned). He posted a couple of generic bad information videos that are a dime-a-dozen on youtube. He then asked 2 questions in that thread, 1.) why am i getting scolded by this forum for my video content, 2.) what could i do in the future to make better content that's in line with this forum. My post was an answer to that specific user on his specific questions. That context was removed to create this general advice sticky. 

    I'm well aware of how bad content can still make lots of money, and if someone wants to make money devoid of giving dangerous advice, they're free to do that. That simply wasn't the context of this original post, at all.  

    Edit: And i believe i'm a bit between TP and you on this. I feel quality information will further your channel better than generic, incorrect, or incomplete video content. Because there is such a saturated market of basic DIY videos made by novices. Some times generic information can still lead to a lot of views, i dont feel blacksmithing is the case for this all the time however. There are too many "make a railroad anvil" or "how to mount your anvil" videos for those to be wildly successful content on youtube. Granted, even a perfect video wouldn't have much of a chance on those two topics as they're heavily saturated. But they'd certainly earn less griping on the forums as a result, which was the main reason i posted that long rant. 

    Names of third party's removed

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