Jay.bro

Okay cool the way they were saying was go down to wally world and pick in up cut the handle in half stab it in a stump and get to hammering which I guess if it's what you can get it wold do but I feel a sledge hammer head would work better if the barbell was cast iron and probably be cheaper

I haven't seen it on this thread or anyone say anything about it on ifi yet but I read a couple of sites saying that you can use an 80 lbs barbell as long as,it's all metal but I haven't seen one in use.

I've been religiously reading threads on forges, fire control, fuels, improvised anvils, heat treating and tempering, and anything else to do with general blacksmithing I have a few apps I've found useful as well but I research the forums on my breaks at work and when I get home.

I think their goal is to comment on every thread ever posted on here but I'm not complaining I feel that I've learned more from their comments than on random google searches

Okay that answered my question I was just curious about it so I'll just stick with the plan of homemade charcoal and tree bark then I'm supposed to be getting my forge in sometime before the end of the week I had a guy build me one and I'm just waiting then all I'll be missing is my anvil which I'm working on gathering the materials for it. Somehow I knew you 2 would be the ones to answer my quandary.

So I have been trying to research this for about a week now and I only find stuff about cleaning and removal of creosote from wood forges. I was wondering if anyone ever tried to use the creosote as a fuel source for their forge and if so what the result was. I also read that certain creosote are very carcinogenic but I'm talking about specifically wood creosote. I know it burns really hot and for a long time I just haven't seen anyone discuss using it as a fuel source thanks in advance for any information you can give.

I actually was wondering something similar I was thinking about pouring basically a concrete stump around a tube stand I was thinking about making and have the block of metal I want to use attached to the stand so the concrete actually goes a few inches up onto it and set rocks into the outside of the concrete. I was wondering if the shock of using the anvil would destroy the concrete or if it would be better to use masonry mix.

I don't know much about them as I'm just starting out but I know I am going to use one to start out and I found this link that is the most informative on how to make one and to make it more useful just as a guideline on a way you could approach the making of it it even mentions the welding of the piece of leaf spring to the top of it. http://www.instructables.com/id/Railroad-Track-Anvil/?amp_page=true

Mainly people saying something about it vitrifying and falling apart and something about it can collapse in the tuyere but I figured if I built it right I could avoid those problems.

Okay I'm gonna be using charcoal and all I found was it gets messed up from the heat and I wanted to do all of it even the fire pot with Adobe but all I found was stuff talking about using it as a decorative thing around the actual fire pot and forge but nothing I had seen said anything about building it entirely from it. I think the search feature on this site is lacking sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt. I was just thinking a small circular forge for small knives and decorative iron work. I have looked at the jabod thread a few times and some videos on it I've considered it I just was wondering about trying this aproach as mud brick is less flammable than wood.

So I know this has probably been discussed on here before and I've tried to find something on it but I've had no luck. Would building a forge, such as a side draft forge, entirely from adobe brick actually work? All I plan on burning is charcoal but I don't know if adobe can withstand that amount of heat if I find a dirt that's mostly clay. Thanks in advance for your knowledge on this subject.

Okay thanks ThomasPowers I'll probably go with mild steel for my first set I build until I get more knowledgeable then probably go to a 5160 later. I will definitely read the threads on rebar I know I was looking at rebar and rasp files as a potential source of metal for future projects so I'll definitely research it more thoroughly on here.

Okay cool I am going to start on building everything tomorrow afternoon so I'll upload pics as soon as I get everything finished I was told rebar makes good material for tongs and if nothing else I can find a long pair of channel locks or vice grips until I can get tongs built to do small projects but yeah first thing is getting my stuff built lol. Again guys thanks so much for the knowledge I'm going to continue combing the site to learn more I'm looking into lining the outside of my forge with a mud mortared stone for a decorative look lol since I'm making it cheap but I think I can make it work just fine. Hopefully the weather allows me to get this done fast.

I plan on going and talking to the fast food restaurants about getting some of their oil when they change it out I know some of the ppl that work at them and it's free lol I could just have them filter it first or I'll build a filter to strain the oil through. I'm on a bit of a budget that's why I was asking I have about 5 of these space heaters and they all messed up and won't work anymore so I was considering repurposing the oil for this since it's just sitting there useless at the moment.

Speaking of different quench mediums I tried searching this and the oil in this heater thing I have is silicone oil I've only found 2 threads on here that mention it I'm wondering if any of you guys have any experience in using it I mean it's in a space heater so in theory it should disperse heat well and be a decent medium but I'm worried about having a chemical explosion by introducing a hot blade to it and I'm going to be in a 6x7 shed I'm building for this forge but it's gonna have big windows and a big door so it'll have plenty of ventilation but basically I don't want to get blown up.

Lol never heard that one before but I have heard of quenching swords in the belly of a slave from back a long time ago.

I see what you guys mean he said it was just something he had heard he may have been talking about low carbon or iron but he never really clarified it either way so I just have the memory from about 12 years ago him saying that to me as we were working on a truck. I'm still doing research though to try to figure out everything I can before just diving headfirst into muddy water. I'm sure my grandpa was just saying a rumor he'd heard about it. And bloomery is a new term for me.

I'm nowhere near forge welding research yet I'm curious to if you can do canister damascus without powder but I'm not even trying to look into that yet I know my grandfather said something when I was young about if it's a charcoal forge you can fold the steel and the carbon from the charcoal burning can add carbon after several folds and hammering. He also said repeatedly working it like that will make it purer but I haven't really researched it that much. I'm more focused on researching heating hammering and heat treating until I get comfortable with adding more. I don't want to try to jump too far into it and just ruin what I'm trying to make by taking on too much.

Okay thanks also I think I know the answer to this but I want to test what I think it is. I've read somewhere that large bolts make fairly decent knives I don't know for sure since it looks like stainless but ive always assumed they were mild steel but would you suggest using a bolt to make a knife even for a practice piece

Well canola oil is my first idea I've read tons on it but I had an idea about this broken space heater I have that is basically an electric radiator with oil in it I don't know if it would be a danger to experiment since I have yet to find information on what the oil actually is but I'm still researching away I feel like my reading isn't teaching as well as just doing it would seeing as I'm a kinetic learner but I am still trying not to blow up the little shed I'm building for my forge especially with me in it. I'm also not understanding what you mean by ILL on the books.

I do like to use IFI as a reference for checking information

I have read that there was one before and arkie has mentioned it a few times and I'd love to get some time with an already established smith to teach me but right now I don't have a ton of time to take trips I'm looking for a job and helping my wife take care of our baby I want to start this out as a hobby and see where it goes from there I'm trying to figure out how I could attend a few classes buy right now I don't think it's gonna be easy. Thank you I keep seeing it's a good medium but I read somewhere it needs to be heated a little to get a good quench with it I know a lot of ppl say don't believe what you read online but it's one of the easiest places I have for info my local library is lacking on blacksmithing books.

Thank you guys for the info I've done my research for suppliers here and there's not any very close by in the yellow pages other than scrap yards and I've tried looking in other forums but I found that springs from half ton trucks from the 80s were generally 5160 but again I want to learn to spark test and this is why I asked I've spent about 3 weeks researching different steels and calling around. I'd like to get really good before I spend the money on ordering steel online to make knives I don't want to waste good quality steel. eventually I'm going to get with a few transmission shops and see what I can get as far as gears for future projects. Like I said I'm still learning and doing my research to get everything ready I plan on practicing my hammer technique and heating on some scrap mild steel I have laying around the yard like an old scissor jack, some lawn mower blades, etc. I plan on building my forge and shed in the next week or so and I'm trying to find a piece of railroad iron to use as an anvil until I can afford a good one. I only know of one guy that lives near me that does anything forgeish he's a farrier and I just heard about him yesterday but I just wanted to know the good and bad properties to use it to make tools and knives around 9" to 12" long for future endeavors. I have read its harder to hammer but I know you guys wont shy away from giving me your honest opinions. Thanks guys oh on quenching 5160 is used canola oil a good medium

Hello all I have been doing a ton of research and I've finally got my first forge plan laid out. I've been researching steels to use and as it would appear 5160 is the easiest for me to attain where I'm at I'm doing research to get familiar with spark testing. My real question for this thread is what are your opinions for forging tools and knives from 5160? I intend on attempting to use a pair of channel locks to forge my own tongs and tools for my forge. My ultimate goal is to forge knives. I've searched the forums and I only see light mentioning here and there of the good but rarely any bad with 5160. I'm building my forge to burn charcoal. If that adds to any differences of good or bad for 5160. Thanks in advance for any information I intend to post images of my forge as soon as it's built.

Thank you I may not be able to make either of those money has tightened up lately so I may have to wait I've been sketching ideas for blueprints of my forge set up a lot lately and researching a ton of stuff like what metal to use and possibly building a small foundry to use for guard crafting but mainly I've been doing tons of research and writing things down I read something about clay in a brake drum forge and there's a ton of people on both sides of to clay or not to clay but I haven't found the benefits of claying your fire pot