SFC Snuffy

Nice! I like the texture down the length of it. Is that 1/2" HR?

If you make a decent bending jig, you'll find excuses to use it.

I've no experience in this, but a web search didn't show me much. If you're looking for a video of a comparable technique you might try armorers' videos of helmet-making.

I was stationed for three years at Ft. Irwin. I never thought temps in the 70s would feel cold, but those 40-degree swings between day & night sure did it! Of course, I was quite a bit younger back then... *harrumph* Anyway, heat indices here are over 100 all week. Not a deal-breaker for forging, but it requires some extra precautions and planning.

There seems to be evidence that there are two disparate pieces welded together, though the weld looks somewhat unusual to me. On the other hand, I'm not a welder so that probably isn't really relevant. One edge of the face looks chipped, so I'm guessing it's more than mild steel. That surprises me a little, but I've never made or used a tool like this before. I've attached some more photos.

So I recently purchased this 2" top swage (and a not-quite matching bottom swage) from the scratch-and-dent section of a blacksmith supply website. I'm unlikely to need to swage material of this size in the next several years... Do you think I could rework it to be used as a flatter? Or anything else, for that matter. I'm open to suggestions. I'm just a hobbyist. I make hooks, nails, campfire tools, etc. I share a forge with, and assist, a bladesmith and a large flatter *could* be useful. Thanks in advance.

I purchased a belt blank from a leather company in Montana, USA, from which I intend to make a kilt belt. I've got some 3/8" HR square bar that I think will make decent buckle. I played around with the design & proportions a bit today... Order of operations on this is going to be key, I think.

Made a "squirrel cooker," as inspired by one of Black Bear Forge's videos. It still needs some cleanup and beeswax, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

I'm glad to see you putting The Pressciouss to work. I know it's early days yet, but how are you liking it?

Chris, I'm right there with you... "Oh, you want an anvil? I know somebody that's got a chunk of rail!" or "I saw one on Marketplace yesterday!" - for about $20 per pound.

I've seen some nice bottle openers from horseshoes in the appropriate thread, here. I think your hooks are nicely done, but there's a ton of variety in what you can do with them. You might draw the end out to a finer point before rolling them over, or flatten them more before rolling them a little tighter. The solid part of the shoe might have enough material for a penny scroll, you might try twisting the shank for a little variety. There's lots of options.

JHCC, a belated happy anniversary to you, sir.

As a former food service safety & sanitation instructor, I'd be reluctant to use either tinned copper or aluminum because they'll scratch easily (if using steel utensils). Those scratches can harbor bacteria if not washed & sanitized thoroughly. That being said... tinplated copper is beautiful. Are you aiming to reconstruct a particular time period? Without knowing anything else about what you're looking for, my recommendation would be for modern (lead & arsenic-free) bronze.

I (almost) finished a pair of flat-jaw tongs - blanks from Ken's - knocked together a couple of candleholders, continued shaping a set of fireplace tools, and got a knife/tool heat treated. For me, that's a pretty productive day and since I've averaged about four hours of forge time per month for the last two months, it felt good to get some things done.

You can also make a pretty nice one out of round stock. It lacks a little of the elegance of the twisted square stock, but it's easier to clean up and I suspect it's a little easier on the scalp and hair.

I'm with Frosty. That's not a mistake I'm prepared to live with. I started PPE acculturation with my now-five-year-old back when he was about two; now he wears safety glasses and earplugs whenever he's hammering on something. You can find kid-size safety glasses at most big-box and hardware stores.

I'm interested to know what your project is. I've always admired Celtic knots, and thought once or twice about how to reproduce one in metal without engraving it (a discipline I haven't the time, tools, or knowledge to mess with right now), but I've never gotten past "maybe someday." Best of luck to you.

I set myself on fire at work a couple of weeks ago. A little too much excitement for an ammunition factory. My son did a bit of both (moving metal and marking the anvil). I got him a small ball-pein, but it's too light to move much steel. He does okay with my little 2-lb. rounding hammer, but it's really too heavy for him to get more than a few swings in. Fortunately, the striking anvil is a good height for him so that's what we used. Thanks for the kind wishes, all.

Today is my son's fifth birthday. He got his first visit to my friend's forge and made his first nail and first hook.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the compliments. As a novice, it's easy to get discouraged in the face of some of the stellar work that appears on these forums. I've set a goal of trying the do the simple things as best I can and build the skill (and tool) set for fancier things in the future.

I made some progress on a fireplace set, getting the poker about 75% finished, and making some progress on the ash rake and shovel. Not bad for only a couple of hours time.

Nothing new or exciting here, but I'm actually happy with how this is turning out (which might be a first ). I need to do some cleanup on the tip and I plan to twist a 4" section or so near the middle for a little visual interest. I'm also working on a shovel and ash rake for the set, but progress is slow. Material is 3/8" square HR.

Hey Daswulf, That candle holder you showed a couple of pages back (I haven't checked in for a few days)... about how long of a piece of stock did you start with? 1/4" diameter, I'm guessing maybe 2.5' worth?

Just a suggestion: railroad spikes can be used to make a decent trowel. You can find them all over Etsy for around $40-50. Chandler Dickinson makes a nice one here. If you're wanting a larger/wider blade, you could certainly rivet such to a RR spike, while still having plenty of stock for a nice twisted treatment.

I could use some virtual tutelage and opinions from you more-experienced smiths. I'm using 3/8"-square HR, and aiming for something like the twisted handle John B. showed on page 3 and described on page 4 (and that ausfire put his own excellent spin on, above). This is what I ended up with: And while it isn't *bad,* per se, the loop is a bit misshapen. I had trouble getting the punch marks aligned, and real trouble getting the loop into a symmetrical shape. I've got a pretty basic bending jig... maybe my heat wasn't even? Maybe I didn't isolate/freeze the right areas? Do I need different or better tooling? Maybe I just need to do it a dozen more times for practice... sigh. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Below is a pic of my bending jig. I have a few other sockets, but I was aiming for roughly a 3/4" ID loop.