Junksmith

Interesting. I always just assumed they were a sort of round file. Well, that's what happens when you (ass)ume I'll test them. If they're high carbon, I'll make something useful - if not, I'll make something pretty. I just wanted the stag handles anyway.

Hey everybody, I have come across two old sharpening steels. Aside from the obvious use has anyone ever forged anything with one? I'm guessing it's some hard stuff. Like a file maybe? Just curious.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say that blacksmithing as a trade is dead or dying (again just for the sake of argument folks!). Does that mean it is not a worthwhile pursuit? Who is to say you have to make a profession out of it? Most of us don't do this for a living, just some money on the side and the satisfaction in knowing how to make something with your own two hands. Technology has taken a lot of work, and therefore a lot of character, out of making things - useful or decorative. I can think of no better character building exercise than manual labor, especially to make something beautiful. When you understand the work that goes into the art of creation you understand the VALUE of what we as a human race have wrought. Too many take it for granted. Besides, you're sixteen. You've got plenty of time to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. Learn something in the meantime! Good Luck!

Beautiful rose, absolutely. I'm curious about the stand though. Is the stand and the base all one piece? It looks good no matter what, but if it's forged from a single piece you're not getting near enough credit for it! Like I said, it looks good either way.

I have almost the exact same forge and it also came with a broken belt. For once, being fat came in handy as I had an extra leather belt on hand that was a little big on me (waistline was 44"+ at the time ). I just cut it a little short of the required length and stitched it together with steel wire then wrapped the joint with a layer of gorilla tape. Works fine for now. Also the previous owner wrapped a layer of duct tape around the flywheel itself for more traction. This is the best pic I have on hand. Hope it helps.

If you're doing relatively small work with it, you can look for anything remotely conical and steel and weld a shank on the bottom to drop in a hardie or vise. That's more like a bickern I guess, but it's a start. I found a tapered pipe reamer in a junk pile and ground the threads off it with a flap wheel. So far so good!

Niiiiiice!

For what it's worth, this is a link to a machine conceived by Jim "Paw-Paw" Wilson that let kids twist metal from a safe distance:

I hope you have an ironclad (no pun intended) insurance wavier. That said, I often make little horseshoes for kids and I guess they'd be easy enough for them to do with a little help. I start with 4 1/2 inches of 1/4" square and tap each end about 1/8" oven the anvil edge at each end to make heels. Then I bend it over the anvil horn - though for simplification with the kids you could make a bending jig. As a finishing touch, I take a cape chisel and cut a few vertical lines in each side. Drill a hole in the top center and you can make it a keyring even. There's one in the upper right hand side of this pic. Good luck!

Interesting question. The photos are good but it's still pretty difficult to tell much without seeing it in person. I hope some of the more experienced smiths will chime in with regard to time period. It certainly looks old, but "aging" metal isn't that hard to do. I will say this: 1. It's definitely handmade. There are enough minor inconsistencies (not a bad thing) to support that. 2. It appears to be wrought iron as opposed to more modern steel so that adds weight to its potential age. 3. One or two of the welds look as though they may have been repaired by more modern equipment then hammered over. I'm thinking the ones on the 3-pronged fork that seem to overlap the surfaces where the scrolls join, but that may just be what we call a "cold shut" where a piece of metal gets folded over without actually merging with the metal underneath. 4. Any way you slice it, it's a very ornate piece and would have involved many hours in its construction. In short, I can't guarantee a date, but it's an amazing piece either way. If you're collecting, it's a steal at the current bid.

Looks like some others beat me to the punch on the guild thing. Sorry guys - I type slow :P

Well hello and welcome aboard! Let me first say Thank You for your wartime service and offer you my sympathies on your diagnosis. I'm no doctor, but I'd check with my physician to be sure that the physical demands of the work (lifting/hammering/standing) will not cause undue damage to those kidneys and worsen your condition. Most of us are hobbyists and work at our own pace anyway so take it slow. In any case, I think you'll find iforgeiron to be the most valuable resource that a blacksmith at any level can have for advice and information. You can also join a local guild if there are any in your area. I'm not sure what part of Maryland you're in, but I know there is one in the Carroll County area and we are just founding one in Western Maryland in the Washington County area (where I live). We've only been at it a few months, but it's been nice to get together in person with others who share your interests. We all learn from each other that way and usually have a good time doing it. Well, I've done enough rambling for the moment, but I'm sure others will have more to say. In the meantime, browse the site and take it all in. It will take a while!

Now THERE is some clever thinking!

Very nice! They should sell well.

I made one yesterday in about 10 minutes. I don't know if anybody at craft fairs will be interested, but I'm going to make a few and try them out. I've been looking for a while for an historic but potentially still useful iron tool that I can produce easily. Not for everybody, but I'm hoping weekend woodworkers and those buying gifts for them will be interested. I'll make a few and find out. I can sure do it for less than $48.00!

Yes, English colonial :P

If you're ever in Virginia and have the chance to visit, it's well worth the trip. Some of the best colonial period blacksmiths in the country work in residence there and it's worth watching them in action even if they're only making a ladle. I think that given the opportunity, I would have talked the ears off those smiths until they ejected me forcibly. Still, I got some good info and some words of encouragement. I also took a few pics along the way of items that might be worth trying to reproduce for craft fairs. Check 'em out.

Incredible... Really incredible.

I love making spike knives and I get $50 a piece on average for them. Not enough to justify getting busted for stealing them though. McMaster-Carr has them in 5-packs that run $7.38 per pack plus S/H. That works out to about $1.48 per spike and I figure that's affordable insurance. $48.52 over material cost is still a pretty good margin. Just save your receipts in case anybody comes asking.

"I cut down trees, I wear high heels, suspenders and a bra! I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear pa pa!" "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK, I sleep all night and I work all day!" A classic... Monty Python rules!

Let's see... (and like Frosty said, not all are bad) 1. Is that coal? 2. What is that thing you are cranking? 3. How hot does it get? - Touch a red hot bar to your anvil stump. The instant flame has rounded many eyes and mouths. 4. Do you shoe horses? - Lots of us can make horseshoes, but for shoeing you need to know even more about horses than you do about shoes. 5. Do you make swords? 6. Aren't you hot? (summer version) or I'll bet you're keeping warm! (cold weather version) - Sure, but I'm a lot better off than my predecessors. As for the dying art comments: That's right, but if we ever lose electricity I'll be reeeeeeeal popular all of a sudden. (even got quoted in the paper for that one)

Yeah, I've used that a few times. It works OK but the inconsistencies are awful small to say it looks hand hammered to me. I think Rustoleum is just repackaging batches of paint that didn't come out quite right! :lol:

Awesome! My daughter dropped my concertina a few years ago and dislocated the left hand reed box from the inside. That provides some handy insight if I ever get around to fixing it because I'm definitely going to have to go in through the bellows. It's a little intimidating though. I may just spend the $50 and take it to a pro repair guy in my town. Depends on how desperate I get to play it again.

Thank you Frank and Drewed. I figured it was something like that and the borax definitely sticks better when the metal is semi hot. Sounds like I need more practice! :P