Markus Davis

3 minutes ago, Will W. said:

Thats really cool. I've always wanted to see a bloomery in action, but to take part in it would be pretty interesting. I am beyond curious, what did you do with the bloom when the smelting was complete?

Will, where are ya located? I'm sure there's a group of some sort, be it a barony capital, a Shire, a Canton, or even a College, near you. If you would like, I'm pretty certain you can PM either myself or Thomas and we'll gladly point you in the right direction.

57 minutes ago, Will W. said:

The SCA? Correct me if I'm wrong, but they do historical reenactments of combat, right? If so, I must say, that is awesome. 

You would be only partially correct there, Will. The combat is only part of it. There is also Archery, Thrown Weapons, Arts and Sciences, and Feast Preparations that are all done in as close a period fashion as one can manage. Archery includes medieval style crossbows and selfbows for period shoots, and allows traditional style recurves (including Takedown) for standard competition. Thrown Weapons competitions are done with three weapons, at two distance ranges for each weapon. Axe @ 10 and 20ft, Knife @ 10 and 20ft, and Spear @20 and 30ft. Arts and Sciences include *everything* from Jewelcrafting and Blacksmithing to Weaving, Wood Carving, and even Siege Engineering... Feast Prep, well... it's pretty much what it says it is.

If you're looking to make maille, I can make a few suggestions. If you're wanting to see some work, well, I've done a bit myself before. Boxweave, Viking Wire, and even some tricky stuff like Dragonmaille.
 

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one whom religiously watches Forged In Fire. One of the contestants in the "Spiked Shield" episode is from a YouTube series I started following since I couldn't actually get out and do my own work. That man is not only talented, but INSANE with his creativity and work. He is trained in eastern style blade work and Armor crafting.... If you guys are interested, check out Man At Arms: Reforged.

I've heard of people using hamon clay for repousse work. It can be made pretty cheaply, if I remember correctly.

Hello, everyone. I am a transposed smith from down south to the New England area. I'm hoping to set my own shop up once I get out of my 750 sq.ft apartment. In the meantime, I'd like to get back into making knives and trinkets again. I don't have tons of tools, but I do have a 16oz and 32oz ball peen hammer and a vice currently. I'm looking to get a 3lb maul to have cut down into a 2lb dog head hammer. Are there any smiths in the area that would be willing to entertain having an apprentice in shop to help with projects. Oh, and as the title has suggested, I've done Damascus blades before. My favorite 1080/1050 with about 60 layers, and sometimes ladder patterned.

As a medieval hobbyist who has dappled in bow building and working on crossbows, as well as some metalworking things I've done, I'll say that I'd rather not think about a bow being made of metal, unless it was aluminum or spring steel. There are working steel Horsebows out there that you can find, so yes, it can be done, but is it really cheaper to go steel than it is to buy a piece of hickory or maple and carve your own?

On 1/20/2017 at 1:41 PM, rule4 said:

I'd like to revisit this topic. Anyone aware of any yards in the Worcester MA area that let you pick scrap? 

I'm not too certain, but I know there is a scrapyard in Tyngsboro/Lowell, MA area. They might let ya pilfer through, as if I remember, they do mostly recycling. It's worht a shot if nothing else. Other than that, there is a Steel yard in the town I live in. (Nashua, NH) Called Klokner (Sp) Metals.

A suggestion, if I may. IF you're looking for the brass color, and still want to forge the pieces, why not use steel to forge them, then burnish them with a brass wire wheel?

On 2/3/2017 at 5:31 PM, Glenn said:

Does anyone do hammer and chisel engraving?

Or had it fallen into the "lost art" category due to time and cost?

 

Um, not to point out the obvious, but Baltimore Knife and Sword does a LOT of hand engraving on their special builds for their Man At Arms: Reforged YouTube series. They have a Russian fellow on their team, who was also on Forged in Fire, named Ilya, that does *much* hand engraving.