High Plains Forge

I use stove polish, but now I'm going to have to try the toilet wax seal recipe. That's just great!

Hey thanks for the bell information guys, I would have never thought of that. I'm going to have to try one.

I tried it last night and downloaded the mods that was earlier in the thread... Looks like it should be easier than what I've been doing.... certainly do NOT want to do another scale mockup.....

I have been using SketchUp for about 18 months to create working drawings for metalwork designs. It is very easy to use, but - like all tools - it takes some time to learn.

To increase the usefulness of SketchUp in metalwork design, I have written some "plugins" (extensions) for SketchUp. They draw curved tapered shapes common in decorative metalwork (see attached figure) and calculate the amount of stock required to make the tapers. These plugins are available free of charge on the website www.drawmetal.com - Metalwork Design. That website also has examples of metalwork fabricated from SketchUp drawings.

Please note that the plugins are "beta" software...meaning they do not have any obvious bugs (or bugs known to me) - but they will benefit from more testing.

I have not had any issues with precision. SketchUp supports specifying dimensions with as many as six decimal places.

Terry

Sketchup is pretty powerful and easy to learn. I used to use it a lot for design until I realized I was spending too much time doing Sketchup and not enough time working. It can get pretty addictive. But, it is great if you want to get something professional looking drawn up quickly.

I use this book more than any other in my library. It's the best basic blacksmithing book out there in my opinion. I can't wait for Vol. II.

hello everyone,

i am attempting to recreate a japanese forging area in the rear of my shoppe. under a small 10'X12' overhang. my question is. does anyone have any pictures or examples of forging areas like this. i'm gongi to be working alone in the area. and i am plannig on this area being job specific for making costum damascus. i can make everything i need. i have a traditional japanese anvil. i'm basically jsut looknig for floor plans and layout designs.
thank you!!

Son

When you immediately recognize the smell of burning human skin ... and maybe think it doesn't smell all that bad.

When your aloe plant has had more surgery than Michael Jackson.

Hard to look at!

I'm gonna sell it - just you watch!

Hand Forged Railroad Spike Knife

Thanks to all for the helpful advice and for the friendly ribbing. To be honest, I knew it needed more time, but I got rather impatient. I wanted to get it sharp-ish and to start carving stuff up. It didn't even start as a knife. It started as me whacking away on a railroad spike just because and it kinda got knife-ish shaped and so I went with it. Truth be told, I had absolutely no desire to do any knifesmithing! (Though I do now feel it important to appease the knifemaker gods and to atone for my sins by making a less ugly knife at some point.)

I won't make any excuses - it's ugly - but the lighting in the picture over-dramatizes just how ugly it is. But I kinda like ugly. It's 100% clear that it's made by hand, no?

As for the hammer, it's already crowned (is that the right terminology - the edges of the face are already rounded?) and the resulting ugliness is completely due to lack of control and inability. Don't blame my poor hammer on my bad technique! She's already been through quite enough today!!!

I was really floating through life without too much direction before I discovered blacksmithing. I remember staring at my computer screen at work wondering if this was really all life was about. Sitting in front of a computer 5 days a week, getting a few good years of retirement, and then you croak.

Blacksmithing really turned my perspective on life around 180 degrees. As soon as I picked up a hammer for the first time, I knew right away that I had found my calling. Financially it's been difficult getting started, but doors are starting to open for me, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care about the money that much any more. I'll be happy just getting by for the rest of my life if that what it takes. My main goal is to have a hammer in my hand when I kick the bucket, and hopefully make some cool stuff between then and now! :D

I have one and use it all the time. One thing I use it for all the time that doesn't get mentioned too often is exact circle bending. I can bend an exact circle and have it welded up in a matter of minutes. Just don't get your finger caught between the handle and the circle if you are bending a big one! I found this out the hard way of course. Fingernails take a long time to regrow. They are a really safe tool overall, though. Oh yeah, I have a Karachi #5 and it's the perfect size for me. I have heard a #6 will wear you out a lot faster.

There is great info on this forum:

Metal Artist Forum - Fly Presses and Tooling

I have done some cast iron welding for a customer. The only time it hasn't worked was when I tried to repair the leg of an andiron that had been exposed to a lot of fire over its life. Anyway, I just dress up the weld area, preheat it with a torch, then weld it with cast iron rod. Works most of the time.

I used to try to be really traditional when I got hired to make something. Then I quickly realized that no one outside of the blacksmithing world cares and you will be losing money big time if you are trying to do drop the tongs forge welds all day long (at least I would, someone like Whitaker might not have). I still try to use as little electric welding as possible, but when I do weld and blend it in, I usually grind the weld down, then go over it with a flap disc, and forge it lightly to match the rest of the piece.

Awesome incense holder Ralphy. You should take a few down to the local head shop to make some cash!

Here's one I did a while back, nothing too special, but it works:

Looks good, man. Just depends if you are happy with it or not. I went through the same thing as you a couple of months ago when I was doing some shelf brackets. I now have about 10 screwed up halfpenny scroll ends in my scrap pile.

I finally decided that I like a shorter taper when I do a halfpenny scroll, but that's just my preference. If you go too thin it's really easy to mangle the end. So, I was using 1/2" square on these and I shoulder it down to about 1/4".

I attached a couple pictures of my scroll starter tool. I get it started in there and then quench the end before it put it in the scroll jig to keep from damaging it. Hope that helps!

Last winter, I was using a wire cup brush on a small angle grinder to clean the scale off a candleholder. I was going too fast and wasn't paying attention. The brush grabbed the piece, then fired off straight in my direction. It hit me right in the nipple. I was only wearing a T-shirt, and let me tell you, my nipple wasn't happy. Luckily it recovered and I still have both. Needless to say, I do a lot less wire brushing, and am much more careful when I do.

Hi, my first post here. Anyhow, I'd just take the edges off cold. The layout and assembly will be so much more straightforward. If you do it hot, just texture it lightly or the metal might get more distorted than you planned on, and it might be harder to get everything level and square. Flattening out 1/2" round would look cool, but that is like 4 times the amount of work/fuel/time. Just my 2 cents. You also might consider using some copper or brass rivets, but I don't know if that would qualify as medieval.