Hans Richter

Welcome, a very nice shop. Wait till the addiction will grab you. Want to see the shop in about a year

Free pick up 3 cubic meters (106s/ft) of solid Limburg clay , already have a third spread over Dianas vegetable garden. This is a fraction on the ground that I had to squat to make room for the foundations of the new workshop and the other levels on the ground floor under the canopy of the protected foundry and open-air smithy. Sometimes you have to dig and move the necessary soil for a good work floor level. Dig on, en forge beautiful things, Der Hans

I have a serious problem with only one of my neighbours too, which is complaining about me. This resulted till now in a official letter of the local government (he told them that I make some huge illegal steel constructions in my backyard) and also one visit of the village sheriff to convince himself from my humble activities. (always start at 10.00 and stop at least 21.00 in the WE). The policemen was impressed and told me I was doing nothing wrong or illegal. It’s the same neighbour watch my garage was on fire (piece of welding slack chops into plastic container) from the street. Hi tuck no action even my wife and daughter stayed in the same house. Insulate the whole place before and take noise measurements (</=72 dBA which is the sound of normal conversation) Since I erected a second noise wall the situation escalated because hi have now insight of my property anymore. I forge 5 years in a field smithy (next to the new shop) without any complaints. In my case and in my particular village, the situation getting worse, after his own wife embarrassed him in front of all the other neighbours to tell him he was a lazy couch potato and I was always busy. In my opinion you can do everything possible, but if only one evil neighbour you didn’t grant your hobby it is hopeless.

Hi Mike, figured out that de sensor is indeed a thermocouple “ Type K (chromel–alumel) is the most common general-purpose thermocouple with a sensitivity of approximately 41 µV/°C.[10] It is inexpensive, and a wide variety of probes are available in its −200 °C to +1350 °C (−330 °F to +2460 °F) range. Type K was specified at a time when metallurgy was less advanced than it is today” mention Wikipedia And if you Google “Voltcraft VC 150-1” you will find the multi-meter to, I guess. Use the device till know only to take periodic measurements and ‘squeeze’ it between the lids of forges an furnaces also afraid to hurt the ceramic body. In the future I will drill holes in the recipients to insert the sensor and measure (maybe permanent) the temperature of the heat containment but not the expose it to the flame itself.

Agree with Das, Aus & MM, no hammers with ‘plastic’ handles in my shop. Didn’t go’s together with the hot stuff we dealing with. Use the (grinded/sanded) head with a nice (hickory) ash handle and you will be happy without mask

The ladies are ready……………., first sand cast pouring today. I hope they will bring prosperity, welfare, health and fertility to my and your houses to. Try to put them on marble or blue stone pedestals soon. Glad to buy 55lbs of green sand after all, to fill all the flasks. If there is a casting specialist out there, please advise what to do with the burned sand after casting, please. Next week is a busy week with lots of audits I have to carry out, but hopefully I intend to go back to the forge and finish the 3lbs round hammers, like if seen past by, on the CroMo –blanks I already prepare. Wish all of you a nice ‘work week’ Cheers, Der Hans

Dear Frosty, no reason to blush , it’s just my humble person that’s very glad to take advantage of jour knowledge and feedback. Just read the article in the blacksmither # 44 very, very nice, and I see many similarities. I have a broken neck to (diving in shallow water) and ‘chase’ concrete (no asphalt) trucks several years to check product compliance. Regarding ‘doing thinks by half’ that’s a mix of German ‘Gruendlichkeit’ and maybe a heavy spleen/disorder not building one flask but 3, building 4 burner, 2 forges etc. etc. deburr, derust and finish all parts and give it a paint job on the end. Only disadvantage every think tuck’s twice the time A nice Dutch (Amsterdam’s) saying means ‘ Don’t go to the ho XXXX rs without your b XX ls’ after all. Indeed glad with Lisa’s creativity it’s time to see some pay off after 2 years art school behalf the usual Manga an Animee drawings. LOL I go out and play with sand now. CU Der Hans

Had a very efficient and nice day today, made 3 casting flasks with cope and drag to start the serious casting work follow up Frosty’s advice. @Frosty Also finished the Roman spear points and love the imperfections made them look more real like just dig them up from a Roman Tumuli like you have a lot around here. Also ask Lisa my daughter (15!) to sculpture some replicas of the ‘Venus of Willendorf’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf from clay witch I want to cast from bronze tomorrow. Very proud about my daughter and the results of the pattern. Look for yourself. Cheers, Hans

Hi MM, I bought the pyrometer at the nearby art supplies shop, it is normally used to monitor the temperature in a Raku furnaces (nice ceramic stuff). I think the meter itself is a common multimeter, which translates the obtained resistance values into temperature. Think that the most expensive part of the meter is actually the sensor (sensor type F) made of tungsten or something like that and at a certain temperature gives a certain resistance that the device measures and translates in to celsius. I placed the sensor in the outlet of the forge / foundry furnace and did not expose it to the torch itself. If you are interested, look at the link below. Like always at your service. Kind regards, Hans https://www.gebruikershandleiding.com/Voltcraft-VC150/preview-handleiding-493149.html

Thanks for the tip John in Oly, WA, however, pimped the venturi burner with a compressed air injection. To maintain the temperatures in the forge and melting furnace, the burners operate by the venturi pricipe with a nozzle nbr.65 at a gas pressure of 14psi and fully opened valves (cylinder + torch) and natural respiration. To apply welding and melting temperatures I use a gas pressure of 28psi and compressed air injection controled by a needle valve. Do not be the best electrician but think that I then need two solenoid valves and a control unit to control both parameters. Think the power of a gas forge and oven lies on a uniform setup. Once the good parameters are found, constant temperatures are reached that can easily be maintained. Perhaps not the most fuel-efficient method but I get in both cases a full rich flame cone, the good temperature, no/less dragon breath and the CO meter / alarm showes non or very low ppm's CO Cheers, Hans

I have grand myself a new pyrometer, going up to 2450 ° F. Have reached a temperature of 2050 ° F in the small gas forge within 15 minutes. Also use it for better control of the melting temperatures in the melting furnace. The pyrometer with sensor has cost me just 90 dollars. I had to drive more than 200 miles to the nearest art supplies store and on that occasion I also bought 12 refractory soft bricks, a whole roll of superwool, 55lbs of casting sand, ridgidizer and AlSi mortar. All together for $ 370. Just make several casting flasks of wood and metal in the shop and follow Frosty's advice to play at first in the sandbox

No, actualy they have to keep them Das and Wulf free, without succes

Ya, ya, ............... the youth of these days, my grandfather complained about the generation of my father my father complained about me, and by now I am the one who complains about the youth of today . Have myself found a cure for me, take them by their hands and teach them your skills, give it a second chance if necessary and if they do not want to ....... let them leave. Just as someone of you quoted, if you yourself have to pay 90 dollars for a broken 3/4in tap you will learn how much beer you could have drink for the same amount in the pub, and you/he will be more economical and more aware of the material.

Have a safe and prosperous journey and a worthy farewell to Dad so if it befits a good son.

Very interesting Marc, have to contact a german manufacturer to get on the blanks, but non of the Belgium lock maker wants to ‘ burn his fingers’ by making a copy

Yep, I have cast the first first ax and several bronze spear points without inclusions and errors, unfortunately the stone molds can not be used again. In the long run, it will then be able to make steel samples for continuous casting during the workshops. Does not matter, a next step in the right direction. For me it is important to have a good result without having to sharpen and auction for hours.

Have this key worked out for a friend of mine, he owns a house in Germany that is listed as a monument. Part of this agreement is that he can not simply replace hang and latches against modern locks. So the question was to make extra key(s). So before I started I made a print of the original key in lead as a template for the copy. I hope it fits when he visits his vacation destination next time. So as you see the blacksmith becomes also a lock smith in some case. I did have to clad up the beard by MAG welding because it was too thin for the original beard.

Very, very nice Jouni, really like the idea and execution. Also the ‘sabretooth’s’ of the puppy and the huge bone .

Dear Dan, you know I’m quit lazy. So the IDFG actually IDFC, means no more and no less then Iron Dragon Forge & Clay apologies for the letter confusion. IFVSFT = I feel very sorry for that

JHCC - I see three rascals at ones, tell us who is who TC -At least you dont have to look for road kill if you want fresh meat Great animals !!!!!!

A nice little rascal IDFG, your Dachshund (badger dog), maybe my dog's family. Every time I ask him 'What are these girls doing in Amsterdam' he does that. Strange right? Nice to see that a lot of smith brothers still have a second common hobby, keeping and pampering dogs.

Hi Shady, its quit a thin hard wood structure embedded in the compacted clay ground. Test it by rebound and already work on it. Feel no difference between the anvil on the concrete floor and the one under the shed. Think the beech wooden block of 160lbs and the anvil of 250lbs generate enough counter force and absorb the beats. The window work out fine to, regarding the light input and avoiding curios views of thieves and bored and jealous neighbour(s)

My lords, as far as the monsoon is concerned here in Flemish Limburg, I now have webbed fin's between my toes and fingers because of the heavy rain here. The sewer barely runs off and my lawn is a big swamp.

Forging the first ram head Need some improval, but for the rest .............. MOV00238.AVI