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I Forge Iron

John Kelley

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Everything posted by John Kelley

  1. Thank you for the great replies Gents. Lots of good info from you all. I read about tennis elbow and though it may be a similar type problem...I'm not so sure that is what I have based on the location of the pain. I really appreciate the thoughts and ideas of how to help this from happening again. Take care of yourselves guys. John
  2. Thank you for the replies. It is a 2# hammer. I've tried to get the anvil knuckle ht and stand correctly...etc I think I just over did it. I'm not a wimp or one that shirks from pain or physical activity...but I must admit...this actually hurts...lol
  3. Hey Smith's, Quick question... About 2 weeks ago I worked on my 2nd KLO (rebar). I had a few muscle burnouts...but didn't think much of it. Now..2 weeks later, It still hurts a little below my elbow when I try to grip and move something as light as a can of beer. It gets better after a few days but then I do something as simple as lift a bag of garbage into my truck at the wrong angle and I feel like I'm back to square 1. It seems to hurt where my grip muscles attach just below and to the outside of me elbow....kinda where muscles "do the wave" when you run all your fingers up and down. I was trying to use the technique I read about where you basically hold the hammer handle loosely between your thumb and fingers and just let it rest upon the base of your hand. Anyway.. if any of you have had such a thing happen..how long did it take you to heal up and start hammering again? I know we're all different and such..but I'm just looking for some hope. ...also if this a well known Smith's problem with a name I'd love to know it...even though I DO NOT consider myself a Smith at this point. Thank you John
  4. lol...KSO..took a couple seconds to figure that one out. I get your meaning for sure...and agree...lol
  5. Hey Guys, Finally got my forge built and my anvil set up couple weekends ago. Nothing special...but they work. Nobody sold a 1-1/2" cap around me...so a beer can and duct tape works to plug up the drop tube for now...lol. I'm just practicing with cheap rebar for now. 1st blade. 2nd... Pretty fun stuff to do. Both were just learning experiences for sure. It was fun experimenting on the 2nd one with drawing out the rebar, seeing how tight it could be twisted, seeing what happens when you reverse the twist etc. Not the most even twist for sure..would've been nice if I had a vice....lol These pieces of rebar don't seem to harden at all in water..but that's ok...they both cut steak...lol Fun projects Thank you for the help I've received off this site. Made things possible really. Lots to learn! Thanks again! John
  6. WOW! Thanks for the great response! really liked this part.... "Once you start your normalization cycles you want to make sure you never cycle at a higher temperature than your last cycle. If you do it will continue to improve uniformity, but not so much the grain size. By reducing the temperature a bit on every cycle you both create uniformity of crystalline structure AND force smaller crystals by reducing the time in which the crystals have to grow. "
  7. Thanks for the great reply. ...I'm sorry..but I just do not know the answer to your question.
  8. WOW! Thanks for the great replies Gentlemen! Some really good info! Thank you John
  9. I'm sorry for putting it the wrong area. I'll try to be more careful. Thank you
  10. I'm sure these questions have been asked...but for the life of me I can't find this info on here with a search. ...mostly I just find something that says "I normalized..etc" I haven't even lit my forge..but I am trying to get the steps in my head if that's OK. I plan to forge a blade from 1084. I've read it's smart to normalize the blade before the quench in order to have a chance to fix any warping before the steel is hard. To normalize with a charcoal forge (if that info matters)..Do I take my shaped blade and heat it to critical/non magnetic then just let it air cool until I can hold it with a bare hand? Then check for warp..and correct either while cold or with a reheat if needed. ..or maybe just heat it...look at it..fix warp while hot..reheat..repeat? Repeat above until no warping occurs. Then...heat to non mag and quench in oil...(I plan on using canola) Hopefully no warp. If it still warps from quenching, am I right to think I can just reheat and start over the process of straightening & normalizing? Let's say I've quenched and the blade is straight..YAY..now to temper. I've read with this steel you can put it in the oven for an hour at 400˚F then let cool...and that this needs to be done 3 times. I've also read that you can temper a blade by hold the blade edge up in the fire until the edge turns straw colored then air cool...is this true? Seems strange to me that one method requires 3 hours of 400˚+cool down time and the other a few minutes....I've read it takes time to change the structure.. I'd love to be able to temper my blades with the forge...more old school or something..but only if it actually works. I know there is a TON of metallurgy science going on here..and I'm trying to learn what is going on...but it would really help to know if I at least have the steps down. AM I even close to having my mind wrapped around the process? Thank you kindly. John
  11. Those are great ideas for things to look for. My anvil now has a 1 foot square by 1/2 thick base plate so I'll be able to mount it easily in the future. I'm thinking of a 35 gal steel drum trimmed to height then filled with concrete and leveled off. Then put in some anchors and bolt on the plate base. Will be able to lay it down and roll it away when done. ...might be a trick to stand it back up..but I can figure that out.
  12. That's a great link thank you. I got most of everything built yesterday. Didn't get a chance to make a fire though. I have about zero intentions of keeping my stool as the anvil mount for long. I do have some ideas of how I could do it better...but right now I'm trying to spend about $0 getting up and running to try this out. Thank you for the help everyone. People here seem down right decent!
  13. I was planning on testing my impressions on some thin (3/16") pine strips I have before finalizing my anvil height. Before that...I need to do some more reading on the proper way to use/swing/drop a hammer. ...seems there are a number of different suggested ways to do it. I want to do this right...without over complicating the heck out of it. I shoot and make all wood longbows. I got into traditional archery for the simplicity of it. Many new comers to trad. archery have a tendency to over complicate it and become frustrated. I am endeavoring to become knowledgeable about the basic do's and don'ts so as not to become put off by the initial learning curve, but also not be overwhelmed with attaining perfection immediately and become frustrated. As with archery...I'm sure forging and hammer use can benefit from good form/technique. With archery the most important thing is to achieve at least acceptable form. ...after that everything else falls into place much more easily. Right now I'm searching my fingers off trying to find the most commonly accepted proper technique for using the hammer in order to hopefully smooth out my learning curve. I truly appreciate the knowledge that has been shared with me the last few days after joining this site. I have high hopes of becoming someone of knowledge and experience that can help people in my shoes eventually.
  14. Looked up "cow Pie" with a google advance search of this site... Pretty sure I did ok with the dressing for my 1 and only hammer. ...I can definitely understand how having different hammers with different dressed faces could really help on some projects. I appreciate you bringing up the "cow pie" analogy. I had not really thought about the "spread" of the metal vs the shaping of the face. I mostly just dressed it with a nice gradual even radius at the edges so as not to have a sharp angle. Most importantly, you mentioning this thought has got me thinking about how the face contours have an effect on the work. ...if I see a problem when working I can at least think about if whether or not the hammer face should be changed. ...my wife walked in and looked at me a little weird when saw me hammering the kids silly putty a few mins ago...lol ...not fine like clay......but it is what I had around.
  15. Sounds like good advice. Looking up the "cow pie" Thank you!
  16. That's a pretty good idea actually....hhhmmmm...lol Really looking forward to getting started. Kinda put the cart in front of the horse a bit when I dressed my hammer last night (2# Vaughan cross pein)....now all I wanna do is hit something with it..lol Hope it's a decent hammer...at least it's American made.
  17. All good info. Thank you. I've definitely thought about more sturdy stands and all...the bunch 6x6's was sorta at the top of the list. The one main obstacle I have is that my only area for doing this has to be semi temporary. Play with it on the weekend or whatever, then tear down and put it away in the garage till next time type of deal. Really limits my design ideas to have something fairly quick and easy to set up and take down. ..doesn't help that my anvil is a piece of steel 8" round x 2 thick that has a 2 3/8" dia solid shaft coming down from it about 11" long....lol Didn't want to cut off the shaft cause it is added weight and really helps with the rebound in the center of the anvil....but that shaft does complicate figuring out how to mount it. ...again just using scraps I could find laying around..lol Right now I have the anvil welded to a 6" ID pipe with the shaft going thru, and the bottom of the pipe welded to a 1/2" plate that sits on top of the stool. Just need to cut a hole thru the top of the stool for the remaining shaft to fit thru and fasten the plate to the stool...thinking c-clamps for that..again tear down thoughts. I only used the 6" pipe to raise the anvil top off the surface of the stand so I could hold the work at a downward angle if needed. ....we'll see... ...heck I'm just having fun trying to figure out how to get set up...lol Thanks for the help!
  18. I plan to use charcoal....the real stuff. I may start making some myself..we'll see. Also...I might have a line on some coal. As far as a stand goes...I have quite a few concrete blocks around...was just going to sit the forge on a few of those. I agree...this forge is just a starter forge...that works...that will at least let me find out if I enjoy forging at all. Almost have my make shift anvil done...not much of a stand..just a welded steel stool I had laying around with an added thick piece of steel on it for and anvil. I pan on pushing the legs into the ground to the 1st brace in order to make it more stable....I think it will work ok for light work..at least for a while....lol Just trying to get started with minimum cost and some effort. Sorta looking forward to sharing some pics when it's done and set up...and hearing all the comments of how I did it wrong....lol
  19. Thank you. I thought it would make sense to do that...just thought maybe I was overlooking something. I was thinking of actually keeping the walls a little taller just to help contain sparks. ...figured why not...I have a whole barrel to work with. I thought about cutting off the bottom of the barrel for the chimney and then just cutting an opening to access the fire....think pizza oven. ...but that just seemed like it would be harder to tend the fire and such. I had not thought of a pass thru on the other side. ..GOOD IDEA! Thanks for the help.
  20. Hello, I'm about to start cutting my 1st forge out...a "55" forge. The blueprint section says to cut it 6" tall all the way around. I have never used or built a forge. Many forges I see pics of have an opening to them that is about the height required to lay your steel in fairly horizontally. Would I be smart to cut out an "access window" to the forge?...say cut that section down to about 2-3" tall and maybe 8 or so inches wide? I plan on using some fire brick inside the forge to make a pot and maybe a piece or two to act like a shelf to support my work leading out to the window. Does this sound like a good idea to those of you with experience?....as I have none. Thank you kindly.
  21. Never heard of flashback. I would think it must happen when the blower is off..? Thank you
  22. Thank you Glen. Lots of good thoughts and info in your post. I hadn't thought of positioning the blower like that. I might try that. If I find it's not quite enough air that way, makes me think about possibly fixing my tube to one side of the blower vent and leaving the rest of the vent open. ...then maybe have a slide gate on the remaining vent opening for adjustment. Thanks for getting my mind looking at it in a different way!
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