Owen Hinsman

Nice job on that little knife Hondo. I hope your heart gets fixed and you get healthy.

Nice looking cleaver Welshj. Any reason for that particular blade design? I finished up a farriers' rasp tomahawk that I've been working on for a few days. Not hardened yet because I don't have oil, but it has a decent edge and feels balanced. The handle is made of an ash sapling I cut a few months ago, which seems to have dried out nicely. Even without being hardened, I've done some chopping and it edge hasn't rolled or chipped (yet). For my first real blade, I think it turned out pretty well.

Progress! I made a tomahawk and started a seax. And I, along with my dad, built another workbench, this one 11’ x 24” with a 3/4” plywood top. I also put up another two shelves for my toolboxes and other stuff.

Hmm, if only I had a dirt driveway. Could I just sorta dig a hole in the corner of my shop and dump it there?

Also, what do you do with clinker? I have a 3 gallon bucket full of it, and I’m gonna need to dump it soon.

The forge has been working very well over the past couple weeks. I’ve learned to light the anthracite with just paper and wood, which is good. I even made a nail! Not a very good nail, but still. My dad and I also got a bench built and another couple in the works.

Thanks for the advice irondragon. It’s a Chinese made blower, but it seems well made and powerful.

So, an update. I got an electric blower that seems fairly powerful, along with a variac (?) which makes it very easy to fine-tune the airflow. Can I mount the blower like in the pictures without it being a problem? It’s right up against the tuyere and any plastic parts (like those in the motor) are at least 6-7” away from the bottom of the firepot.

Thanks Irondragon. Also, my forge walls are made of 1” thick dry pine shiplap. I want to run a 10” pipe out through the walls for my forge chimney. Do I have to insulate around the pipe or do anything special to prevent a fire?

Well, I got my forge yesterday. My thanks to Bob Lavoie of the NEB for building me this forge. I’ve got a couple hundred pounds of anthracite coal sitting in the shop, so now I’m just waiting for my electric blower to get here so I can start forging. Any tips on using anthracite?

Well, the rest of the lumber just arrived. A couple hundred pieces of shiplap, 2x4s, tongue and groove, and the like. For some reason the picture won't load, probably because the definition is too high. I'll see if I can get it working though.

If that's a drift then it's looking pretty good. you might still want to round the point so that it doesn't overheat when using.

You probably want to grind the tip back a quarter inch or so to give it a flat tip and also grind it so that the punch looks like the last picture on your post from any angle. that will let it punch material more easily. nice job on the hammer dressing!

Nice clean forging there Mark. Is the cupping tool made by intentionally forming fish-lips and then rounding it out?

You certainly are.

Nice work GolFisHunt. I really like the one on the right.

Nice clean lines on the knife, spoon, and fork CGL.

Very nice job on that cross Das. Is it welded or riveted?

Nice job on that hammer Conrad. I agree, the forge-finish on the cheeks is a wonderful contrast to the polished faces.

That’s beautiful alexandr. Are those lamps made by you?

No I wasn't unfortunately. But the guys down in Brentwood were great help with the welding.

That Damascus looks nice Billy. I was able to do some forging on Saturday and made a fire rake (with a forge-welded handle), a shovel, and a poker. Figure it’ll go nicely with my new firepot that I got from the Nea England Blacksmiths. Plus a picture of the most adorable dog ever, the honourable Otter.

I was looking at the picture of your skull keychains: I can take the picture out if you want. I just love the look of these and I wanted to know more about how they were made.

I know I'm a year or so late, but did you do those eye sockets with just a ball punch or a specially made one?

Nice clean forging there GolFisHunt. One question, why are the fuller parts so long? They look to be around a foot long, why not have them be just a few inches and save some material?