Reid Neilsen

They are very lovely. Well done and interesting too.

Lookin' good! Keep at it and before you know it, you will have forged all kinds of stuff! (Or lots of knives if that is what interests you)

Do you have a welding torch?(or a recip. saw wth a metal cutting blade - heck even a hacksaw woudl work.) Go to your local junkyard and get a steel barrel that has no holes. Cut it in half(you can even grind off the shapt burred edges if you are so inclined) Then you have two more tubs. Or leave it full size for those long pieces or irregularly shaped pieces you need to quench. Total cost - $10-20 and it will be more heavy duty than a galvanized tin bucket. Edit: It will take many years for it to rust out. That has been my experience.

My "dipper" or "sprinker" for the forge is made from an old soup can. Most use out of something I got for 50 cents...EVER!

I have a secret to fill you in on...you might be able to start making knives really cheap, but it will turn into an obsession and eventally you will have spent $10,000 on a shop full of tools. Once you are hooked, its hard to turn back. Its like drugs. Seriously, though - that is a great book. Good luck and have fun!

That's really lovely!

I have always just kept my blades raw and keep a light coat of oil on them in storage. If they get a little oxidation on them though use a scotch pad or very fien steel wool and oil to clean it up. If it is a display piece that you never plan to use - I really liked tompdw's suggeston of car wax. Thats a good idea. Of course, if you really never plan to use it other than to hang it on a wall/sit on a display, maybe just coat it with a commercial finish(non-yellowing acrylic clear coat?) It will last forever that way.

It doesn't have a channel to affix it to a rifle right? Or the little unlocking button found on the handle of Mauser bayonets? I only ask becuase I cant see thd detail in the photo and, at first glance, it looks like a bayonet that has been converted or even cut down(i.e., the odd shaped blade) Could it be an ersatz leftover from the greatwar that got recut and reused in WW2? I have seen a lot of weird edged weapons like that(those Germans don't ever let anything go to waste! They re-used EVERYTHING they could in the second world war) On the other hand, it could just be an oddball trench knife. The fact that it has the identical handle shape, guard shape and blade shape of a mauser bayonet make me wonder if it isnt a conversion/re-use.:confused:

Roman weapons form the period that the traditional hasta was used(pre-Marius or roughly "Republican Rome") seem to indcate a mix of carbon contents in the metal itself. I feel like it is safe to say that whatever carbon content you choose to make a reporoduction from is fine even just plain ol' mild steel(the closest thing most of us have to raw iron). You did a really nice job on the socket - I can barely see the weld. It looks great! Good shape too.

I ended up getting a Grizzly 2x72 - I love it! Thanks for the advice.

Hecks Yeah! Nice job on yer tongs BTW!!!

I forge the majority of my tongs out of 3/4" square stock. Unless they are going to be really little tongs, in which case I'll use 1/2" square. I have found that it is plenty of "meat" to forge whatever type of jaws you want - plus I just forgeweld on the reins to save labor. Saves some drawing out sweat. BTW, if you choose to draw out the reins, here is a trick (I am sure you are already aware of this one, but..): 1. Heat that sucker to a bright, bright yellow(get all the heat you can wthout burning it up), 2. Draw it over the fat part of the horn or a bottom fuller - rounded edge of the anvil works too... 3. And WORK THOUGHT THE FULL HEAT(obviously stopping when it cools too much to be effective). You will do it so much faster you will be amazed. The time it takes in between heats is the time consuming part. Less heats usually equals project done faster. It may mean a little more muscle applied to each heat, but it is worth it in my opinion.

Hi Wagonmaster, I learned to forgeweld by making lots of little rings with 3/8 roundstock. I did LOTS of them and once I kind of had a handle on that type of weld/scarfing tequnique, I did some lap welds and some T welds. I know a lot of people like to make their tongs and stuff by drawing down the reins, but I prefer to weld on the reins. I dont have a power hammer so I try to save my arm whenever possible. The type of welding practice I mentioned above makes it possible to do this consistenly. Just practice one technique at a time. I agree that maybe doing some lap welds or even fagot welds is a good first time option. Fagot welds are forgiving becuase you dont have to worry about balancing one piece on an other. They are connected already! Dont worry, its tricky to get the technique right, but once you do, its like riding a bike.You will also get good at recognizing welding heat by color and even almost by "feel". Good luck!

The secret to the type of rod handle you are describing is to get EVEN heat in the area being wrapped. (Also the secret of getting consistent twists BTW!)Thats my one piece of advice.