George N. M.

Anvil, I'm sorry to hear of your best friend's passing. I'm sure he will be waiting for you at the far end of the Rainbow Bridge, wagging his tail and asking if you brought treats and telling you that you and he are about to go on cool adventures together. Although sad news, it is good to hear from you. I hope everything is OK. Yours, George

Possib ly in the study area of abnormal psychology. Although, seriously, online communitys and fora could bea fertile area in sociology.

Welcome aboard from 7500 feet (2286 meters) in SE Wyoming, USA. Glad to have you. I checked out your website and you do some nice work. I do have a question about your wrench knives. Do you remove any chrome plating before forging? I really hope so because forging chrome plated objects if pretty dangerous because it can cause heavy metal poisoning. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

It seems to me that there is a higher proportion of vets on IFI than the general population. And it seems there are more USCG vets than I would have thought. There's probably Master's thesis or a PhD dissertation in there somewhere. Something to do with being willing to serve and working with your hands. GNM LTC(R) US Army late of 1/C/1/12 Cav 1st Cav Div (airmobile) Republic of Viet Nam 1970-71

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Sit down of an evening with the decks cleard and the adult beverage of your choice and start going through the various threads and topics on IFI. Some of them wander of down interesting rabbit holes. There are some good blacksmithing videos on You Tube. (And some REALLY bad ones.) I like Black Bear Forge, JPLservices (our own Jennifer), and Torbjorn Ahman from Sweden. Some folk like Alec Steele but I find his manner of presentation kind of annoying but that may just be me. There are also some good books around which have some advantages over videos. If you want recommendations please say so. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. First, we need to know where you are located. This is a world wide forum and we don't know if you are in Lapland, Tasmania or Kansas. Knowing your general location will help with answers. Add it to your profile and read the "Read this first" tab. OK, so many issue with making coins from chunks of copper. First, you can do this hot by casting or semi-cold (heating to anneal but not melting the metal). The semi hot method would involve making a steel die with the lettering and design cut into it in reverse. To prepare the copper you need to reduce it to pieces about as thick as you want the coins, either by slicing or sawing or shearing or forging it out to a thin sheet and then cutting it up into disks or rectangles or whatever shape you want the coins to be. This will be easier if you anneal the copper first. which involves heating it and then quenching it to soften it. The metal reacts the opposite of medium to high carbon steel in that the quenching makes it soft instead of hard. Copper work hardens when hit cold and becomes harder and brittle. The second way to do this involves making a mold out of some reusable material which is heat resstant (my first thought is soapstone). Agan with the design reversed. and pouring molten copper into the mold to make the coins one at a time. If you want designs on both sides you will have to make a 2 sided mold. Casting, particularly with a heavy and high temperature metal like copper can be exceedingly dangerous, even more so if you don't not have the knowledge and experience to do it safely. And this is dangerous in the sense of it can kill or disable or disfigure you in a way that will hurt a LOT. Molten netal is very unforgiving and contains a LOT of energy. Contact with even a small amount of water can cause an amazingly large steam explosion that can throw molten metal around fast and far. To avoid this you need specialized PPE including face protection, apron, pants, and shoes. You also need specialized tongs to handle the crucible holding the molten metal. And you have to rehearse the moves you will make to move the crucible to the mold with everything cold. Think of the care with which bomb disposal experts (EOD) do all their movements and the preparation they do. The safer way is to do the semi cold way. To make a die you can strike in letters that are symmetrical (A, M, V, X, etc.) with a letter stamp set. Asymmetrical letters will have to be done with small chisels. Always remember that the die is done in reverse. The design, e.g. a profile of your power plant, can be done with chisels or a rotary tool with diamond or carbide tips or a combination of techniques. Then grind the face of the die flat to eliminate the little ridges on either side of anything you have struck into the die and polish the die face. Then, put a piece of copper, either cold and annealled or hot and soft, on an anvil or something similar, and put the die on top of it and hit the die hard. It will take a surprising amount of force. If you have access to a hydraulic or screw press you can use that. If you want a design on both sides you will have to make two dies and strike the blank between them. Either method takes a lot of time and work. If it were me, I'd contact a company that makes challenge coins and send them the copper. This can be done at a reasonable cost. My Vietnam War unit veterans' organization had challenge coins made. Cost will depend on how many you want made. Most of the power plants I know of have a few dozen employees. I suggest that if you have little or no experience with these processes that you experiment with small examples first before going into full on production. Others may have more suggestions. Good luck and let us know how it goes and post photos. We LOVE pictures. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

The compressive strength of steel is very high. There are formulae on google of how to calculate the compressive point of failure for steel pipe. I didn't go through the calculations but I would bet that 4" (about 10 cm) pipe, either round or a heavy wall square would greatly exceed one metric ton. I think Irondragon meant that the compressive yield strength should be at least 2000 kg., not that the posts should weigh 2000 kg., either each or combined. For the I-beam cross piece I am sure that you can find formulae for the yield strength for the center of whatever span you will need. Again, I bet a 6 inch (150mm) would greatly exceed what you need. Find the formulas and calculate the minimum you need and then double the yeild strength numbers and then work backwards for the size. Then go up one standard dimension, for example if it comes out that you need 4.5 inches (11.43 cm) go up to the nex higher standard size available. It never hurts to over engineer andbuild something. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

OK, question about how you forge cylindrical sockets: Do you start with solid stock and forge out a "flag" and then roll it up or do you start with a piece of tubing or do you weld a piece of tubing to a solid point or something else. Do you use any glue or pin to attach to the shaft or just friction? Thanks. George

If you have a compressor you might be able to do some interesting texture work with it. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

If you spray it with the baking soda solution I'd then spray it with either WD-40 (WD="Water Displacement') or alcohol to get all the water out of the nooks and crannies. GNM

Scott, sorry to hear that. It's pretty bold to do that in such a public place. Does anyone know what a thief can get for a stolen catalytic converter? It must be fairly substanial to justify the risk. G

OK, thanks. That will look very good in place. My only suggestion is to make sure that the parts that stick out towards the TV are very sucurely anchored to the wall to take the weight of the books. I have discovered through sad experience that the best bookshelves are over engineered and built. The books are always heavier than you think and the shelves are not as strong as you would think. Happy New Year! May 2024 be the year that wars and pandemics decrease. George

Scott, I suppose being improbable, at least for me, is doing what you like without any consideration of how it fits in with anything else. My attorney friends are surprised that I am a blacksmith and my blacksmith friends are surprised that I am an attorney. And my interests are what they are without any consideration of "masculine" or "feminine." So, I like metal working, cooking, guns, antiquing, calligraphy, hunting, can hold my own in sewing, don't have much of an interest in team sports, etc.. When folk know one or a few things about you they will create a full profile in their head of what you are like and when the reality of what and who you really are is revealed it can upset their mental apple cart and surprise them. I guess that improbability is unconciously avoiding stereotypes. Just about all of us here are improbable in just being blacksmiths since that is an uncommon hobby or profession. But I will bet that few of us meet the stereotypical image of a blacksmith, large, male, white, strong, etc.. One of the things I like about IFI is the wide variety of folk here. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Get out there and hit hot metal. Make something like an S or J hook. Experiment with your stance and how you hold the hammer to see what feels best. Use a plastic bowl for a slack tub. Just get the metal hot and hit it. That is the essence of blacksmithing. Everything else will fade in importance. Your wife sounds like a wise woman, listen to her. Let us know how it goes. George

Dear Electra, Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I am going to try to be as nice and gentle as I can but I am going to say some things that you may not want to hear. Essentially, magnetism is a phenomenon that ONLY effects certain meals, generally iron. Iton can be magnetized and become a magnet which will attract other bits of magnetic sensative metal. It cannot effect non metalic materials such as copper, ceramic, and organic material. Also, magnetic fields weaken very quickly as you move away from a magnet. A weak magnetic field may be detected within a few inches of household electric lines but not enough to attract even tiny beits of metal except small metal bits that are free to move and are very close tpmthe electric line may align with the field. It is improbable thst any random piece of iron or steel like an anvil is maagnetized or has any detectable magnetic field around it. Atoms and small bits of iron in a plastic environment may align and unalign with the earth's magnetic field as they mve through it. You can tell the orientation of the earths magnetic field when certain rocks were deposited by studying the orientation of metsl bearing minerals in the rocks. However, the rocks may have moved out of their origial orientation due to the movement of tectonic plates and other processes. I strongly suspect that your feeling of heaviness may be more a psychological issue than a physical one whcih could be measured. You do not weigh more when the electrical power is on in the house than when it is off. That said, other biological processes such as drug side effects or your physical condition or a neurological condition may give you a feeling of heaviness. I suggest that you discuss it with one or more professionals. It may take more than just your family physician and even if there is a medical or psychological origin it may not be something that is treatable. We are just a collection of hobby and professional blacksmiths here and probably don't have much more to contribute but someone may have more and better words of wisdom than I have. I am just an old geologist, attorney, soldier, etc. who has picked up a bit of this and that over the years. I hope you are able to address your issues but I really doubt that they are related to magnetism.

I'm kind of late to the discussion but a group that I really like and is particularly good to play in the shop is Corvus Corax which is a German medieval/metal group but, really, they don't fit very well into a genre that I know of. Here is one of their concert pieces and I will admit that they are rather bizzare but great musicians. There are a fair number of their videos on You Tube. And I suppose that it is improbable that a guy of my age and background would go for this but I am nothing if not improbable. George PS Corvus Corax is the Latin scientific name for a raven.

I agree with Frosty about degree of importance. I was probably thinking that the commonest form of PPE is the apron. I have worn glasses since I was about 12 and, so, eye protection is pretty automatic with me. I only think of additional eye protection if I am doing something with a higher than average amount of stuff flying around my face or lots of sparks. GNM

That brings up the question of when the bench/machinist's vise came into use. My guess would be the 2d half of the 19th century. Prior to that most metal vises were post vises. I have seen some illustrations of late medieval or renaissance armorers' vises that did not have a leg or post and were akin to modern bench/machist's vises. But I suspect they were uncommon and pretty specialized. GNM

Notice that the bench has the leg vise for metal and a wood working vise in the shadows beyond the leg vise. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Alexandr, lovely, as usual. Will they be mounter with the 3 bays vertical and book shelves installed across the bays or is it to be install with the bays horizontal and the bays themselves the book shelves? I can see advantages to either orientation. Thanks. George

Billy, how long ago did you last buy a metal bucket? You may be in for the same unpleasant surprise I was. It makes scrap buckets like those used for grease and solvents much more attractive. Unfortunately, even many of those have gone to plastic. The only common metal ones any more are 1 gallon paint cans. Even larger quantities of paint are in plastic. If it wasn't for freezing issues I would buy a half wooden barrel and fill it with the garden hose. GNM

There is an old prospector trick for separating the gold/mercury amalgam. Hollow out a potato and put the amalgam into the center. Put the potato back together and bake it. The mercury will vaproize and go into the potato flesh leaving the gold in the cavity. Do NOT eat the potato. GNM

Urban blacksmithing presents some unique challenges. Noise is just one issue. A cheap HF anvil will wear out pretty quickly but it will be quiet. Magnets work pretty well at dampening sound. HF welding magnets work pretty well. Also, be careful that all your blows hit hot metal, not the anvil. Don't use the technique where you tap the anvil between blows to the metal. Chain, magnets, silicone caulk all work well and combining them should quet things down as much as possible. lining your workspace with things like acoustic tiles or blankets will cut down on any sound. However, you still need adequate ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide issues. I strongly suggest that you invest in a CO detector and if it goes off get out immediately. No "just let me finish this heat" or "in a minute". Get out NOW! It helps to have your propane tank outside you work area where you can turn it off from outside. Then, let things ventilate for much long than you think is appropriate. Can't help with forge noise other than the observation that some forges "roar" more than others. The forge gurus can address that much better than I can. Finally, cultivate your neighbors with talking to them and giving them small hand forged gifts like bottle openers, brooches, spike knives, etc.. If they know you they are more likely to take up any issues with you directly rather than complaining to third parties. Find out if any of them have unusual schedules and are, say, sleeping during the day. If you can time your forge sessions for when they are gone any problems are minimized. Don't use large tools for small projects because they produce unnecessary noise. Use the minimum size that will do the job. Finally, depending on where you are located you may look at an off site forging location like a rented garage or storage unit or space in a "makers" location. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I said it in a previous post in a different thread earlier today but I'll repeat it here: Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Winter Solstice timed holiday, e.g. Kwanza, Festivus, New Year, Yule, etc.. GNM

Nick, if 1" hardy shanks are barely too large for the hardy hole I would think about filing out the hardy hole a bit larger. Once that is done every hardy tool will fit rather than having to grind down every hardy tool. It's kind of a pig of a job, enlarging a square hole, but once it is done it is done. You might carefully use a power tool like a rotary file or a metal cutting blade in a reciprocating saw to do a lot of the work but you'll need the control of a file in the corners and the last finish bit. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."