George N. M.

The problem with Anvil's suggestion on making a large number of the same item for a wholesale buyer is keep your motivation and interest while producing a large number of the same item. Maybe I have an attention span problem but after I have made a number of the same item it stops being fun. Over 35 years ago I did an order for 500 hand forged nails and as a result I still hate making nails and only do so when I have to. What makes sense economically may not be viable psychologically. Making the same thing over and over IMO turns you into an assembly line drone. That may be as bad or worse than your existing day job. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

If you are near a coal fired power plant you might try "fly ash." When water is added it forms sort of a poor man's concrete. County and private road crews use it around here for dust suppression. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I second the motion for a video or series of still photos on the process. I'm particularly interested in the rod up the middle and the finial process. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Most of us have had to have different careers over the years, usually driven by forces beyond our control. The factory closes, the general economy changes, a technology changes, a geographic area goes into decline, government policies change, a war occurs, and many other factors play out. It is rare for someone coming out of high school to embark on a job or career and stay in that field for the next 50 years. Therefore, as several people have suggested, keep your options open, be nimble, and be realistic in your choices. I have had to change directions several times in my life and while it was stressful at the time I do not regret it. I think for most people the reality is that you need a job/career that you reasonably enjoy to pay the bills and put food on the table and blacksmithing is a hobby/avocation. Often, it can be a hobby which pays for itself which is rare as hobbies go and can be a supplemental income which is nice. But the economic reality is that it is probably not something you can plan on being your primary source of income. The best case scenario is that you start as a hobbiest and progress in skill and economics to a point where it becomes your major focus. That said, in my 40+ years of hitting hot iron I have always tried to keep blacksmithing fun for myself. If you have to be doing it to keep a roof over your head the fun factor decreases quickly. I have made my living as a smith at times in my life, though it didn't pay much more than unemployment but it felt a lot better. Again, best of luck and I hope that you will find smithing a life long love. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Have you taken the various aptitude tests given in high school that tell you your inclinations for various careers? They are generally pretty accurate in a general sense. Then start examining opportunities in that general area. The harsh reality is that you have to support yourself and your future family, if any. That does not mean that you have to do something you hate but it does mean that you have to come up with something that is at least OK while providing enough income to live on. This is not an easy task but we have all had to do it. Blacksmithing is like any other craft career. If it is your primary source of income you are filling a small, specialized niche in the economy and you are serving a small part of the population. This is why there are no longer blacksmiths in every town and village who are a necessary part of the economy. A crafts person cannot compete with factory made items. You cannot make a hinge or anything else as cheaply as a machine in a factory. You have to serve a customer base that is willing to pay extra for a handmade anything. It is your skill and talent you are selling, not the actual object you have made. If you understand this reality you will be able to approach decisions about your future in a rational way. That said, yes, there are successful self supporting blacksmiths just as there are successful artists, actors, musicians, etc.. But they are the cream. There are many more of us who have to have something else going to bring in the necessary income to live. And, finally, remember that running a business, of any sort, is different from having a skill or craft. They are not the same skill set. That is why several people here have suggested business classes. This is true for black smiths, carpenters, plumbers, attorneys, doctors, accountants, and just about any other craft, trade, or profession. Good luck to you and make your decisions with all the knowledge you can get so that your decisions are truly intelligent and informed. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

One more way to distinguish mill balls from cannon balls is that cannon balls have specific diameters (caliber). The commonest size of cannon balls (US Civil War) are: Weight Diameter(caliber) 6 pounder = 3.67" (used mainly by the Confederates) 12 pounder = 4.62" (probably the commonest Civil War cannon using solid shot) 24 pounder = 5.82" (more commonly used in naval service than the army) Also, solid cannon balls are cast from cast iron while mill balls are made of steel. For most blacksmith uses steel is probably a better material.

Definitely put some sort of a base under the post. The whole purpose of a post vice is to transmit shock and impact down the post to the ground. If you do not set it up for the base to accept the impact you might as well just have a machinist's vice mounted on a bench. Also, in your mounting you will want to consider the height of the jaws of the vice. I was told long ago that the jaws of a vice should be at the level of your elbow so that you can file on something held in the vice with your forearm parallel to the ground. I have always used that procedure but it has seemed to me if I am hammering on something hot in the vice elbow level seems a bit high. Others can comment on how high or low is the ideal for a post vice. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Thomas, that sounds interesting and a good approach. However, I didn't get something. I'm not sure if by "tangent" you mean the angle iron is welded to the plate with the hole at 90 degrees to the plane of the plate or along the plane of the plate radiating from the hole. This confusion prevents me from visualizing how the point of the work is secured to start winding the spiral around. Could you please explain further? Thanks.

Valyrian: This may be the suggestion of the older generation who grew up with only the printed word to a younger generation raised with electronic media but you will get much, much more enjoyment and inspiration if you read things like the Lord of the Rings and the Song of Fire and Ice. The details are much better developed and you get see things in your head instead of relying on someone's special effects. That said, the LOTR movies were something I had waited to see for nearly 40 years after first reading the books. Also, keep in mind that things like the Vikings series are only stories that bear only casual relationships to actual history and what the actual Norsemen were like. They are entertainment, not history or reality. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Ball mills and rod mills are used in the mining industry to pulverize ore before it is processed to extract or concentrate the end product, metal or other element or material. The coarse rock is crushed down to gravel size and then put in a rotating drum filled with steel balls or rods and water. The crushed rock comes out in a slurry to be further processed. I'm here to tell you that rod and ball mills are LOUD. The sound of an 8 foot diameter, 40 foot long drum about half filled with steel balls or rods rotating at 20-30 rpm is impressive. Eventually the balls or rods wear down and have to be emptied out and replaced. The worn rods are thinned out in the middle or broken into long, skinny cones and the balls are reduced in diameter but are still spheres. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

This reminds me of the old military adage, "Amateurs discuss tactics, professionals discuss logistics." What is sexy and flashy gets attention, particularly from PR types and easily impressed customers while the real grunt work which actually accomplishes things is under appreciated. Woe be to the enterprise that loses its worker bees.

I have used garage door springs with a water quench and generally have had good results. However, there have been a few times when I used a spring that wouldn't harden or spark. I figure that it was some odd alloy that wouldn't perform for what I wanted. I suggest that you try a different spring or an OLD file. Some new files (e.g. HF and similar) do not seem to be good blacksmith stock. "By Hammer and Hand all arts do stand."

Insurance is a funny thing. You have to be clear who is covered and for what. If it is the demonstrator's policy it covers his liability for his negligence. It would not cover the host organization unless the organization is named as an "additional insured" (magic words/term of art). Also, it would probably not cover the demonstrator against injury caused by someone else's negligence unless it specifically covered his own personal injuries. Think of your auto insurance. Your liability coverage is for personal or property damage for other people. Your own collision coverage is for your own property damage. Your medical covers your own personal injuries. Comprehensive insurance rolls two or more of those together. Too often someone will ask about insurance but not understand exactly what kind of insurance they are asking about or even what sort of worst case scenario they are contemplating. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Poison Ivy, You're welcome. There is a lot of esoteric knowledge on this forum and each of us can share our unique skill set. I am happy to share the perspective I have to help someone. That is the exchange I get for help from someone who knows more than I do about something else. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Also, there was a belief across many cultures that an item in grave goods had to be "killed" so that it could be used by the deceased on the other side. A spirit could not use a tangible object and a living person could not use an item that had been "killed" and rendered unusable. Evidence of this is often seen in pottery items that have a hole punched in them and in bent weapons. I suspect that this is a more probable explanation than postmortem security or fear of retribution in the afterlife.

A couple of things that you or anyone else might want to consider are: A. Storage and amount of propane. Some municipalities and HOAs may restrict the storage of flammable gases above a certain amount. Usually, a couple 20 pound BBQ size tanks are OK but larger amounts may be restricted by local fire codes. This is one of the reasons that some folk go to natural gas fired forges. Also, a forge may draw a small tank down fast enough that the remaining liquid drops beneath its vapor pressure (freezes up) and will not supply fuel until it warms up. I have had that happen with small tanks but not larger ones. That is one of the reasons that I tend to use a coal/coke forge. B. This should not be a problem with you but I include it for the interest of others: In some locations air pollution regulations may restrict the use of solid fuel forges. I suggest that a person actually check the language of the local air quality law because there may be some interesting loop holes. Some places may prohibit wood or coal fuels but that does not include coke or charcoal. Others may restrict "solid fuels." I am in an urban residential area and switched to coke as a fuel when I moved here so that I wouldn't be putting out coal smoke which might impact the neighbors. In 20+ years no one has complained. C. As previously mentioned, pounding on hot metal should not generate significant noise problems. The hot iron deadens the ring of an anvil. Avoid the habit some smiths have of bouncing the hammer on the anvil to pause between blows on the hot metal. I, personally, have always found that annoying and wasteful of time and energy but there are some who learned that way and do it without thought and not to do so would be interrupting and restricting in the flow of their work. Power tools like saws and grinders are a much more significant source of noise problems with the neighbors. So is working cold metal, particularly sheet metal which will bang and ring. You may have to get imaginative if that is an issue for you. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Basically, a legally enforceable contract is an agreement, written or oral, that binds one or more people to do something that they are not otherwise legally required to do. It can be called a "Memorandum of Understanding," "Letter of Agreement," or anything else but that is the basic definition of a contract. In your case you can just have a couple of sentences saying that the demonstrator agrees to demonstrate at a particular place and time for X hours and the group agrees to pay him X dollars. That is the basic contract. You can add anything else such as indemnification for any injuries, travel costs, meals, etc. but the action an payment are the basic elements of a contract. In some states a legal contract must have some kind of compensation even if it is 1 dollar. I suggest that someone ask the demonstrator what he wants tied down. Contracts are to set out what both parties expect and what happens in the 1% of the cases when something goes wrong. I hope this helps. George M. Colorado Attorney Registration #16972 "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

There were only 2 of the Raven class minesweepers built prior to WW II but they were succeeded by the similar, but slightly larger Auk class of which 95 were built during WW II. There are still 2 Auk class ships still in commission in the Philippine navy. Since the tongs are dated on the date the keel of the ship was laid I suspect that they were used for the first rivet. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Darin, I'm making the assumption that you are a fairly young man. So, I will put this bit of advice in millennial generation and later terms: Much of learning to be a smith is similar to learning how to play a video game, development of hand/eye coordination. There are lots of other bits of knowledge like properties of steel or what tools do what but the basic physical act of forging steel is learning the hand/eye coordination and muscle memory. No different than learning which button or lever to push on a video game controller to do what. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Darin, You can start teaching yourself. Many experienced smiths did not have a mentor or classes. We started with a way to get steel hot (a forge), something to hit it with (a hammer), and something to back up the hitting (an anvil). There are good books around and some good Your Tube videos. Do not take everything you see on the internet on faith, though. There are some pretty goofy things out there. Just feeling how the hot metal reacts under your hammer and developing the coordination and muscle memory to hit where you want and how hard is a lot of learning black smithing. Good luck. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Dear Linz, I am assuming that there are You Tube videos of mail making since there are videos of everything else. I will describe how I make nails so that you have an idea of how it works. I don't make nails often because I once took an order for 500 and since then nail making is not fun for me. First, you need a nail header which has one or more square tapered holes in it. (The taper is from the bottom up. That is, the hole is slightly wider at the bottom than the top. This is so the nail is less likely to stick in the header.) The nail header is a separate hand held piece of steel. The nail is made by heating a square piece of stock and then hammering a point on it. This is usually done on the edge of the anvil so that there is a shoulder at the end of the tapered point. Without a shoulder there is a tendency just to hammer the nail through the hole of the header rather than upsetting the head. The nail is then cut off the stock a bit above the shoulder. This is often done with a hot cutter set in the hardie hole. Usually, the nail is not completely cut off so that the nail can be inserted into the header and the rest of the stock can be twisted off leaving the nail in the header with the un-upset head above the header. Then the nail head is flattened down on the header. Finally, the nail is knocked out of the header either by inverting the header and banging it on the edge of the anvil or tapping it out from the bottom with a hammer. If you are good and have the right muscle memory you can do this in one, or at most two, heats. It is harder to describe than actually do. I still think that it is unlikely that the hole in the anvil was intended to be primarily a nail of spike header. ""By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Having a hole in the anvil as a nail header strikes me as impractical rather than a separate tool because of the difficulty in removing the nail after it is headed. Often the nail has to be tapped out of the header from the bottom. It strikes me that this would be difficult if the nail was down in the anvil. Also, just making a hole in the anvil for this purpose would be much more difficult than making a nail header. Occam's Razor would argue that the hole is a pritchel hole or a tool holding site. Also, the hole is round while the roman nails I have seen have all been square (when they were not too rusted to tell the original shape.) Possibly a bit of experimental archaeology is called for. BTW, what is the diameter of the hole? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

I recently came across a variation which may have some of the best of both worlds. They were on the clearance rack at the True Value hardware store for $4.99 each. They are True Value house brand, made in China. Thomas, these would eliminate the problem of having the spring too close to the heat and risking drawing the temper.

It is always a good idea to keep rain and snow away from your coal because besides the problems of trying to burn a wet fuel some types of coal can "slake," that is, deteriorate mechanically into smaller pieces in the presence of water. If you have ever seen an old coal pile it may well have slaked down to fragments the size of pea gravel or smaller. The very first fuel I used in a forge was some nasty old slaked sub-bituminous coal. Very unpleasant. Little coking and lots of burning bits flying around plus lots of clinker. This can be a problem in open pit mines or road cuts which cut through coal seams. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

About 35-40 years ago I came across a guy who had imported a number of swords from Sudan. I bought this one (IIRC I paid about $100). It originally had a typical Sudanese wooden, leather wrapped hilt with a leather disk pommel. I wanted a more European looking sword and removed the Sudanese hilt, drew out the tang a bit and added a disk pommel with the tang riveted on the top of the pommel . Today I would have left it original but I was younger and had different values and priorities. I have always suspected that it is a European blade which was exported to Africa. This is because of the double headed eagle engraved on both sides of the blade. I seriously doubt that a Sudanese craftsman would have used infidel imagery, particularly the Christian cross on the single crown above the eagle. The double headed eagle has been used by various European countries and houses including the Byzantines, the Hapsburg Austrians, and the Russian Romanovs amongst others. The blade is 34" long and the cross guard (I guess Sudanese origin) is 6 1/4". The fuller runs the entire length of the blade. It appears that the eagle has been on the blade for a long time because the engraving is worn off the high parts of the blade on the edge of the fuller. It would take a lot of drawing in an out of a scabbard to wear the steel down. Does anyone have any thoughts on the origin or age of this blade? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand"