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I Forge Iron

George N. M.

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Everything posted by George N. M.

  1. Taylor, the last time I fabricated a tuyer for my rivet forge I used plate about 3/16-1/4" thick (I don't recall exactly) and drilled 1/4" holes, 3/8" holes might work as well and you have to drill fewer of them. My previous one lasted about 12-15 years. You might look at some of the on line auction sites like Hibid for auctions in the US and Canada. Try a search for "blacksmith" and for auctions within X distance from you. You can also search by state or province. I've seen some tempting items but haven't bid on anything because there isn't much I really "need." Recently, there was a 25# Little Giant power hammer about a 150 miles away but after much agonizing I didn't bid because I don't really have a way to transport it home and I would have had to pour a concrete base in my dirt floored shop. Ah well, maybe someday. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  2. I agree that it is a lovely old vise and you have done a fine job of cleaning it up. I also agree that you need some kind of cover or shroud to protect the exposed threads. It can be very simple. Here in the US we have a brand of potato chips called "Pringles" which come stacked in a tall, cylindrical container which is similar to the cans tennis balls come in. Something like that could be a quick and dirty solution. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  3. Das, when Madelynn and I got married it was a Scottish themed wedding because we both have Scots ancestry (her more than me). I made her a special penannular to wear at the wedding but she was almost late coming down the aisle because neither she nor the Matron of Honor could recall how to work it. When I sell or give them I always explain and demonstrate how they work and, if there is time, I make the purchaser fasten it in a piece of cloth to set the instructions in muscle memory. I will also hand out an illustrated set of directions. It's odd how something so simple isn't intuitively obvious. You probably know this but I'll throw in a bit of my spiel for anyone who doesn't know why they are called "penannulars." "A circle is an annulus. A ring or or doughnut is an annulus. "Pen-" means "almost". A peninsula is almost an island and penultimate is almost last. So, a penannular is almost a circle." They are also known as omega brooches because of their resemblance to the Greek letter omega. G
  4. I have the Celtic one and have used it for calligraphy and illumination for years. Good resource. G
  5. I hadn't noticed that your blower appears to be mounted on its side. I don't think I have ever seen a hand crank blower mounted in that orientation. I think it would be more ergonomic to be cranking in a vertical plane than a "stirring" motion like you would have to use now. Also, it appears that your blower is similar to the ones I have seen used on Forged in Fire in that it has a very short handle. I have wondered if they would work better with a longer handle. On FIF it appears that they have to crank very fast. How fast you have to crank for sufficient air may depend on the size of the fan and the gear ratio of the cranking mechanism. IIRC my blowers have around a 1:40 gear ratio. That is, the fan rotates 40 times for every full turn of the crank. GNM
  6. Welcome aboard from 7500' (2286m) in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. It sounds like you are starting well. One comment: Years ago I tried using a cast iron floor grate as a tuyer but found that it eroded from the heat in my coal forge. I have found that a steel plate with holes drilled in it works better. Also, the steel is less likely to crack if it is quenched with water when you are putting out the fire than cast iron. I've been in Hamilton a number of times. Enjoyed the Hamilton Military Museum and the aircraft museum at the airport. My inlaws lived near Buffalo and it was often cheaper to fly into Toronto, rent a car, and drive around to Buffalo than to fly directly into Beffalo from Denver. So, we got to know that part of Ontario pretty well. Besides watching good Youtube videos I suggest getting some good beginning blacksmithing books (let us know if you want recommendations) and trying to find a blacksmithing group nearish you. You will learn much faster when working with other folk. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  7. I think that they would be less useful than a separate swage block because you would be hitting into the depressions horisontally rather than vertically. That's not very ergonomic. They do appear fairly small (30#?), so it might not be hard to turn them on their sides. Centaur forge carries a line of anvils that has semi-circular and 90 degree shapes around the edge of the base and I have the same issue with those, difficulty in use. I'm going to bet that these little guys are cast iron and have poor rebound. I'd pass. I have no idea what the aluminum gadget between the anvils is. I would bid on the wrenches since they are old and unplated. Good material to make bottle openers for motor heads. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  8. Plain old colored pencils also work better than black markers or graphite pencils. I also like soapstone markers because the marks, being a mineral, tolerate heat better than most media. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  9. Archie, now for the big question: How does it shoot? My Army issue M1884 shoots pretty well but I have never actually measured a group to figure out MOA. I also think that it is cool that you cast the nose cap directly onto the stock. I assume that the screws in the end of the stock are to anchor the nose cap. G
  10. Actually, my experience with temp laborers has been pretty good. It may be that in small town Colorado or a college town in Wyoming you get a better class of day laborers than in bigger cities where, yes, substance abuse issues are more common. I may wait until my son is visiting or I may try to find some college student(s). G
  11. Up until the invention of the cook stove in the 19th century almost all baking ovens were the sort where you built a fire in the oven, got it hot, raked out the fire, and put in the bread to bake from the residual heat from the oven walls. Few town homes except the largest had ovens. So, the gudwyfe would make her bread dough and then take it down to the baker who would bake it for a penny. Also, because it wasn't an even heat the bread closest to the walls often burnt while the loaves in the center baked evenly. The lowest helper of the baker was often assigned to chip the black parts off the scortched loaves. Shakespeare had an insult that someone wasn't fit to chip bread. Sort of the 16th century equivalent of saying that someone couldn't pour pee out of a boot even if the instructions we printed on the heel. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  12. While I am in the "senior" class of smiths I haven't had much in physical debilities that restrict my forging but I will suggest that anyone of any age who has had physical problems and is getting back into the craft to take it easy and work up. Only work for short periods and work on small projects where you can use smaller tools/hammers. And don't be afraid to reconfigure your work space so that you can sit for some tasks. Take frequent breaks. Keep hydrated. Don't try to work in extreme high or low temperatures. And if you have to move something heavy don't be afraid or too proud to ask someone to help you. If you've got a major project which needs heavy lifting it may make sense to hire someone from a local employment place for a few hours or a half day. I'm thinking of doing that for some work which involves climbing up on the roof of my shop. Besides just being cautious and knowing that I don't heal up as fast as I used to staying off the roof will avoid domestic turbulance. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  13. Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Although your anvil has had wear it is still in decent shape and is vey usable. 100-200 pounds is a good size for a one person shop. I would make a semi-educated guess that in your area fair market value would be in the $3.00-4.00/pound range but that may vary on how much someone is willing to give and what you are willing to accept. You can check out ebay, craigslist, facebook market place to see what used anvils are going for and Blacksmiths Depot and Centaur Forge to see prices for new anvils. This is assuming that your anvil passes the ring and rebound tests. The ring should be pretty consistent when struck all over the face except a bit mor muted on the heel (opposite the horn). If there is a dead spot where you just get a "thunk" it is likely that the face plate has delaminated from the body. For the rebound test you drop a ball bearing from a known height (often 10") and measure how high it bounces back. Anything over 80% is good, 70% is OK, and anything less than 50% is pretty punk. If there is a low rebound it may mean that the anvil went through a fire which drew the temper of the face plate and made it soft. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  14. Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. Be kind of careful with YouTube videos. There are some really bad ones out there. I like Black Bear Forge, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), Torbjorn Ahman from Sweden, and Christ Centered Ironworks. Some folk like Alec Steele but I find his presentation style tp be rather annoying. You also would be well advised to buy Steve Sells' books on knife making. Research and practice on various types of steel and heat treating are a good plan. When using a new type of steel, particularly scrap steel it is a good idea to take some sample pieces (aka "coupons") and try different quenchants and heat treatments to see what works best and keep good notes for future reference. Also, beware of scrap auto springs which have had many cycles of bending because they can develop micro fractures which will show up as weak spots and cracks when trying to forge or heat treat blades made from them. I have found that some modern spring steels are difficult to heat treat because they are some exotic alloy. That is one of the reasons to experiment with samples/coupons. We love photos of projects, particularly photos of the steps in the process to the final product. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  15. One time while I was in Viet Nam we tried to zero in an M-2 .50 cal on an area where we suspected hostile night time traffic. We couldn't observe any impacts even though the tripod and traversing and elevating gear were tight and the sights were right on target with the appropriate range set. I got some tracers and when we fired them they went down range in a very pretty expanding spiral. The barrel looked fine but it had been shot out and the lands and grooves had eroded together and it was something well over .50 caliber because of wear. The bullets just rode down the barrel on one side or another and left the muzzel in an increasing spriral trajectory. We gave up on our long range plan and just used it for short range defense across the helipad. That's when I learned that an eroded barrel can look like it still has decent lands and grooves. GNM (late of 1.C/1/12 Cav 1Cav Div (airmobile), RVN 1970-71)
  16. Tina, like any commodity which is unique or in short supply there are folk who are in it to only make a buck, aka "flippers." Also, there are unsophisticated buyers with more money an knowledge around and when you get one of each of those two catagories together a deal will be made for far above normal fair market value. I suggest that you look at Blacksmith Depot, Centaur Forge, of Holland Anvils to get an idea of what brand new, high quality anvils are selling for. $4k for an anvil would need to be a huge one or one that had some very specialized features. That is not to say that someone might not pay that but I would consider them uninformed and with more money than knowledge. I hope yours is going to a good home. GNM
  17. Oh, Tina, that is a VERY nice anvil. It is a top brand and has had very little wear in its 95 year life. It is barely broken in. Anvil prices vary by availability which means that they are more expensive in areas where there are fewer anvils available. So, they are somewhat less expensive in the eastern US and more expensive in less populated areas like the western US. Goods mention ring and rebound tests. These insure that it has not been through a fire which softens the temper in the high carbon face plate and that the face plate has not delaminated from the body. For the ring test you tap it across the face. The ring should be clear and consistent in all areas of the face. It may change a bit near the heel (the part at the opposite end from the horn). For the rebound test you need a ball bearing. You drop it on the face and measure the rebound, e.g. drop it from 10" and hold a ruler so that you can measure how high it bounces. Anything in the 80-90% range is excellent. 70% is OK. Anything under 50% is not very good. I agree with Goods about value. I wouldn't take less than $600 for it. And 123 pounds is a decent size for a one man shop. I'll ask again, where are you generally located? Someone here may be fairly close and interested in buying it. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  18. Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. I'm afraid we can't help you much because we don't know where you live (please add to your profle)0 and we don;t now anything about your anvil, weight, condition, maker, etc.. Pictures of the anvil would be a great help. Generally, you can sell an anvil in the same way you can sell anything else, Craig's List, Facebook Marketplace, ebay, etc., etc.. Fair market value will depend on where you live and the size and condition of the anvil. One in really bad shape is only worth scrap value ( about 25 cents US/pound the last time I looked) while one in great shape and a larger size may command $US 5-7/pound which is close to what you might pay for a brand new one. You might check ebay for what something similar is going for and places like Blacksmith's Depot or Centaur Forge for prices of excellent band new anvils. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  19. I don't normally get involved in these discussions and yield the floor to folk with more experience than I have but I will throw in a thought or two this time. First, are the jaws too soft in their unheat treated state? The steel used in tools like these is often pretty tough and I don't know if they are heat treated in the manufacturing process. It may be that you do not need heat treating at all. The jaws are the most stressed portion when in use and I would be hesitant to do anything that would induce any brittleness in that area. If you have a similar pair you might compare the hardness of the jaws as they come from the factory to how they are after your forging. Second, if you do harden that area I would strongly suggest tempering, maybe to a blue or purple. Third, as a comment on John's suggestion I have always felt that all shaping, filing, grinding, etc. should be done prior to heat treating to avoid drawing the heat treat by heating the metal from friction and to do the metal work when the metal is softest. Polishing, buffing, and general finishing, yes, but move metal before realigning its crystal structure. Good luck. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  20. Scott, my papers and books are still pretty chaotic from moving to Laramie but if I can find it I will scan it and post it but I'm not optimistic. It will show up sooner or later and if it is some time I will PM a copy to you. IIRC it was a war trophy display in a park in Paris in 1919. G.
  21. ..Do you need a solid ball or a hollow one or doesn't it matter? Try looking up Atlas Metals on line catalog. IIRC they have several aizes of hollow balls intended for "wrought iron" fence fabrication. Also, lots of cool other stuff. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
  22. Scott, here is a link to the wikipedia article on the Gallic Rooster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallic_rooster I have a post card published just after World War 1 of a pile of German artillery with a French rooster on top. I suspect that the "gold-copper" may be a translation glitch meaning gold plated copper. That said, copper is a common aditive to gold ti increase hardness for less than 24 karat gold jewelry. GNM
  23. Also, there are two things that happen to us as we get older, First, you start to lose your memory and I don't remember the second one. G
  24. Frosty, I've also noticed a geological phenomenon that during my lifetime the gravity seems to increased over time which makes the ground harder and the hills seem steeper. G
  25. Because my father was a Captain on the Chicago Fire Department I am probably more fire safety concious than most folk. So far, it has worked. I'm probably more sensitive than usual these days becaue in December a $750k house in our neighborhood (about 350 yards from our house across an open field) burned to the ground. Unkown cause but seemed to originate in the attic which makes me think electrical. Not pretty and kind of scary. No one hurt though but absolute total loss of everything. Older couple. Don't know if they are going to rebuild or move on to something else. GNM
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