new guy

well this thing burns hot and i havent installed a heath sheild yet. ((good idea frosty) and i just setand away from the darn thing when it is going so i dont get roasted. Thanks again

i removed the old post of this cuz the wife shot down the scrap and i got 6sqft of bellies at the tandy lehter co. i hope itl come asap.

is heavy (7-9oz) rawhide ok for a sheath or is that overkill?

awesome sites and the leather is hard to find in new england i was not sure what to do. thanks again!

i have the sewing bits but i need the leather and rivets and snaps. so i really should have asked where i could fit those. sorry

hi im making a knife (my first) and i want ot know where i can get leather and some heavy snaps for the sheath and maybe rivets. where can i get theese for cheap?

i have a lighter work glove on my right hand and a heavier gauntlat on the holding ahnd (better safe than sorry). the right glove is a lighter ironclad ranchwork glove so i just feel safe and the wife stays happy!

it is a reasonably sharp knife and i thinks its an ok begining knife. thanks for the input to all. hey to all! i finally got the parts i need for my hobo forge! i have a huge 18in sewer pipe with 1/2 side walls. conveniantly due to where i work i can set it up parrelel with the wind (where i live on the water the wind is always in the same direction) and i don't need a blower! i plan to burn down wood into charcoal and use that. if anyone has comments please make them.

oh well tha knife was a start! and suprisingly enough it holds a decent edge. i guess i have to start somewhere! once i refind my moms camera i will post some pics.

very true, but this is medium carbon, and i want it annealed, so stupid but, it does not kill my idea and it will be easier to put a bevel on tomorrow. XXXX can i directly hammer in charcoal dust to add carbon? or will this waste more time?

to frosty: no i did not i just buried them in charcoal and left it over night. it was cool by the time i got to it (1oclock today) and to matt blower i like the blister steel ideas and thanks for the helpp to all

thats good to know, but i have some steel bars i found and am cooking them in charcoal to try and add carbon, so i am making a big bowie knife and a brush axe. when i am done ill post some pics.

just as an after though can i make a tamped down sand base for my anvil? and thanks to all who have posted i probably would not have the blacksmithing projects where they are without the help i have gotten here. hey can i make a really decent knife out of an old file? will that be a good beginer project?

good forge but out of my price range. i have a $30 budget

all of this is true and i can see if i can find a very heavy rr track (80lbs and drive it into this giant stump i have lying around. the stump is 3ft in diameter and 3.5ft high it weighs a good 220lbs of solid oak. i would like to note that the plate works for me beacasue it is easily portable and i need to move it when i clean up after working. can i mount the plate to the stump and use that for an anvil?

i agree but the plate weighs 40 or 50 lbs and it was $20 so i think it is good enough for now. noted i will see if i can locate a cast steel anvil somewhere in my viciity and turn the plate into tools. (yay recicling!)

thanks for the idea and speaking of 1/4 in plate, i use that as an anvil! 12 by 24 in `1/4 in plate works really decent as an anvil for a beginner like me. also is 1/4 rebar ok enough for making tongs?

actually what suprises me is that the weber grill i am using is almost good enough for long term use and i i can make a decent forge out of bricks and cinder blocks.

that forge is awesome if my mom won't let me use our old weber grill i will to something like that with a frying pan and a heavy gauge steel pipe. thanks again to all who posted.

that is very good to know and i think that i can use a sharp sand/silt/ash cake to line an old weber grill and insulate it that way. thank you frosty and everyone else for all the help. i have not even started the forge because it is raining and i have school, and work comes before play, and i hate to work outside in the rain.

that is very good to know. and i am completely confused as to what sharp sand is?

so i guess that no concrete and i live next to a tidal lagoon and i will use the silt from that. the silt is actually mostly clay and ground shells. will the shells go boom just like concrete or will i survive? what the heck is sharp sand any way?

i still think that the concrete and grog will work for the liner of a wheel barrow and i cannot use the grill because my dad said no to that (i'm 15 me and my dad both use this account). i personally think that a bigger forge will work because no one wants to steal a 3 or 400 pound hunk of concrete and steel, also it is what we have lying around and it is cheap. although i might go with other ideas i like the 55 forge or a washtub forge it i can get those for free or cheap. can i use steel rebar for tongs? i have some 1/2 in sections lying around and i want to get rid of it (or use it both work).

all of this is good to know i think i will use clay or concrete to give a good thick inside layer to an old wheelbarrow i found at my grandmothers house. all i need to do is find a good metal pipe and the related fittings. oh and thanks to all for the ideas and help. i will try to post pictures of the final forge and what i am making when it is done. also can silt be used (i live next to a tidal lagoon) the silt is very clay like and it is not sandy. i think it is mostly clay.

that is good to know that kitty litter and clay is better than my ideas and exploding concrete in my face is not on my to do list. the clay lined hole sounds like a much more doable idea then all of mine. however i think that i will be using a relatively low temp forge. at what temp does sand turn to glass?