new guy

thank you brianbrazelblacksmith. and Matt87 i have lots of leaf springs. the diagonal hot cutter is perfect! thank you to all and the pictures are great. i cannot have theese done til maybe thursday but i will have pics asap. thanks again.

i don not have a welder and my hardy is 1/2 inch. hence the comment no power tools execpt for an angle grinder. if i had a welder i would already be done by now. not to be a downer or anything :)

thank you. that actually sounds way more do able then i thought. when i am finished (if i find a camera) i will post some pics.

i have just got an new anvil, a 115 fisher norris, and i think it is time to make some hardy tools. like a fueller and hot cutter. i am not really sure how to make them so i thought i would ask. i assume you make a square post the size of you hrady hole, but i don't know how to make a fueller withough power tools (other than an angle grinder). i have been at this for a few months and it is definitley time to make some tools. thanks for replies.

CBrann i also am self taught with help of this site and anvil fire. i probably would be more dinged up than an old anvil if it werent this site. although fullering is not something i have done yet. the really basic stuff is often the hardest. like upsetting or drawing out stock AND keeping it straight. good luck on fullering . although how can i make a fueller?

i really just want to make stuff. my goal is to make a pattern welded hawk. i make things to kill time (i hurt my left shoulder and am not allowed to play sports although i can smith). i just want to make stuff. and i do work above bright orange in daylight, although so i know i am not working cold. i just want to bang away and have some fun and just be outside. in the long term i want to see what steel to get for later when i feel safe using expensive steel also when i pay off my mom (she lent my the cash for an anvil). i guess in rertrospect i sounded kinda beligerent. that was beacause i was not clear in what i was doing. sorry

touche. but it is really just to exist not to be used. and touche frosty. in brad daylight i always have color in what i work for working faster and so i know i won't crack anything. honestly i agree that i would not make something for hevy use, there needs to be more practice. but i can make a wallhanger, which is what this cleaver will be, i don't think i said that and it was my intention all along. that i don't think failure is an issue. i do not intend to be really disrespectul, but this thread was me saying 'hmm i want to make some knives for fun what steel do i use? i like the sounds of o-1 but i like the water hardening of w-1. which is better.' i know i sund inexperinced (i am). but i have to start somewhere. and i have made enough j hooks and letter openers to make my head explode. i have to be honest i stareted knives beacause i was just bored of j hooks

as a second thought, this is not meant to be disrespectful in any way (although it can be said as that), Frosty and Mr. Sells neither of you know my ability level. i am really new but i have done this 3 or 4 times a week for 4 months now i think i can do this. the knife that is my avitar is my primary general purpose knife and it has held up quite well. i think that if i have a blade that puts up with my heavy use i can make a cleaver. i admit i am not even close to your skill level and you obviously know your way around a blacksmith shop better than me. this is just me being defensive. and i would not risk making anything if i did not think it would hold up to normal use. if i am wrong i hope nobody gets hurt. i doubt though that my mom has the strenght to break a 1/4 inch thick blade. i would not make this for anyone if i did not think i was ready. i do not intend to offend anyone by this post. this is just my opinoion. i do belive that both of you guys are right but i think i am ready for basic bladesmithing. noted i dounbt this cleaver will ever see heavy use or be subjected to twisting. please don't take this as an insult this is just my opinion on my ability level. if my blade fails it will be my fault unless the blade is subjected to undue abuse.

i have to agree with all of this. i don't fell like a real blackmith. ever. but hey basic abilities are really useful. that and wood working. it is very good that smithing is not et a dead craft.

this is great info thank you. looks like i will try to weld as soon as my hand is better (a long story involving another smithing venture). thanks for all the posts! good luck on your smithing things. i will be welding 5160 ( i have 40 or 50 lbs of it). thanks again

that sums it up. today i was working on some stuff and my steel was bright orange in full daylight (no shadow direct sun) and it seemed really soft. will this be hot enough to forge weld? i really want to make a tomahawk and i need to fore weld it toghetther.

wowee! that is a really cool blade. will you make a sheath? now a sheath that cool would be a challenge. :)

No, i did not i forgot i read that post. and my mom asked for a cleaver and being afraid to say no i started working a learned a very important lesson. 1. don't work tired 2. listen to better smiths 3. remember better smith's advice. sorry to sound like a bother.

this is a very useful thread. thanks for starting and commenting on this. i think this will be very useful for furture smithing ventures.

frosty your going to hate me. today (actually before my last post) i began to make a santoku for my mom (it is almost mothers day after all). i have the tang half done (it needs to be drawn out fully). you were right about a lack of skill and not knowing what i am doing. i forged tired and i smashed my hand enough to put me out of action for the next 4 or 5 days. i have a line iin my index finger in the shape of a knife tang. Lesson: listen to better smiths and do NOT forge tired. i am lucky i am not burned at all. thank god for fast reflexexes.

add photos i doubt anyone can id it from that

great a challenge! i can make those (i think at least i can try). that will be good practice for when i make tongs an my first hammer.

although frosty i have made a knife for me and my dad, one of which is my avitar, it is ugly but it is sharp. i think shlef brackets will be useful, but i am not really sure what they are or how to make them. do they hold up shelves? probable an obvious guess. although i really smith for fun and not to be a show off. i have pride in the attempt not always the product. thanks for the posts and the free advice (better than steel, its easily reused, no melting required) :0

blacksmith humor! Yah!

that sounds like an urban legend to me. that can only tell the density so maybe if the knife is less dense it cools slower or heats faster. maybe that will tell if it has a lot of martensite (thats the hard steel after qeunching right). my .02 worth. although it sounds like some sort of drug reference to me or some crazy alien scheme to take over the world ;)

looks like i may not be selling knives anytime soon. at least not at my local scout troop.

wow! thats a lot of forg welding.

ok frosty good point I geuss i did not think of that. thank you. he may like a couple of heavy duty wall hooks for his shop. and maybe i could make him some paperweights (i don't know if he'll use them.). frosty it seems that the most fun things to make are the most dangerous. especially hammers and other heavy tools. although some business sent his way i think would be well apreciated. a knife snapping on him would be pretty bad or shattering would be worse, he has a cat and an innocent animal being hurt would be awful.

wow. looks like i may scrounge the money for some 20mule team borax. this will be great to spread around the ends of my forge (a metal sewr pipe). thanks for the info.

i hope you make something REAlLY cool. that space rock should be in a great blade. maybe a bowie or a folder. those would look really cool. just my .02 worth.