pnut

I was thinking less stuff to spill but You do have a point about just dipping the punch. A can does seem better. I'm at work and just skimmed the post, but I'm off now so it's to the forge I go. Pnut

I was meaning to use it like a crayon on the punch. The Same way URI Hofi described in the bp section but with different ingredients . I have plenty of charcoal on hand. Rub the lube on the punch and start punching. Reapply every time you remove the punch. Pnut

The first bunch of times I tried a "taco" type arrangement that is exactly what happened. The hi carbon steel didn't end up where it was supposed to be. Pnut

I've been wondering how graphite mixed into melted wax or coal mixed into melted wax would work. If it does it would be much less messy after the initial mixing and you could just paint it on like a crayon. I was wondering about charcoal too but I don't know if it would work since all the volatiles have been driven off already. Pnut

Many people are using kiln shelving. I can't think of the exact type right now, having a TBI moment. I'll try to look it up and post it when I find it Pnut

Point taken. I will keep this in mind. Pnut

I was suggesting a san mai type blade. He said he had a hard time sourcing high carbon steel. Pnut

Look up extreme close up!!scarf welding!! On YouTube it's on Joey Van der Steegs channel. It's a simple concept but one I am having a hard time putting into words. Pnut It's basically upsetting the ends where the layers will meet. There's a little more to it than that but I could show you so much easier but it's not as easy to explain without a picture. Pnut There's a PDF you can download on the ABANA website called controlled hand forging that explains it. Pnut

I still have to make a drift or mandrel to wrap it around. It's another on the growing list of projects. I hope to get to it soon. From what I've heard here and elsewhere spring steels can be aproblem to forge weld. I stick to low alloy carbon and mild steel because I don't have much experience when it comes to forge welding, when it comes to blacksmithing in general. I've only been actively forging for less than a year but have been researching it for a bit longer. Truth is you have much more experience than I do so take anything I say cautiously. I try to not pass on bad info but I've been wrong before and am sure I'll be wrong many more times. Happy forging and remember it's supposed to be fun. Pnut

You can always make blades from low carbon everywhere but the cutting edge. I'm starting a wrapped eye tomahawk out of mild steel with a 1060 cutting edge. Pnut

The gentleman you spoke with is probably correct. I've heard many stories about the same problem trying to forge weld leaf springs. There's people with much more knowledge of this subject than I have and I'm sure they will be around before too long. I would try welding up some high and low carbon steels. I'm not sure of the European designations but in the US they are known as 10xx series steels like 1095, 1060, 1080, etc. Mixed with some lower carbon content layers they are much simpler to weld up. All in all nice work and glad to have you here. Pnut

Welcome to IFI, nice looking knife. It looks stout. Did you make it with mainly stock removal or forge work? What was the heat treatment? Are you interested mainly in knifemaking or other forms of blacksmithing? BTW I like your avatar. Give her a pet for me. Pnut

I have an old Coleman lantern with the fragile mantles. Burns bright but I don't know about using it indoors. Seems like a good way to make the CO detector go off. Pnut

I melted a hard firebrick in my jabod forge but the clay I dug out of the ground held up just fine. You could clay the forge with mineral rich soil ( clay) from your backyard. When it starts to fracture just reline it. Make sure you separate any rocks and foreign matter first. The firepot of my jabod has held up with no repairs for about six months. Pnut

All of my smithing tools fit in a red metal tool box like the one in the bottom right of your picture JHCC. I have a long way to go before I have to worry about things being in disarray. Pnut

Five gallon buckets work. They're easier to carry if you take a length of garden hose and split it lengthwise to put on the wire handle. I think there's a BP showing this in the 100 series under cleaning up the shop. The toolbox I have on wheels is plastic. I think it's made by Rubbermaid. Pnut

I don't have enough blacksmithing tools to be disorganized yet. They all fit in a tool box. Pnut

Tool box with wheels. Kind of looks like a wheeled suit case. I don't have my smithing tools in it but it would be a good way to get your kit around if it's gotten too large. I personally would only bring maybe two sizes of each, a hammer and a punch and a set of tongs. Maybe a handled hot cut. I do understand the urge to want to use every tool you have though. Pnut

Yep, that is a common method. Pnut

12x12x17 won't fit in your oven if you take the racks out? Pnut

Sounds like a better job for a hesco container or a Gaylord shipping container. Some chain link fencing may help stabilize the side load. Posts driven into the ground on the inside and outside of the wall might also work. I'm just brainstorming ideas though. Years ago I built a structure from old tires filled with dirt and straw that sort of looked like a cartoon igloo. It stood for at least ten years that I know of but could be still there today for all I know. Good luck. Pnut

Welcome aboard. Safety is first. Hope your toe heals quickly. You'll find there's all the info you need here. If there's something you don't know and can't find it after typing what you're looking for on Google don't hesitate to ask. Just type in what you are looking for followed by iforgeiron and you should find it. The search engine here isn't very good that's why we recommend using Google or Bing. Are you only interested in bladesmithing? I initially wanted to make knives but the more I learned about blacksmithing the lower on the list knife making became. Not really a lot of anvil time when making blades. Anyway good luck and remember it's supposed to be fun and keep us posted. Pnut

You won't trash it. After you dress the face it'll look better than when you got it. Sharp edges mar the work so you have to round off the sharp edges and make the face slightly domed. Reshaping the handle will help a lot too. I watched a video a while back about proper hammer technique that helped A lot. It's called the beginner and it's by Greenwood ironworks I think. It's long but there's a part where you can see the hammer pivoting in his hand that made the light go on in my head. You grip the hammer with your thumb and index finger and just use the rest to stop the rotation. Pnut

If you use a hammer that's too heavy you can cause some real damage to your elbow and shoulder, but your elbow mainly. Look around yard sales or junk/pawn shops, flea markets and antique stores for a 24 or 36 oz. ball pien hammer. If you're not using larger than 3/8 or 1/2 in. stock a one pound hammer will work. A lighter hammer is easier to learn good hammer control too. A big hammer makes mistakes permanent faster. I use a dogshead hammer that weighs about a pound and a half or three quarters. I haven't weighed it but it moves metal surprisingly fast. It has a small face as does a ball pien hammer. Small face= more pounds per square inch being delivered to the work compared to a larger face. Pnut If push comes to shove you can always buy a new ball pien hammer at HF or TSC etc. They cost less than twenty bucks but most have synthetic handles. I don't care for them but it's easy enough to re handle a hammer. I couldn't find a cross pien anywhere near me that weighed less than three pounds and the used ball piens were no easier to find for some reason so I got a new one.

I have never owned a 2x72 belt grinder, but I do know an unenclosed motor won't last long in a metal shop. Have you looked at other 2x72 in. Grinder designs? I've seen some here you may want to check out some of those threads. A rubberized drive wheel sounds like a good idea to me. If my memory serves me right and it does not a lot of times I seem to recall people using larger diameter skateboard wheels to good effect but don't quote me on that definitely look into it further. Good luck and keep us posted. Pnut