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Aubrey

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Everything posted by Aubrey

  1. Hey perfect! Frosty and Thomas, thanks for the input! When the pain starts, my forging stops. I dont try to work thru it as you said Thomas. I give it a rest. I think I might try raising my anvil a bit and see if that helps. Thanks Glen for redirecting me. I think that thread is where I read some of what I remember, just couldnt remember enough to renavigate back to it. Thomas is that how you type it in to a google search exactly?
  2. Hey I really appreciate the comments. I was able to adjust them (sort of) to fit some 1/4" flat. Next pair will be much better. Been working on a pair I watched a guy make from some 1/4" x 1" flat bar but my results after drawing out 4" of material just didn't quite reach a length equal to the 12 or so inches he managed. I'm using a propane forge and my now hairless hands are telling me I need longer reins. Haha
  3. Hi all. I thought I had seen this topic on here before, but can't seem to find it again. I worked derricks on drilling rigs off and on for about 20 years so I've dealt with some elbow pain. But I am following all the suggestions I've read (that I remember) like keeping my thumb wrapped on the handle and keeping a relaxed grip. I'm seeing visible improvement in hammer control as a result, but after forging for a few hours yesterday my elbow is achy enough today that I feel it needs a break. Again, I am paying very close attention to my grip and making sure to keep it relaxed, and keep my thumb wrapped under. My anvil is set at 31 inches high, so my knuckles brush the face in a relaxed stance. I've been using a 2 lb Nordic Forge rounding hammer mostly, but also use a 3 lb crosspeen. Occasionally I'll grab a 4 lb, maybe five (I've never actually weighed it) but I don't use it much. The pain seems to be focused more in the "funny bone" nerve cluster and right above the elbow in the back. Only a little discomfort in the wrist. Is there anything more I can do to prevent the pain??? Or is the pain simply a conditioning kind of thing? Could my anvil actually be too low? I know my arm is almost fully extended when the hammer blows land, and I wonder if any of you might have some suggestions
  4. Thanks! I am definitely going to make another pair! I get kind of OCD on things. I fixate, and do it over and over again until I like the result. Can't tell you how many tong "blanks" I made trying to get rolling. But I am in a position to where I can't do anything else with them until I have a pair to hold them with. haha!
  5. I forged these from 5/8 round. I was pretty clueless about riveting. A little less clueless now. Would like to fashion one of Alec Steele's "monkey tools" to make some rivets. I had to forge a punch to punch the hole, then rough out a quick drift to make the rivet fit. I am happy enough to admit that I'm stumbling blind in the dark here. The only learning source I have is pretty much right here. Information and trying. Watching and Trying. Okay my rant is over. So if I wanted to utilize these, how big a stock could I adjust them to without completely destroying what little progress I've actually made? So is there a rule of thumb I can know about? Like what size to start with to forge a bit to fit the size stock I want to work? Oh, the chart just now showed up. I looked through that, even downloaded it to my phone. I'll do some more studying on that. Maybe I can make some sense of it.
  6. Okay ... after about four tries, I managed to make something that ALMOST resembles a pair of tongs. They are ugly, and yeah I used the belt grinder on them to smooth up the reins a little. I had hoped to fit these things for 5/8 or maybe even 3/4 inch stock. But I'm starting to think with a boss that's only an inch or so that won't be possible. Could I get some suggestions on where to go from here please? (I hope the pics don't cause a pickle)
  7. Yeah the hammer I've been using as a flatter is quite soft. As I said, it was cheap, and I ground the face flat. The "striking" face dings very easily and I check it often for mushrooming and cracks. Nowhere near hard enough for the explosive chipping you are referring to. And I ALWAYS wear eye protection while forging. I appreciate the word of caution though.
  8. Thanks Frosty! Yes it makes perfect sense. I have actually been using a flat-faced, cheap shop hammer as a flatter to good effect. I am finding though that it is however slightly cumbersome until I can manage to grow a third hand... I've been thinking on this for a day or so, and have been considering making swages instead. I suspect Mr. Grant can relate to a strong desire to have something worth looking at when the fire goes cold. Patience and practice are the only proven solution, but small helper tools can be handy as well I think...training wheels so to speak. And making them also provides more practice.
  9. Practice is awesome, agreed. HOWEVER...I am really wanting something useful AND pretty for my efforts. Seriously though, I'm glad I ran across this thread before I went all out on a guillotine project. Thanks for sharing the experience based knowledge!
  10. I (a noob) am disappointed. I had been considering a guillotine too for similar reasons. I have to ask though...more in line with the uses I had for it...Could they be used as a temporary crutch until hammer control gets better to help clean up the roughness of my forgings? Not necessarily for drawing out. Maybe to planish? (I think thats the right word)
  11. Awesome! Thanks for the redirect. I saved the chart. Its some rod I picked up at a scrapyard a couple years ago and it had all been sheered into 3 or 4 foot sections. I think I managed to scavenge some of the thread ends too. Thanks again! An invaluable nugget of information there...
  12. That's good to know. I can't say for sure which alloy mine is, but it sparks about like a med carbon. And it punch a hole too without being hardened. Is hardening them a preference thing?
  13. Okay so I used a little sucker rod to make a hot punch. Should I harden it? It punched a hole just fine, but...???
  14. All this is fascinating stuff. I have asked around here for it and nobody seems to know what I'm talking about. And since I've never really bought it or used it I don't know what I'm really asking for other than fire clay...Catch 22?
  15. Thanks a million! Now that's good stuff! I don't know if ya'll watched, but the guy made some chisels he then used to cut teeth into some hand files -- also case hardened. It was a really interesting video. Thomas, you mentioned about a hard surface but supreme toughness. So the release mechanism for a crossbow trigger would qualify, right? I only ask because I wanted to build a crossbow a few years ago... Now, on fireclay: can you tell, at least to a point, what type of clay it is by the color? In past searches for the stuff I saw red, and white, as well as the dark grey graphite clay that costs an arm and leg. And can all fireclays be used to form temper lines on knives?
  16. Okay thanks for the info! What exactly is blister steel? So what exactly would be an applicable application for case hardening?
  17. Hello all, I have been looking for some inexpensive methods to make some tools and I ran across this video on the youtube: It seems feasible by what this guy does that this could work, but there are a lot of variables I'm sure he did not put in there. So I have a few questions I'm sure you all can answer... 1. He says in the video that wrapping the thing in clay is not necessary, but what kind of clay should be used? ---What exactly IS "fireclay" and where does a guy find it? 2. Should the clay be allowed to dry before firing? 3. Is case hardening really a viable option? I'll warn you in advance: a lot of your answers will likely breed more questions from me.
  18. Thomas Powers: That's exactly right! I get it though, new and nice does have its appeal. Yeah I'd pay $$ for some of the tools I've seen you guys make on the youtube. Problem is: I do not have it! Haha! Besides big prices for good tools you never have to buy again is probably worth it. But for a beginner (from a beginner's perspective at least) it's unnecessary, possibly a waste of money.
  19. This is an incredibly interesting discussion here. I am 40 years old. I guess you could say I started this hobby 5 or 6 years ago while I worked in the oilfield. That's when I started scrapping for my propane forge. I finished building that forge just last month and I'm pretty happy with it, ugly welds and all. I can appreciate the talk about expense, but for me its pretty simple, and its been said here already. $50 for a HAMMER? My response: how often will you need another hammer? $3800 for an anvil (the one I'm jonesing for anyway)? My answer: I'm gonna need a headstone some day. For me its the thrill of CREATING something in a craft I have always had an interest in. It borders on the supernatural for me, using fire and fury to shape something beautiful (in theory) out of practically nothing. And trust me; I like doing that -- I have 6 children. I want to learn it, and I want to learn it well. To do so I must do it. And what better way to do it than to start making the tools I want? And someday when I have a little less hair up top and a lot more everywhere else maybe someone will buy what I make. Maybe not. Maybe I could make a living doing it. Maybe not. But I can definitely love DOING it.
  20. Thanks for the nuggets of advice, very valuable knowledge. When I decide to start trying some more advanced stuff I'll certainly be picking ya'll's brains. I have no hands on resources close enough to home: nearest place I've found so far is 2 hours away. But I'm still digging and have a possible lead thanks to Mr. Stevens.
  21. Okay I'm a noob and no where near the skill to make an axe or hammer yet (I'm gonna start trying soon though). But would the method you are referring to have something to do with a (kind of) fold, welding everywhere but where the eye will be, and then drifting? I was looking some axes over awhile back and wondered if they could be done this way. I'm not completely up to speed on all the lingo so I hope I made some sense...
  22. Aubrey

    Help

    Okay. I am not too tech savvy so this forum may not be the best place to toss my next question out. However, I live in Guymon, Oklahoma and I haven't been able to locate a group, or even one blacksmith close to home. There are some knife makers around I've heard, stock removal guys if I have the right info. There is a small group that gets together in Amarillo a couple times a month (and I have been invited and would like to go) but that's a good jog away. Can ANYONE tell me if there's a person close to me that I can learn a thing or two from?
  23. @Mikey Is my photo and video not showing on ya'lls end?
  24. A lot of good interesting info here guys! Thank you. As I am just getting started and working through the basics I get a lot of questions that pop into my noggin. But smelting??? I'll be honest, I think its a very appealing concept, but I am a VERY long ways from trying something that risky. Maybe some day in the not so near future I'll be brave/crazy enough to attempt some blooms. Crucible steel is fascinating stuff but I think it'd be best if I took some of Ric's classes or something like it before I try jumping into a project like that half cocked. For now I'm content soaking up all the knowledge accumulated by the thousands of collective years experience right here on IFI. Besides, I think perhaps a better topic header would be "A Use for Scale for a Beginner".
  25. Hi there Dustin, I am impressed with your forge. I am pretty new to the blacksmithing, and I finished mine a couple weeks ago. The video was a very short test burn before I coated the wool. I used a design I found called the Peot Blown Pipe forge, and I followed the directions as close to exactly as I could within my limited welding skillset. Since then I have been practicing hammer control by making a royal mess of mild stock. I not even at a good starting point to show off any work yet, but with each completion I'm finding more inspiration to continue. 20190113_215237.mp4
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