Frazer

Heat it up and straighten it. You won't hurt anything.

In my experience sticks of (solid) A36 are sold in 20' lengths. They may increase the price for not buying a full piece. That or one place is just more expensive than another. I just picked up the following 2 weeks ago for $110 (all 20' sticks): 1/2" sq (x1) 3/8" sq (x1) 5/16" rnd (x1) 1/4" rnd (x1) Plus I got 17lbs of surplus at $1/lb. The prices have gone up, but $70 for a stick of 1/2" sq (that's ~$4/lb) is absurd. There is something going on there. They might have given you the price per 20' not 10'.

Very nice Fe-angs! Glad you were able to meet up with Das. Happy hammering.

Even if it didn't burn, all the excess oxygen will make a lot of scale and cause that sort of pitting. It will also degrade the steel so it should be avoided whenever possible. Ah okay, nice. Great movies/books. Certainly, feel free to share some pictures along the way. We like pictures.

I looks like those are places where the steel was overheated (possibly in an oxidizing fire) and produced excess scale. The way I see it you have 3 options: leave them there, continue to grind them out, or reheat the blade to a planishing heat and smooth them out with a hammer/flatter. I would probably pick the last option if it were me. By the way, cool blade, what movie is it from? It looks sort of elvish to me.

Thank you both! That means a lot. And I appreciate all the help you two (and many others on IFI) have given me along the way.

I finished up my chain project at to today's NYSDB meeting. There are a total of 47 links, 4 rings, a toggle and a hook. The toggle can pass through 3 rings to adjust the size of the hoop. The welds are all good (or at least passable), but I wouldn't trust them with my life. Gratuitous action shot of the last link being welded.

I don't know anything about making synthetic rubies/sapphires... I can tell you that making something capable of withstanding those temperatures is going to be cost prohibitive for most people and certainly not safe to play around with at home...

Out of curiosity, why are you trying to melt aluminum oxide? To state the obvious, ~4300F is extremely hot. I would hesitate to call a chamber capable of withstanding those temperatures a forge...

I'm most surprised by the fact I estimated 18 hours in my initial quote for the work... A self-fulfilling prophecy perhaps?

Thank you (both). Ha, yes, that's all I have. It took 18.5 hours start to finish. I had to track my working time since I was on the clock for this one. I also discovered Truoil which is excellent for finishing the scales. Hand sand wood to 2500 (or buff if you have that available to you) then I used linseed oil, let that cure for ~2 days, 3 thin coats of Truoil, lightly sanding between coats, and you get a nice glossy (hopefully durable) finish. Good stuff. I believe Truoil is linseed oil based so I'm not sure I really needed that first coat to start.

So... zero heats? Impressive. *grin* I've made a few knives with them too. They're spring steel of some sort or another so the carbon content is on the low end for blade steel. Still functional though.

Finished a knife for a coworker. Blade is 5.5" long; 72 layer damascus.

It's not that rebar doesn't work, it does. The main reason I avoid rebar is because there is a lot of variability in the composition. Sometimes there is even variation within the same bar. I've had rebar that hardened when quenched in water and then broke unexpectedly, rebar that had a tendency to split while forging it, etc. There are enough variables (especially when you're first staring out) and constantly playing a guessing game with your stock or having it fail on you half way through your project can be frustrating. It's worth mentioning that there is also variation with A36, which is the most common structural steel you'll find at your local steel supply. I have just found that the variation with rebar is more extreme than with A36. I have heard that the thicker rebar (#8+) is, in general, higher quality than the thinner stuff you find at the hardware store. In my limited experience (a sample size of one 10' bar) that rumor has held up. That length of scrap #8 rebar turned out to be water hardenable and has been useful for some types of tooling. It's not that rebar is useless, but it can cause unnecessary headaches. The recommendation to avoid using it is to (hopefully) save the newer guys from running into the same issues most of us have had when trying to forge rebar.

If the motor is being cooled -- or partially cooled -- by the air moving through the blower then yes, blocking the intake can damage it. Moving less air means there is less of a load on the motor (hence it spinning faster), but it also means less cooling. However, if the motor has a separate fan on it that's used for cooling, less load = fewer amps = less heat build up. So yes, it depends on the blower.

Hi Chellie! Glad to see you! It never ends, huh? Hopefully it's been fulfilling work.

Jennifer, thank you, but I'll be the first to admit there are a couple of weak links in that chain. What I loved about that video is how quick and easy he makes it look. Obviously I can't go that fast, but watching it I can pick up on some of the little things he does that I wouldn't have thought about. Gg, while most tongs aren't necessarily a beginner project there are some versions that can be: Bolt tongs from bed frames BP001 (scroll down to view) My first pair was U-G-L-Y, but I still find an excuse to use them from time to time. Before tongs I used vise grips, just be careful with those... I got a nasty 3rd degree burn on my forearm when I was first staring out from trying to hold round stock with them (a coil spring) and it flying back at me on a missed strike. My niece calls the scar my "caterpillar". Sounds like the nippers could work. Get a little more practice under your belt, make a plan, cut out the rivet and modify them as you see fit.

If it's just a little horn for the hardy hole then that's a bickern. Maybe this would qualify as a bickern too... perhaps a hardy stake anvil? Regardless, it's a tool. Sometimes making the tool(s) for the project is half the fun. I almost made another pair of tongs too, but I ended up tweaking the jaws on a pair I don't use often. Thanks, I tend to be all thumbs when making rings. This project will be good practice. Also, I'm glad to see you're up and running! Looking forward to seeing more.

Inspired by another thread I played around with some chain making, but first I needed a mini double horn anvil.. The horns are RR clips (of the "&" shaped variety), forged to shape and full penetration welded to some flattened 1 1/2" round A36. Seems to work okay, perhaps a little too small. The links got better as I went along, but more practice is needed.

1% = 0.01. 1% of 0.01 = 0.01% (alternatively, 0.0001) = 1 point. Hence 1018 = 0.18% C = 18 points. Its only confusing if you make it confusing... Not that my comment helps

Or perhaps a flaming arrow passing straight through a gas forge, scoring a bullseye on the target in the background. Very cinematic.

We have a couple of those in the tool room at work. Using one to cut a straight line in bar stock would be like bringing a tank to a water gun fight.. It would work quite well though... I would use use an angle grinder because that's what I have available. It might not be the cleanest cut, but it could be cleaned up.

Jennifer, b-e-a-utiful. Love the copper.

That's why I'm not sure. While my written agreement came about due to the NFPA 211 code with respect to garages and "solid fuel-burning appliances" (and was with the flammable liquids you list in mind) I'm not sure how far that extends. Not sure if gas grills would be allowed either. Luckily the fire marshal is a good guy (also a welder) so it's an easy question to ask. I'm guessing if the answer is no my Bernzomatic torch I use to light the forge with is also contraband....