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I Forge Iron

Red Shed Forge

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Everything posted by Red Shed Forge

  1. While visiting the in-laws in Kentucky this weekend for Christmas break, my father-in-law told me he found something in his yard that sparked a memory of a trip he and his family took about 25 years ago. He handed me a glassy blue and brown chunk of material that looked like some kind of pretty rock at first glance. It was iron ore slag from the furnaces at Land Between the Lakes just down the road; years ago he let his kids take a couple handfuls from a creek bed near their campsite, not knowing that such an act is forbidden as they are considered historical items of the area! Wouldn't have done it had he known, he says. The slag and a little internet research of course peaked my interest to the point that I HAD to see these furnaces that stood just 35 minutes down the road. We hopped in the truck, crossed the bridge into LBL and over the TN state line to see the first of 2 remaining furnaces, the Great Western Furnace. This one was only in operation for 2 years, 1854-1856, but in its heyday the region had 8 furnaces in operation. It stood 40' high and 10' wide inside, required 2,000 bushels of charcoal (2 weeks of labor) to produce pig iron for a mere 24 hour period. Fascinating. We also saw the site of the Center Furnace ruins and a replica charcoal hearth and a couple other gems about 20 minutes down the road from the Great Western. Here are some pictures of the visit. In order of appearance: Great Western Furnace, Center Furnace and charcoal hearth. There is some good information on the history of the area and the furnaces on the Land Between the Lakes website if anyone is interested in learning more.
  2. Shoot, I usually have a good ear/eye for the caustic. Anyway, glad there are no hard feelings. And thanks for the compliment!
  3. First off anvil, I want to say that I did not mean to raise animosity with my response. Though I can see how my tone can be read as condescending, especially considering that I started out in disagreement and started talking about my education. I meant no offense and although the topic did spark the memory of the cento, I did not set out to flaunt any knowledge; why would I ever think I could get away with something like that on this forum? As for your statement I have pasted above, you're right -- I misunderstood your meaning of 'copying.' I used the word to mean using the style/technique/design of another smith in order to inform/inspire my own work. I therefore found your axiom to be a bit generalizing and set out to give an example of how someone who we can assume is "good enough" (Greta) will also copy someone else's work in order to inform theirs. My apologies for misreading you and for what seems like a lecture.
  4. Anvil, I have to disagree with the axiom you present here. There can be times when, if you are good enough, you need to copy someone else's work. It can even be encouraged that the artist or student that is good enough, do so in order to achieve their own outcome that is different from that which they copied. Work informs work; art informs art. I think back to a 400 level Poetics class I took for my undergrad where the professor asked us to write a cento for a homework assignment. A cento is a traditional poetical work that consists entirely of another author's, or multiple authors', verses or passages. A Wiki search says that the first recorded case of a cento dates back to the 3rd or 4th centuries C.E. where Hosidius Greta wrote a 462 verse tragedy of hexameters taken from Virgil. Medea, was the tragedy. Homer was also a popular muse for the cento. Of course, writers of the cento don't just copy and paste verses and call it their own; they use them to create their own form, subject and meaning. Or, in my case, to add to and comment on a common subject in poetics: Poems about poetry. I wrote a poem about poems, which was informed by poems about poetry in order to achieve a traditional poetic form. Aside from using proper citation, what keeps the cento from being straight up plagiarism is the author's individual adaptation of the cherry-picked verses. As blacksmiths, we see the work that came before us and that which is contemporary to us, and we take those bits of work and apply it to our own for our own benefit. I might forge a plant hanger in a style I saw on Etsy and try to sell it on my Etsy page, but as mentioned here several times prior, it should not be considered theft unless I tried to sell it as if I were that smith who inspired me. I like to think Greta signed his name on Medea, not Virgil's. Pay homage to ideas and creations and keep them alive by repeating, adapting, sharing and benefiting from them.
  5. I agree with Latticino, go with the Uri Hoffi exhaust. Cut a hole in the wall right behind where your forge sits right now, run a horizontal pipe though it, and go straight up the wall on the outside. I don't know how tall your building is, but it seems like you plan to use a good length of piping anyway. I would then make your current hood and chimney removable to store and use only when you travel.
  6. I think I can find some rusty metal around here somewhere haha. Good idea, I will try that. I wonder if cast iron will show a different finish than steel. I will have to experiment! Thanks.
  7. Thanks! I am wondering if I should go with that or give the whole bell and yoke a coat of BLO, that is, if the owner is ok with that. I would imagine that the one spot with PBCB would still stand out next to the current color of the yoke, no?
  8. I did make some headway, though not as much as I had hoped. I got the yoke welded up and ground flush; I am very happy with the results and I would recommend the cast iron Muggy Weld sticks to anyone that has some cast iron that needs mending. I also did some work at the forge on the WI stock; more charcoal is needed before that can continue. Brian and I did not really have to "put our heads together to build a jig" as the decision for a vise quickly became obvious: The Workmate 200, multi-tool workbench extraordinaire. 10/10 would recommend for any shop. We got the ends of the yoke chamfered to create a deep well on all sides and went to work. We pre-heated to a red heat and let it cool to a black heat before welding. I laid 2 lines with the 72's on all 4 sections, followed by the same with the 77's (peening and brushing after every line). I then let it anneal overnight buried in a bucket of sand. I then cleaned it up with a 4 1/2" angle grinder. The product description for the Muggy sticks maintains that you do not have to heat treat in any way, but I made the decision to do so based on the size of the piece and by recommendation from another source. Here is a link to the description of the sticks for anyone who might be interested: Any recommendations for darkening the iron/ matching the patina of the yoke?
  9. I plan on making some good headway this weekend, if all goes well. I was finally able to get the deadlocked nuts loose; Liquid Wrench did not work, so I bit the bullet and swapped out my oxy tank. The torch got it done: I brought it up to a dull red heat and after letting it cool, it budged with ease. I was also able to straighten out the wrought iron brackets last night without any issues. So far I have very much enjoyed working with wrought iron, however insignificant my time spent with it may be. Tomorrow morning my good friend Brian is coming over; we are gonna put our heads together to build a jig that will hold the broken yoke in place so I can weld it back together. From there, I will commence with forging the two-arm hanger. The greatest challenge to my skillset, concerning the hanger build, is the back brace that will connect the two arms and allow it to be mounted to the "T" section of the house. I am hoping for some advice and/or opinions on it, but here are my thoughts: The WI bars are 1 1/2" x 3/4" and I think I want to keep that consistent throughout the build. Of course, the rest of it (the brace and scrolls) will be mild steel. If you follow the sketch provided, the back brace is on the left and hanger on the right. I can't decide if I want to use the WI for the arms of the hanger or incorporate them into the back brace. If used on the brace, they will be the top and bottom horizontal pieces; I do not have enough length to forge the brace entirely from the WI. This leads to my next dilemma: I am thinking of pinning (name of the process escapes me: drifting a hole and forging in a pin) the brace together at the bottom 2 corners and leaving the top 2 corners pin-less so the owners can use the drifted holes to put a nail/bolt through to mount it to the beam. If I do this, is it worth attempting to forge weld the top horizontal to the vertical bars at the corners and then drift it? or just leave it loose knowing that they will stay together with a nail/bolt when hung? Or, really give myself a challenge by cutting and forging 45* angle scarfs at the end of each bar to forge weld them together, giving me nice 90* corners? Not sure if I would then want to drift through those welds or simply drift an inch to the inside of the corners. Probably over-thinking it, but I value many opinions here and discussion helps me quite a bit.
  10. I made 2 different handles recently. For a tomahawk: I used a chunk of hickory from broken axe handle, cut to size with a miter saw. I was struggling with a cheap store-bought drawknife so used a wood chisel and brass hammer and formed a rough shape; refined with a small 1" belt sander: 36 grit, 60 grit, finished with 120 grit. I did the same for the second handle on a machete, but that was with a chunk of white oak salvaged from an old bed frame. I posted them on the forum the other day if you would like to see the pictures.
  11. John, that is quite scrapadacious and I love it. That is all.
  12. I like the snail! I made one too around the time I was just starting out. About 3x the size though. I attached a clock battery to the back and hands to the front. It sits on my mom's shelf in TN and she loves it.
  13. M.J., Thanks for the kind words! I had not thought of the peened texture specifically enabling rust, although I did fail to mention that I finished both the steel of the hawk and the machete with a coat of Trewax as it is my understanding that it should help prevent rust. I should also add that the handle of the machete was finished with 1 coat of Minwax's "Antique Oil Finish." I figured it would do a good job of softening the leather while also helping to define the grain of the oak. Although I intentionally did not put a fine edge (more of a chopper's edge) on the machete, it is also a concern of mine with it being MS. I tested it in the way he plans on using it and I saw no damage, though time will tell. Thankfully he is close and friendly; if it does incur damage, I can fix it for him. He also just ordered a sheath for it! That will be a fun new project for me.
  14. Yeah I agree, I think it would work. I have never done it, but I would guess it would pyrolyze in a way that is similar to thick tree bark in that they are both thinner than a chunk of wood. When overdone, some tree bark becomes a bit too crumbly... almost like overtoasted bread. With that in mind, I would suggest pyrolyzing for maybe an hour less than a usual batch for the hulls. You can always reignite if they need more time.
  15. I finished 2 separate orders this weekend: a machete for my next-door neighbor and a tomahawk for my first online order. I have made a couple knives, but this is my first machete and my second BP tomahawk. My neighbor loves the rough-grind look, which is great for me since I have yet to build myself a decent belt grinder (I have the chopped-up treadmill and motor waiting patiently!) I think it adds nicely to the brutality of this beast too; it is quite hefty, just as he ordered. He said he broke 2 Wal-Mart machetes and NEEDED something big, heavy and sharp. I can do that. It is mild steel; I trusted the spark test too much and did not quench test beforehand, so I thought I had HC. I think it will be fine as he will mostly be using it on family camping trips and small tree limbs in the summer. He was very excited about it and can't wait to use it. Specs: Forged from 1/4" flat stock, quenched twice and file still bites 16" long from tip to butt White oak, stacked leather and brass handle; hidden full tang with epoxy. The tomahawk was advertised with the hammered look, so I took to it with a ball peen after forging out its shape. I drifted the eye wider but in hindsight I should have kept going. As a result, I needed to make sure it would hold up so I threw it at a stump for about a half an hour and had no problems at all. Even stuck it a couple times! Specs: Forged from a 16oz Harbor Freight ball-peen hammer (which I read somewhere is W2 steel), no quench. 14" hickory handle, lightly charred hickory wedge in the eye
  16. We have one of these in our living room that was passed down to her a few years ago. She doesn't use it for sewing, but I will have to look into what you are referring to. Interesting to know that it allowed for both preferences.
  17. That sounds really nice! I offered to make that adjustable shelf for her too.... she doesn't want it! I have seen them done and thought it was a great idea. Says she doesn't like the flush-to-the-table feel when sewing. Can't convince her otherwise. One less thing to build, I suppose. I do have the legs forged out for it... but with how high lumber prices have been lately and being bogged down by other orders, she has been very gracious in letting me finish it at a better time. Still made sure she had a great bday though
  18. My Old Kentucky Haul Whenever my wife and I go south to visit family, we always travel back with many metal goods packed tight. I got a few thick chunks of flat stock, a bar of 3/4" copper rod, two pieces of white oak bed frame that should make some nice handles, along with a few other miscellaneous treasures. My favorite gift of them all, however, is this big 'o slab of steel. 15"x15"x1 1/2", 95lbs. I demoted my 100lbs rookie anvil by removing it from my largest stump so the plate could take its place. I think it will be great for upsetting, chiseling and punching and the corners, being sharper than those on my regular anvil, will also be handy. It has many scattered nicks and divots on each face, but nothing to be bothered by. I think I will eventually rout a 1 1/2" wide slot in the stump that will allow me to stand it on end if I need. And this thing RINGS so I think some proper mounting is in order. I also received about 10' of 1/2" coil spring from a friend who repairs/replaces garage doors for a living, and a bunch of oak and willow logs from a landscaper friend. I have always kept in mind that it is not just who you are, but who you know... and man, lately I can't help but feel so blessed to have such great friends and family supporting me and my craft.
  19. Yeah, good point, the subdivision and house looked like it was built in the 70's so it's a high possibility. The google machine says the feds banned lead in paint in '78. I will keep my distance when not tending the fire.
  20. On Saturday I helped a friend replace a garage door. The old door was cedar wood so I took that home; it will make good tinder for charcoal, or even charcoal itself. A softwood of course, but I bet it would work just fine. He also let me keep the old coil springs: two 1/4" coils at about 24" long. I'll take it.
  21. As I continue to practice with WI while also tending to other, more pressing commissions/projects/full-time job, I found some time to get back to this. The client has expressed a few times that they are in no big hurry to get it finished, but I am aiming to get it all done before Christmas. Today I practiced with the new Muggy Weld cast iron sticks. I had a broken cast iron swivel base on a 3 1/2" Dunlap bench vise. Although it is much smaller than the yoke, I thought it was a good opportunity to whack two birds with one stone. After some tuning, I landed on 65 amps with the 72's at 3/32". I did not preheat, although I will for the yoke considering its size. My chamfers could have been more dramatic in hindsight, but I think it filled well and held strong. I put it in the vise and gave it a good spanking with a mallet; it did not break and I don't see any cracks. Delaminations, but none that look like cracks. The nuts and bolt that hold the yoke to the top of the bell are deadlocks, so I am going to let that soak in some liquid wrench. I fear vinegar will remove too much patina and I my oxy tank just ran out, so I can't torch it. I tried MAP gas but that wasn't cutting it. After I get it off I will build a jig to hold the pieces together, and weld it up. I am also kicking around hanger designs... I keep second guessing myself. I am going to have to forge a back brace to hold the two of them together and to the place it's being mounted. They want to mount it to a "T", for lack of a better description. They want it to hang below a 2nd floor deck, where its base horizontal beam meets the center vertical support leg.
  22. I won't pretend that I knew either of those would work, but we do need lime juice! I could have used our kitchen vinegar though, you got me there. I used all of mine I had in shop recently to de-galvy about 30' of round stock.
  23. Haha cruel? He didn't spend much time with the hammer, but I was explaining along the way how it differs from mild and HC steel. From my limited feel for it, that is. I already waxed it, unfortunately... and I don't have any etching acid haha. Next time!
  24. Last night I hung out with a friend that I haven't seen in about 10 years. We caddied together at a country club here in the 'burbs when we were teenagers. We started catching up about a week ago and he expressed he wanted to come check out the smithy and take a whack at forging. Of course, I couldn't be happier to oblige. With it being a special occasion, I felt the forge should be special too. I grabbed a piece in my stash that I suspected was wrought iron: an old hook with a wrapped eye. It looked like a meat hook, at about 8"-9" long and 1/2" round. Well, I needed a handle for a scale brush I got from BD a couple weeks ago, so that was the project. I cut the ends off and the sparks said WI. I taught him how to draw at the horn, square up at the face, and the importance of working quickly and at a high heat with WI. He did a pretty good job! He also assisted me in holding the work while I drifted a hole. Although it incurred a crack at the end, it was a successful drift and I don't think the crack will be detrimental to its use. It was my first time consciously forging WI. It started to splinter on me at the tip of the taper before I scrolled it, but I fluxed it and was able to weld it back together; turned out to be one of my best scrolls, IMO. We tried forging a nail with the cutoffs, but ran out of charcoal before we could finish it. I'll do it with the next batch. What a great time with an old friend. Another bonus is that he works in landscaping at a local community college and it's tree-trimming season! Says he's gonna bring me a bunch of alder wood soon for my charcoal.
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