John B

Make a mandrel the size of the pieces to be joined / held with the collar. Place the mandrel on the end of the material you will be using for the collar, rotate the mandrel along the length of the material, (side, edge, side, edge [the perimeter of the mandrel]) and add twice the thickness of the collar material, mark and note this length. Use a pair of calipers or dividers to note this size, Forge a collar on the mandrel using this length of material, it should be correct, if you need to make it bigger or smaller, any difference can be then made to the caliper/divider setting. If you cut off the lengths on a hardy, cut on alternate sides, this gives an angled face that snugs up nicely, there is no need to forge a taper on each end using this method.

Hi, welcome to the world family of blacksmithing, be a little careful of what you see on you tube as there are some dangerous practices going on by so called blacksmiths out there. I would suggest you need safety glasses, and a leather apron to protect you and your clothing from the heat and hot metal, a leather welders apron is adequate and can be purchased reasonably from a welding suppliers as can the safety glasses, wear stout leather shoes/boots (with steel toecaps preferably) and non flammable clothing. Look on Blacksmiths Guild Home for some ideas on what we suggest people wear on courses,( or in there own workshops) bare legs, trainers and fleeces are not a good idea. You should be able to find local blacksmiths around Slough that may be able to help you, if you look at the IForgeIron website gallery it will give you some ideas as to what useful tools look like, and then you can look for tools like them at bootsales etc. If you contact Vaughns by email and request a catalogue and price list, they will send you a cd with all their items on, then you will start to recognise useful blacksmithing tools, you can make all your own tools when you are started, so don't think you have to buy tools their email is sales@anvils.co.uk Don't be afraid to ask questions, the people on this site have a wealth of experience, and are very willing to help. Good luck with the future, and enjoy yourself.

Jymm, do you alter the volume of air as well as adjusting the gas pressure? Or keep the air pressure/flow constant and just rely on altering the gas flow?

The next show we will be attending is the Sandringham Game & Country Show, to be held at, Sandringham Park Norfolk, (PE35 6EN for the satnav location) on the 13th & 14th September. The competition is to make any item for the fire side in two hours, an excellent range of forged ironwork on display and for sale, free entry into the competition, and

Forging gives a tighter / refined grain structure than casting. Usually bronzes and copper do not willingly give themselves to being forged.

Hi Ian, Spark erosion?

Some Wrought Iron is more receptive to welding than others, Until you get to grips with it, you will not know how it is going to respond, take a couple of different recommended rods and try them.

Do you have to use a flare on the end of the burner?

And then a bit more practice,

These shows on the NBCC circuit (This is the last one this year) are a great marketing opportunity with a very low cost to enter, giving exposure to thousands of visitors to the show that are interested in the craft and who are often looking for smith's to commission work from. It is also a great way to network with other smiths and exchange ideas and techniques, and to see other smith's work. They present an opportunity for smith's to show their skills on the forge live to the public if they wish to demonstrate them and this may inspire others to take up the craft. They can also show their skills in the static competitions with larger pieces. This can, and often does result in commissions large and small being generated from the display on show. The judges are selected from the best and most experienced smiths in the country. The constructive criticism and feedback that is always given as part of the judging proceedure, is a useful skills development feature for the individuals, as they can discuss their work with the judges and other experienced smith's who can explain how they are judged, thus helping them to develop their understanding of the finer points of the craft. These shows on the circuit are a major way of promoting the trade and the craft in general in the UK. Supported mainly by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, and the Blacksmiths Guild, and the individual show organisers, but open to all who would like to enter.

I think this question about anvils is a bit like the "Why does every body else's metal stay hotter longer than mine when forging?" This is a very old anvil that has a bit missing from the hardened steel face where it has delaminated from the wrought iron body, it weighs about 60 pounds. It was last used a few months ago by a young blacksmith as a loan until he could find one suitable for himself. This he has now done, and it is awaiting its next challenge. If anvils could speak, what tales would this one have to tell. The best anvil is the one you have and use, the most sought after is the one you never find.

Look forward to seeing it Repousse has a very rapid learning curve, and most of the tools I showed were only lightly forged, then filed or ground to shape and polished. A smooth surface on the working face gives a better finish and is easier to use.

Sorry Facium, I did not get back sooner on the "Flatter" question, I have attached some pictures (some better than others) of tools I use when making repousse'd items. The flatters and blockers are the larger tools at the bottom left of the pictures with all the tools shown, the top row left side, are marking out and lining tools which are seen better in the picture above the wren. The other shapes should be used when applicable. Basically use a tool of a shape that will do the job you want it to. The tools are made of tool steel and some of mild steel, with polished working faces. They are approximately 4" long, I use the same tools when working on steel on a lead block for leaves etc. The edges should be smooth and radiussed to prevent cutting through the copper. The wren was an experiment, forming it against a carpet backing and wooden board instead of the usual pitch. The techniques used had to be altered as problems arose that you would not have if the work was being done on a pitch block. Just keep trying, and make the tools you need as you go. A light hammer is preferable when doing this kind of work, and anneal the work regularly to avoid splits.

They are already saying that!And I do ! The anvil looks pretty usable as it is, I would try it for awhile before making a decision what to do with it, you could weld a support frame directly onto it.

You can always use a pair of bending forks to manipulate the metal to the shape you want, Chalk out the desired shape on a steel plate, and bend to follow the contours.

File handles, Isn't that what golf balls were made for, fit the palm of the hand just right, and cling on to the tang. What a pity they hit 'em all over the place.

For mesh could you use concrete reinforcing grid/mesh if there is a lot of rebuilding work going on around you?

Bit hot out there for me, I sweat enough here, I should be like a Whippet (Skinny little greyhound/racing dog), instead I'm more like an hippo, Can't understand it, still it's insulation for the colder weather. No, the heads aren't mine, they were made by students attending the animal heads course, and were their first attempts, some were experienced and for others their first or second time with hot metal. The tutor demonstrates to them how to do it, step by step, then they make their own version, and the tutors keep an eye on them as they are making theirs, so if they have any problems or don't remember or understand why things happen they can be helped to sort them out. There are usually up to 12 students with 1 or 2 tutors, (Max 6 to a tutor) each on an individual forge. If tools are required, we show them how to make them too, and if they make them on the course, they get to take them home with them. One tutor takes the lead, and the other supports and helps where needed, teas, coffee, bacon sandwiches etc, you know, the important stuff. Aristotle had it right when he said "What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing" so thats our philosophy also. All our tutors are either working or retired blacksmiths that give their time free and put back into the craft, we do pay their travelling expenses and overnight accommodation, but thats all, the rest of the income from the course fees goes to pay for the forge building, materials and fuel. Now we have nearly paid for the main part, we are raising funds to build a toilet and shower block to be built onto the rear of the existing building. Here are some more pictures of items made by students on previous courses sorry if they are blurred, The letter opener was a lady's first attempt at a toasting fork, unfortunately the intended twist in the centre burnt through (as they do) and so it was converted into a letter opener. The owl was a previous animal heads course, the others are figurines course and toolmaking courses. hope they are of interest.

Don't forget to run in your new files on some soft material first (brass)to prolong its life, Just cleared an old blacksmiths garage for his family, and found a couple of boxes with some new Tyzacks Files made in the 1940's and wrapped in their original waterproof brown paper, now being found good working homes. They were also wrapped in a newspaper dated 1945, with a couple of interesting pictures and articles, one stating Eva Braun made Hitler wear pyjamas, and another with a picture of a Mr Joyse,aka "Lord HAW HAW" famous or rather infamous for his radio propaganda broadcasts during the war, he was pictured between guards as he was recovering from a hip wound, sustained when he was apprehended. Fascinating stuff

Light Nights (Not skinny blokes dressed in armour sitting on a horse) I'll try to explain, In what this year we laughingly call Summer, in July, the daylight hours are long, apprx 4am (sunrise) to 11pm (sunset). In November, Winter, the sunrise and daylight starts at about 8am and it starts to go dark at about 4pm,so the daylight hours are short, hence we have dark nights This year we have had a surfeit of rain and cold when we should be having sun and warmth, so its similar to what we would expect in November. So, it's like November with light nights. Today has been quite pleasant however and we have just completed an 'Animal Heads' course here in Devon, so I'll attach a couple of pics now, to save you asking for them later, 'cos I know you like pictures, even if they aren't very good ones, sorry about that. The Cattle head was a rescue job, after the rams head's horns burnt off in the fire, (Old blacksmiths proverb; If it's a cock up, feature it, or Don't waste what you have spent time on when with a bit of thought, it can be used for something else!)

Hopefully the weather will improve for this show, its like November with light nights at the moment,

Is this link of any use? Spark

Use a small polished flatter against a solid clean flat base plate, you may have to make a shaped set to get up to the edge of the profiles

Make sure the height of the chimney is adequate as this affects the drawing power. Used to have a slogan when we had an open day at the forge, "See hear and smell the blacksmiths", Brings back memories for many of the older generation who can remeber blacksmiths shops when they were young.

Hope its worth it to you, For that price you could have bought/made a complete forge ! Go and seek out a local blacksmith and ask their advice, there are plenty in Suffolk. Good luck with it, it should be OK for coal or charcoal, hardwork with coke.