John B

Hi, welcome to the site, Come along to one of our members days at Westpoint, (Devon County Show ground) just over a mile off the M5 junction 30 Exeter services on the A 3052 and we can have a chat to help you decide what may be suitable for your needs. We have solid fuel and gas forges of varying types and sizes you can have a look at and see what is involved in their construction, and what would suit you. Members days are always the second Saturday in the month, and visitors are welcome, start from 9.00am until around 4.30 and beyond if required.

No fire, good choice, you could try modelling clay just to give you a feel for the project. Enjoy

It must have been done somewhere before, but I just thought it to be an interesting exercise, and it proved to be a nice comfortable handle or centre feature for candleholders etc. Look forward to seeing your finished piece.

That would work, but not appear the same as the one pictured, less of a helix which then feels different when held if used as a handle. Give it a try, and let's see the results for comparison.

Managed to have a bit of a play today, and ended up with this Question is, which one is the reverse twist?

Don and yourself should be proud on how far you have come, glad I was a tiny little bit of that journey. Well done Joel

I have had an enquiry From a researcher at Lion Television. and reads as follows. We have recently been commissioned to make a lovely series for the BBC on the Arts and Crafts movement and we are looking for artists, designers and makers to take part. I would be very grateful if you can help with our search by sharing the information below with everyone at Westpoint Forge. The series will take a landmark look at the Arts and Crafts movement. Exploring and celebrating the principles of the movement and visionaries like William Morris. We want to take a small group of craftspeople back in time to live and work in and an Arts and Crafts bubble. Showcasing the skill, beauty and worth of great craftsmanship, we’ll learn about the history of the time and principles of those behind Arts and Crafts; why it was important and how it could enrich lives. Similar in style to other ‘living history’ series like Back in Time for Dinner and Victorian Farm, we’ll follow our makers as they hand make items for the house using original tools and materials. We are due to film over the summer for 6 weeks and we’re at the point of trying to find the perfect craftspeople to take part. In the first instance I would love to speak to anyone who is interested to tell them all about the project find out more about them and learn about their work. If you know of anyone please pass the attached application form and put them in touch with me aneesah.hussain@liontv.co.uk or 0141 331 6427.

Opening Times Open weekdays when I get round to it, possibly about 9 or 10, may be earlier, sometimes later, or not at all. I close about 5 or 6 or when the fancy takes me Sometimes earlier and sometimes later When I’m not here I’m somewhere else, but when I am here I’d sometime rather not be Recently I’ve been here a lot of the time, except when I’m somewhere else, but I should be here then too! YOU COULD CHECK FIRST BY MOBILE PHONE IF I HAD ONE WITH ME

Should be able to help with those bits for you. Look forward to seeing you.

Hi, There are many steel stockholders/suppliers who deliver around the Taunton area, a lot will depend on the material types and sizes you require. Some have minimum quantities and delivery charges which put costs up. If you collect from stockholders some will cut to length for you, others will just supply a stock length, usually 4 or 6metres or longer if RHS, so take something along to cut them up to fit your van, bolt croppers or a shear, or other suitable tool. There are stockholders at Cullompton, East Coker and Yeovil as well as Radstock, and Templecombe There are also many blacksmiths in that area that may also be able and willing to sell you small quantities. Here at Westpoint Forge, near to Exeter, 30 minutes from Taunton by M5, our members can purchase stock if we have it, or other items you may need, if not other members may have what you require. We have a members day on every second Saturday in the month, anyone can come along to see what we get up to, and if we can help them. Tea, coffee and biscuits are usually on hand, and advice is free, Members can hire the use of a hearth for the day with a mentor on hand if needed.

The pictured heads are from a standard square head coach screw, so come in standard A/F sizes. Collars, need a mandrel the same size as the pieces to be secured together, length of collar is circumference around joining area plus twice the thickness of the bar being used for the collar. Forge one or fabricate from stock used. Use double ended calipers to obtain sizes to forge to. Place on stock for collar at end of bar, rotate on bar each side of mandrel, add two thicknesses of collar stock, Note this length using dividers in case you have to repeat for other collars if making more than 1 item Mark with cold chisel, so you can find this mark on your hardie, get hot and cut nearly though with hardie, and then form into a U, then twist off when hot and forge around the mandrel to finished size, reheating as needed, (Remove collar from mandrel and just reheat the collar. then open up the collar and slip over the pieces to be secured, close with hammer blows and allow to cool to tighten the whole assembly. I prefer to have the split on the collar on the widest section, Hope this helps. Others may have different methods,

Custom tool is caled a spanner, and if you put a collar on properly, you don't need a weld.

Hi Alex, whereabouts in the UK are you? Complaints about noise are taken very differently by each local authority, and are subjective as to the degree of annoyance concerned. Decibel counts are not the criteria that are used. What noise is generated by your forge/hearth, and why? Anvils can be quietened, but by and large if you are forging hot metal as opposed to colder, that will reduce noise. If you are in the Westcountry, you can have forge time at Westpoint on members days which may help your situation.

In 2008 I had a the pleasure of forging a meteorite for a client, purportedly to have originated from Jupiter according to analysis (could not find Made on Jupiter or any other ID on it, so assume it to be as stated) It wasn't a large sample, and the client wanted it forged into the shape of the Ursa Major constellation. ( aka Great Bear, Big Dipper) Unlike the one Mr Steels was attempting to forge in his video, you could see the striations on the lower surface as it had travelled through the atmosphere to its resting place in the Sahara desert where it was found. To look at it was reminiscent of the cone shaped capsules of the NASA projects as they were heated upon rentry into the Earths atmosphere. This was supposedly similar to the items used when mummyifying Egyptian Pharoah's bodies prior to being entombed in the pyramids. It was in this case to be worn as a necklet. The process proved quite interesting, as when this metal was originally used it was forged pre the iron age, more valuable than gold, and the Egyptians thinking it was sent by the Gods fronm the stars. After a slow start and a couple of attempts, in a coal fired hearth, to get the feel for it. I found it best to work by keeping to a high temperature and not allowing it to cool too much, it was quite manageable. I first forged it into a small rectangular bar, Manipulated it to the rquired shape, cut off the excess which I also used to make a pendant for the clients daughter, and then formed the shape by bending the bar on edge and punched a small hole through the tail end of the dipper. The position of the seven stars were then stamped into the item, and a light clean up undertaken with a file and emery cloth. The excess that I cut off was reforged, twisted and punched, then polished. The finish was superb and easily polished to a mirror finish, due to what I believe was a high nickel content in the sample. None of the forging processes proved troublesome , must have been beginers luck, or the Gods were smiling down on me that day.

Hi Dan, why not pop along to your local steam railway and ask them where they source their coal from?

Try shaving the hammer shaft to fit your hand properly, and don't use too tight a grip. All tools you make or use should be comfortable.

The coal Joel mentions is good to work with, but if you are used to coke, then you will have to modify your fire management technique somewhat. It is good to fireweld with, and creates less clinker than the coke. It is also a lot cheaper to purchase. http://www.coalmerchantsfederation.co.uk/products/welsh-dry-steam There are rumoured to be a couple of other private sources, but are usually difficult to find, and you need to order in multi ton quantities or collect yourself.

Don't wear gloves, old timers would have a piece of flexible leather that was large enough to cover their hand (about 10" x 8") with a slit cut across one end to slip over the hand like a bracelet, giving free access if you should need it, and they fit both right or left hand.

You could in future consider marking the position on the side, not in the corner of the fold

Saturday 9th December, Members day and our Christmas get together for family and friends, pop in if you can, open forges from 9.30 entetainment post lunch and demo for making a snowflake as seen posted on this site byJHCC (Thanks for that) which also led to a video, again by John Bennett, to make a Christmas Wreath Ribbon Hanger If you Can't make it, Have a great Christmas and a Very Happy New Year, and don't forget our members days are the second Saturday in each month.

Heat treatment is from about 3 min on

Hi Thomas, can you clarify something for me that I find confusing? There is a lot of talk about case hardened files, and why they are not as good as they used to be. File teeth does not seem to be an application for case hardening, as it is more for wear resistance than actual hardness for cutting. It may be that as the files concerned seem to be/are made of a more modern spec. carbon steel, that they are surface induction hardened, a cheaper production operation than the older material and hardening and tempering process. The case hardening process would take longer, and hence cost more than the surface hardening method. Could it be a misinterpretation of terminology between our English/British language and your US English language. Would be good to see a video of the making of these rasps which would clarify the process used.

Also keep a lot of the heat radiated by fire and work off you, and can be used to hold otherwise unbearably hot metal in an appropriate situation. Flexible is my main criteria for an apron, too heavy/stiff and they can be uncomfortable when in use.

The new show location up and running, competitors found it a lot easier to access and a great welcoming atmosphere. Hope to improve on this good start next year. Here are some pictures, Getting Ready Nice easy start, James and Nick warming up. James and Adrian, Getting down to business and some of the forged entries made The peoples choice on day one, with the piece they chose, a snail, and its maker, Keith Winner of the Show Champion prize Vlad Navratil and Keith showing off the winning piece that Vlad made SImon Hall receiving the Live Forging Champion Award Thanks to all who came along and helped make it a great show. Why not come along next year and say hello or better still, come and take part.