AndrewOC

One week to go. Looks like we will have a small gas furnace and at least a handful of coke forges on site. Also i'm expecting a member of the Campbelltown Steam and Machinery Museum who may discuss ideas of a smithy out there. a.

don't we all, woody? Greetings and welcome Whirly. I think we have had a couple of other Territorians on the forum. Andrew. PS Woody, I scored some kind of oil furnace burner with you in mind- eventually I'll post a pic when i find the camera. Tell me what details you need to measure from it.

HJP, is the 1 cwt currently on Gumtree, yours? If not, seems close, also being at the Atherton. Andrew.

yep, i think i was told the yellow one was from one of the workshops north of the tracks at Chullora. Also think it was one built under license, by the railways department. Andrew.

thanks for the measurements Steve. 3/8" thick is serious 'built in robust-ness'! a.

The welding shop at my tech college has successfully used a wood block floor for at least 50 years, gas and electric welding/cutting. a.

Steve and Francis, i'd be interested to know the thickness and diameter of the column. ta. andrew.

Yay! I think last time we had about 2 doz, with maybe 5 forges and anvils; was just enough. So small portables would be very handy. I reckon about 6 of us kinda knew what we were doing and could guide the others, looks like more this year! might end up with a beginner to each know-it-all ;) Gas furnaces and hammers will of course be welcome, we have 415v and lpg , probably a set inside to guarantee rain free. I tried a PM of tiimetable to you and Corin, dunno if it worked. Also what is big Jim's monika on IFI? he is also threatening to come. Andrew.

-bringin it back to the top! We have had some very welcome offers of demonstrator assistance for the 24th of June, i'm in process of cobbling together some sort of timetable to make the most of it. Stay tuned, feel free to PM me. Drewy, have fun on your trip, see you at forgemaster's or moonie's? AndrewOC

...there is always Meccano as well. a ;)

YEAH BABY! a.

Sydney blacksmithing day 2012 Sunday, 24 June 2012 When: 9.00am to 3.30pm Where: Sydney Heritage Fleet's 'Heritage Shipyard' Gate 4 James Craig Road, Rozelle A rare opportunity to experience traditional smithing and forging hot steel at a reasonable cost. All basic skills covered from the fire to the tools heat treatment and welding. Members are providing forges, anvils and blacksmithing tools. We will show you: Basic blacksmith’s tools and equipment Managing the forge and the anvil Essential blacksmithing skills There may be a small charge for materials. Cost: $20 for financial TTTG members or $40 for non members. Enrol early to avoid disappointment. http://www.tttg.org.au/php/tttg_Page.php?n=04

Neat, maybe a new technique?? Stencil forging??? keep up the good work, A.

Cool, great to hear from you again Drewy. Were you getting some kind of power hammer together last time we met? My memory is very vague, it was 12 yr ago... Andrew.

Looks like Craig is cleverer than me, he can be in two places at once on a Sat morning. ;) A.

Saw an ad in the online Trading Post, just now; garage sale, blacksmith anvil and tools, as well as wood lathe and 'workshop tools'. When Google maps reminded me where Oxley Vale is, i knew i was safely at a distance... 2 James Pl, cnr with Fishermans Pl, 7 am start, Saturday ?21 April. i know nothing else about it! enjoy A.

Ah! Corin, that sounds choice. You can source ceramic blanket? A.

neat stuff Phil. At that big joint i worked at for a year, we had basically a pair of triangles with holes in the corners to hold the top swage. the single hole (was uppermost), matched a hole thru the middle of the top plain die. The bottom corner holes lined up with a pair thru the swages. kinda the same set up as yours only upside down. I dunno what the benefit was, maybe self centring? Everything was a rattling good fit, so much so it annoyed the hell out of me- loudly clanking away all day, squishing out rail car axles. The bottom die, i don't remember so well. I think there was non-tapered dovetails on the floor plate and four 1-1/2" tee bolts at the corners of the die block (1" flange at the bottom short sides). Ah press work... get it right first heat, 'cos it won't fit in the furnace for a second heat! (eh Phil) c ya, AndrewOC ps probably will go to Ironfest.

Looks great Rob. In fact I'm kinda' jealous because you can design the best layout for demos to crowds, lessons and display. So many other smithys at heritage 'villages' are historic buildings that don't allow the most useful arrangement. The immovable brick forges are usually in the worst position, stuff (and the demonstrator) are often to far away from the fence to the public, line of sight / angles are wrong. The most annoying is that usually there isn't enough room for a decent crowd to hang about and watch, one place I know of fits 8 spectators, the rest have to move on. This is a missed opportunity in cold or wet weather when the crowds should be 'driven in' to experience the joy of the smithy! Anyhow, good luck, I look forward to visiting some time. Andrew

Saw something like these at a safety show; http://www.safetytoes.com/ there are other brands as well. might be worth looking into. A.

Hey Dale, we-is-a-comin! Speaking of BBQ equipment, I was cutting up some rusty ship's plate today (formerly 3/8" thick), do ya want some? Has good coating of paint, so should add some flavour to cooking! fem_smith, don't worry too much about gear, there is usually plenty to go 'round. AndrewOC

'im surprized you didnt get more irate responses about the sword thing ' ...often I ignore it! Last year a tool club member 'wanted to make a knife', did as i suggest, and brought along some spring. Problem was it was a whole pack of 3/8" thick leaves! I pointed out the huge amount of effort required (only hand forging available), and he was thinking of a machete. Otherwise get a bit of flat bar (less than 4lbs) and put a handle on it... voila' a sword-shaped-object!!! ;) A.

Yup; http://www.tttg.org.au/php/tttg_Page.php?n=04 look half way down the page. Apparently it is 'a rare opportunity', not sure what that means, i did'na write the blurb! The main theme is to have fun, and enjoy the day. Am still pondering what 'curriculum' ideas to go with, what would u be interested in? cheers, AndrewOC.

Welcome Damien! Yup, June 24 is the date at Rozelle. There are quite a few 'smiths lurking all over Sydney, just no organisation... A great contact point is the TAFE at Ultimo, where apprentices, small business guys and hobbyists of every level go to classes. see ya bout the traps, AndrewOC

G'day woody, that old cattle-dog does sound interesting, i'm a sucker for dirty old pics. Here be a picture in our gallery to prove big hammers have been run on air- http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/32165-lindsay-andrew-playing-with-chullora-steam-hammer/ Unfortunately I couldn't find out the size of the compressor, very big but not massive, if u know what I mean. Just outside the building from the 'shop were two air receivers about 4' dia by 8' long, apparently that is the secret; big volume is at least as important as pressure. enjoy, A. PS, RIP Grant, he was a delight to read, and set the best example- share your knowledge, nay expertise, and the world is a better place.