forginhill

Could you send me the link? Thanks!

Hmm...maybe you guys have better internet than I do. I've followed every lead that comes up with a google search and I can't find any that are available for purchase. My only hope is to somehow get access to copies in some organization's library....

Thanks Glenn! Those are the titles I'm looking for, but I can't find any place that sells them. Any links?

I hope this is the right place to post this. I would really like to get my hands on the smithing publications by Gene Chapman. I can't find any company or organization that sells them, so I'm guessing they're not available any more. Hoping someone might have a lead I haven't discovered... Thank you...

Been working more on those horse heads. Here's number seven.... Last night I tried some thinner, smaller steel. And then tried to make a key ring. That didn't go so well. Had to do some cleaning with the file. I need some practice with punching and drifting.

Thanks for the tips, Brian, I'll work on that next time I forge. That section is a little tough for me.

Thank you, Brian, for sharing your knowledge and experience. As a beginner I recently discovered your work and youtube videos. Thanks for those! I've watched them over and over. Please post more! As a craftsman and artisan, you make every hammer blow count (I haven't seen any other youtube vids that can compare, though you've taught your student Alec Steele well and I enjoy his vids too). This week I tried my first horse heads as per your instructions. Definitely room for improvement, but I'm having loads of fun. First attempt at Brazeal style and Hugh MacDonald style heads. And first two hooks....

Stunning work as always, Stefano. Your knives are captivating from their overall shape to their smallest details. Cool shot of your work area too. Todd

Very nice work, Mike. Looks like a fighter to me. I love what you do with handles and sheaths. Todd

That's a cute little guy. You did a fine job on it. I like the ergonomics and angles you played with. Todd

You can get a hamon to show up on 5160, but it's not easy. I finally got one to show from a clay quenched blade and it wasn't striking at all. I'd say try it if you already have the blade forged and ready, but be prepared for disappointment. On the habaki, Jesus Hernandez has a great tutorial on his website. Do a google search on his name and you'll find it.

Thanks for the dimensions on that drift. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Very nice work. I love the shape of that axe. What are the dimensions of the drift you used for the eye? Would it be possible to post a pic of the drift? Thanks. Todd

The file work is excellent, but I really like the shape of that blade. I like the curve and the lines. Todd

I've tried my own mixtures with clay and ash and/or charcoal. Didn't have much luck with that. I tried the high temp mortar in a tube from Home Depot and didn't have any luck with that. I also tried Rutland fire cement. No luck there either. I have had success with Satanite though. That gets my vote. I have some refractory called Heat Stop II that I'd like to try one of these days. Todd

I appreciate what JPH is saying about this. I have a friend who got me into blacksmithing/bladesmithing. He was a professional himself and still makes a fair amount of $$ doing it even though he's well into his seventies. He has done it all, including getting into Japaneses swords. Like JPH, he has made many, many hawks and axes. He always makes them wrap around, mild steel bodies forge welded together and high carbon bit forge welded in. He believes very strongly that any smith worth his salt must learn to forge weld well. Like JPH said he has put in his dues and his welds don't fail, despite hard use. I've read old smithing books (M.T. Richardson) and they used to forge weld axles and all sorts of things and they were as good as new. That was way before electric welding. It's just a matter of learning to do it. Todd

Well said, Rich. I am a novice, but have done much research into blacksmithing and bladesmithing. I have numerous books on both topics. Recently, as I watched a master smith forge a blade, I was amazed to see how much of it was blacksmithing skills and techniques. I fully agree with your points on this. The two crafts should go hand in hand. Todd

I've bought a number of smithing books, but nothing compared to spending a day with a master smith. I paid for a day of lessons and it did more for my bladesmithing than many, many hours of reading and studying. As far as books go, I really like Wayne Goddard's books. He has two of them out on knifemaking. Todd

Thanks for the links, Lawrence. I have seen a few pics of Japanese adzes and they look well made. I just don't know how they make them but I now have some ideas to try. I will look up the pages you posted. Thanks too, Quenchcrack. Those are some good ideas. The Indians tend to be pretty traditional and inflexibe. I'm not sure they would like the alternative styles. Not to mention it seems like those other styles wouldn't have as much weight in the head. These guys want heavy adzes. The ones my dad has been taking down are the largest ones Woodcraft sells. They're made in Germany. The Indians say the steel holds up on them better than any of the others they've tried. These adzes have a small poll(?) on the other side that increases the head weight and maybe was meant to serve as a hammer head. I was just talking to my dad and he couldn't put into words how much these people want adzes. The guy who got the one he took down came three times to visit and thank him. Then made a bow and arrow set for my dad as a thank you. They're desperate for them. Todd

It's definitely a gutter adze (half-pipe shaped). I have some picks and mattocks I can modify, but I have to try making one too. The thickest stock I have is one inch square. I'll have to look around to see if I can find some 1 1/2 inch stock. Slitting and drifting that eye will be a challenge. Might need to cheat and drill some holes first. Todd

Thanks, I'll email Jon Dahlmo and see what he tells me. It's not a flat adze so I assume it's a gutter adze. I've seen adzes where just the edges turn up but it's not like that either. The whole cutting edge is curved. These people are desperate for them as they rely so heavily on their dugout canoes. If I could make some for them, they would be forever grateful. I might try modifying a pickaxe. Thanks again for the advice. Todd

This is the first time I've posted on this forum. I am a novice to say the least. I grew up in the Amazon jungle of Brazil with Indian people. They made and still make dugout canoes. My dad went down to visit these same people last week and took with him one of the most sought after items for these people--an adze. He paid over $70 for it and it was hard to find. It was a very large adze. They use them to make their dugout canoes. While he was down there he received orders (with pleading and begging) for five more. On a previous trip he had tried to take down a smaller carpenter's adze and the Indians just laughed. They can only use the really big ones. It's kind of sad to me that they actually depend on the tools we stick on our walls as artifacts. Anyway, I really want to try making some of these adzes, but I'm not sure where to start. My first thought is to drift a hole in some large stock and go from there, rather than the wrap around and weld that people do for 'hawks. I have some one inch round re-bar, but I'm not sure if that would be big enough. I was wondering if you guys could give me some direction on this. I know adzes typically have rectangular eyes. Is there a good reason for this? Could they have an oval and round eye? Thanks, Todd