Strine

I liked what Tenhammers said about tapping just happenning without him noticing. I liked the way he brought a different trade into the picture as well. I am learning to play Irish music and always thought that the blokes who could tap (even stomp) in time with the music was really cool and added an extra dimension to the music. So I forced myself to tap my foot alas to the great detriment of my playing. :oops: Realising it had a bad effect I disappointlingy gave it away. Lo and behold as I got better at playing, the foot tapping just happened. Where once upon a time it made my playing worse it now makes it better. So Elkdoc, my considered spin on the subject of ringing the anvil is don't worry about it. Just let nature take its course. If you do and you make nice stuff or if you don't and you make nice stuff who cares, it's the 'nice stuff' part that's important. 8)

Interesting post on the striking and the tapping. Ah... let me see who shall I go with? I'll go with Irnsrgn on the tapping. As for the striking I'm flat out explaining to my boy what "Hey matey, can you give us a hit" means let alone explaining what the tapping and dragging and striking signals are all about that's if I can work them out myself. The last time I was confronted with the German/European system was striking for a bloke I'd never met before who assumed that just because I was willing to swing a sledge for him, at the expense of my own work, I knew all the signals with out any need for a lesson. In the end they all meant the same...if you get the system wrong be prepared to cop a serve. I didn't take long to gracefully lay the sledge up against his anvil and walk away. The No talking (explaining/questioning) part of the system was the killer.

When you hit Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, be sure to get in touch. And we can visit the Australian Blacksmiths Association (Vic) Inc.

I can't believe coke is lagging behind. Is it because we coke users can't vote because we're spending all our time enjoying working at our forges?

I can't see the photos, don't know why, but I bet they are the bees knees. Word of warning. Used motor oil is carcenogenic. So I'm told by an oil company rep who trained as a smith.

Plasticene, playdough, modelling clay. Within reason it will move just like hot steel of the same section. More so if it's stored in the fridge. It is one of the best design tools I have and allows me to test run almost any forging operation I want to try. The dragon tongs, around here somewhere were made in plastecine from start to finish over and over again trying different methods etc before I heated even one piece of stuff.

With scrolls I tend to do them without jigs. If I have to make a jig it means I have to make a lot of the same thing. I'm a one-off then move on bloke, so please no repetition work thanks. So...I tend to heat only that part of the bar that I know I can get right first up, or maybe second up (third up!!! ...go and mow the lawn or something and try again later). Then I heat the next section and get that right. etc etc. I wouldn't try and work the whole length of the bar at once. Mmmm. I've just realised I've rewritten what Irnsrgn said except for this. Adding to the quote. Put your name on it for sure, even your address but it doesn't need your shoe size, how you like your steaks done nor your mother's maiden name.

Just a tip Archie, having a son about the same age as you. If I knew I had a cast lamplight thingy under the house but came home one day to find my son had transformed it, maybe for good, I might require a pretty good explanation as to the whys and wherefores etc etc. It was no doubt under the my house for safe keeping until the reason for keeping it came to light. Unless you want a tanned hide I'd be keeping dad well informed :)

You might call it a tool but it's more of an aid. I find a big lump of plastecine is invaluable. Plastecine, play dough, modelling clay; call it what you like, reacts very much like hot metal especially when its been in the fridge for a while. Skillaid, take for instance the pair of tongs Ed wants you to make. People get confused following instructions on when to turn the stock, when to push forward, etc etc. Starting with plastecine the size of your stock you can practise till the cows come home. When you're confident enough to swap to hot metal you have at least sorted out the process in making what you want to make.

Archie, you must be a Queenslander...that's how they spell "beer" on account of they can't spell.....XXXX :)

So what you are saying Bruce, is that it is not a strength thing but more an efficiency thing? But If I couldn't give a rat's about efficiency and prefer the strongest method where would I put the weld in small stuff (< 3/4 inch). And another bone of contention should the finished link (small) have a constant crosssection throughout ie the weld is swaged down to the original diameter. Most have I have seen have a sort of peak at the weld but doing that cost me a bottle of plonk in a competition :? .

Bruce, What is the advantage/disadvantage of placing a link weld on the end or the side? An old smith demostrated his idea with an elastic band (aka a "lacka") stretched between the fingers. It failed along the side, leaving him still holding the the lacka in his fingers?

Mmmm... :wink:

Chris, Thats pretty much the reaction I was expecting. Wool is funny stuff, and us young folk ie below the age of about 110 have this preconceived idea that it is hot to wear so don't even bother to try it. Your concern sounds like you are allergic to it and of course that's a different matter. I have not heard of that before but I'm not surprised; it is just another conglomeration of molecules just like peanuts. Anyway if your not allergic it is worth a try. BTW a wool blended with a synthetic will have the opposite effect to what I've described. It must be PURE wool.

If you forge a large eye, slightly under the size of the can on the end of some stuff it will hold the can without rivets at all. Replace the can when necessary.

No one has mentioned pure wool. Not only does a pure wool flannel protect from radiant heat but acts as a perfect wick. You don't see the sheep complaining when it pushes 40C down here..er, not much anyway. Wool has a drawback though. You have to keep your fingernails short otherwise you'll tear your self to ribbons scratching the itches. But you get used to the prickles after a while. Otherwise a blue singlet - aka a "Jackie Howe" or "Wife basher" (....sorry, just telling it like it is) is a common item of apparel in the heat. It's almost attained "Uniform" status :)

Yes I'm a bit dopey in June. A bit numbed by the cold. It was cold today, the thermometer plummeted to 14C. Had to go and find a jumper.

Archie, it's the same old story when you're "skint" ie lack heaps of dosh, keep your eyes open where ever you go and keep spreading the message about your new found interest. Sure there are lots of different steels, and they all look the same to me, but it can be found in the oddest places. A simple spark test, although far from conclusive, will give you an idea of what you have found. Stick to the size of stuff that you are sure you can get to forging heat in your forge. And working on the smaller sections will give you a chance to pick up some basic skills. As you progress and your equipment evolves you'll want to move onto some bigger stuff. That's how it should be I reckon. Anticipate the destination but enjoy the journey. And speak to your dad :D

Mmm I thought I posted a reply on this thread this morning...whose the computer dill then? What I wrote this morning before a day of drudgery at the grindstone was quite eloquent and well phrased Sadly you must now put up with ...end of the day drivel. Basically I was relating an observation that the bloke who looks like he has a lot of skill at the anvil seems to sell a lot more. So agreeing with Ed and others, make what you are really good at even if it is small and simple. Selling your stuff on consignment means it has to sell itself but if you are by your forge, you can enhance the buyers experience with a show of the skill required (and what a good bloke it was that made the particular trinket). In other words you would be tapping a branch of the souvenir market. A fellow I know turns over thousands of $ by selling miniature horseshoes with kids initials or names stamped thereon, at so much per letter. The shoes are made off site and merely heated up enough to sizzle a bit in the slacktub in front of little Johnny.......Oooooooh mum, mum, mum can I have one of those please. It goes against the grain a bit but it's not my place to knock the concept, it sure does make money to feed his kids though. Another good way to make money out of your blacksmithing is to sell blacksmithing tools like tongs. :wink: The good thing here is that the market appreciates the time, effort and skill required and is more willing to pay a reasonable price.

Sadly JPH it sounds as though you have had some nasty experiences with the groups you have mentioned. That may or may not be true but we can only hope that Skillaid's desire to be a member of one group or another or to become a Certified Journeyman then Master is a happy one. JPH I'm pretty new here and have no idea of your attitudes or feelings. I can only go by the written word. ...It was for me. Neither can I read between the lines of your post that your experience is considerable as is the assistance given to others over the years. And my second last word, fearing this exchange could be creating some bad karma; I don't believe I have insinuated anything and if I have then I offer my hand. And the last word; ironically, you are a "member" here. Skillaid, I come from a backward country at the bottom of the world where a number of blacksmithing groups have evolved over the years. The general ethic of these particular groups is one of association. ie getting together and associating with others. Naturally blacksmithing is the common thread, but there are a host of reasons why people join. In this country blacksmithing as a recognised trade is well and truly defunct so there is no point in having a governing body to issue trade certificates. The major teaching institutions at least where I live have all disposed of their blacksmith shops. If you did manage to get a ticket that says you're a blacksmith/bladesmith it would just be a piece of paper and may impress a prospective customer. I agree with others here though that your "qualifications" as a blacksmith/bladesmith will rest in the quality of the work you produce especially in this country. Nonetheless Skillaid I wish you every success and hope that you enjoy the journey to master blacksmith/bladesmith. I only wish I was a bit further down that path than I am.

JPH Not all groups exist for YOUR benefit. Some, like the one I belong to, exist to arrest the decline of the trade as a whole. This is impossible without a membership comprised at least in part of people who do good work that stands on its own. One benefit that you are missing out on is the good feeling you get in helping some one else attain the unusual position that only a small handful are in. Perhaps the ABA (Vic) Inc is in the 1% minority.

Point of order Your Worship :wink: As you rightly point out BG the tool on the left is a "Set" tool as it has a handle, but the other two are not "hardies". The hardy hole in the anvil holds a host of special tools only some of which might actually be "hardies". A "hardy" is a tool used for cutting metal; a hot hardy being slightly more finer that a cold hardy, the latter requiring a tougher build to deal with cold metal. I would have called the two tools on the right bottom swages and the one on the keft a top swage. That's according the Strayan vernacular anyway. As for what they do, the previous replies all seem perfectly reasonable to me but I'm only a mug punter really.

You blokes are amazing with your metallurgic know how. All those numbers and codes seem to just spill out like a recipe for scones. If a piece of hot metal comes out of my fire and it's hard to forge I say to myself. "self, that bit of stuff, what ever it is, is hard to forge" end of discussion. Oh, and scones... 3/4 cups of milk, cream, selfraisng flour and a pinch of salt (I didn't want to be left off the knowledge tree). :)

Excellent question HW. I don't know. The wire used to tie up concrete reinforcement is also very soft. It arrives on a site as a coil about 5 inches diam and about 3 inches wide with a 1 inch hole in the middle. Very handy stuff. Maybe the coil could be welded together as one big lump.

Just adding up the costs, let's see. Hair dryer $30 to replace your sister's one you blew up. Pipe nipple; trip to shop $2, nipple $2 = $4. New spade handle (I wonder why) $10. Electricity. So is $44 is the current benchmark unless the above come from the hard rubbish :wink: