Karl von Wald

I purchased a Hell's Forge, so I think I got their brand of refractory. I think they called it Hellcoat. I am not sure what it actually was, and I would just buy that, but it looks like they have gone out of business. (This is what I get for basing decisions on a TV show, but that is a different conversation.) Do you think the Kastolite would bond to the "HELLCOAT 3billion" or whatever the marketing manager decided to call it?

I finally drug out my forge after a move and started beating on metal again. While my son was working a long piece of stock, he dropped it and it broke part the the coating on the refractory. I know I need to fix it, but my question is do I need to pull out all the coating and recoat the wool, or go back over the top of everything and just put enough coating over the damaged area that it is the same thickness as everywhere else? Second question is does it mater if I put a different refractory coating over the top of the existing? I don't think it would matter, but if they don't bond, I could see if flaking off. Thanks for the wisdom in advance.

I am looking at making my first set of tongs. I have seen some videos of people using flat stock and twisting it to make the bit. I think it is called the Dempsey Twist. Does this make a good set of tongs? See attached photo form Antifire for reference.

So last night I got it assembled. It only took... maybe five minutes. Very easy to do. Then I took it outside and applied the refractory. Again simple and painless. My only complaint is how anticlimactic it is to get something ready to go then have to wait 24 hours for it to dry...

A lot of my tools need some TLC. They have been setting around for a bit and have some surface rust. I will be dressing hammers and stakes for a bit. Looks like I am about two hours from the nearest Artist Blacksmith chapters. Thanks for the welcome and thoughts. I'll try and post some of my "cold" work later.

Good morning, I am looking to get started in black smithing. Probably focused on making tools for around the house and useful items. Naturally, I would not mind making a knife or 50. Would like to give some axes a try too. I am out of west Tennessee, near Jackson. I just got my forge in, hoping to have it up and running this weekend. With this and my anvil I should be good to go. I have a decent start on my hammers, including a raising and plannishing hammers. I also have a few raising and creasing stakes, and a pair of dishing forms. I don’t know how much use they will see. I am sure I have some other toys I have forgotten about. I do have some experience working steel, I was once active in the SCA and made my own armor. Including a few helms and some articulated pieces. Ninety-five percent of that was cold work, the little hot work I did was to anneal work hardened pieces. I attempted to play with spring steel, but the metal was too thin and kept warping on quench. Also, just about everything was done in 12 to 18 gauge sheets. I grew out of the SCA and have put my hammers down. I have made a few knifes from grinding old saw blades. That kind of sums up my experience.

So my two burner Hells Forge arrived yesterday. I plan on assembling and lining it on Thursday so I will be ready to play with for this weekend. Any tips or tricks I should know about with this forge? Either for set up or general use. I do have some extra fire brick I can use to make "doors" so I don't lose excess heat. But that is about the limit of my knowledge. Also this is my first forge beyond playing with a weed burner.