K. Bryan Morgan

I suppose it would depend on what kind of floor you have in your shop. If I had a dirt/ground/gravel floor, I think I would like to use a log burried 3-4 feet into the ground. If I had a concrete floor, I think a tripod style metal stand with the feet lagged into the concrete floor would be a good way to go. I don't want my anvil moving because that looses energy when I strike, besides which it is just annoying to have to adjust my stance all the time. As it is I have a wooden floor. I use a stump and I have placed some strip wood around my stump and screwed it in. When I deliver a very heavy blow I can feel the whole floor flex. But I didn't build the shed so I have no control over that.

I own a 30 tank and get about 4 days out of it with the forge running about 7-8 psi for 4-5 hours a day. So, just based on that I would guestimate you could get about 14-15 hours out of a 20 pound tank with the two burner blacksmiths model. YMMV.

Thanks for that John. I see what your talking about and I think I can grind one of them to a pretty close match to that shape. I'll see what I can do. We were supposed to get together today and work more on the axe but obligations kept us from doing what we wanted to. So, maybe on Friday we can finalize the shape and get most of the work on the axe finished. I don't see why not.

Thank you for the pat on the back. It was my second weld ever. I'm sorta proud of it. There is an issue with the corners of the bit. They didn't stick so well as the piece of spring didn't quite make contact with the bottom of the slot on the edges. I'm sure we will figure our a way to close those up. Either grind them out or close them at welding heat and weld them shut. I'm not sure the correct way to go on that. We've been busy, Jake's friends have gone on hiatus, they are adjunct professors for the University of Alaska Fairbanks. So, he's had extra responsiblibties and I've been busy keeping the property here clear of snow and chopping wood for the stove. I have a question though. I am in real need of a set hammer. I find with the operations Jake and I are planning one would be very helpful. I have a good flatter, and a couple that are very mushroomed and worn. Could I grind out the mushrooms on one of the worn flatters and grind/cut/chop, ect. the parts that extend past the diameter of the main body of the flatter and change it into a set hammer? Or, would it be better to get a drop of 4140 from my local steel supplier and make one from scratch? Keeping in mind I've only seen one made and never done it myself.

I believe I'm the one he's talking about. It would have been fine to "pollute" the tread. Its sort of a catch all thread about the whys and wherefores of forging anyway. What John had said to me was good advice. As it turned out we didn't reforge the chisel and it worked out just fine. As we worked, the chisel became more and more the shape you would normally see in a a slitting chisel. We didn't dress it. As a consequence, the longer we used it, the better it worked. Would I do that again? Most likely not. Johns advice was sound. If I had done as he suggested I believe our slitting job may have gone smoother. Using an inexpencive, relatively speaking of course, chisel, and turning it into a hot cut chisel is a good way to go. It saves work and time. I'll be getting more of them and using them for hot work. But, I will defer to those who have more experience in the future and grind or forge to a more hot cut friendly profile.

Its important to remember with gas forges that they put out even more CO and CO2 than a coal or charcoal forge. My shed is open on two sides at the roof line and has two ridge vents. And yet, I still leave the door open when I use my gas forge. I appreciate and applaud you for revising your plans. If the issue is weather related, I have some experience forging in an extreme climate. Tempratures here regularly get to -40 F. The last few days we have had mild weather, its all relative of course, in the high teens and 20s F. With a good wood stove and a coal forge in an 8 x 10 shop with two smiths working in it, it has been pleasantly warm. The shop is put together with partical board and 2x4s, has a tent roof and a split carpet door. We are using a 25 lb anvil and a side blast forge made from a metal desk drawer. But the flu has adequate draw and the room stays clear of smoke. Blacksmithing is an art and a craft. There is science involved and intuition. You don't however need an elaborate set up to work. You don't have to have a large anvil, vise, or fancy forge. You need a way to heat metal, something to hit the metal on and something to hit the metal with. Rocks have been used for all of these things successfully. Think outside the box.

The reason no one has stated that they have a similar set up is because its too dangerous to consider. Have a dedicated set up outside. Even old blacksmiths shops were totally open to outside air and had a large tall flu to vent gasses. YOU ARE RISKING YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF EVERYONE IN YOUR HOME. Your wrong in thinking we all have more space just because we live where we live.

Here are some pics of what we've gotten done today. Jake and I had a good day and I feel we got alot done. We got the bit for the axe split and then we made a wedge out of leaf spring and got it welded in. The weld took very well and for my second forge weld ever I think it went ok. We then made a drift for the eye and started working the eye to shape. All in all a great day and the time we spent talking about the project was very enlightening to me. I think we did very good.

Well I totally screwed up and forgot the camera. Oh, well, there will be another time, most likely Friday. We had a very good time. His little forge is warm and cosy even though it was only 12 degrees outside. The wood stove sure kept it nice and comfy and the forge worked to keep it warm in there to. As shops go its minimal. Side buring forge in a metal drawer with a lid to an old cast BBQ grill as the main firepot and forge. An old range hood fan for the blast. A 25 pound anvil to pound on and some tongs and a few modern convienences like a sawsall and a 4" grinder. We used some A36 plate about 3/4" thick and 2" wide by 8 inches long. Not being used to a side blast forge we had a little learing curve on it. By the end of the day I think we had most of the issues resolved. We slit a nice 1 3/8" slot into the plate and that was about it for the day. It was fun spendingi time with Jake talking about what we were doing and why. I used a standard Stanley 1" cold chisel to make the slot. Didn't re-forge it or anything just used it as is and it worked out ok. I don't know what kind of steel it is but it held up perfectly. Next session we will cut the slit for the bit and see if we can get a forge weld to work with a piece of spring steel. We may get a piece of 10XX series steel from a friend of ours who has a cutlery shop and makes knives here. But we may just use the piece of spring and go for it too. All in all it was a perfect opportunity to see just how little you need to forge and blacksmith with. With minimal tools and alittle effort we were able to, in my opinion, accomplish alot.

You had nipple rings? ;)

I sure am going to try. I spoke to Jake today and we are getting together tomorrow. I don't want to make a pest out of myself but as long as we are forging I don't think that can happen. He sure is a nice guy and so very very helpful. I will try to make it down this spring. So early next year. This year is kind of shot and I know I won't be able to make the January meeting. Renee has a hospital conference in Arizona that month. And I believe its close to the time that the meeting is. I need to stay and take care of the dogs. Anyway, I hope to be able to come down and get some work done with ya'll after that. Maybe right after break up or at least close to it. I know I have so much to learn and I learn best when I'm with others. So, all that being said thats the plan at this point. We'll see how it goes. I hope everyone is doing well down there in the Mat-su valley and give my best to Frosty and Deb.

Thanks John, I'm sure we'll have a good time. Roads seem good and I don't anticipate any issues. I spoke to Jake today and am going to visit and work with him tomorrow. I'll bring the camera along of course. With tools and stock and what all else I can think to bring. The first job we may tackle is the chiisel. I'm sure we will work on plenty of other things as well. I know we plan on some Scandinavian styled axes or hatchets. I have some spring steel we can use for bits and he has some mild 3/4" plate we can use for the bodies. I am so very much looking forward to working with a more experieanced smith so i can learn something. The anvil we are going to be using is only 25 pounds. However, like Jake told me today, thats five times heavier than most anvils that were used in the dark ages. This will be so much fun, I can't hardly wait. I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Looks like brass to me. I would go with gun cleaning rod.

Tristan, Jake and I are getting together this week I believe and we hope to make a couple of bearded axes. I'll keep a post going of our progress. Of course this always depends on the weather. We just got over a bad blow. It even got up to 45 here one day. Which of course melted the snow and now there's ice everywhere.

I own a Diamondback two burner Blacksmith Model. I am very very happy with it. It gets the job done and I can get welding heat at 10 psi. I have only welded once with it though. It is very simple to set up. I have used it in very cold temps and it holds up very well. I have yet to need a relining kit and I've been using it over two years. Personally I couldn't be happier. It gets the job done. I would recomend getting one.

I absolutly love how this forum brings people together. The storm has blown over and I see patches of blue sky amongst the clouds. We had quite a bit of wind last night, but not alot of snow, here at least. The problems arise from pretty high tempratures we had yesterday. 45 F and for those of you who are used to the celsius scale, 7.2, this causes alot of snow and ice to melt. Then as tempratures dropped well below freezing last night. All that water re-froze. The roads are slick enough to ice skate on. It may be alittle while before traveling is possible. However, I will not let that deter me. Temps are good. Not mind numbingly cold. I think in a day or two I should be able to travel out to Jake. I'll give you a call tomorrow and we can assess the situation and make a decision together. I'm not as experienced as you are with the winter conditions here. I am so much looking forward to getting together with Jake and making something. Anything. I don't care what it is. I'll bring a goodly supply of tools and some materials too. I have several different sizes of square, flat and round stock, and some bits of plate drops the guys and galls over at Alaska Steel were so generous to allow me to scavange from their trash. One thing I don't have that I need is a slitting chisel. I found a largish cold chisel that my get the job done. I know your not supposed to use it for hot cuts, but I don't think it will matter that much as long as we don't quench it after use. I dunno what do you think?

I use a shop vac called a buckethead. It's cheap, $20, and sits on top of a plastic, standard 5 gallon bucket. Along with that I used an inexpensive dimmer switch for control. It is a simple and well working system. Hope this helps. http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/34905-002-copy/

I just got back from Fairbanks and the weather is absolutly horrible. I almost couldn't walk across the drive way to get into the truck. I am glad I got the crampons for my cane. It started snowing hard when we were on the way back. North Pole was missing the worst of it, by the time we got back things were just starting to pick up and get bad. We can see how bad it gets and make a determination from there. Sorry to hear the car went into the ditch. Hope it didn't get hurt to bad. Its great to see you have the forge going. I can bring some things of course. Tongs, hammers, top tools and such. And coal. I have 150 lbs. of good blacksmiths coal. And, if you like I can see if I can still lift the anvil and get it into the truck. Its 242 lbs. I can pick it up. I don't know about walking with it though with my knee. But, I can slide it. As far as cutting the plate. I have a sawsall, Milwaukee 18 v cordless, and a Mikita 4" grinder with a cut off disk. If I need to bring an extention cord I can do that as well. So I think we can figure it out. My Explorer is 4x4 but I wouldn't call it heavy duty. But it has a low 4x4 gear and we can always give it a try. Later in the week may be better. Hope to be hammering with you soon.

Nice little hatchet there, I like it. Congrats on getting a weld done. I've only gotten one good weld. Its a practice thing. Or so I've been told. Anyway, great job and keep goin.

If I were you, I would get in contact with the Mississippi Forge Council. They are the local blacksmithing group. I know you could get an anvil quickly. Unless you just don't want one. I started with a rail anvil, and I still use it today. However, an anvil that is well designed and professionally constructed, even if its hundreds of years old, is a much better option in my opinion.

Nice pattern. I like it alot.

Looks like quite a good anvil to me. Offer $280 and see what he does. Bet he goes for it.

You can't go wrong with Lorelei Sims book. Its one of the best beginner books out there. Welcome to the site and hope you have many happy hours forging.

I just got off the phone with Jake and we are planning to get together next week. This week didn't work out and thats fine. It gives us more time to prepare and get things together. So I hope to get lots of good pictures and maybe even be able to figure out how to get them on the site. I'm excited to do some smithing and whatever we end up doing it will be great fun.

Absolutely Jake! I'll give you a call. Anytime is good for me. Mid week sound good to you? While I understand the general public may not understand or know what "real" forged work is. I know they have a perception of what it is to them. Like we talked about when we met. I believe it is drawer pulls, gate latches and hinges. Things of that nature. I still believe there is a large and growing market for those types of forged items. Are they the more commercial pieces? You bet they are. But, its what they can get for next to nothing at the big box stores. Basket weave drawer pulls, "hand" wrought hinges, complete with hammer marks. Of course no self respecting smith 150-300 years ago would ever produce a piece that had hammer marks. Now its expected. Its very inspiring to see everyone pitching in and talking about the passion of their work. Now if it just wasn't so dang cold outside. Hope to hammer with you soon Jake.