K. Bryan Morgan

I love Frosties shop. When I grow up I want one just like it. Mine is kind of tiny in comparison 12' x 16'. I can get my meager equipment in it. Forge, anvil, post vice. Band saw, and drill press. After this winter season I plan on putting in a coal forge and finally a wood stove. It really doesn't take much to blacksmith. You need four basic things. Something to get the metal hot with. Something to hammer the metal on. Something to hit the metal with. and the fourth is actually optional. Something to hold the metal with. If you do it right you don't even need that. Rocks were used with great success in the past for hammers and anvils. A small trench in the ground with a pipe and some way to force air through it. Charcoal was used for thousands of years. The earliest known iron artifacts are nine small beads, dated to 3200 BC, from burials in Gerzeh, northern Egypt, that were made from meteoritic iron, and shaped by careful hammering. That means there is a history of iron working on earth that is 5300 years old. I find that amazing.

The easiest and least toxic way that I know of to get rid of a zinc coating is to soak it in vinegar over night. Then you don't need to worry about if your going to breath the fumes. Also : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever https://www.osha.gov/doc/outreachtraining/htmlfiles/weldhlth.html http://www.asse.org/practicespecialties/articles/weldingfumes.php http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-25.pdf And one last thing. Drinking milk to alleviate or mediate the effects of fume fever is a myth. And has no factual basis in science.

Charles is absolutely correct. I never hit my anvil when its that cold outside. I paid way to much for it and shipping to put a chip into it. I place a piece of plate in the forge while its heating up the place it on the anvil. Do that a couple of times and its nice and toasty warm. My knee is healing up well and I don't care how cold it gets this winter. As soon as I am able, I'm forging.

I really enjoyed the video. I did like the music to. I feel it fit the piece quite well. It was very interesting to see your processes and also to watch the drifting processes you used in the making of this piece. I also really liked the way it all fit together there at the end. Showing how it was assembled even gave me some ideas. Thank you for showing your artwork and your process. Very enlightening.

John, thank you so much.

Love that look. Outstanding work once again. Thank you for showing it.

I love the episodes with Peter Ross on the Woodwrights Workshop. I really liked the one about the upset corners. He really explained the process well. To bad he's not a member here. He would be a great asset to our community. Well I'll see if I can find the episode online tomorrow or next week now that its going to be aired. Thanks for the heads up though. Its great to see our craft getting some air time. Even if it is not airing in all markets.

Looks like they are not showing this in Fairbanks... all I got to say about that is .... PHOOHEY!!!! :(

There are quite a few people doing it. From Cold Steel to people who supply the Medieval European Martial Arts Guild with weapons. Lots of information on the internet. Google is your friend.

I would repeat to you what has been said to me. Buy a known steel so you know what kind of heat treat to do. Steel is cheap.

That would make anyone a proud work knife.

If you use rockwool insulation it will be even quieter. And fire proof to 2300 deg f.

I can't use the words I want to because they will just end up looking like this. XXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Shop vac plus dimmer switch. I have been using this for four years and it gives me very precise control. In the picture link I provided I'm using charcoal. I use coal now but it worked just fine for charcoal.

Here's the updated article: http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/metalworking/4303543 This is totally doable. You can use clay kitty litter, unscented with no additives, just get it damp enough to make a ball in your hand. Let it dry thoroughly and get to work. I used a break drum for a fire pot and that is also something you could add. Put a piece of pipe through the drain and a floor flange then bolt to break drum. Fill in with kitty litter. Done. Use a small cheap shopvac for blast and a lamp dimmer switch. Mine is a slider type. Its been sitting out in the weather for four years and never had a problem, so it will work. I used black iron pipe for mine. Your stand can be made of just about any material up to and including wood. For mine I used metal 2x4s. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Take pictures and post them. Have fun. And don't worry, you will burn metal.

If I were to do a dirt floor this is the way I would do it. This is a construction technique I learned over 30 plus years ago. I would first dig out 6 to 8 inches below grade. After that I would compact with a plate compactor. I would then lay a layer at least 2 inches thick of crushed limestone. Then compact. Then 2 more inches of crushed limestone. Then compact. Repeat until I get a level substrate. At that level which should be about 4-5 inches below grade I would switch to course clean sand. Yup, you guessed it, about 2 inches then compact, repeat until 3 1/2 inches below grade. Then I would stop. Get out the chop saw and start cutting 4x4's four inches long. Or actually now that I think about it 3 1/2 inches long so they are square. precision at this is needed so the flooring is square and level. Once the floor is filled in with wood squares fill all the small gaps, and they will be there, with fine patio polymeric sand. And compact. The last step is to get the polymeric sand wet. It doesn't take a lot of water. Just enough to get it damp. The sand will set up and lock everything into place. Your floor will be stable. Won't move and won't burn. Even though its wood. You could even use pressure treated lumber. Its treated with copper these days and is much safer to use than the old stuff was.

Thanks JM. I don't know exactly what it is. I was told either L6 or 15N20 by the gentleman who gave it to me. He believes its 15N20 by the way it works. He's got a ton more experience than I do so I'll take his word for it. He's an excellent bladesmith. Anyway, its extremely hard and tough. I can't even get a file to touch it. So I figure as long as I don't get it to hot I shouldn't have an issue with heat treat or temper. I'll have to work on it tomorrow as my time for the rest of today is limited.

Thanks. Its coming along. We went into town and I dun forgot to get the durn tongue oil. grrrrrrr. I hope to see progress on your version soon.

I'm still finishing it. I'm going to get some oil finish for it today and work on it. Once I get it finished and scary sharp I'll post some pics.

Well it took longer than I wanted it to, but I've gotten it almost finished. I need to do a few things yet. Put a finish on the handle and get some small scratches out of the blade. And sharpen it of course. The Gorilla Glue Epoxy I used isn't visible, it dried clear which is nice. Its the five minute setting type. I understand I should use a longer drying time glue but its what I could get. Not a huge number of choices her in the hinterlands of Alaska.

As far as I know they are pretty good steel to use. What type of steel is a mystery to me but I think it would work fine for that. I have seen people who use mild steel for drifts too. As far as I understand things you don't need to heat treat them because they will be used hot and frequently get into the temps that would ruin a heat treat anyway.

That is wonderful Beth. Don't beat your self up. You did very good work there. Its a fantastic job.

You know that sounds familiar. He very well may be the same guy. In Big Lake? I think. I havn't been to any auctions. I am afraid I would cry. I totally believe it though.

Frosty your so right. People here think blacksmithing tools are a retirement investment. I had one guy try to sell me a 100# Arm and Hammer anvil for $1200 on craigs. Some of the guys had razzed him over the price and he got upset. Ah well.. I'll keep keeping on.