Grizzer

I've used a small pair of long nosed vice grips for this on occassion if I had to stamp in a hard to reach spot. A small piece of rubber strip helps but not critical.

In my current small shop I have a radio (set to shortwave, some wonderfully wierd shows come around that are fun to listen to) and a small air conditioner. A mini fridge would be nice, and I will have to forego the AC in the big shop, but I won't really miss it, I hardly use it. I would love to put a water line inside the new shop, but the new regulations in Florida/my county would make it economically unfeasable. Nothing stops me from running a line to the outside of the shop at a convenient spot, so at least I won't have to go far for water. Another 6 inches, to the inside of the wall and they get crazy with it. The regulations and permit requirements are also why I am building a new shop rather than just overhauling and adding on to the old one. It would have cost twice as much, and given me a less open space. One thing that is really a non-essential I am putting into the new shop is dutch doors for the walk-throughs. It will be nice to open them up as wanted and still keep the dogs out from underfoot.

The very first thing the man who taught me said was "I can't teach you anything, I can only show you the way." And that is what he did. He let me make mistakes, then guided me through figuring out what I did wrong (often with a chuckle and a smile) rather than just tell me how to fix it. He did the same for what I did right, so I'd know why it went right. He asked questions every step of the way, and had me explain to him what I was doing and why, to help guide my thought process in the right direction. He taught me how to think like a smith, not just techniques, so when I run into a problem, I can figure it out, or design my own process for the work I am doing. Sure there are "handy shop tricks" and I am always reading and watching how other smiths do things, as I obviously have an interest in the craft. But smithing, like some other things in life, is a process and knowing the process, having an intuitive grasp of how the metal behaves, is more valuable than a specific technique in many ways. Someone who understands the underlying process can figure out the steps required for a project, design tooling, or do the other sundry things that solve problems as they arise. Sometimes you will get stuck, and it's handy to have the ability to ask a question (and around here you will usually get a dozen different answers to pick the best solution for you from :D ) But in the overall scheme of things nothing beats heating some iron and working it into some sort of shape. You'll know you are getting there when the shape you end up with is closer to the shape you wanted when you started! Accurate or not, when questions come up like this, it gives the impression that someone is just wanting a step by step course in how to be a smith. I would hate to think how many volumes that would take up! If someone were to just memorize a list of procedures, then they will be at a loss when something new arises, or they have to make something that isn't on their "list". So the real "trade secret" IMHO is real experience working with the metal and getting a "feel" for it. There are plenty of good references for the basics to get started, but don't concentrate on the "what to do" as much as the "why it's done that way" and I think it will work out better in the long run. This forum is a great resource, and you will find the very basics to advanced metalurgy and everything in between if you just take the time to read up. I actually don't recommend using the search function unless you are trying to solve a specific problem. If you go to the start of a section and browse through, you will find a wealth of information, and likely find subjects you'd have never thought of, along with "trade secrets" and handy shop tricks. The problem with doing searches is you have to ask the right question, which is hard to do when first starting out. I'd recommend Shop Safety as the best place to start.

There is also the concept of the tent cabin that they used back in the gold camps. They are built of wood to about waist high, then framed up with 2x4's under canvas for the rest and roof, sort of like putting a tent up higher off the ground. A bit more support than using a canvas tent or fly, but easy to break down and move. You could even build the base out of pallet wood and have it not look too bad with a bit of care. The four corners and framing can be mounted with lag bolts for easy takedown. Roll up the canvas sides when forging for open air flow, close it up when done. They also make wood stove pass throughs for canvas tents which should be more than enough to vent a forge if you need. Just size the wood box/frame to the tent you have. If you look around, there are some Army surplus box tents that are made to last at a decent price and some are quite large.

After pondering on it a bit more, I realized I failed to answer your other question. Yes, vises can lose their grip over time, as the jaws or the threads wear down, but you will usually see them get loose and have a lot of "slop" in them more than lose their grip, per se. Bigfootnampa is right in that a leg vise would be much preferred for smithing work, but we can't all have the best gear, especially when starting out, so if this is what you got, work with it. So far as putting a longer bar on it, I'd recommend going no longer than 50% longer than the bar that was on there originally if you go that route. I have also seen people use a length of pipe as a bar extension, but if you use too long a piece of pipe that kind of leverage can damage your vise, so I don't recommend it unless you've got some experience under your belt. Really, I'd think a quick couple taps to lock it in (as I stated above) should be enough.

IMO a vise that size isn't going to break from you tightening it by hand. If you are worried about marring your work (which is much more likely) you can use some brass or aluminum shims between the part and the vice to protect your part's finish. I have seen people using a hammer or mallet to finish tightening a vise, and have done so myself as needed, but it's not always the most efficient way of doing things. :) If you are consistently having a problem with not being able to tighten your vice enough, the simplest solution is to make a longer handle for the vice, which will allow you to apply more torque when you tighten it down. Otherwise a couple taps with a deadblow hammer or wooden mallet won't hurt. Now, that doesn't mean go crazy with it and put a 3 foot cross bar on it or take a 20 lb sledge to it! :P

Finally got the tractor guy to show up, and have the levelling and rough gravel done (Dolomite). We've had a run of cloudy weather around here lately, so I haven't taken any pics yet, but will post them when I do. Yes, the forge will go in after everything is done and signed off. I needed/have a permit for the build, especially since I am going to be putting power to it. I spoke with the local building inspector the other day, and he has given me the green light to build to completion without any intermediate structural inspections. This is a pretty relaxed area when it comes to barns and outbuildings. (But they will put you through the wringer for a house.) I will still need a quick electrical inspection prior to the power hookup, but it is going to be nice to not have to have an inspection at every step. However, since I am not going through the roof, I won't need a permit for the forge. All our permit requirements in this area for things like wood stoves, etc. are based around roof penetrations. I plan to build a side draft forge and go out through the wall. Though I have seen a good number of pictures showing forges built right against the wall, I plan to leave about a foot between the forge and the wall as a bit of a safety margin, and double insulate the wall penetration. That should also help if anyone wants to raise an issue about it in the future, I should think. I am considering building it out of brick, but I do have a decent amount of granite stones ranging from small to medium size laying around. I am tempted to use those and have something old fashioned looking, and you can't beat the cost!

Ayep!!

I think it might direct the air blast as well, and be less efficient. Please let us know how it turns out. And your English is fine.

Yer quite welcome! I think once you get used to using it, you'll be quite happy with it.

Let me clarify, the coal around the edges of the fire is kept damp only, don't wet down your working fire! :D

Damp while it's burning. No sense keeping it damp in storage, and making things harder on yourself, wet coal is heavy coal :) Some keep it wet in the bucket they keep by the forge. Your main coal pile, keep dry. Basically, you work up your fire, and rather than dump green coal in, you keep coal piled up a bit around the edge of the fire, which you keep damp by sprinkling water over it as you maintain the fire. It will off-gas, and start turning into coke, which is then fed into the fire, and more green coal is brought up, and wetted. This cycle keeps your fire fed, without generating a huge amount of smoke. Something as simple as an old tin can with a handle on it and small holes in the bottom can be used as a sprinkler. If using a cast iron fire pot, take care not to get a large amount of water into it while hot or it can crack. (Which is why you don't dump water into the forge to put the fire out at the end of the day.) There are some good threads for fire management for beginners on this forum, you may benefit from doing a quick search. This page may also be helpful: http://www.beautifuliron.com/thefire.htm

Keep it damp with water. Never use a flammable liquid in a coal forge! You would use it like any other good quality coal, let it coke up as you work it in to the fire, keep it wetted to stop it burning before it should. It is a good grade of coal, and it can burn hot, but it doesn't require any special treatment.

I'm thinking cobbler's bench. There were a lot of different styles, some simple like this, some with buit in tool boxes, etc. Is the stake anvil removable? If it is for cobbling, it may be swappable for a cobbler's last for stiching soles, or this could have been set up for riveting, with a larger bench used for holding the lasts that would have had a lot more provisions for holding tools, etc. In a busy shop it would make sense to have a dedicated bench for riveting, just like some blacksmith shops had a dedicated nail making station, etc. There are also saddler's benches, but they tend to be much larger and more complicated than this appears to be.

....and bears..... :D

Will they allow a pole barn or pier posts? Might be a nice way to save a little money over digging a full trench and building it up with concrete. Easier to dig post holes to depth below the frost line. Then you can pour a floating slab if you ever decide you want concrete, though I am also not big on a concrete slab for a smithy.

M.A. does get some nice stuff in, and I've learned a few things from their auctions a time or two. I'd love to hear the story behind that lamp!

Really coming along great!

+1 I have always gone by these "rules" and often walk away with the item at a good price. While I keep a few "feelers" out on prices, I won't look for an item unless I have cash in hand. Having been the seller a few times, I can attest to the number of "tire kickers" and people wanting me to hold an item while they come up with the money (who will never call again) etc. I have also had a seller contact me now and then when they are going to sell another item along similar lines, to see if I might be interested. I've gotten a few great deals here and there over the years, as they sell direct to me rather than go through the hassel of dealing with placing and ad, etc. since they know I will show up and pay cash. It also never hurts to chat with a seller and let them know what else you are in the market for. I have gotten calls from friends of theirs later on, wanting to sell other items, and I already had a good rep with them from their friend. Networking! :)

A method I find very handy for splinters and cactus spines (especially those near invisible ones) is to put Elmer's glue over the area and let it dry. When I peel it off, the splinter has almost always come out with it.

Yeah the plan is to wrap over a hybrid frame, and do board and batten. Metal is faster and cheaper, but my father-in-law used metal and has nothing but trouble with humidity and critters. B&B is not all that much more expensive right now, and the wood has it's own small R value, and should act as a good buffer. Air flow is going to be through open metal mesh alon the top of the side walls, which should be plenty, and circulate the air around the ceiling area pretty well. I am working on scheduling the tractor work, the first schedule fell through, so not much will get done until around the 30th.

That hammer table your own design? I have a strong mind to build me one very similar to that, the more I see of it, the more I like it. Simple, but strong and functional. Nice to see that your shop is coming right along so well!

If it's galvanized, I move on. The way I look at it is, could I get away with it? Possibly. Is it worth the risk? No, because if I lose the bet I lose my life, either 6 feet under, or laid up and unable to work anymore. So the risk vs reward is too bad. If the only risk was "Would I have to replace a piece of equipment?" then I might take a chance depending on the circumstances. But I never gamble with my life or health, because even if the odds are decent, if I do something enough times, I'll come up on the short end eventually. But I can only choose for me, you have to choose for yourself. Is your life and health worth the risk to save a buck or two or the inconvenience of finding another piece of steel to work? You are the only one who can answer that question, and you are the one who will live or die with the consequences. And that goes for more than just burning galvanized. This is not a dumb question! It is far better to ask, and learn something. You are obviously making an effort to learn having read up on it a bit, and I encourage you to continue to do so. I never have a problem with someone asking a genuine question and trying to learn, my problem is with the guy who "knows it all" and never learns :)

With so many sharing their builds, I thought I'd share mine, too. Being lucky enough to live in the Florida Panhandle my build, especially the foundation, is going to be much cheaper and simpler. This is the start on an enclosed 30 x 36 pole barn. I am just not up to doing the roof, so I hired it out, the rest is going to be done by me as time and money allows. These pics are from yesterday. The timing was perfect, as there was a lull in their schedule so they could send their entire crew, and the job was done in 5 hours. Even though I am very strongly a do-it-yourself kind of guy, I do have to confess that is was nice to kick back with a cold drink and let the youngins do the work :) In the end, it is going to be enclosed and insulated, with seperate 200 amp service, so power won't be a problem as I grow. I also allowed room for expansion, and though the wife hasn't said anything, I think she is suspicious about the placement! :D I had the roof insulated as they installed it, which will be a real time and back saver. I am insulating more against heat in the summer than cold in the winter. I am far enough inland that it can get pretty hot and humid for quite a few months out of the year. I am also having to design for good air flow for not only the forge, but also to keep the humidity down inside the shop. Not all that hard to do, but definately needs to be thought out ahead of time. Around here, frost depth is about 1/8 inch, so I don't have to worry about heave. The 6x6 poles are set 3 ft. into the ground and concreted in, and bridged with welded metal trusses starting at 10 ft. With a 4/12 pitch, I will be able to place my forge and anvil towards the middle at one end, and have about 14-15 ft of overhead space, with plenty of space to the sides for larger projects. Even though I am outside the main hurricane zone, I am building it to hurricane spec, and this roof is rated to wind speeds of 154 mph. I am planning to build a Hofi style forge and go through the wall rather than penetrate the roof. It solves a lot of problems with both the roof and red tape with the local building code.

Down here in my area, concrete around the posts is required by code, along with rebar placed through the post to provide a positive grab for the concrete. Given that I am in an area that has been known to see a hurricane or two, wind load is a major factor in building codes, and using just gravel won't have enough grip. I have to go down about 4ft. also, for the same reason. I went down to get the permit packet for my shop today, and had a chat with the building inspector. One of the things I brought up was this very issue. He obviously could not give me instruction in how to build, but agreed that I would run into no problems with him or the County if I coated the end and outside of the pole where it went into the ground with roofing tar. Being enclosed should limit/eliminate water infiltration from the outside of the pole above ground, and it should last a lot longer. I also am making sure that the posts are well treated for in ground placement (CCA is still allowed in my area and available). In additon to all that, I am on a high spot with a shallow grade, and it is very sandy, with the water table about 70 - 100 ft below in this area. So water won't be sitting around the poles after it rains. For those in areas with a water table so close to the surface, you can still build a pole barn, but you are going to have to use posts with the same treatment ratings as you would use in a pier, to my knowledge.