Rantalin

So there wouldn't be much of an issue turning a cold chisel into a slitting chisel then, because I wouldn't be grinding much on the "business end"

Hi again, tomorrow I'm going to exchange my propane tank for a full one, and found on the Blue Rhino website that a gallon of propane will last about 3 hours if the demand is about 30,000 BTU's per hour. So what's the demand for forging?

Second, Would grinding an old tool, like a cold chisel down to a hot chisel by increasing the angle of the edge, while keeping the tool wet while grinding keep the heat-treatment? I was thinking of taking old chisels from a flew market and grinding them down into hot chisels and slitting chisels. And maybe using some big ones for 'hawk heads.

Currently, the Massachusetts state laws allow any single edged blade of ANY length to be carried on your person, so long as it is not a switch-blade. If so, the length limit is I believe an inch and a quarter or so. I collect non-gunpowder weaponry, and currently have...well, let's count...*after a few minutes of counting*...44 knives and swords. They stay in my room mostly, except one which I carry on my person DAILY for work and whatever else I may possibly need it for. My father and I built a cabinet for my blades, to be hung up later this month, with a locking plexi-glass front. All of my "illegal" blades have the edges ground down to about a 16th of an inch to make them not have a sharp edge, and therefore not illegal. You can't have a double-edged blade without the "edge" part of it. I have 3 books about weapons and armor from almost any time period and all geographic places in the world. I both collect and study weapons, and hopefully armor soon, and am focusing my college studies on the history of feudal Europe, and feudal Japan (Knights and Samurai). I plan on expanding my collection as much as I can, buying more expensive and well made reproductions, and eventually authentic antiques. There are MANY objects that can be used as weapons that are in everybodies house, beyond kitchen knives. Books, pencils, scissors, glasses, a phone, etc. Just because something was originally made to BE a weapon, doesn't mean it it has to be used that way.

Done ranting now...

The End

If I understand correctly, the hamon is the visible line between the hardened and unhardened metal in a knife. The effect is created primarily by putting clay on the spine of the blade, up to about 1/4 inch from the edge. The piece is then heated and cooled (can someone else describe the cooling process, I am unaware of whether this is done by air, oil, water, or if it depends on the steel) When the blade is polished, the hamon line appears where the darker metal meets lighter metal. I'm not sure if there is always a color difference.

beautiful

I've been looking for a nice, well made but inexpensive war hammer to add to my collection, but haven't found the right one yet. That basic style but wood handle is sort of what I'm looking for. But I'm guessing that would cost me more than 90 dollars if I had you make it ;-)

Before switching to my major to history, I used Autodesk Inventor Version 7 in all of my Mechanical Engineering classes. The program is great, ad I was able to get a copy for my own computer to play around with. There is a book that I believe is just called Autodesk Inventor 7 that teaches you about the program and gives you little projects to complete while you learn. I've tried a few other CAD programs, but this is definatly my top choice for ease of use and learning.

Rick, you have hit on my area of expertise, or at least an area that I am somewhat knowledgable and confident in. A few years ago, I picked up the SAS Survival Handbook, written by John Wiseman, an ex-member of the Special Air Service, a unit of the British Army. I've pretty much read it cover to cover and it goes over what you need to know to survive in a variety of climates and conditions. A few examples of the contents are:

Where to find water
Edible plants and fungi
Making traps and snares
How to find, hunt, and prepare game
Catching fish
Building shelters and establishing a camp
Starting a fire
Rope and knots
Using Nature to find North
detailed First-Aid and CPR
Survival at Sea
How to survive a natural, or un-natural disaster (floods, tornados, fire, nuclear explosions, etc.)
How to survive if trapped in or around your own house

This book is extremely useful if you want to learn how to live off the land. I've been trying to plan a camping trip with a friend for sometime in August, where we will go out into the woods, and stay there for a weekend with no tent, some snack foods (crackers and granola bars) and the contents of my survival kit, which are:

100' of Clothesline
a spool of fishing line
fishing hooks
a first-aid kit
a survival knife
a compass
some very thin wire for snares
matches
a container of seasonings
a machete
a hatchet
a small notebook and a few pens and pencils

All of this equipment, with the exception of the knife and the hatchet were purchased at Walmart.

This all stays in a backpack in my car, with the exception of the hatchet and the machete. If I break down or get horribly lost in an area without human contact, and no cell phone service, I have what I need to keep going until the next day. Or if I REALLY get into trouble, I can keep myself going for as long as I need to.

Unfortunatly, too much land is now privately owned or protected, and it is illegal to stay overnight, nevermind a weekend, or week on it.

If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them, I'm definatly not a professional survivalist, but I will try my best to help

That is some amazing work vALENTIN! A wonderful addition to the already large group of skilled people here.

All of these points make perfect sense to me as an ex-Mechanical Engineering major, but the current History major neds to ask, Why?

If there were no benifit to havig an anvil with a larger mass, then why even bother having a 500# anvil?

It seems to me that the two points in which the hot metal is being squeezed between should have the largest mass possible, yet remain practical. No 10,000# anvils or 300# hand-hammers (I know the earlier reference was to a power hammer, I'm just making a point).

This is the way I'm picturing it:

If you have an anvil of mass X, lets say 100 pounds. That mass is spread out over a relatively large area compared to the stock that you are working. And your hammer (again, a hand-hammer) only has a striking surface of maybe a maximum of a 3 inch circle. The mass of the anvil that is directly under the stock and hammer is doing all of the work in moving the metal.

However, there are two reasons why having a larger anvil could be better:

1) The larger anvil face helps to support the stock so you don't have to hold the full weight of it, as well as give you an easily accessible place to put your hardies and other anvil tools (where else would you put them BUT the anvil?)

2) Having the full mass of the anvil spread out gives the anvil stability.


Something else to consider:

I am also debating whether having the mass of the anvil spread out helps the anvil absorb some of the force of the hammer. This may just be me trying too hard to think of things though A larger surface area spreads the force applied to it evenly. It might possibly be better to have the entire anvil mass concentrated into a cylinder the same diameter of your hammer's striking surface. Using the onlinemetals.com weight calculator, I've found that a round bar of 1018 cold rolled steel 3 inches in diameter and exactly 4.16793 feet long would have a mass of exactly 100 pounds, and cost just about $US175. Not an unreasonble price for a 100# "anvil". I'm not sure about the steel type, if someone could give me a better steel, I could do it over again.

So if this bar were FIRMLY supported in the ground, it would offer you 100#s of mass directly under your work, and may help move the metal easier. And is essence, if you had an anvil that was just over 4 feet high in all areas, then no matter where you hit, it would be 100#s of mass under your hammer. But that would have to be moved with lifts and stay there. It would probably weigh about 900#'s.

Maybe I should switch back to Engineering...

My forge name is simply, "Dan's Hand-forged Ironworks" Not overly complicated, and gets the point across.

Thats actually a really good idea. I have white counter tops, and it bounces the flash back like a mirror.

Thats a great looking weld Ian, and I like the paper towel background.

Thanks Strine, I've made S hooks and small leaves. Actually made some small keychains that didn't come out very well, but practice makes perfect.

Strine, you say a "3 heat trinket", what would be something small and easy that could be made in three heats?

SWE_Karl, I used an online translator on your Swedish, and the best translation I can get is that you want to know why he used the SS-2225 to make the tongs.

thanks ed. All I meant was that the excessive amount of clinker I have is caused by so much air, which would in turn cause more coal to burn, and more clinker to form.

I also develop a pretty decent amount of clinker, and I believe that it may be caused by too high of an air flow. I'm going to make some sort of a control gate for my blower so that I can vary the air I use.

I have an outisde forge, so when I need lighting, I use a very powerful worklight that makes my work area light up ike daytime.

thats interesting bruce. My dad has my grandfather's WWII knife that I hope to add to my collection at some point. Mild steel is the best I have to work with right now, so I guess the best I can do is give it a shot and see what happens. I'm also going to try making some spearheads and spears out of mild steel.

I know that mild steel isn't a good metal for blades, due to the low carbon content. Right now, its all I have to work with. The only dump nearby doesn't allow people to take or buy the "junk" thats already in there. By durability, I meant that the sword was poorly assembled, with pieces falling off or being loose. I'm not really looking for somethign that'll withstand the heat of battle, yet. For now I just want something I show show as my own that won't fall apart when I pick it up.

I want the sword, because I collect sword and other non-gunpowder weaponry. I get frustrated at the lack of quality that I get from these mostly decorative pieces that I order. They just don't have the durability I'm looking for in a sword. So instead, I've decided to make one of my own. I have the equipment necessary to make a sowrd, its just a matter of trying it. I'm not one of those kids who wants to make a sword and swing it around wildly. I have about 30+ blades that are all well taken care of.

I want to make a sword out of a piece of bar that's made out of mild steel. My question is regarding whether the mild steel will be strong enough to not bend. I believe the bar is at most 1/4" thick, and 2 inches wide. I saw a blacksmith in Florida at the Medieval Times show that had made a sword from the same size stock, but high carbon steel. There was some flex, but not enough to actually bend the steel to a different shape.

thanks for the tips, once the snow melts, and I have a chance to get back at the forge, I'll give it a shot

ok, I've attempted multiple forge welds with coal, not high quality blacksmith coal though. Every time, I find a fault in the weld, or I burn the metal. Did you use any flux to make the weld? I tried using ash from the forge, with no difference. I've also tried without any flux at all, and thats how I got my first, and only weld. Though it was not pretty. I burned most of the metal around the weld. I've only tried it with 1/4" round stock, I want to try with 1/2 inch though.

The last two times I went to light my forge, I couldn't get it lit for at least an hour. My dad said its probably from having an outdoor forge, and leaving the coal in the forge between firing, so it had moisture in it. but USUALLY, I throw a couple balls of newspaper in, followed by some wood, then charcoal, then my coal.