Frosty

I don't know if I'd like the knife style I've never used one. The one opinion I can offer with confidence is I believe the large ring needs to be a bottle opener. Doesn't it? Frosty The Lucky.

If you need a smooth flat face it's easy to make a bottom tool for the purpose. Just a piece of flat stock at least an inch thick to lay over the anvil face and held in place with a shank that fits your hardy. Put her to work and she'll give you good service as long as you want to work at the anvil. Try to remove as little from it as possible, whatever you grind/sand off is gone, bye, BYE. Frosty The Lucky.

Try different pieces of rebar, not different pieces of the same bar. Some is very workable some not. New steel shares a similar fault, unless you order and pay the vig for 1018, mild is a hash of recycled steel that meets a spec, not a formula. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Jack, glad to have you. Don't despair, rebar isn't an alloy spec material anymore, it's made to performance specs, just so long as it meets minimum specs they don't much care what all is in it. You may run across rebar that's actually tool steel, whatever was in the rail car that got dumped in the melter. Given some time and experience you'll develop the skills to determine what you're working with by how it reacts to a grinder, the fire your hammer, etc. You won't be able to tell it's analysis (don't be sily <grin>) but you will be able to determine a working range and utility range. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Yotie, glad to have you. Your rail anvil will work just right as it is, milling the top flat isn't going to help it at all. The only real reason for a flat face is when you're truing up straight or flat work and rail has both a web and flange that'll do the job better. Both web and flange are wider than the rail and are flat. Spending the money to have the rail surface ground is money you could spend on better things. Worse would be having it "milled" they'd have to anneal the rail first then reheat treat it again afterwards making the job at least 4x the money of grinding. Use that puppy as it is and as you learn, make lots of key fobs, decorative nails, coat hooks, garden pieces, bottle openers, etc. sell said and put it in a coffee can under the porch till you have enough to buy a London pattern or whatever, anvil. No matter what keep your rail anvil unless you loan or give it to someone you teach sometime in the future. I'd still have my 3rd. rail anvil but I gave it to a beginner a couple years ago. no sweat, I have plenty of rail if I want another, I was still using my last rail anvil as a bench anvil when I passed it on. Frosty The Lucky.

I'm sure Michigan HAS an Oak Island but is there buried treasure on it? <grin> Frosty The Lucky.

Looks like simple age patination to me, like an old penny. Johnsons will work if you keep with it, say wax every few months, just follow the instruction on the can. Trying to remove the fingerprints and match the existing patina is serious restoration work. If you really want to remove the prints take Brasso to the whole wall and patina it with one of many possibilities. Do you want to remove the patina from the entire wall just to clean up a couple spots? Frosty The Lucky.

I'd sure look forward to some progress pics, a video or two myself. We just got to learn from an East German blacksmith and being able to watch and learn about the different style of work was very profitable. I'd really like to see how you address basic techniques and processes, it's just been driven home folk do the same things differently. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard James glad to have you. I'm afraid it's going to take a little self determination rather than a little flowery language to learn the craft. Not that we don't appreciate wordsmithing but the steel don't care, not a bit. Glenn's laid out a proven method of finding tools and equipment. If you scroll down to the bottom part of the Iforgeiron front page you'll find the regional organizations section where you'll find a club near you. Start reading, there are all kinds of subjects some very helpful for folk just getting started, things like bladesmithing, mome made power hammers and more are pretty darned advanced so get a handle on the craft's basics before hitting the hard stuff. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Mason, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI guys live within visiting distance. There are entire sections on Iforge about getting started, getting a shop up, minimum tools, how to find them, how to build them, how to use them and so on. Pack a lunch, a beverage and pull up a comfy chair there are many hours of reading here and they're arranged by subject. What is presented on youtube is a real mixed bag ranging from stuff put up by guys who have zero idea what they're doing that can get a person hurt, up to and including some truly masterful how to videos. The problem with so much on youtube being if you don't know something about the craft already you can't tell the good from the B-A-D. There is a subject here about beginner books and what is available online. There is more information posted by some true master blacksmiths right here on Iforge than a person could use in a mighty long time but we can't read it for you. You're going to have to start with a subject that looks like what you want to learn and you're going to have to read it. Perhaps pick one about how to build a forge after reading about the different types of forges, how they perform, what they're good for and so on. Once you start getting a handle on the craft there are a LOT of us here who love answering good questions and most especially helping a person get involved in the craft. One problem we run into is folk who want us to tell them how to do it in one go. Can't be done and we get kind of tired of folk wanting the secret info without working for it themselves. I'm not saying that's what you're trying to do, it's more a heads up that you'll get enthusiastic help if you do some groundwork yourself. Guys who just want answers to questions that have been answered many many times but don't bother to read the material don't get such good responses. Anyway, take a browse around till you find a subject that covers, or you THINK covers what you're looking for, do some reading and then get back with questions. You'll know enough more to ask good questions and have a better chance of understanding the answers. Frosty The Lucky.

It's star stuff, I believe the last in the main sequence fusion products, gotta go super nova for the better stuff. Oh wait, am I thinking hydrogen-oxygen-carbon sequence? Maybe we have to go super nova to get iron. Of course that'd make the other elements to make the really neatO steel alloys too. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Big Mac, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI family live within visiting distance. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Timothy, glad to have you. You be in luck there are a number of outstanding blacksmiths and bladesmiths in your general vicinity. If you go to the Iforgeiron front page and scroll to the bottom section you'll find the "regional organizations" section and a little looking will put you in contact with the club in your area or at least close. It isn't going to take long and some of the guys close to you will be speaking up anyway but there's already contact info in this forum. Frosty The Lucky.

It'll work very well as a coating over the ceramic wool insulating refractory. If you mix the first coat fairly wet and wet the ceramic blanket so the refractory actually soaks in a little it will make a much better bond. Then you can lay on stiffer mix for strength over the first stiffening coat. Remember, many thin coats is FAR better than one thick one. The thicker the wet refractory the more likely it is to shrink check as it dries, like mud in the sun. You're on the right track brother. Frosty The Lucky.

Saying "good score" is a serious understatement. You a lucky dog! Good on ya for cluing the lady to it's actual value, it's good karma for sure, no guilt for great deals following those rules. Frosty The Lucky.

NICE job! Frosty The Lucky.

Laying something heavy on the project to keep it put is indeed old had or should I say Hold hat? I think all of us have done the heavy, "gravity clamp?" thing too many times to count. I like your set up as maybe a proof of concept model, for my use anyway. I'd put a wider flat under the rail. "table?" I'd seriously think about another rail for the table section and experiment with which works better flange or rail up. I think it needs hips from the legs to the posts, it'd get wobbly in my shop too fast. I'd also experiment with putting the shanks off center in the clamp bar to see if it'd jam in the holes like a holdfast does. They would stack for storage as they stand with a minimal offset to one side or the other. Put some SMALL feet on the legs and they couldn't tip when stacked. I'm thinking 1/8"x2" strap stock for feet and maybe a smear of dry silicone calk on the bottoms to make them no skid feet. I vote this is a darned good idea, a head slapper for me for sure. Lots of potential without getting all fancy. Well done. Frosty The Lucky.

Ayup, that's a fine mount. You don't really need to try making it like the factory mounts though. Frosty The Lucky.

We're not only a young club but Alaska is so spread out it's hard to get together if you don't live within say 50-60 miles of an event, say meeting. for most of us networking involves getting together with maybe one or two other guys. club meetings with more than 10-12 guys is a HUGE turnout. <sigh> There seem to be plenty of clinicians (Yeah, a farrier term, lots of our guys are farriers and we try to schedule clinicians in conjunction with the farrier's guild, it's a win win for both groups.) willing to come to Alaska but scheduling for them is usually pretty tight. Of course most folk coming to Alaska want to look around some,maybe do some fishing so they need another week or so free making it a little harder to find the time in a schedule. Lawn Jocky guy: I didn't mean to come across like a lecturer, I was trying to commiserate, I know and feel your pain. Here in the Mat Su Valley if a guy wants to take a few lessons guess who they call? Yeah, ME. I'm mostly an old duffer at the anvil, until the internet went public I was entirely self taught and hadn't even found a book till maybe 1979, "The Art of Blacksmithing" to put the name on the first title in my library. I didn't know ABANA existed let alone other organizations, heck the only blacksmiths I knew were sill working were farriers. As it stands I learn from everybody I watch forge, good, bad, average, every single one. I always learn something and the "DON'T DO THATs! are for sure the more valuable on average. You've probably noticed I spend a LOT of time reading Iforgeiron, I read everything I can get a hand or monitor on. One of my best good fortunes is to have a nearly eidetic memory for the written word, not as well organized and accessible since the accident but most everything I've ever read is in there somewhere. All I have to do is find it. <sigh> Anyway, I'm a font of book learning, I'm literally full of IT, <smirk> Before the accident damaged the nerves to my left eye I was pretty good at the anvil and had enough experience to adapt and apply book knowledge. Mostly now I try to put it in language other guys can get a handle on and apply. Criminy! I'm starting to get maudlin on top of windy. Think I'll sign off for now. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Ian, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. I'm having trouble thinking of any advice I can give you other than: Take a course in casting, read something other than blogs and view youtube videos for research. You just don't have enough knowledge to even attempt casting without serious risk. Seriously, you're at the casting fishing weights and bullets beginner stage and even then you're talking potentially crippling risks. Ian buddy, I don't know you from Adam but I don't want you or someone close to you coming to harm. Casting any metal is extremely hazardous, even with the proper safety gear. You're choking over having to maybe buy another $25.00 bucket of refractory. If you added two more zeros to that cost it wouldn't be something to bother you if you have any business casting. A couple numbers to think about. 1 gallon of 212f water changes to 1,600 gallons of 212f steam. The higher the temperature at the phase shift the larger the volume increase. So, 10lbs. (about a coffee mug full) of 2,300f molten iron has the same energy stored in it as a CASE of 40% dynamite. Consider what's going to happen if a 50 lb. crucible (pretty small, one man pour) of molten iron spilled on damp soil or bare concrete, globs of MOLTEN 2,300f iron are going to be flying for yards in every direction. It's a welcome to hell scenario. Frosty The Lucky.

Everybody has scheduling problems, good instructors are almost always booked in advance, some a year or more. We find ourselves trying to book clinicians close to a year in advance unless they're already visiting Alaska and then we have to book them months in advance. In short, welcome to our world, good instructors aren't everywhere. Frosty The Lucky.

That is a funky cool post apocalyptic zombi whacker axe. An outstanding display or movie prop piece. I like it, well done. Frosty The Lucky.

Sorry for the really slow reply. Pat's probably THE go to guy for casting art bronze in this part of Alaska, he's getting more and more commissions for plaques and memorial castings. Frosty The Lucky.

I should've looked at the link. I don't think our new fellow knows the difference between refractory and insulation Thomas. I suppose at some level they are synonymous and he's using a translation program. The refractory you are looking at using is NOT an insulator. It is a high alumina refractory which is good as a forge liner, it is resistant to welding fluxes and is tough at working temperature. It is no better insulation than an inch or two of concrete would be. You need to use either an insulating refractory and accept the reduced toughness and flux resistance or a ceramic blanket like Kaowool and accept the fact it is outright fragile at temp and molten fluxes dissolve it like hot water on cotton candy. You can coat an insulating refractory with materials designed to armor it against most abuses. You can even make a double wall liner, think 15-20mm of hard refractory like the Secar and wrap it with Kaowool or surround it with an insulating refractory. Frosty The Lucky.

Starting a session with a couple three nails makes that sound like a decent run of sessions to me. Since the accident I've changed my introductory lesson from a leaf coat hook to nails. Seems that after the kids make about three, their nails are better than mine. Frosty The Lucky.