Frosty

Welcome aboard Alex, glad to have you. Put your general location in the header and you'll find Texas has a pretty active blacksmithing community, lots within visiting distance. Get yourself hooked up with the organization close to you, you'll learn more an hour with an experienced smith than you will in days, weeks, sometimes months on your own. You've fallen into a common trap for the newcomer, you think you need the RIGHT tool to do the work. Not true, all yu need is something to hold the fire, a hole in the ground, a wooden table with a few inches of dirt as heat shield, a hair drier or a paper bag and piece of pipe will deliver enough air. I've had a darned successful field expedient forge and used a prevailing wind, some pipe and sheet tin to deliver a strong air blast. While nice looking that forge is WAY over priced, it's not like you live somewhere there aren't any tools say . . . Alaska. Look up the subject TPAAT on IFI, the method works for most anything you want, not just anvils. Frosty The Lucky.

Dents, in a Soderfors? Have you done a rebound test? Check the area with "dents". Unless it's been through a fire I doubt one of two things, #1, they're actually dents but are some other damage, or #2 it isn't a Soderfors anvil, maybe an imposter. It's been my experience with them that the face is much more likely to chip, crack or break than dent. I've never heard of a dented Soderfors. If she's the read deal and hasn't lost heat treat, prepare to be spoiled. Oh HEY! Where are the PICTURES! Wassamatta you? Frosty The Lucky.

I don't try running mine outside the forge but it's useful if you don't have a good torch. However I MUST state vigorously as I can, do NOT try lighting it if you have it in your HEAD!!! Low on propane could do it but it'd show as a pressure drop when you open the burner valve. Now get that OUT OF YOUR HEAD! Frosty The Lucky.

Ice is those cold little cubes floating in your sweet tea. All workable ideas, I've used the 55gl drum idea, have a work bench/table that used to have a bench vise. I like the cable spool idea and if it's too light you can shovel gravel in it. Frosty The Lucky.

I couldn't get past the introduction. I'm thinking Facegook and Youboob are really poor choices for intelligent communications. While I love Rick Furrer's Viking sword video I've seen it several times, have it bookmarked in two venues but that's all I found on the Arctic fire site blade related. After watching one bit (and I mean bit as in itty bit) all that was available on the site were various unrelated YouBoob videos: Mario Bros, fashion, home design, etc. etc. Sorry for the rant, I've already submitted my "comments" to them, seeing as I kept getting the opening page, sat through the intro over and over without getting to watch them make any thing. I was required to submit my contact info and comment so I DID. Frosty The Lucky.

I LIKE em, a little tuning up and I think you have a very marketable item on your hands. A thicker foot is a good idea, stronger and look better. I think you have something excellent brewing. As good as the anvils look the banana looks more real. <VBG> Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for asking the question Michael, lots of eye candy is showing up! Insects are popular items at demos I just never got good at the critter thingies, Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Josh, glad to have you. Thanks for the link, that's an excellent article. Of course we manly men of the blacksmith's craft know just how manly we are but don't brag about it, folk know naturally . . . when they get down wind. <grin> Don't get in a hurry there are blacksmithing tools in your area if you want to try hard to find, try finding blacksmithing anything in Alaska. Search TPAAT here. the Thomas Powers Anvil Acquisition Technique is one of, if not the best way to find stuff you're looking for. In short, tell EVERYONE what you're looking for: friends and family of course, their friends and family, the mail man, the checker at the grocery store the people in line in front of and behind you, Church, work, diner, fancy restaurant, fishing at the creek, the guy at the next urinal, the cop writing you up for speeding. . . EVERY DARNED BODY. You'd be amazed at how many folk have old uncle Barnard's anvil or whatever getting in the way in the garage, barn etc. I found my Soderfors when one of the guys at work told me his neighbor was getting out of farrier work, knees and back were shot. Regardless, do NOT get in a hurry and you're a LOT less likely to spend good money on junk. Read through the anvil subjects here, we talk about the things all the time and are frankly EAGER to help folk find and evaluate anvils and other tools and equipment. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Billy, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you could find you have mates down under within visiting distance. I vote Soderfors, mine is a Sorceress and they had "royal" model names. I don't think you'll ever forge on a finer anvil than that beauty. Congratulations you're about to be spoiled completely you LUCKY dog. Frosty The Lucky.

One belt good, two bad. One it is in my opinion. When I first got mine I was afraid it might slip on one V belt seeing as it was designed to run on a flat belt. Were that the case I figured I'd turn a primary pully to take a snow machine (that's Snowmobile for you occasional snow guys) belt. Snow machine belts are wide if toothed on the inside but flat otherwise. I figured if I ran it upside down it's behave like a flat belt and be drawn up the crown and self center. Snow machine belts normally run in torque converter drives so they're really strong and wear resistant so running it upside down shouldn't make a difference. All that said mine runs just fine on a single automotive V belt so I'm not messing with it. Frosty The Lucky.

Hmmmm, it shouldn't be doing that. Were are you introducing the propane in the burner? Have you gotten it up to heat before adjusting? I suppose you might have a set up that needs both adjusted at the same time. That's just a guess so don't give it much weight but it might be worth trying. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome to the Black Iron Clan Darlin. I don't know what it is about having someone genuinely interested in the craft, it just brings out the demonstrator/mentor in us. You'll be sponging information and practicing skills till one day you'll meet someone who needs to know something you know how to do and THAT's when you'll really start learning. Nothing speeds the climb up the learning curve like showing someone else a thing. They'll ask things like, "Why did you do THAT?" and you find yourself deep in self examination because you just do IT that way and never really thought about the why. OR they ask, "What would happen if you do X?" and you're both off and running. I find I learn as much or more than the folk I teach. Oh and the "Black Iron Clan" thing just came to me as I was typing, I liked it so I left it. Teaching folk is like that sometimes a THING just comes to you or the student and everybody walks away richer. Knowledge is something you can give away and not lose it. Frosty The Lucky. I spoke with Frosty and Black Iron Clan has been copyrighted by IFI

Welcome aboard Matt, glad to have you. You might want to hold off cutting up that nice welding table, solid fuel forges are really easy to make but a good welding table is a gem. Getting the blower working again is a well discussed topic here, I'm sure there's a section. One of the things that happens really often is. . . "stuff" jamming them up. They seem to be perfect places for nests: ants, hornets, mice rats, birds, all kids of critters just love living in forge blowers. Then there are children, they seem to just love dropping rocks, nails, bolts, sticks and just plain old dirt in blowers. It probably sounds cool to hear the impellers grinding on . . . stuff. Sometime a plain good cleaning is all it takes, I used a pressure washer on one I picked up and all kinds of . . . interesting. . . stuff came out. Then gentle back and forth on the handle action loosened up the rest of the crud and finally got it moving. I've found it isn't usually necessary to take them apart to get them working, sometimes it is but not always. Oiling is a big mistake we make, do NOT fill the case with oil unless you want to oil the shop floor. just a few drops in the oiling hole is all it wants or needs. Frosty The Lucky.

In the soils lab the drying ovens ran 230f an overnight stay eliminates hygroscopic moisture from samples, even mud. A gas kitchen oven will take a while longer than an electric because a byproduct of combustion is water. Regardless an hour or two should completely dry vermiculite, even in a bucket. Vermiculite and perlite have an open pore structure, that's why they're used to hold water in soil. Water goes in easy and can be drawn out easily by plants but doesn't just run out. Thinking about it, I'll bet you could keep it in a closed box with a light bulb and keep it dry. Warmer than ambient will drive off moisture. Frosty The Lucky.

I forget what Jim said but Darryl is booked well in advance If we move now we MAY be able to book him for next summer. We may be SOL for this summer, we really need to get on the ball if we want these things. Frosty The Lucky.

Remember to wet (butter) the refractory before applying the ITC-100. It doesn't need to be dripping but just wet. A dry surface will draw the water out of the wash where the are in contact and keep them from bonding properly. It's the same as mortaring masonry, you gotta butter it first. Frosty The Lucky.

Oooooh, now that's something to try. Phosphoric acid will convert rust back to iron/steel and if you wash and neutralize after cleaning it won't make the black phosphate oxide (whatever the proper term is) black patina. (Parkerize?) Another thing it tends to do is chemically weld rusty parts together and is the reason you must take things apart if you're going to use it more than just a quick brush. Deliberately using it to weld is a neat idea, a real head slapper in fact. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Mike, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many IFI gang live within visiting distance. I have a 50lb. LG that runs happily on one or two v belts. When I changed the motor mount I had to do some tweaking to get the belts tracking. One on each side of the crown seems to be where they play well together. Then I decided it ran fine with one belt so I run it with one and keep the other on a hook. Don't worry, there are plenty of guys here that KNOW LGs, I'm sure you'll be getting knowledgeable info soon. I'll be following for the info. Frosty The Lucky.

I LIKE your friends Patch! I can't identify it other than to say it's either a bench vise or is made to attach to another tool like a forge/anvil or one of the many combination tools. Being the traveling jaw is anchored by the screw it's not meant for heavy hammer work like a post vise but it looks stout enough for medium light hammer work. Certainly more than a modern bench anvil. Whatever she is, she's a beauty. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Mike, glad to have you. If you put your general location in the header you might be surprised at how many of the IFI gang live within visiting distance. Sure it will work but only doing a 5gl. bucket is less economical than buying lump charcoal. If however you were to use it to jump start a 55gl. retort and use the pyrolization fumes as fuel to continue the reaction you'd be batting home runs. Normally I'd recommend just building a propane forge but Thomas beat me to it. It's still a good idea though. Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for the link Nick, it's been posted on other fora and lists but I wasn't able to view it without subbing to the EU thing and I already get too much spam. The jump welded bit isn't the only thing he doe's differently. He forges the eye in a rectangular section till the very end. It's also a good reminder that axes vary quite a bit regionally, in the US we tend to prefer wider blades with more belly and that axe has a long narrow blade with little belly. No doubt the gentleman knows his business, every tool is at hand but out of the way. I see a lot to learn from the video, it's going into my library. Frosty The Lucky.

BSBs generally have a pretty high nickle content so they don't work harden running over the rolls so they make for nice contrast when etched in pattern welds. I hear them called L6 but with all the competition making the things I believe they're L6 equivelants rather than specifically L6. Regardless of what exactly they're made of they weld pretty easily with basic technique, are hardenable, tough and have pretty high contrast when etched. Of course most fab shops just toss the dull and broken ones they're usually free for the asking if you're nice about it. I know I have more 1" wide metal BSBs than I'll use in forever and had to say enough. Big hacksaw frame is a super use and just the thing for a blacksmith to make. Frosty The Lucky.

I'm often struck by (whatever they call yard/garage/rummage/? sales in the UK) envy. Not only to folk that side of the pond come across juicy bits like that but real wrought iron, centuries old tools and equipment and such. You ought to try finding blacksmithing tools in Alaska. If you find something they want stupid money for it and that's not counting the stupid expensive shipping, they tag that on too. <sigh> I just try to ignore the great finds on the other side of the planet. If I could fire up my jet and visit I might but I'm just a guy so I read and go look at the next thread. Okay now I'm little depressed so I'll think about those two BIG coil springs laying in what I think is an abandoned lot. The diameter of the stock has to be near 2" dia and would make probably a couple hundred hammers. I'll salve myself imagining all the cool things I can make with those two BIG coils of (probably) 5160. I'm better now, hard as that is to believe. <grin> Frosty The Lucky.

Ayup, the heel's going to ring more than the rest though the horn comes in a close second. The heal is thin so the hard steel face plate is a larger fraction of the whole and being thin it will resonate more easily and more loudly. you ought to hear my Soderfors on a wood stand, ear plugs and muffs and it'll make your ears ring after a missed blow. The trick to control anvil noise is to stop the resonance. As suggested, bedding the anvil in silicone or similar will deaden overall ring. I found wool felt works really well as bedding noise control but dirt under it helped considerably. All that ramble aside, your loud zone is the heal and that's hard to deaden well. Winding a chain around the waist will help but sticking a magnet under the heal is about as effective as I know about. A magnet is going to absorb the shock wave generated by impact and return it to the anvil However it'll be out of a different frequency than the anvil so they will damp out. this is how they work, same with a chain though the mechanics of a chain is a little different the effect is the same they damp the vibration. The magnet's size and make up makes a difference. If you were to use the little rubber fridge magnets you're not going to get much if any sound reduction, I use my welding magnets and they help. The best I have though is one I picked up at a garage sale intended to be screwed to a wall for a hanger or a stick for fishing nails, etc. off the ground. It's strong and more importantly for sound damping has a metal shell. This one's pretty effective. The most effective sound damping for my anvils are the steel stands but the heels still want a magnet or they're loud. The Trenten is reduced to okay clanking but the Soderfors is bearably with hearing protection. That doesn't sound like much but it's a HUGE improvement. My Soderfors dangerously LOUD ring is why I'm not an anvil tapper, I try to NEVER hit an anvil with a bare hammer. I don't need it to keep time and as far as I'm concerned it's no use and actually damages my hammers. Little flat spot dings maybe but I still have to dress them for every missed blow. Frosty The Lucky.

Okay guys, start thinking MEETING! It's just a week till our next meeting at Jim's in Anchorage the 19th. Does anybody have any thoughts? Maybe club business that needs addressing? A demo subject? Demo volunteer? Something, anything? At the very least we need to start talking about demonstrators, we're WAY behind the curve for a summer 2014 demonstrator and it's nobody's fault but ours. So how about let's talk about it here and NOT leave it to meetings, there's too much time between meetings to leave everything for an one hour talk every 3 months. Frosty The Lucky.