Frosty

Faster, Cheaper, Easier is probably one of the truest blacksmith mottos. Making a one off or maybe pair of items, just do it but doing as Randy has, making near a hundred and you need a jig or you're going to be an out of business blacksmith flipping burgers somewhere. It's what a blacksmith does. Well done Randy. Frosty The Lucky.

Cast iron pans are susceptible to cracking if you wet your coal or fire while it's hot. Cast iron does NOT like rapid uneven cooling. Trapping water under the liner can be a problem but you can paint it with a phosphoric acid primer like Ospho and it'll be good for long long time. There are lots of clay mixes that'll work well, the less portland cement you use the better as portland hydrates as it sets, it doesn't dry. Hydrating means it's absorbing water and setting chemically so heating it much over 210f can cause it to spall. The general mix I like is 1pt fire clay to 3-4 pts. sand to 1/2 pt portland cement or less. In this mix the cement glues it together till the clay fires but there's enough sand it can't damage the liner if it spalls. Only add enough moisture to let it ram solid or it'll shrink check as it dries. (the clay not the cement) Decide what shape duck's nest you want, this is the depression over the air grate referred to in earlier posts, a salad bowl works nicely if not too large. Ram the mix in with a mallet or similar till it bounces and burnish it with a piece of coarse cloth like burlap or canvas. Burnishing the liner makes it smooth, think short polish and helps keep things from sticking to it or catching on it. Let it dry thoroughly if you have to hang a light bulb near it. Fire it gently, small fire first, allow it to cool and light a little larger fire for a longer time and let it cool. Lastly let it rip and get good and hot, A double layer of charcoal briquettes and forced draft is recommended for furnace liners made this way. Why you let it cool between firings I don't know but that's what I read back when and it's worked well for me. It's not a critical thing folk use clay out of the garden, river bank or just dirt and ram it in. you may have to replace it often but that the hey, it'd dirt cheap. Frosty The Lucky.

I was thinking forge welding too and am interested in results if tried. Another use would be for chasing or other top tool striking, say punching or drifting. Fit ups say mortice/tennon, wedges, etc. might be another specialty use where you want to test fit without making it permanent. As general forging goes I think not but let me know. Frosty The Lucky.

Isn't the old saying, Adopt, adapt, undersell? I think Pete Fels is on here somewhere, maybe we can talk him into showing off some of his openers and you can try borrowing those ideas. They're beyond me. Frosty The Lucky.

How heavy are you planning on making the ram? I'm thinking the channel base is too light for even a 25lb. I'm thinking you need to go looking for an anvil, nothing you have is going to work well no matter what you do to it. The 4" sq. would make an okay ram but not adequate as the anvil, even if you cast it full of lead. Of course that's just my opinion I could be wrong, I'm used to it. Frosty The Lucky.

Is that a handling hole in the base or am I misreading the pics? Have you checked the rebound? Frosty The Lucky.

Grand score Hayden! As said, keep the lefthand drill bits for removing broken screws. Even if a bunch of bits, taps and dies turn out to be worn out or broken, they'll make dandy pattern welded blade stock. Frosty The Lucky.

I wouldn't get something as light as 200lb. 250-300lb is going to have more utility to heavier work. This is based on the, "It's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it," philosophy. Nimba is a top notch modern anvil, an excellent choice. Frosty The Lucky.

You can check out the section of IFI that presents Blacksmith clubs/organizations for the one nearest to you though off the top of me pointy Rocky Mountain Blacksmith (?) might be the guys. Another possibility is to call a farrier or two and ask them if they use coal and where they get it. Even if the person you talk to doesn't s/he will know who does. If you're talking to a coal company or carrier you want "metallurgical" coal, soft bituminous not anthracite which is generally heat coal. Of course I live in Alaska and have no specific info for you so just stand by the info storm is due. <grin> Frosty The Lucky.

I think a lot of the current thinking that blacksmiths shoe horses comes from post WWII America. Blacksmithing was a dieing craft until the mid 70's at least as anything but the farrier's craft. Lots of farriers but few ornamental or restoration smiths till recently. Okay, maybe there were lots but you never heard of them, except the occasional shot of someone in a movie or TV show holding a top tool upside down over a piece of hot iron. I try not to get irritated doing demos, even by the folk who insist I'm doing it wrong or it isn't a "real" fire or . . . Actually I appreciate these folk, they provide such splendid straight lines and I LOVE a good straight line. Frosty The Lucky.

Above Bryan? Anything above zero in your neighborhood is a good day isn't it? Around here, about 275 miles southerly from Bryan's, anything in the 70's is positively searing heat! Frosty The Lucky.

NICE job Mitch! I'm really fond of a fish tale or reverse scroll finial and those are just right. Frosty The Lucky.

My old Hobart mig gun has a hanger hook on it and a coffee can with a little weight in it works fine. Then again mine is off when I release the trigger so hanging it is mostly to keep it clean and out of the way. Still, that's a nice hanger and my torch can use one, heck, I have lots of stuff that'd benefit from such a hanger. Thanks for the tip. Frosty The Lucky.

Blood of your enemies? Frosty The Lucky.

Looks good enough to sell Daniel. If you make the top scroll section and the lip lifter shorter it'll reduce the flex. A little refinement and I think you have a fast seller on your hands, folk really like bottle openers and cork screws. Frosty The Lucky.

Is this concrete blade impregnated with tungsten carbide? If so drilling it's going to require a diamond bit. After that the matrix steel could well be too soft to make a decent blade. Abrasion resistant steels can take many forms and many don't require much rockwell hardness. Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for the video and pics Lyle. Great stuff Dave deserves no less than you two. Frosty The Lucky.

Buy and wear good safety glasses, if the period police have a hissy fit pack your kit and leave. NO period is worth an eye, no way no how. All I had to do was start packing and the period police went away, never to whiz in my soup again. It's been a many number of years since anyone at any historical event has said anything about safety gear,the insurance co. maybe had a talk with em? As a blacksmith you have a highly desirable craft for period events, this gives you leverage. NEVER fail to use whatever you have to protect yourself and the public. Heck, talking about the blacksmith's retirement plan is a standard part of my demos. Lose your second eye and you're RETIRED. Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome back Patrick, good to hear from you. I had pretty ugly luck with an associate some years ago but won't go into it except to say I know the or a similar feeling. Let me know if you have questions about making a gasser. Frosty The Lucky.

Good score for sure! I lined mine with fire clay rammed in while just moist enough to clump. I think you got enough sand in the cement it'll be okay. If it heat checks either increase the sand or use 4pts fire clay to 3pts sand to 1/2 pt cement it'll be reasonably fireproof. Frosty The Lucky.

I'd rethink case hardening as it's more for wear resistance than impact resistance. Can you make friends at the local truck (lorry?) shop? Large trucks have plenty of parts of the right kind of steel for hammer making. Axles are good for hammers and they don't require exacting heat treatment. Frosty The Lucky.

I love it! I'm hoping it wasn't a chromed wrench to start with. Bringing chromed steel to forging heat is really BAD for your health, hexavalent chrome is not only toxic but a serious carcinogen. I mention this as much as a warning to other smiths wanting to give wrench morphing a try. I'm also really taken with your texturing tool. Ain't power hammers grand? Frosty The Lucky.

Welcome aboard Dalton, glad to have you! Blades are more technically advance than general smithing and can be daunting before you've built enough skills. Armour is another thing almost entirely but sheet iron work has many applications, many of them well paid. Get all the education you can, as said already, drafting is good as is artistic drawing, melding the two is important. Geometry and general math are really handy. Business, money management and the bane of many smiths marketing are important if you're planning on making a living at this. Getting in touch with local smiths and the local organization will really boost you on the road, smiths enjoy passing the craft to interested folk, especially the next generation. Learning the craft yourself is certainly possible, I did but I don't recommend it if you have an alternative, what took me years could've been done in maybe one or less had I known smiths. Oh yeah, don't forget to ask questions here, post pics, we love pics and love answering questions even if we have to make the answers up. Frosty The Lucky.

That's a very cool piece Randy! If word gets out you do this quality work you won't have any time to BS with us here. Frosty The Lucky.

Looks pretty good Mike. One of the things I find hard is remembering horses heads are flat from the ears to their noses, all the contour is in their chins and jaws. And NO I don't make on in a single heat! How cool is that, we're both non-competitors. <grin> Frosty The Lucky.