Things I Have Learned as a Beginning Smith....

[Frosty]

Another good post Drako, you're picking up the basics nicely.

NOW if you'd just stop picking up things by the HOT end.

I usually wear a glove on my tong hand. It protects me from dragon's breath from my gas forge and radiant heat when holding hand tools like chasing punches, etc.

I wear gloves on both hands when twisting because of the way the hot steel sheds mass quantities of HOT scale.

Wearing gloves can and does teach complacency where picking things up is concerned. Learning to work without gloves can and will be painful on occasion but pain is an excellent teacher.

However, because I'm such a nice guy I'll tell you my trick for not picking up hot stuff bare handed. I pause momentarily an inch or so from whatever I'm picking up BEFORE touching it. That is long enough to feel a dangerous level of heat, I can feel the radiant heat from a cup of coffee that was poured a while before and that's well below dangerous heat. (Do NOT pour it in your lap!)

The thing that takes time and where pain comes in so handy is it has to be a reflex action. If you have to remember to pause first you'll get burned, it must be automatic. On the up side pain from mistakes is the perfect thing to teach reflex actions.

Frosty

Edited June 4, 2009 by Frosty

[Glenn]

Frosty, use the back of the hand (never toughing the metal) in order to feel any heat radiating from the metal. The back of the hand is more sensitive than the palm.

I have a table beside the forge where everything hot is placed. Before anything leaves the hot table it is placed into the slack tub, then into my BARE HAND. Only from the bare hand is it then transferred to the working table behind me. That way there are no surprises when picking up metal.

[fat pete]

i made somethin the other day and was so impressed with it as i had it laying on the anvil....i decided to pick it up and see if i did it right....lol......i yelled it landed and proceeded to curse violently at my self....lol ..... so it not only must be automatic reflex but you gotta think ....duh

[Frosty]

Yes it is more sensitive but with practice you can feel the heat well enough with the finger tips.

The hot table is a really good idea too but you still have to assume on a reflex level everything is hot anyway no matter where it is.

Once you develop the right reflex you'll feel the heat no matter where it lays or what part of your body gets close. It's a safety technique you'll never forget at home.

Frosty

[ChrisB]

Drako,

Not trying to flame or be mean please read this as real concern.

I really hope you and your brother are wearing safety glasses.

A couple of noobs fighting over an anvil and fire and getting each others way with hot steel is going to end very badly.

[Drako11]

Ermmm safety glasses???? I uhhh...well we....*cough*.... *runs to the store*

[Frosty]

I HOPE you didn't run to the store with scissors!

Maybe you should review what gear you are using in general.

Oh say natural fiber clothing, seeing as synthetics melt when hot anything hits them, then they stick to you and deep fry you. This is BAD.

Are you wearing boots? (good) Do you tuck your pants legs in? (bad) And so on.

There are a lot of things that can get you and listing them all just means one of us will forget something so someone else will point it out meaning someone else will get to point out what the both of you missed and the next person gets to jump and feel smart till the next one jumps in shortly thereafter and you all end up little chagrined. And so on. It's just TOO much fun for a Thursday.

Anyway, it's a lot easier if you list what you're wearing and we'll make suggestions and relate the whyfors of them.

We all have lapses in our knowledge, gear and attention. Safety gear is one of those things it never hurts to list out and discuss regularly.

Just a couple days ago a member had a close call, could've lost an eye and he was wearing glasses AND a face shield. We relate these experiences when they happen so everybody has a chance to learn from another's mistakes or in Ptree's case doing it right.

Frosty

Edited June 4, 2009 by Frosty

[dablacksmith]

adding my two cents worth i use cotton cloth apron .. saves my clothes and keeps me from being burned ! if you go by the holes in the in apron ive saved from a lot of burns.

[Drako11]

Apparel:

Cotton T-Shirts (Never liked wearing synthetic stuff)
Blue Jeans
Welding gloves (At least I think they're welding gloves they're pretty thick and go past your wrist in length)
Sneakers (I have leater combat boots would those work?)

Tools:

Anvil
Ball pien hammers of varying weight
Crescent Wrench
Channelocks
Various chisels and punches
Wirebrush
A couple clamps (One clamp is attached to this big stand made out of an I beam apparently used for smithing before)

(Just working with the bare minumum here, but we decided just to go for it and start whacking away)

I don't have an apron or safety glasses yet, what type of apron would be better leather or cotton? I know a cotton apron would be cheaper, but leather seems more protective. Is a leather apron hard to move around and work in? Also Finnr you had mentioned making tongs, I found the guides for them, but was wondering what would be the best type of tong for basic holding stuff? Also would re-bar work for making tongs?

[Charlotte]

Make safety glasses your absolute top of the list job.

Making tong out of rebar is a thank less task. Get your self a couple of pair of the biggest, meanest vice grips you can find.

The best type of basic tong is the v jaw with round u jaw for the other half. It lets you hold round and square stock equally well. For second basic place is the farriers fire tong for holding flat stock. The only thing that most smiths have more of than clinkers is tongs. If you make your first tongs out of mild steel you will be able to reshape the jaws and resize them according to what you are working on. Drawing out the reins on your mild steel tongs is good practice in learning how to move metal.

Incidently there is a reason that Off Center Tongs are the one of most widely sold tongs in north america.

[Frosty]

Wear the leather boots for sure, you don't want to learn the dance steps a piece of red hot steel that melts through your sneakers will teach you as you try getting out of the sneakers.

Leather is better but cotton aprons work just fine. Cotton is good because hot stuff won't stick and it has a distinctive smell when it starts smoldering. Try NOT to wear frayed cotton it lights up very easily and often can smolder for hours before catching fire. That can put it in the dirty clothes hamper and this is BAD.

The big heavy gloves are more in the way than useful. If your fire is so big you need those it's Tooooooo big.

About all your basic kit needs are a couple pair of vise grips, a hack saw and some files.

You're absolutely right to start forging instead of trying to find all the "real" tools first. The "real" stuff is nice but it's practice that will teach you the craft and for that you have to do it.

When you can and the sooner the better, get together with a blacksmith who can help you unlearn some of the bad habits you're teaching yourself and show you the right ways. A couple hours with someone who knows what they're doing can equal weeks or even months of self teaching.

My hat's off to you and your brother, welcome to the black booger club.

Frosty

[Glenn]

Aprons protect the body, but also protect the clothes from dirt, wear, tears, etc. Leather is better for blacksmithing as it protects better. I use both leather and cotton depending on what I am doing. Across the shoulders is a much better strap design than around the back of the neck, and is easy to change.

[CBrann]

I prefer a leather apron, but I sometime use my legs to hold up long pieces, sometimes they might be hot, ...

It took almost loosing 3 teeth to remind me about a face shield while using the wire wheel.

Buy safty gear first....everything else can come in time!!

[TimB]

2. Wear gloves when you first start working with stuff or at least work with long objects. (I've decided to wear gloves all the time)

Caught a piece of scale the other day with my index finger. Lifting the hammer for another strike only pinched the scale between the hammer handle and finger. Halfway through the swing, I'm thinking about dropping the hammer...nope better not cause it will fly farther than I want it too...better just hold on....wait, where was the target....

4. When cutting a piece of metal either have someone hold either side with tongs or cut it only 3/4 of a way through and twist it off. (If you cut all the way through it without holding on to the piece your cutting off it will go flying!)

Made a wege to hold my hammer head on a bit tighter, and while cutting it off, it evaporated. I have no idea where it went.

13. People love to watch smithing in progress, for the same reason blacksmiths love to smith. Glowing hot metal, pounding hammers, and flying sparks are just fascinating. However it is dangerous having people standing around your work area, especially when you are a beginner nad you never know when something might go flying. Try to keep everyone at a safe distance.

While welding my plates together to form my anvil, I dropped a rod end from the stinger. I told my daughter, who was standing a bit further behind me watching, through another hood filter, not to step on that with her bare feet, cause it was hot. I turned to inspect my weld, and turned back arround in time to see her as she bent over and picked it up...briefly. :confused::confused:

I couldn't understand why she did that, but it made sense to my wife. She said she probly figured that she better pick it up and move it so she wouldn't step on it. :rolleyes: