What I learned today.

[Mick]

Had cause to fire up the not yet finished forge today. Needed to straighten some pins from a horse float I have borrowed and rental cost is repairs and maintenance. I also decided to forge some staples for tethering points.

So what I learned was:

1. I am not yet a blacksmith.
2. My forge has a voracious appetite for charcoal.
3. When your anvil only weighs about 40 pounds and it is not mounted you will have to chase it around the shop when in use.
4. When you have no tongs a pair of really long handled pliers are your friend.
5. By the time I figure out which way to hold and hit it, all the red has gone.
6. A centre punch makes a dismal drift.
7. A centre punch used as a hot drift no longer works as a centre punch.
8. I am a much better mig welder than I thought I was.
9. A bare hand is not a good tool for brushing drill swarf of you work.
10. Every small particle within 100 yards of magnetic welding aids is magnetic, and when they stick to the magnet it don't work so good anymore.

What I didn't learn was how to get all that magnetic junk off'n the magnets, so they now look like little red triangular porcupines.

The staples are now designated as prototypes only and will be refined and further developed soon.

[Glenn]

2. Coal burns faster than some other fuels. You will learn that you do not need the back blast from a jet engine to run a forge, but just enough air to get the fire up to the temperature you need for the job at hand.

3. Light anvils do walk-about. Secure it in place and stop chasing it. Look for a heavier object or anvil to use, the heavier the better.

4. You can weld a piece of scrap metal to the work and use it as a handle when tongs are not available. Tongs are just long handled pliers anyway. (grin).

5. Set up so you do not have to get tools while the metal cools. Have everything ready before the hot steel leaves the fire, then go straight to the anvil and start hammering.

6. One reason it is called a center punch and not called a drift.

7. see #6 above.

8. And with another 500 hours of practice you will be even better.

9. Drill Swarf is a thin razor blade with a twist. This is one reason they make cheap paint brushes, shop brushes, etc.

Always use the back of the hand to brush slag, swarf, etc. That way if something does get embedded into your skin you can still hold a hammer. If you use the palm of your hand, it is over for the day, or until someone (the wife or doctor) can dig the metal splinters from your hand.

10. Put the magnet in a plastic bag when it will be used in a place where it will attract steel dust. When finished just reverse the bag and throw away the steel dust and all that was collected.

The plastic bag over the magnet is a good way to collect the drill swarf without getting your fingers cut.

1. You ARE a blacksmith. You just need to learn what works better than what your doing now. The only way is to make some mistakes, ask some questions, and take that information to the forge and practice. Life throws these problems at you in order to see if your really interested in blacksmithing, learning, and getting better at the craft. We all started out, ran into problems, solved the problem and moved on. We continue to solve problems and continue to learn and get better with each project.

If you have questions, just ask. Someone on IForgeIron has most likely been there before and is willing to help you out.

[Frosty]

You can do what someone in the past did to make a pair of tongs; weld reins on a pair of pliers. Laugh if you want but they're darned handy tongs, I use them a lot and though I wouldn't have done it before, I'd sure do it now after seeing how handy they are.

Frosty

[Kendrick]

Mick,

I so feel your pain on #1 and #5.

The more I learn about smithing the less I feel I have been a blacksmith and the more I feel like a guy who has been playing with a forge and hammer.

I always hear people talk about hammer control. I do need to develop that but I think the tong control is much farther out of my reach. Far too many times I get a piece out and fumble around and go to hit it to realize it's not red anymore.

Kendrick

[wedwards]

Mick,

If you are talking about the triangular magnets used to hold metal in position for welding I found that simply brushing them briskly along the edges with a shop brush will push the filings to a corner where they can just be picked off. Actually the brush does a pretty good job of that all by itself. You'll never get it all but it seems to work pretty good for me.

Bill

[jeremy k]

For cleaning helper magnets - I just (with safey glasses on ) blow them off with the air hose and a blow gun insert, works wonderfully and removes 99% of the steel particles. - JK

[divermike]

Mick,
remember about having everything in place, before you need it, I "DO THE DANCE" before making any intricate forge moves so I have practiced movements, and do not rush, also with smaller anvils, maybe heat a piece of metal to place on the anvil face, while waiting to keep the anvil warm, that way it is not such a heat sink. Your post made me feel good, because I remember those days well, I just found out I'm taking for granted many things I used to struggle with, and that means a lot to me, thanks for sharing.

[Johnnie C.]

I've learned that everyday you fire up your forge you learn something new. It may be a better way to do some something or modifing a pair of plier to help keep from burning your hands (which is a good idea, thats on my list of things to make now). Just don't let fustration overcome you and keep on hammering.