sootyfellow Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Hey Guys, I got started building a homemade forge a couple years back, stopped when I lost a close family member, and I've just gotten fired up again. I'm operating on a shoestring at the moment so I haven't ordered any coal and I've just been running my forge on charcoal. I believe its the walmart store brand. I've been experimenting with making railroad spike knives and have made several so far. The tools I have a at hand are simple. Beyond my forge I have a simple wheel grinder, and a belt polisher. I've been tuning my forge a bit and have recently started being able to consistently get a good yellow heat. But I'm still having a problem with pitting in the metal. I thought I'd read a couple years back that store bought charcoal had chemicals in it that might do this and that I should make my own if i wanted to use charcoal. Could this be the problem? Could I be making a mistake when hammering/shaping the metal? I did a rough spike knife last night and I'll post is here so that you can see what the problem is. I've tried sanding the pitting out but it tends to be deep enough that unless I'm willing to take off alot of metal it still shows thru. Thanks in advance for any responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian.pierson Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Sootyfellow, Do you brush off the scale that forms when you are heating the piece before you hammer it? The scale can get pounded into the workpiece and leave pitting. You will want to do that every time you pull the piece out of the fire. This will help cut down on the pitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWCarlson Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 On a side note, I just got like 200 + pounds of coal for $25... I don't think it's that expensive. A bag of charcoal @ Walmart is usually $4+ for the big ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootyfellow Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Sootyfellow, Do you brush off the scale that forms when you are heating the piece before you hammer it? The scale can get pounded into the workpiece and leave pitting. You will want to do that every time you pull the piece out of the fire. This will help cut down on the pitting. I thought that might be the problem and I've been more careful but you might be right I may not be doing a good enough job of removing all the scale. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sootyfellow Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 On a side note, I just got like 200 + pounds of coal for $25... I don't think it's that expensive. A bag of charcoal @ Walmart is usually $4+ for the big ones. Really? Where did you get it at? I live in southern okla and haven't been able to find any locally just by the bag on the internet. I'll keep looking. I'd rather have coal as I hear it burns hotter and longer. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double_edge2 Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 i agree...watch your scale, on the anvil, keep the anvil clear or tap along the anvil with your project leaving a trail of scale but none under your work. i find it helps me when doing smaller work where heat is lost while you brush before hammering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan W Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Are you using charcoal briquets or hardwood charcoal? Stay away from the briquets. I have used seasoned hardwood chunks as well as hardwood charcoal and there is a thread here about using shelled corn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Well, tbh it looks like you aren't spending that much time grinding. It usually takes me about an hour or two to get a knife completely ground and ready for HT. Also, I don't use a wire brush for scale. I just wet my anvil with a spray bottle and the face of my hammer. Steam explosions knock the scale off. Also, make sure you aren't oxidizing your metal. Also, old steel can be well old steel that isn't good anymore. Forge thick, grind thin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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