Safety attire in the smithy!

[Jymm Hoffman]

Not unusual for a good anvil to "ring like a bell," especially a Peter Wright. There are lots of tricks to quite down an anvil, and I recommend that you do make them as quite as possible for your ears' sake. I learned early on that if you tighten it down to a stump, it will help quite it. Other tricks include a rubber mat of some sort between the anvil and the stump. Silicon (caulking) works pretty well too, especially if you use some tightening method as well. I have simply pointed 1/2 round stock, driven into holes next to the feet, bend over the feet and drive tight. However, a chain that can be tightened is better and easier to remove to move the anvil. Look at the PAABA's website projects page to see an example.

[Site Admin]

See Blueprint BP0320 Stop the Anvil's Ring

[Marc]

My comment way down below about the false sense of security was not to compare eye safety to foot safety. It was more a comment on the concept of a false sense of security. I rarely find that an excuse, in and of itself, to forego the protection. If it's cheap enough and doesn't get in the way, then it's just another level of security. For the record, I don't have steel toe-ed boots. Maybe when these boots wear out and if I find some cheap and comfortable enough I will.

I wore my sandles once for a quick forge at the treadle hammer. I won't do that again. I think the scale somehow aimed directly for my foot.

As for gloves, I occasionally use a cheap kevlar "terri-cloth" type. They go for around $5 a pair from Enco and seem to protect as well as leather. But if they do get too hot, just letting go of the hot steel is enough. Leather seems to hold onto the heat longer and I have to fling the glove off.

I also got some thin kevlar gloves for TIG'ing, handling sheet metal, and general work gloves. I like the range of motion, ease to pick up small stuff, and the general protection from sharp things. But they're not good for tiny pointy things.

I'm on a vision plan at work that gets me galsses for $25. So it was easy to get some prescription safety glasses with side shields. I'm going to look into getting some shade 2 or 3 lenses the next time.

Full face shield sometimes when using the angle grinder, always when using that nasty wire wheel. OK, almost always. Most of the time, anyway :-)

Natural fiber clothes pretty much all the time in the shop. Usually just jeans. In the summer I'll wear shorts, but I put my full-length, split-leg, apron over that. It's made out of cotton duck.

I use ear plugs, the rubber mushroom kind, when using the angle grinders or treadle hammer. Or banging sheet metal. My anvil is a Fisher, so no real ringing there. It's interesting how I can hear people talking, phone ringing, even the nice outside sounds through them, but they very effectively squash the loud, painful, noises.

ANd if I'm going to do a lot of grinding, I wear a NIOSH mask. It's more than those nuisance paper masks, with some decent gasketing, but far short of real air filter. It seems good enough to keep the grinding swarf from darkening my handkerchief.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Glenn]

Ear plugs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Wal-Mart has them in the sporting goods or gun section, any sporting goods store, any welding supply store, any place that sells safety equiptment etc. For a couple of dollars you get several sets in a blister pack, or packaged for individual use.

Keep a couple of spare sets in the glove box of the vehicle you use to travel to hammer ins. Sometimes those anvils can be rough on the ears.

[ThomasPowers]

I wera ear muff hearing protectors; usually bought bilsong (sp) at the fleamarket for US$1 in "unused" condition. I keep extra pairs in the smithy and in the truck---I wear them on long trips to help cut the noise; also using power tools, mowing the lawn and rocking teething babies in the wee hours of the morning---not so much of the last lately as my youngest is a Sr in HS...but I'm sure it will cycle through again when we start having more grandkids...

Thomas

[Ten Hammers]

I've been on concrete for 35 years. I wore dress shoes for about 18 years abd have worn Red Wings ever since. Steel toed. I wear 2 buckles when it gets cold to help keep them warm ( but it doesn't always help ). No doubt one thing, eyes get neglected. Good Jackson face shield protects you when you have the need and they really ain't too pricey for a first class ( you can see through ) shield. If you haven't tried these gloves, try them...

Black Stallion® Mighty MIG Advanced Stan Splt Cowhide Lined MIG Welding Gloves - Revco Industries,Inc.


They are EXCELLENT for welding, grinding and any other shop use. I pay about $ 13.- for them from the supplier. You can pick up a dime with them on. To each his own of course. You will train yourself to keep your hand back from a 400 amp nozzle on a big mig with these gloves ( because they aren't as thick as some gloves ) but the handling characteristics are very good. I have almost no hand stress after a full day of welding.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Ten Hammers]

Just to clarify things....I was in sales for 18 years. I've never forged ( much ) in dress clothes. :)

[Site Admin]

BP0168 Gloves and Glove Safety
Just something to think about.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[bbb]

I used to wear wolverines, but the multi shocks developed a blowout on the heel when I wore off the top of the button(6 months). Took them back, traded for timberlands, much better. I wear steel toes, have had to wear metatarsals , you get used to them.have had more than one experience where steeltoes saved my foot . If you have smashed your steel toes, your toes would have been smushed beyond repair. Gel inserts are nice, but wear out quick. Senco makes a good orthotic arch support. The 'WALKFIT" brand never did feel good. My nickels worth BBB

[bbb]

If you use earplugs more than one day, you better clean them well. We had a guy wear some all week and got a nasty ear infection. He was too lazy to get a new set every day even they were available. Standard rule, if you can't carry on a conversation over the noise, get protection. bbb

[Site Admin]

I've gone through quite a bit of blueprints, but find the index difficult to go through.

The Blueprint index (from the yellow bar on the opening page of IForgeIron.com) was intentionally set up in numerical order, with thumbnail images, the BP numbers, and BP title. People remember images. They are much more likely to become interested in a project if they see an image, than if they just see yet another number.

The BP#'s were created as easy reference to a specific Blueprint. "BP" in front of a number separates that number from any other number you will see on the site, and you know it relates to a Blueprint.

Seems like a forum that was not writable by anyone except the admin and had a blueprint in each thread would allow for that.

The Blueprints were set up just that way at one point.

What about moving the blueprints to a seperate forum, where they could be searched with the vbulletin search engine?

Have you used the "search the site" from the menu on the opening page. This is the search engine for all the blueprints, and all the posted articles that are not in the forum or the gallery. You can search by BP#, key words, etc.

Each Blueprint is presented in such a fashoin that it can not be changed, but at the bottom of each blueprint is a place to make comments. This creates an addendum that is attached below the text of that specific blueprint. It is a very powerful tool as it allows follow-up comments and suggestions to improve the material.

Currently there are some 325 Blueprints on file plus another 10 or 15 Blueprints by Hofi. If you read one per day it will take you almost a year to work your way through that section of the I Forge Iron site. I Forge Iron presents 2 (or more) blueprints every week so at the end of the year, you will be about 4 months behind in your reading. At the end of the 4 months you will be about 32 Blueprints behind and at the end of those blueprints you will still be a couple of weeks behind. Because more than two Blueprints are presented each week, there are no exact numbers, but this is close. The point is that if you started today, reading one Blueprint a day, at the end of a year and a half, you would still not be caught up. That is truely a blacksmithing resource !! The credit for the resource goes to those that have contributed the material. You see their names at the top of each Blueprint. Thank them for their time, effort, and knowledge when you use the Blueprint material.

[Glenn]

(Don't tell Alan about the "archives" button at the bottom of the Forum page. With all the reading material there, it will take him another year or so to catch up. )

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[cheftjcook]

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet... But since it just happened tonight I figured I'd throw it out there.
I was in the garage/shop tonight cutting a heavy piece of angle iron on the chop saw, sparks fly'n everywhere it was beautiful...THEN...that old familiar burning feeling, But it was on my head! Well a sneeky little spark and a few of his friends found a spot were the hair ain't quite a thick as it used to be. Boy does that smart!!! I am sure it was a sight to see me patting my head for cinders and then resting an ice cold can of beer on the sore spots.
Well any way I think from now on I will wear some kind of hat or bandana.
Not nylon, maybe some nice soft cotton!!!
TIM

[ThomasPowers]

a real wool felt hat is great, self extinguishing and a fashion statement as well! I like one that comes down to the top of my safety glasses so stuff doesn't bounce behind the glases.

Of course my favorite one does have horns and a tail and a "no horseshoes" pin on it...

Thomas

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[irnsrgn]

When I am smithing I wear a head sweat band in summer because I sweat a lot and it runs down on my glasses, carharrt bibs and a cotton T shirt in summer and a flannel shirt in winter, and steel toed logger heel work boots, and usually a glove on my left (tong) hand.

My glasses are also safety glasses with poly carbonate lenses, a light yellow tint and titanium frames.

[ThomasPowers]

Alan; what do you mean by "carbon flakes flying off the work being forged"?

Only thing I get off my steel or iron being forged is scale and that's iron oxide no carbon in it!

When forging with charcoal I do get "forge fleas" which are tiny bits of charcoal or sparks from it popping that would be carbon; but they don't come off the work rather the fire.

Thomas

[the_sandy_creek_forge]

Hats:
I'm personally fond of those (somewhat odd looking) welder's hats, the kind that are like a skull cap with a small bill (not sure what the bill is even for other than maybe a traditional thing). Work good in the summer and keep ya somewhat warm in the winter(until the shop comes up to temp), and they're thin enough that my welding hood will fit over them without too much adjustment from my normal head size.
BTW i was blessed with an abnormally large head (i guess) because the face shield i use is marked to size 8. I use it at 7 3/4 without a hat , so when i get on a stocking hat, even all the way at 8, it is too small.

[Alan DuBoff]

no need for input here.

[Marc]

Alan, that's scale that's bouncing off your hot steel. Basically an iron oxide. In warm weather I rarely wear long sleeves, and when the forge gets warm, I'll roll up my long sleeves in the cold weather. Hot scale stings a little, the bigger pieces stinging more, of course. But I don't think there's any real permanent damage. Sometimes I get small blisters and it might get white spots on a tanned arm, but that's about it.

I sometimes use a backwards baseball cap when arc welding if I'm doing something up high. The bill deflects a lot of the sparklies from hitting the back of my neck. I wonder if the welding caps do the same? The bill is smaller. But they look more comfortable than the baseball cap. That adjustable band is in the same place as the headband of my helmet.