meancoyote Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 this is my forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Looks like a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Looks like an expensive one at least! Is that one of those new postvises? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meancoyote Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 yes i bought it new a while ago, could not find a decent used one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 I'm a woodworker and a (bad) welder in Las Vegas who is interested in blacksmithing. I'm not actually smithing anything yet, more just investigating the hobby. I'd love to meet with some of you and maybe watch you work so I can get a better idea of what's involved in this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Welcome Khp,Spruce on here just opened the community workshop for woodworkers. He hopes to expand to other fields in the future. Just read a nice article about his business in this weeks SUNDAY. What part of the valley are you in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spruce Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the mention Biggundoctor:)Man, starting a business is quite the timesuck - I haven't blacksmithed anything in months now. Hopefully one of these days I'll have some time to explore that again, and maybe one day get some metal going on as part of the business.Kinghotpants - don't want to hijack the thread - maybe I'll PM you - would love to ask a little about your woodworking, and maybe as things calm down I'll get a chance to bang on some hot metal with ya, or at least hang out at ya at a meetup if we get one organized again.Spruce Edited August 6, 2015 by Spruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winginit Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 big dogs ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Works for me, unless there is a more central location for you guys to meet. Everything is a ways for me, so location doesn't matter to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Works for me, unless there is a more central location for you guys to meet. Everything is a ways for me, so location doesn't matter to me.That's good to know, when you going to drop by?Welcome aboard Hotpants guy glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header we won't have to keep bugging you about where you live. Normally I say you might be surprised how many folk live close but these spoil sports just had to ruin it for me. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Welcome Khp,Spruce on here just opened the community workshop for woodworkers. He hopes to expand to other fields in the future. Just read a nice article about his business in this weeks SUNDAY. What part of the valley are you in?I'm in Spring Valley-ish, I guess. A hair south of the 215 and a bit west of the strip. That's good to know, when you going to drop by?Welcome aboard Hotpants guy glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header we won't have to keep bugging you about where you live. Normally I say you might be surprised how many folk live close but these spoil sports just had to ruin it for me. Frosty The Lucky.Done. Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Nomad Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I was just talking with my friends and I have been seriously missing the anvil. I signed on to reach out to you guys to see if we could get together and make some things! I just made a small foundry that I'll be using for aluminum, so I'll be casting some pieces soon. Once I get a few things made using this foam method I saw on youtube (I've only casted bronze a couple times the real way), you guys are more than welcome to come make some stuff. I'm also going to be rebuilding my forge and setting up my anvil soon Spruce I'll be stopping by soon. I've been meaning to go and check out your shop, but work has been kicking my ass! Also, welcome kinghotpants! meancoyote come hang out in my boat; We need to be more social with each other! It's not like there's a hundred of us everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gw7777 Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Hey all,Have not been on in a while. But if you guys are getting together. Let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meancoyote Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 How about next weekend? Either day is fine for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meancoyote Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I'm not super familiar with Vegas , what is big dogs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meancoyote Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 I have melted bronze in my forge, just never do anything very useful with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I'm not super familiar with Vegas , what is big dogs? They make beer. Also food, but mostly beer. I don't think I'm busy this weekend. I'll keep checking back until something is nailed down. I'm looking forward to meeting y'all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Nomad Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Update on the aluminum: I made the furnace too well. It melted my crucible! I had no idea it would get that hot with regular bbq coals from the store.This weekend works for me. I like big dogs but I don't think they'll let us forge there. Maybe we can meet there and talk about what we could do or what projects we have yet to finish, and then set up some future get togethers to get them done! I still have to make a cleaver and a dagger for my friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Does anyone here have any experience in precious metal casting?I'm hoping to gain some experience (hopefully using brass or aluminum) before moving up to silver. I'm used to making mistakes as I learn something, I'd just prefer they not be horrifically expensive mistakes.If someone would be willing to meet up and walk me through the casting process (or really just observe while they cast something), I'd happily chip in for materials and/or beer. Doesn't have to be silver -- I have future plans that involve aluminum, brass, etc, and I imagine the processes are quite similar anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Good morning,So glad to have found this site! I am a mom of a 14 year old who is very enthusiastic about the sword making arts. We are hoping to find a mentor for him in the LV area. We live up in the NW and homeschool. He already has a solid foundation of woodshop skills. His dad and I are wood workers and I am a seamstress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 KingHP copper is the usual stand in for the precious alloys as it works a lot like silver does. I would suggest seeing if a local community college offers a jewelry making class with casting as part of it. (Jane, for you too; *lots* of carry over from jewelry making to making fittings for blades and scabbards and I speak from experience.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 KingHP copper is the usual stand in for the precious alloys as it works a lot like silver does. I would suggest seeing if a local community college offers a jewelry making class with casting as part of it. (Jane, for you too; *lots* of carry over from jewelry making to making fittings for blades and scabbards and I speak from experience.)Thanks for the suggestion! It's not so much jewelry that I want to make, actually; my planned use is more like Jane's. I had a request from a friend about how difficult it would be to make a decorative knife out of silver. It doesn't need to be sharpened or hardened -- strictly decorative. I know silver melts at a relatively low temperature (versus, say, steel) and I can likely get it hot enough using either a simple paint-can forge or just a MAPP torch. The plan is to use sterling silver recovered from goodwill stores and the like to build up a stockpile of raw material, then melt it down and cast it into the rough shape before grinding and polishing to the final form. As I understand it, I can carve the pattern out of wood and then use something like Delft clay to make the mold. I also know I'm going to mess up the first few times, and that's OK -- making mistakes is how I learn things. However, if someone local is going to be doing any casting, it would be immensely helpful to actually watch someone go through the process in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Atheme? Scrap is a lot harder to cast than casting grain or ingot as it can have a lot of different stuff in it or plated on it. But a jewelry casting class will teach you a lot about melting, degassing and pouring jewelry metals. Almost all my making chapes and throats for scabbards came out of jewelry making classes Casting of nonferrous pommels and guards too. Edited August 20, 2015 by ThomasPowers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinghotpants Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 ThomasPowers, you nailed it. Right now they're using a silver letter opener, but it's only a couple of inches long. They really need something a little more substantial.Looks like CSN offers some classes in that area. I'll think it over. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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