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I Forge Iron

My name is Kevin and I'm a blacksmith addict.


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Guys, I finally realized how hooked I was when I was replacing my old bed for a new one this week. As I dragged it donw my hall I noticed what was behind the fragile material covering the bottom of the mattress box spring. Such beautiful close grain 1x2 wood strips and 3/16 spring steal wire coils!! Oh what the future holds for what I thought was useless. Any ideas fellas?

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Lol!! Addicted to blacksmithing and learning from other blacksmiths!!


Whew, was kinda worried for a bit there.

Enjoy your addiction. I can relate. Last week I threw out my old recliner. May it rest in peace. :(
It made its way to the dump but not before donating its organs to science (blacksmithing science). The springs will be used for something someday. The steel mechanics will go towards some other blacksmithing research.

Have fun,
Mark<><
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The same thing happen to me a few months back made some nice forge welded blades out of the springs and used the wood for handles. got to keep an open mind when it comes to what you can use

I was gonna ask if that would work. I'm thinking of replacing strands of plowshare cable with the coils just to see what kind of pattern will show up. My family and friends are getting tired of my " hey what a gonna do with that metal" question. I need new friends!!!
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it will work but it takes a lot of heating a bending to get it close enough to forge weld it together in to solid form, and yes i know exactly what you're saying about the metal and friends lol

I work at a wire harness plant running a Komax wire cutting machine. That gave me an idea. Rollers take any memory out of the wire prior to entering the machine. Why couldn't one build a wire straightener to speed the "straightening" of the spring steel wire coils? Wire that up in a bundle, flux and twist. Voilà!! Spring steel twisted cable knife billet.
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we all are Kevin we all are. but dont worry we will be here to help each other though it. i am lying to make him feel better. oh know all hope is lost we will never make it though.for some i see more hope than others. i am making 3/4 of my money from blacksmiths. but that might be worse my room mate moved out because i smell like nasty surfer smoke ever since i switched to bituminous because my anthracite ran out. is that a bad sign. well there is no cure only medicine it is called liquid hot metal anvils and hammer it soothes the nerves tep. it only makes it worse in the long run the more you take the more you want. by the way it is best served hot be carefull not to burn the tong. one of my friend worked at an alligator farm. on his first day about 4 hours in he scared of a snapping turtle and he treed to keep his distance with a shovel he walked towards it about half way there he noticed that he was surrounded by 35 gators about 10 were hissing at him. he turned to his boss and said i am surrounded by all them gators and i was scared by a little turtle who am i i must be crazy his boss said back to him if y'all aint then y'all aint got the job. he worked there for 2 months. that is how we are us black smiths. he worked for me because i pay him more.

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Hah! I can stop any time I want to! It's not an addiction; why I even got rid of some smithing stuff last time I moved....Ok, OK, I moved more than an entire flat bed semi load including a lot of real wrought iron scrap and I paid to do it as it wasn't covered under the company move; but it's not like I stop by the side of the road and scrounge stuff; well I do---but only cause I want to! Visiting the fleamarket *every* week is just cause I enjoy the walk! And the sulfur smoke is good for skin issues in damp climates...I don't go camping without a forge cause I get edgy and nervous---but it's not an addiction! Really!

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Hi Kevin,
I am Scott and I am an addict as well. My addiction started in 1972 while watching Shad working at Sliver Dollar City, then coming home to the family farm and learning that my neighbor could use a forge! I started buying tools and forges anvils etc at auction with my trapping and hay hauling money. Only now in my maturity am I able to return to this obsession. Now I am firmly off the wagon and my wife believes that I am off my rocker.
Working Iron in the Anchorage City limits has its own challenges.

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