Jim Stubbs Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Hi Guys i am relatively new to smithing. in fact i am still in the process of getting things together. i just recently acquired a (i think) nice little coal forge. i am still looking for a decent anvil. i found a small i think 35 lb one at an auction. figured it was better then nothing. i am including pics of the coal forge and my first attempt at making a pair of tongs. i had help with the tongs. i went to a meeting of a group of blacksmiths in my area and was watching for a while. i got to talking to the gentleman who was holding the meeting and mentioned i was interested in making some tongs. so after lunch he got down to showing me how to make one half of them. he showed me how to draw them out round them etc. then he turned it over to me for the other half. now the only thing i had made before this was a leaf that was well uuuggllyy...lol. anyways i got to work drawing them out, rounding them and what not. it took me a bit but i am kind of proud of them. so i now have my first pair of tongs to get started with. now i just need to get the forge set up and ready to work with. it might be a little bit before i can really do much because of having rotator cuff surgery back in january. i have been reading some of the posts on this site and i must say there are some very talented people on here. i am hoping to be able to put out as good a work as i have seen on here. i know it will take time but that is ok. ok here are pics of the forge and the tongs. the piece i made is the one with the little hook at the end. i do have a couple of blowers for the forge. one is a hand crank and the other is electric. not sure which i will use. any comments or suggestions are welcome. thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! Where are you from? If you would, update your profile giving your location. This will help us help you better with toys, er I mean TOOLS that may come up near you. I see that you have found a good group to play with! VERY nice looking tongs, good for you. I suggest using the hand crank blower for a while---you will burn up less materal. Then move up to the electric blower. Enjoy the site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Stubbs Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Howdy from East TEXAS!! and welcome to IFI! Where are you from? If you would, update your profile giving your location. This will help us help you better with toys, er I mean TOOLS that may come up near you. I see that you have found a good group to play with! VERY nice looking tongs, good for you. I suggest using the hand crank blower for a while---you will burn up less materal. Then move up to the electric blower. Enjoy the site! Hi Thomas thanks for the comment. i was thinking of using the hand crank first. i was also thinking of trying to make a gate for the electric blower to be able to control the amount of air flow that is delivered to the forge and thus be able to control how much air gets to the fire. yes i have found a good group to work/learn with. they are a ABANA chapter/affiliate. I found them when i went to the state fair and there was a demonstration going on during the fair. i believe this will be the 3rd maybe 4th year that they will be doing the fair. i am hoping to be able to help out with the fair a couple of days. hopefully my skills will be worth it by then. any toys, i mean TOOLS are always welcome. as the one guy i have been talking to said... you can never have enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 It probably too late to warn you , seems you already got the virus, You will never again be able to pass some JUNK set out on the side of the road, without thinking IRON! gotta have it, Welcome to this mob, all they require is you be nice, and dont cuss in chat room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I started smithing in OKC back in 1981! (Keep an eye out for my anvil that was stolen in 1982, 198 pounds, great shape, LOUD ring...) I started with an electric blower and then transitioned to the hand crank as I liked it better for what I was doing. Of course it depends a lot on how easy cranking the hand crank is. Is it your hammer side or your tong side that had the rotor cuff surgery? you may want to go electric if it's that side you would crank the blower with. A neat trick I learned from SOFA was to have a foot switch for the blower that only turns it on when you are standing on it---keeps you from wasting coal/charcoal and steel as you are a bit more focused on the fire when using it. (SOFA has an override switch as well so you can have it always on for BIG stock or welding fires...) Do try to get down to the Salt Fork smithing group; I've heard such great things about it. (Back in Ohio we used to carpool for the 2 hour drive from Columbus to the SOFA meetings in Troy---we left early and hit a big fleamarket on the way, got lunch at the FFA food stand there, had a great time and saved $$ to boot!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Stubbs Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 I started smithing in OKC back in 1981! (Keep an eye out for my anvil that was stolen in 1982, 198 pounds, great shape, LOUD ring...) I started with an electric blower and then transitioned to the hand crank as I liked it better for what I was doing. Of course it depends a lot on how easy cranking the hand crank is. Is it your hammer side or your tong side that had the rotor cuff surgery? you may want to go electric if it's that side you would crank the blower with. A neat trick I learned from SOFA was to have a foot switch for the blower that only turns it on when you are standing on it---keeps you from wasting coal/charcoal and steel as you are a bit more focused on the fire when using it. (SOFA has an override switch as well so you can have it always on for BIG stock or welding fires...) Do try to get down to the Salt Fork smithing group; I've heard such great things about it. (Back in Ohio we used to carpool for the 2 hour drive from Columbus to the SOFA meetings in Troy---we left early and hit a big fleamarket on the way, got lunch at the FFA food stand there, had a great time and saved $$ to boot!) Thomas well it is my left shoulder so it would be my cranking arm. hmmm i like the idea of the foot switch, that shouldn't be to much problem to make. i have to wire up the electric blower anyways so that is a thought to consider. as far as the Salt Fork group that is who i am with. when i went to the state fair last year and got talking to the guys there the one guy i talked with most i learned just lives around the corner from me. so he is the one i have been picking his brain on. i was wanting to go to some of the meetings but with the surgery and all i was laid up for awhile. i was able to go a couple weeks ago to one of the meetings with my neighbour. that is where i made the tongs. was great watching all of the smiths doing things. one guy was doing animal heads on things, another one made a wizard bottle opener. the one guy who did the animal heads did a baby buffalo on a RR spike and then turned it into a knife. i helped him a little bit with cutting the horns. after he was done i was looking at it and he gave it to me. still needs to be finished but i like it. and actually this same guy is who i bought the forge from. he had it in his truck. so yeah they are a great group. at least so far as i have seen. i just sent in my application to join them after i got back from that meeting. and actually there is a meeting i believe on March 18/19, it is on sat so whatever date that is. it is going to be in Blanchard which is about a30-45 minute drive from my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Jim, my wife has family in Norman, a brother-in-law, couple of nieces and their family, and a nephew and his family. They are all cops and/or retired cops! I'm also a member of SFCABA and enjoy getting up there when I can. The South Central group is a very active group, try to make every meeting you can. Also, Oct. we have the annual conference in Perry. That is a most! Good food, friends, and beatin' hot metal! Look forward to meeting you personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Stubbs Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Jim, my wife has family in Norman, a brother-in-law, couple of nieces and their family, and a nephew and his family. They are all cops and/or retired cops! I'm also a member of SFCABA and enjoy getting up there when I can. The South Central group is a very active group, try to make every meeting you can. Also, Oct. we have the annual conference in Perry. That is a most! Good food, friends, and beatin' hot metal! Look forward to meeting you personally. thomas yeah they are a good bunch of guys.the annual picnic that is usually held at the cleveland county fairgrounds has been moved to my neighbours house. which is good for me. just have to drive around the corner. it is to be held i believe in April. there is a South Central meeting on the 18th or 19th of this month(whichever day sat is)in Blanchard also. Yeah i was going to try and make the conference last Oct but it was a week after i had really really bruised my left ankle and torn my left rotator cuff(though didnt know it at the time)after having an attic ladder assembly give way off the ceiling 10' up in the air. so hopefully i can make it this year. going to try and make some days at the state fair if i can. depending on how good the skills get that is.....lol... probably wont matter to much will go anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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