Nobody Special Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 So, I saw a cool pocketknife based on a Gary Huston style folder (on here of course), and decided to try one this morning (left mine in Texas!), and got annoyed. I was cheating with some pliers (yeah, I know) teeth ground down so not to mar the stock because I didn't have the right tongs, and got fed up after I dropped the stock for the fifth time and decided it was a good morning to catch up on my tool making. And then I didn't have the right size tongs to hold the bar stock for the new tongs after I finished the first half and cut it off the rod, so........... I guess my question is, what's the most layers back have you gone into making a tool to make a tool to make a tool to make..........etc, for a specific project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Good Morning, The function of Blacksmithing is "To Make A Tool to Make A Tool to Make a ????????" Add the number of days you have been smithing, multiply by a factor of ????. That is how many sequences there are to the process!! :) :) :) Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted July 27, 2013 Author Share Posted July 27, 2013 True, but talking about for a specific project. Like, in a recent example, grinding a small rod, to serve as a "negative" to forge the end of a new punch onto to get the right shape for the eye on an animal head on a door knocker I was working on. (only two layers in this one.) Sure, I used a hot cut, and a hold down, etc. but those were already made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Yates Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Lord only Knows how many times I have wasted the entire day making tools just to do a simple job due to getting Po'ed because I did not have one tool I wanted and ended up making 10 or so for the day then cleaning the shop kicking stuff and cleaning more for the mess I made from that kick . yep been there done that and have a few T shirts and mashed toes <Grins> & <Tears> Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 The most tools that I had to make for a project was to construct mid-1800s era wooden wheels, that were part of a period U.S. Army Traveling Forge, to in turn make stuff using the forge. There are a significant number of tools used to make and assemble, band and tire a large wooden wheel, and if I were to take up building wheels on a regular basis, there would be a significant amount of time and effort in constructing and upgrading tools and jigs as part of that sort of enterprise. The larger the wooden wheel that a single person makes in any volume, the more tools are likely to be helpful in making multiple identical parts accurately,quickly and safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I guess the question becomes "What came first? The hammer or the tongs"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 I would bet stone-hammer: http://archive.archaeology.org/9703/newsbriefs/tools.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 I made a fire rake / poker to make a set of tongs, to make a chisel, to cut a larger piece of steel down to make a knife blank. So that'd be three layers back. I've made several punches and drifts trying to make hammer/axe heads. I've made my firepot, my box bellows, and my forge as well though I don't think it counts as a layer as you describe them. I guess I've made most of my kit excluding my anvil, vice, and hammers. I bought a few sets of tongs to "jump ahead" a bit. Recently I've been trying to remind myself to enjoy the hobby and not focus on production. It often feels like I'm always making a tool to make another tool. I think that's the crux of blacksmithing special projects. I'd imagine that's why some folks specialize and why some folks have so many tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted August 7, 2013 Share Posted August 7, 2013 I thought about this thread just last night when I was watching an Aspery video on the net: he was making a turning wrench and it got me thinking about making some for myself. Noting the tools he used in that video I was quick to see that I was going to be starting at least three layers behind him. It really got me to thinking about how much I enjoy forging iron and making the tools. I don't mind making a knife or whatever as a final project, but I believe I like making the tools more. Maybe I'm seeing too many new smiths, and maybe some not-so-new ones, get hung up on making the glory pieces and not the more mundane things like the tools we use. If you can't make a good looking chisel or whatever, how can you expect to have the skills needed to make bigger projects? I encourage anyone to buy the tongs after they can demonstrate an ability to make them to a standard. There are dozens and dozens of chisels and punches you can use for various projects, so you can't say "I don't need that." I didn't need a J-chisel or L-chisel when I made them, but they sure came in handy two months later when I used them on a project. Same could be said for the half-dozen ball and eye punches in various sizes. Forge, file, sand..... make those babies look store-bought! All that to say - I find the journey far more enjoyable than the destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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