Wildernessmedic Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Hi. Looking to get good at this. I started almost a year ago with a forge made from firebrick and a Harbor Freight propane torch. Also used a cheap Harbor Freight anvil. Just messed around pounding on random steel. I made one sword and put it down until now. I'm taking a Calsmith intro class tonight, and still looking for a brake drum to make a decent forge that doesn't cost a fortune in propane. So far all i've had is Youtube and the internet to learn. Anxious to get some real hands on training and start making something decent. Here's the only thing I made. Obviously it's crap with all the hammer dings and areas I couldn't buff out, but it was my first try and a learning experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Hello from Ventura! Always happy to see more people from California on board, though I sense you are not terribly close by. Speaking of which, over on the top right of the page, click on your username and update your profile with your general location so we have some clue where you are hiding! As you are already slated for a Calsmith course I suppose it would be redundant to recommend you join the California Blacksmith Association, but cant hurt to throw it out there just the same, check them out at calsmith.org I like the blade, got a pleasing curve to it. Is it made from a proper blade steel or just mild or mystery meat? Not a bad effort for your first swing, put some more time in at the anvil to develop your hammer control and you will see a marked reduction in the amount of grinding and finishing you have to do to clear the surface of dings and dents. im also going to assume that the scaly fellow in the pics is a friend of yours and not just a passerby? he'll make for good company, you might even be able to use him to control rats in your shop! :) anyway, welcome again, there is a beyond boggling amount of information available to you here that is already written and even more advice and critique available from the seasoned smiths that haunt the pages. looking forward to more pics of your work, perhaps we will cross paths at some CBA event in the future :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildernessmedic Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 Hey, i'll update it now, but i'm in the bay area/ Sacramento delta. I plan on doing this class, then in January joining, since if I joined now it would expire in a couple months anyway. The steel was "tool steel" I know that's not too specific, but I asked everyone at home depot and that was the only answer I got. One guy even said there's only one type of steel HAHA. Anyway, it was just a piece of cheap flatstock I bought there for practice. Nope, that scaly dude is one of my pair or Crotalus oreganus (Northern Pacific Rattlesnake) I'll be spending the next few hours browsing through the info on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 heh, I hate to say it but im willing to bet that the guy who told you it was 'tool steel' wouldn't know the difference if he was chewing on it. at least that's been my experience with the quality level of HD staff, and at least in southern CA iv never seen anything other than that 'weld steel' junk being sold there. so results may vary :) but it looks like it worked out well for a practice piece. did you attempt to heat treat it at all, or just let it cool after the last forging heat and then on to finish/polish? you are in good company up there, CBA membership seems denser towards that area so you should be able to make a lot of good connections within reasonable distance. hands on instruction and critique will advance you so much faster than you ever could without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildernessmedic Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 Nah, I thought of heat treating it and testing it on a melon but it developed a small crack at the tang and decided it would be best as a wall piece that I can hopefully laugh at later. Of course the first threat I read is what do I need to get started. "Do not mention swords, grin." Hahaha oops... I'm guessing you guys get a lot of Youtube warriors like me wanting to make a pretty sword haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakesshop Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I'd say you just earned some points for realizing the defects and making it into a wall hanger. I had a guy come to my shop several years ago to learn the basics. Started him out doing tapers, points and some draws. Then he just HAD TO MAKE A KNIFE! I gave some junk piece of metal I had laying around and had him put a point on it, do a taper and draw it out...Told him when it was done that it would make a fine butter knife. My point is that to make any forging experience an educational one. Hope to see you at one of the CBA meets sometime. Looking at your avatar, you in the fire service? I'm retired from Fed Fire, 32 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildernessmedic Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share Posted November 15, 2013 That's funny I can imagine the look on his face. I'm sure i'll be around the meets after January. Yes, I am. Relatively new (little over 2 years), with not a terrible amount of medical experience, but I am... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 the other key difference is that the recommendation is against leading in with 'hi, I know squat, and I want to make a katana folded 1000 times!' and you came in with an actual finished product of overall good quality and self diagnosed its flaws. so id say you are good :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 Hello from Bosnia and Herzegovina its good feeling to know you can make something on your own without buying it.I make tool handles istead of buying chienese bad quality one .And i reliased might i can make tool steel (head) and iam at i forge iron form.It was my first forum.I find here a lot's of iformations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakesshop Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Wilderness Medic... you ski patrol? I tried out for them, medical skills good, skiing skills, not so good. Looking forward to your many posts of your accomplishments. If you're every in the central CA area ( I'm just south of Yosemite), drop me a line here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWyatt Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I miss striper/salmon fishin there :( Welcome to the group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Welcome aboard. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Welcome to IFI from the desert of Southern Nevada. I grew up in Fairfield,and left for the desert in 05 after almost 40 years there. My friend had quite a few rattlers on his vineyard in Gordon Valley. Found one on his front porch that was 3' and had 13 buttons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildernessmedic Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Thanks everyone. No i'm not ski patrol. Next time i'm near Yosemite i'll let you know. I'll be doing the John Muir Trail again once the weather is better. Striper are going pretty good. Don't know if i'll beat last years 30 pounder. Not too hard to fish when you have a dock and live on the water. The class was awesome, but not what I expected. I thought i'd be a master by now haha. First class was 3 hours of nothing but trying to draw out and taper a small wedge. A lot of focus on perfect angles. Which is good, but I expected to crudely make a thing or two, not work on nothing but one angle perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Haha, that's pretty much par for the course :) you watch that first taper being drawn and think 'oh that's nothing, this class is way too long for that project', little do we know 10 heats and 45 minutes later we barely have a point on it and are starting to work on length :p Were you able to enjoy yourself I hope? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildernessmedic Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 Oh yes, I can't wait to get my forge built and start working on stuff. Just can't afford to use that propane burner anymore. What I really look forward to is that first set of tongs. Do you happen to know if a simple brake drum forge with coal and a good blower will get me hot enough to forge weld most high carbon steel? Before I start throwing it together I want to make sure it can do everything I expect it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Sure a brake drum forge can do it. welcome aboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Welcome aboard Medic. Thanks for being one of those folk who run towards danger and disaster. You betcha a brake drum forge and coal will forge weld, it'll only take a while for you to learn to. already been said but it's good to see someone starting out and analyzing mistakes and failures. A HUGE part of the learning process is failure analysis and one of the real hurdles folk often face is emotional investment in their work blinding them to it's faults. About testing blades on melons meaning much, you make you a wooden blade that'll cleanly slice a melon. Now, cleanly parting a free hanging manila rope is a different thing, that takes a fine high quality edge. An edge can be scary sharp but as it starts cutting into the rope fibers they will exert a lot of lateral force on the edge so it if isn't strong as well as hard it'll roll and not part the rope. Last bit of old fart advice; not everybody's advice/opinion is necessarily worth a whole lot. For instance I'm not a badesmith guy, I can do the dance but the music doesn't really sing to me. I may know a thing to two but folk like Steve, Rich and a bunch of the other guys here REALLY know blades. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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