Hick611 Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Hey guys, I am new to the site and new to smithing. I have learned a lot from you guys, thanks for the info. I like to keep things traditional, use little to no electricity, make my own tooling and try to generally prepare myself to be a craftsmen in any scenario regardless of what I may it may not have at my exposal. While learning, how can I read what the temp of my work piece is until I learn what the color looks like. And is the color wheel farely universal from steel to steel? Will high carbon, ms, and tool steel ( say D2 for example) be the same color at the same temp in the same light? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 To your eyes yes. BTW blacksmithing has over 2000 years of tradition---which part are you interested in? Working bloomery iron in a ground forge using a couple of goat skins for bellows probably has the longest block in that tradition... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 The type of lighting you're working under can also influence the way you see it. If you're in the direct sun, it won't look as hot as it is, and vice-versa. If you're in a dark shop, it will look hotter, and then there is everything in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 WHAT HE SAID! Ambient light can shift the "temperature" by up to 1000 degF! I warn my knife smithing students that if they work while the sun is going down they will end up working the steel too cold as it still looks the same temp but the ambient has shifted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hick611 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 I want to learn the craft with basic tools, but I am not striving to be accurate to a specific era. I will build a very basic coal forge with bellows that I will make. I am not interested in power hammers or gas forges. Since light has so much affect on the color, how can I tell the temp? I picture myself working primarily mild, 1095, 45XX type steel. So I think that I will be able to gauge temperature farely close by using a magnet, but is there another way? I some D2 steel rounds from work I would like to play with, but read that it should only be worked above 1700 degrees F. How can I tell when it is that hot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 D2 won't be moving very much at the lower temps. Also take a piece of junk steel and heat it up. Check it often and see the color change and go until you see sparks and keep going until you burn it in half. Then you'll know too hot. The magnet will not help you for forging the metal. That would be for hardening certain things after you have forged the piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Well the best answer is *EXPERIENCE* you will learn where each alloy likes to be worked: is it soft under the hammer? Does it burn or cottage cheese? Expect to pay for the tutoring steel gives you... Experience will also allow you to factor in working in the shade, sun, after dark, under bright lights. Getting started is often more important than worrying about fine details before you can profit from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Yeah! What he said! Ditto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borntoolate Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I wouldn't sweat the details too much. Just get started. REALLY hot is almost white in color. Look at the coals and if they are white then look at your metal. When the metal gets white hot like the coals pull it out and you might have a major sparkler (burning the metal). Not good. Or maybe just a few sparks here and there. I hear many folks like it just that HOT. But once you do it you know you can and you know what it takes. Now heat things to a little less than that for easier work. Different materials got to be worked at different heats. If you can't: control the heat see the heat and colors time the heat by feel see the tiny sparks that come out of the fire just as you hit that point... ...then it will be hard to hit any color/heat, So just play around with the metal and your fire control and feel the hammer difference. Burn something on purpose. Make some test runs on mild steel at different heats. Be careful at a white heat. Sparks will fly off your hammer everywhere. WEAR your safety glasses always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borntoolate Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 if you don't want to waste good metal experimenting then get some re-bar. Old rusty rebar is readily available and provide good hammer practice making it square. Good practice at reclaiming "junk". Then you can make something as well. My experience with it is that it seems very inconsistent. Sometimes kinda hard to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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