The Reaper Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I've never tried to really forge anything myself, but always have been into the medieval swords, armor, ect... I also really like knives, I recently have been looking into the railroad spike knives and thought it would be a fun hobby for me to pursue. I am an automotive technician so I have access to a lot of metals that are normally thrown away. Which I personally think is just a huge waste. Anyways, along with blacksmith/bladesmith I would like to learn to weld. I have already gathered some of the supplies, I have a hammer, gloves, and rail road spikes so far. I would like some ideas on making a forge out of things I could maybe get from working on cars (like brake discs or maybe a steel stock rim). I also need an anvil but I was thinking maybe I could get a rail road track and cutting the corner off and trying to drill out a hardie hole. Similar to this : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I'm gonna beat 'em to it. You should post your location, you might be surprised at who might be in your area. As far as the RR track anvil, for blade smithing you don't need the hole. A square block is all you need. I have a forklift tine anvil I use for my knife making. Good luck with your new hobby, it can be addictive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 You can use most anything on a vehicle in blacksmithing. The wheel (rim) can make a forge, but a drum or disc will work too. Springs, steering linkage, sway bars, axles, are all good steel. The sheet metal can be used for making many projects. The electrical wiring and lamps can light the work area, the blower from the heater can be used for air to the forge. And the list goes on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
781 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reaper Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Thank you very much for the replies everyone, funny you should say that because I have 2 stock springs sitting in my garage that I was going to scrap because they were sagging. Never though of using them for anything else. Also, any tutorials or ideas on making the forge out of a rim or disk brake? Also, I have a railroad down the road from my house where they just kind of leave the scraps on the side of the tracks. That's where I got the spikes, I live in Orlando, Florida as far as my location goes. :D Looking forward to it being addicting by the way!I suggest reading through some of the forum, your questions have already been answered in the approprate sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 put your location in your profile and you wont have to keep telling people where you are there are many brake drum forges on here, try the section on forges. a lot of places are not happy about people helping themselves to railroad property so bear that in mind, you may be able to ask if you see a gang working there ( a couple of cans of soda may help on a hot day ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reaper Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Well the thing about the train track by my house is that I've never actually seen a train running on it and I've been living here for about 15 years. Kinda weird because the tracks seem up to date even though I'm only using the tracks that have been pulled off and the old spikes that they put under the old tracks, but it looks like it makes a stop by the scrap yard here so I'm not sure what that means but I would definitely explain myself if someone asked. Also, about the location I will definitely add that to my profile, thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 RR cops may not be real nice though. Do some reading on the various forums here, and a lot of your questions may already be answered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Reaper Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Will do, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Several of my friends have had run-ins with the RR police; luckily they were *not* in possession of any metal when it happened. Please take care. I have started buying my RR scrap at the scrapyard; 20 cents a pound is well worth the diminution of risk to me and I don't use a lot of RR scrap. As you are not breaking new trail with your questions we would greatly appreciate you perusing previous answers to them and then asking for clarification or if you run into something unusual. And as always---see if there is a local smithing group near you. Fastest way around the learning curve is to spend some time with an expert. Folks in a local group also tend to be aware of local sources for stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 These threads may be useful to you. '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> There's a ton of information in this forum, though it may take awhile to learn how to find what you're looking for. You can use Google. Type in the phrase or words you want to search for, then add this at the end: site:iforgeiron.com. Welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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