Daswulf Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Hi, my name is Aric. I live about 40 minutes south of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in Fallowfield township. My career is in autobody, collision repair. I've liked the art of black smithing since I can remember being taken to old forts or outdoor craft shows. My main interests started out in blades and as a hobby here and there I would make blade objects to toy with or later as pretty wall hangers, through stock removal. Not having any guidance, I kept thinking that I needed all the real deal stuff to get started forging so I collected stuff i'd need as I could find/ afford it. Then the more I researched the more I learned how much time I was wasting since I could have started way earlier off with the simplest of tools. So last fall I finally built a brake rotor forge, found a source for coal, and got to hammering. It's been a fun start. So far I'm still sticking to smaller stuff to work on some skills first. Also just found a source for stock so I'll be heading there later this week to get proper stock for tongs and other projects. I've been really glad to find IFI and all the great info and people here. Slowly I'll get better and improve my forge and skills. Don't want to make this post too long. So, hello and here's some pictures of what I'm working with at the moment. Forgive the absolutely junk filled garage as I've had to work on some cars for friends and family and stuff tends to get piled up when I need the room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Welcome to the fun side , your setup already has the 'look' so your well on your way down the slippery slope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Thanks. I still need to open up more space for better movement around the equipment. still hunting for a good belt sander i can afford or to just make one but first i'm glad to build some beginner skills with technique. slippery slope indeed. as if i didnt buy enough tools for automotive repairs, Double everything for home and at work. now this hehe. least i only do this in one spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Welcome aboard glad to have you. You are SO going to fit in here! From what I can see of your set up I only have two suggestions: Replace the screw cap ash dump on your tuyere with a clamp on exhaust flap cap. Mount it with the counter weight arm facing your position so you can reach under with whatever's in hand to flip it open and dump the crud into the bucket. Flap caps make good pressure bypasses if a little flammable gas builds up in the tuyere and pops. If it's too closed the small gas explosion can blow burning coals out of the forge or split seams on the bellows you aren't using.My other suggestion is to move your post vise closer to the corner so one side of the jaws extend past the table side. This allows you free room to turn twisting wrenches or stock without hitting the bench.Now I've gone through all your pics carefully and still don't see any "junk" lots of potentially useful stock and stuff but no junk. There's a reason blacksmiths are high steppers you know. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 Thanks for the warm Welcome Frosty. On the dump flap, my initial idea was to make a flap thats actuated by a foot pedal. That modification is in the plans and i'll check out the flap caps.. I hadn't thought of moving the post vice but that's an excellent idea. So far i had only been using the twisting wrench from the top but it's best to be ready for any project. I plan on adjusting how the area is set up once i get non essentials out of the way. Yes, "high steppers" haha. That I am. it's a matter of me organizing it all. ( still cant find my little orange jigsaw...how do you lose an Orange jigsaw...) I read a post on stock storage on here that was inspirational with lots of ideas on that. I am lucky to have a beautiful work bench, my grandfather built, that wraps around and i'm using it as storage rather then work space , but that's all in process of happening.Thanks for the advice and again for the welcome. Can't wait to learn more. so far it's been great. (aside from burning some things off in the fire that i've spent a bit of time on.) all in the learning process.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Yeah, a foot pedal ash dump sounds pretty good but it doesn't need to be that fancy. It's really easy to over think these things. The simplest device that does the job well is the better tech.You may not really need to bend in a way the bench will get in the way but there are times I use the vise jaw itself to bend around and if it's a long piece of stock and some guys swear by twisting horizontally and it has it's place.There's no place in my shop a person can drag their feet. Clutter's not just a blacksmith thing but we're good at it.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 There's no place in my shop a person can drag their feet. Clutter's not just a blacksmith thing but we're good at it. keeps people on their toes and keeps out the lazy footed folk. I look around and see potential everywhere. And it's nice not to have to run out for every nut and bolt you need. just dig around and Bam! Project finished!. my first forbidden. Noooo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I'm still wanting to build a postvise mounting point in the middle of my smithy floor---buried steel sq tube with another tube the vise will mount to that will slide inside it to get nearly spenrical access to it---and another outside for when I need to run around with very long stock...Hard to have too many postvises or too much access to them. My shop currently has 2 work benches each with a 6" and a 4" vise mounted to them at opposite ends and a 6.5" vise mounted to one of the telephone poles that hold up the roof. This week I will be mounting another postvise down at my rental place---with the landlords OK of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 That's a lot of postvices. After thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I have 5 of em. The nice one I use, a big sucker that needs a spring and bolt down, another one like I'm using that needs a bolt down, a little one a friend gave me that someone cemented in a small barrel, and one is attached to the back of a jeep cj5 I bought for parts. Wasn't your old jeep was it Thomas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Nope; they don't haul enough. I go with small pickups. When I lived in Central Ohio postvises were easy to find and cheap (I bought a dozen of so for US$20 apiece in good condition) I finally decided I would only own 10 of them at a time and anytime I bought another I would either sell it on or upgrade and sell the one it replaced. Then I moved out to blacksmith tool poor NM and was gobsmacked at the price of them out there. So much so I tend to pick up a vice every time I go to Quad-State and bring it back to pass on.As I have my main shop and a "keep from going insane" shop at my rental and a travelling set up I have 3 vises down near El Paso as well as the ones back in my main shop. (Though one of the postvises down here is my "loaner" for an aspiring student to use while hunting their own.) I still have a couple of large ones unmounted back at my main shop waiting for the day I can set them up as described earlier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Oh you missed a GRAND feature by not installing "Gozintas" in your shop floor Thomas. I put 2" receiver tubes on 48" centers in a grid in my entire shop floor. Each gozinta is connected below the floor with a 4"dia. pipe exhaust system for a down draft shop exhaust.You don't need to change out all the air in a shop space several times to get rid of welding/cutting smoke or paint/solvent fumes if they don't get loose in the shop. I have a cutting table that's a bar grate over a plenum on 2" legs that socket into gozintas. Well, I have the table designed and all the parts but the tree got me before I got it assembled. Turn on the exhaust blower and any fumes, smoke, etc. generated on the grate gets sucked into the floor, around a couple times to shed it's heat to the sub floor and out the final exhaust and blown out in the shop yard.All The Gozintas are also welded to the rebar in the floor so they make good welding grounds and cast into the 6" slab. The pic is me tieing in the Heat Pex, oxy barrier hydronic heat tubes. It's tied to the rebar so it's EASY to drill anchor bolt holes without poking holes in the infloor heat.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Frosty, my 20'x30'x10' forging shop has a dirt floor; I can install anything at any time in it! As long as I remember where I buried the....NEVER MIND! Heat is not so important out here though I do have a coal stove I can install if I need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 14, 2015 Author Share Posted September 14, 2015 I understand what you mean Thomas. when i find anything for a good price i snag it even if it's to hang onto for either a back up or (probably later) to help out others. There's a guy in Monroville up by Pittsburgh that buys most stuff up then sells it at a premium so unless i'm in dire need, i'll keep hunting and pecking, or make it. Frosty that is one well thought out floor. as far as the heated floor it would come in handy here in winter but i can see it as pretty important where you are. i get by with a natural gas heater that never seems to warm the floor, tho i could stand to insulate the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 forbidden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JME1149 Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 Das, I know that guy in Monroeville. Actually bought a couple things from him. Welcome aboard, hope you've had a chance to connect with PAABA, great organization in your backyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 forbidden!Ugh! Why?! Das, I know that guy in Monroeville. Actually bought a couple things from him. Welcome aboard, hope you've had a chance to connect with PAABA, great organization in your backyard.I have heard of them an am thinking of joining soon. Looks like it would be a good thing to get out to some of their open nights. Thanks for reminding me about it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.