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I Forge Iron

Well as far as My first tongs...


Daswulf

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I draw square, then round. 

All good advice Frosty. I'll work on it. I do have off blows and wandering blows here and there, I'm sure i need to pay attention in control of the piece I'm hammering as well as my hammer blows. 

As for nails that's something I haven't researched yet, I'll look it up and give it a go. 

I had a longer post but this was the main stuff.

and I never got a surprise in my shoe, but he is picky how ya pet him. :)

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Ok the other night I completed a third pair of tongs. Didn't get pictures then as I was also doing an oil change and another repair in between. Got pics tonight. I changed the bit style and it didn't end up as I was wanting but I feel I got the reins "better". Newest tongs have the longer flat bit. I did chisel a cross hatch in them but after thinking figured that it wouldn't be of use. And did give it a sloppy strike with 1/4" stock before I realized that I hadn't wanted to. Ugh the price of being distracted from what your trying to do. The bits are off but I feel I improved on the basic form. I will continue the quest as well as others to improve my hammering. 

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I am impressed with how fast you are progressing.

Thanks much. i'm nowhere i want to be yet but i'm a quick learner and a visual learner. I respect constructive criticism and try to learn from mistakes that even i can see let alone what more experienced people see. I learned early off that you get nowhere without trying to always improve. I don't mean to sound vein at all. but yeah I actually like ideas from experienced people that can help me get better at what i like to do, and they have all but "if not" perfected.

  There are alot of people out there that learned the hard way and tho I seem to Have to do that on occasion, they are very inspirational and i value the fact that they are willing to take the time to help others on their path. 

 Really, Thank you guys! You have been, and i'm sure you will continue to be, a real great help to me and countless others. ( In case you guys don't get that gratitude you deserve once in a while :)

Keep on hammering!

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Brilliant work Daswulf. A very clear demonstration of your progression. Every set you've made is a huge improvement on the last. Compare your first to your last and there is a huge difference in skill level. I'm impressed. 

The overall form is good, they look much more sturdy than the first pair. 

If you can afford it I'd strongly recommend buying the books by Mark Aspery. Certainly volume 1. 

Andy

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You impressed Mark, the Metalmangler with your progress. That is high praise indeed. One whole wall of his shop is covered with tongs. Why? Because it takes him less time to forge a pair than find one. When Brian Brazeal was up last summer one of his demos was tong making. Before the afternoon was over he was taking his lead from Mark.

Frosty The Lucky.

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*smiles* Frosty Thanks. i'll keep at it too. i have more things to do so i have to diversify. Yes, i will keep making tongs till i get it to where i can make them in no time. I Am very humbled and inspired by any praise I've gotten on my progress. it cant end there :) I have to keep on going. you guys are great. if you guys arn't inspirational, i don't know what is. A very meaningful Thank You. i'm sure i'll make ugly useless stuff. i just did tonight but thats the learning process and i will keep going till i improve.

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Half round faced hammers are nice for drawing over the horn. Take a 2-2 1/2# double jack and gring one face to a smothe 1/2 circle pein. Mine are 3# one strait and one cross. Used with the horn they move metal well, but dont make drastic divits. i'm with Frosty I tend to stand infront of the horn with a strait pein and the stock perpendicular to the anvil for drawing operations

Edited by Charles R. Stevens
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Half round faced hammers are nice for drawing over the horn. Take a 2-2 1/2# double jack and gring one face to a smothe 1/2 circle pein. Mine are 3# one strait and one cross. Used with the horn they move metal well, but dont make drastic divits. i'm with Frosty I tend to stand infront of the horn with a strait pein and the stock perpendicular to the anvil for drawing operations

 

I gave it a go this last time but i think my hammers arnt faced properly and i Was hitting too deep. it worked tho.  I'm getting 2 of my hammers out to rt to reface. other then that i'm going to give a couple a go as well :) but i thank you for the tip Charles and i'll keep at it. cant wait to try out some hammers refaced by someone in the know. 

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Most as perchased hammers need dressed, and the peins on most are way to sharp, a 2# hammer foe general use should have somthing on the order of a 1/4" radius (think 1/2" round) wile a 3# may have a 3/8-1/2" (3/4-1" round) 

TSC has a desent hammer, cant remembder if it is Jobforce or work force, but it has a flat pein. 

Some smiths prefer this profile, if not its less work to dress it to round. Remember working over the horn that it is graduated, so if you are using a slege to draw (or a 1/2 round pein) you want to be closer to the shelf, wile if you are using a smaller pein, say a 2# with a 1/4" radie you want to be closer to the tip

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Working over the horn, or a bottom fuller in the hardy (or pritchel if its small) hole gives you two options, one you can use the flat of the hammer or second you can use the pein, the pein of corse draws faster as you pinch the steel between the two saller serfaces. 

The bigest mistake we make is working two cold, activly forge at high orange/yellow heat (depending on aloy) and move to straitening out and planishing at red heat. 

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Thank you for the knowledge Charles, I appreciate it.  I'll still be sending a couple hammers to rthibeau. but i may work on a couple others. I have a good size stock to work on some hardy hole tools so a bottom fuller sounds like a project some time. the anvil horn will work fine as well.

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Fullers work well, sets are better to start the sholders. Insted of round the are flatsided, 45degree one sided be eled tools with rounded tips, sets a square sholder, isolates the stock and you then can forge the stem down. Saves some pounding into the hardy hole when making hardy tools. 

Side sets can be made as spring tools like spring fullers. Isolating diferent parts of the forging raly helps. 

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