Jerry W. Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 James, I am new to this also. I consider myself a beginner and would like to offer a special thank you to Bill Epps. Attached you will find the steer heads out of 1/2" barstock that he has demonstrated. It is a barbeque set - a fork and a steak turner. Then there are the Frederick's Crosses. The other is another steak truner from a railroad spike. It was demonstrated by Brian Headley on Rural Heritage which shows on RFDTV. Mine do not compare to those that were demonstrated, but I expect to improve with practice and am excited to see what I can do. Keep Hammerin' Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Jerry Just copy and paste the "thumbnail link" directly from the gallery into the forum, no need to add any codes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Covington Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 Jerry, They look great. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 James, It looks like you are hooked to me! Your photos are wonderful to see from my point of view. When I look at your photos, what I focused on is the idea of seeing a young man who is making an effort to learn, and is practicing the blacksmith craft. All the rest of it is just background as long as it is done safely! Yup, I seen your ear protection and safety glasses. You get 100 points for wearing them :cool:. Be safe. Old Rusty Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 James ,you Got The Guns ,ya Just Need To Learn How To Shoot! Light'n Up W/ Your Hammer. Forging Solutions Hand Hammer Techniques W/amit Har-lev Is A Dvd That Helped Me Alot! Artisan Ideas Has It Good Luck!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 watch ya dont give yourself CO poisioning closing off all the gaps to keep the noise out, its keeping all the bad stuff from your gasser in! - if you start to feel a bit dizzy / light headed get out in the fresh air for a bit ! You can also put some silicone sealant ( or similar caulking stuff from diy stores ) under the anvil to deaden the sound of it a bit. Try and let the hammer do the work rather than 'forcing it' edit - if you work over the back edge of the anvil a bit (so the steel has a much smaller contact area with the anvil & hammer) it will 'break down' alot faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Walker Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Thanks for the kind words. Those steer heads look very impressive to me. I'm having enough difficulty simply drawing out the steel bar, much less anything else Someday I'll make some like them! Next time I mount an anvil I'll have to try some silicone sealant. The job I did for this one is just fine, hardly any ring at all. About the CO poisoning: I'm actually fairly concerned about it and have made a decent attempt to avoid it. I have a CO detector right by my forge and have set up an array of fans to try to get some air circulation going in my garage. I'm still undecided on where to put the fans but currently they're like this: Both doors have windows that I dismantled to put the fans in. The two windows are permanently shut, but I might take one out and move the inside-fan into it. I'd like to keep the intake fan on the other side of the output fan (with my forge inbetween), so I'm primarily breathing in the input fan air, but don't really want to mess up my window for it. And I still need to worry about where to mount my leg vise if I can ever find one for a good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 Ummm....if you don't have the tool you need, the whole objective is to make it. If you can visualize what you need, pound a piece of steel into the right shape, then finish and use the tool for its intended purpose, you are being a blacksmith! Nothing will teach you the craft faster than tool making. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 your forge looks very cold - as does the bit your hitting in your photos, assuming the photo wasnt 'staged' (everything cold, just switched on) try cranking the gas right up on your forge, steel moves 20x easier at a yellow heat, than the 'cherry red' in your pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 James Walker BP0320 Stop the Anvil's Ring A couple of LOOSE wraps of chain is all that is needed to dampen the ring of the anvil. I agree with John, when the metal gets to the color in the photos, it is time to warm it back up, (take another heat). Mild steel can be worked at high orange or yellow. IForgeIorn > Lessons in Metalworking > Blacksmithing > LB0007 Seeing colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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