Fenrisulfr Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Hi all,i'm new to the forum and also kind of new to blacksmithng,started this summer but didn't spend too many hours on it,so i'm still a newbie. But the other day i realized that my fire isn't "clean",the piece i'm working always end up being very rough on the surface thanks to the heavy scaling i guess.It doens't happens all the times(most of the times on smaller projects,like knives or necklaces) so i'd like to figure out how to keep it cleaner, i've been scouring the internet for some hours now and i didn't find anything helpful. Everyone seems to be using coal D: Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickOHH Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 A pic would be helpful, is it hard like a layer of scale or it could be scale marks from it on the anvil and the texture is getting hammered into it. Could be ash and gunk from the fire? I'm sure there are lots of ? I didn't ask but a pic would be helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenrisulfr Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Oh yeah sorry,here's some pics. The top piece has almost no scaling,the full tang knife has some but not too much and the little one is very rough,the pics actually don't show it,i also filed it a bit to show it more but apparently it doesn't show in the pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Are you briskly scrubbing with a wire brush while you have red heat to keep the scale down? Scrub till it's going to black or no new scale is forming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenrisulfr Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 I don't do that everytime,only when there are a lot of scales,also what temperature range shoul di heat high carbon steel for forgin?i think i might be heating it too much,often to yellow,i can't still quite control the temperature,also because my forge tends to get obstructed and the air flow isn't always the same,I might modify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Depends on the carbon content for heat, high orenge to low yellow. To much air will exaserbate your scalling problems, placing the stock to low in the fire ball is the same as to much air. Some scalling is expected, heat, brush, forge... but to long in the fire, to much air, to low in the fire all lead to more scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenrisulfr Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 I guess the air might be the problem then,I use a hair dryer but it gives to much air... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Either move the hair dryer back from the tuyeer so air escapes, open the ash dump so air escapes (bottom blast) or install a gate. Charcoal needs just enugh air. It will get almost as hot as coal, but as it is less dense, you burn a higher volume, and coals can be blown out of the fire. Keep your fire small, and just enugh air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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