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I Forge Iron

Howdy from East Tennessee


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My name is Dave from north Johnson City Tn. I work in Education at a local high school.

I have lurked here a long time. Joined a while ago. Started with a "one brick forge." Forged with a small coal forge for a while. Burnt up a lot of steel. Lot's of trial and error. Made a few gadgets & blades. Lot's of cracked steel that I quenched too fast. Sometimes I'd get it right. Sometimes Id work on a blade for a long time only to have it crack in heat treating/hardening. Got yelled at for tempering oily blades in the wife's oven. Finally had a few work out and even traded & sold a few. Bought myself a brand spankin new gas forge from Diamondback  Forge and set up a shop in my backyard in a small shed. Made a bunch of "patch knives," "turnscrews," "flint strikers," "S hooks," and the like. Having a great time and BAM! I develop PE's in my lungs. Hospitalized for 10 days, am told I'd lucky to be alive(85% mortality rate). Off work for months. (Luckily I had short term disability.) Wife say's "Sell the forge & stuff." "Nope!" Now several years later I'm ready to get back in to it.

I'm not as strong or fast as I once was but I have some knowledge and experience. I learn more everyday thanks to you guys. I read IFI at work in down times, make notes, go home and put it into practice. I have a few friends that blacksmith & we trade tricks & tips. I have a friend that has a Little Giant power hammer sitting in his barn unused. I'm currently trying to work out a trade with him for it. I have a few young men from Church that I've been working with making simple file knives. It's better to work with them one on one. More work gets done. Well I've rambled on enough.

Later

 

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Welcome aboard Dave, glad you delurked! Sounds like my kind of self taught guy, we even have similar luck. I'd just got my, life long desire to own, shop closed in and got hit by a tree I was felling for firewood. I woke up in the hospital a few weeks later a TBI survivor.

Just goes to show, live long enough and your kryptonite will find YOU.

Teaching yourself to heat treat is a trick especially thin sections. The Diamondback is going to be a big improvement, it'll even improve your heat treat because the temp in the chamber is more consistent it'll be easier to hit THE temp.

Frosty The Lucky.

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