Kailthir Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Well my first attempt at building a forge is complete. Took longer than expected. I repurposed an old gas grill. Yes I know the welds sux, but it was my first time welding. I learned that welding sheet metal doesn't work, even at the lowest setting, it melts the sheet metal.. I should have bought steel plate. Lesson learned. So plez don't give me crap about the welds, I know they aren't very good lol. Made my anvil stand by using 2x6 cut at 10". I put some feet on the bottom. Think I am gonna take them off. It rocks a little. Either because the floor is uneven or my cuts may have been uneven. IDK anyways tell me what you guys think. Tried to upload a short video but it didn't take for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo7 Posted August 26, 2016 Share Posted August 26, 2016 Good on ya mate, if you cant get pics or video up see if you can get them in the gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kailthir Posted August 26, 2016 Author Share Posted August 26, 2016 Lets see if this works https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkPF9Pow7xM&feature=youtu.be Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kailthir Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 OK well made some rookie mistakes first time forging: 1-Burnt the metal a few timed and ruined the piece. Realized that you don't have to have the blower on high to heat up a 1/2 piece of stock to white hot. Note to newbies like me... do yourself a favor, don't leave the stock in the fire long, constantly check the color. I made the mistake thinking that it would take some time for it to heat back up... nope. If you have something to do like... idk... grabbing a new bag of coal from the other side of the shop and opening it and pouring it into the coal bucket then adding it to the fire....pull your stock out of the fire until you are back in front of the forge, it will burn and melt. Lesson learned lol. 2-Stock was too big for the wolf-jaw tongs I have. This must be a big mistake a lot of us rookies make. I had a very hard time controlling the stock while hammering it. THIS COULD LEAD TO A TRIP TO THE EMERGENCE ROOM! The stock could get away from you and cause serious injury. I realized I was fighting a losing battle so I shut down the forge (I only have two pieces of stock at the moment, will go get smaller ones like 3/8") 3-Make sure you have enough coal at the ready, AND monitor your blower. I went thru a pretty good amount of fuel the first time cause I left the blower on constantly. Then I had to go open another small bag of coal. While doing this I left the stock in the fire... reference #1 lol. 4-Right tool for you, and the right technique for the job... Just because other people are using 3/3.5/4 pound hammers doesn't mean that it is the right size hammer for you. I have a 2.5 and 3 pounder. Was using the 2.5 pounder... for the first time. It got heavy at the wrist real quick. Realized I was using a death grip on the hammer, and I was holding it in the wrong place. I choked up on it about 3/4-1" from the bottom of the handle. Found it to be much more comfortable. Also noticed that maybe I need to move to a 2 pounder until my body gets accustomed and conditioned to the motions and the work involved. Or until my arm gets stronger. No shame in this for anyone for going to a smaller hammer if needed. 5-Rome wasn't built in a day... I was trying to make something simple like a coal rake and botched it up (refer to # 1/2/3/4 lol) No problem, I will just try again with the lessons learned today. Don't quit just because something went wrong, its a learning lesson. I didn't create anything today but I pounded on some metal for a few hours. Believe it or not I actually learned ALOT today. 6- Fire maintenance... I didn't realize how much fuel one can go thru if we don't pay attention to the forge. LEAVE THE BLOWER OFF WHEN THE STOCK IS NOT IN THE FIRE, save yourself some fuel, it isn't cheap. It will only take 3-7 seconds for the temp to come back to forging level. ok ok... maybe 5-10 seconds. But you get the point. All that time you are hammering and dressing your piece with the blower on is wasting fuel. Also, depending on the type of blower you have, the HIGH setting isn't always needed. I found that my blower on low was adequate to bring the 1/2" mild steel to forging temp. (its a hair dryer). I didn't make anything today... I wasted fuel... I used the wrong tools for the job... almost had a bad accident (refer to #2)... Over all I would have to say it was an overwhelming SUCCESS! I learned more today by failing to produce something than I would had I made the coal rake without problems. Next time I start up the forge I will try not to make the same mistakes. Who knows I may produce something next time.... Remember always think positive, learn from your mistakes and don't give up. Remember #5. It takes time and experience... Happy Forging. "Judge me by the size of my hammer, do you? ...And well you should not! For my ally is the Forge, and a powerful ally it is." ...Forge Master Yoddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Kailthir, The only thing wrong with what you've posted is the comment, "I wasted fuel." I think you got a lot out of every chunk of coal! My days at the forge are eerily similar to yours and I love it. It's gratifying to see that others have the same experiences and measure them as growth. I learn so much every time I get the forge going. The biggest mistake I think I have been making is that I tend to work without a strict goal. I hop from project to project seeking new challenges. I've decided that I need to force myself to hammer out ten or twenty pairs of tongs until I feel confident whipping up a pair that suit the stock I'm working with perfectly. Using the wrong tongs has proven to be a major limiting factor in my learning curve. Holding work the wrong way has caused me to lose lots of heat and to employ ineffective hammer technique. I had to remind myself of my favorite coaching mantra:. Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kailthir Posted August 28, 2016 Author Share Posted August 28, 2016 Lou L, I agree with you about the fuel waste, it wasn't wasted. I was making a point on how the average person would see all the negatives and get discouraged. Me on the other hand. I actually had fun and learned a lot. That is why I said it was a success. I loved working with the forge today, even tho I didn't make anything. Another thing I forgot to add is that I learned is ...color. Didn't look like the videos. I noticed there was a big difference from looking at heated metal it in the sunlight as opposed to looking at it in the shade. I have my forge mobile and just outside the carriage house, but my anvil is just inside the carriage house. The metal changed a few shades of color when going from direct sunlight to shade. Something I need to be mindful of. Think that was a contributing factor in me burning the metal as well. Anyways Happy Forging "Judge me by the size of my hammer, do you? ...And well you should not! For my ally is the Forge, and a powerful ally it is." ...Forge Master Yoddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdawg Posted August 28, 2016 Share Posted August 28, 2016 Kalithir, I to fired my forge up for the first time over the weekend, reading your post was like reading a history of my own day Had all those issues, went through a tonne of fuel (charcoal in my case), burnt the first inch off the bit of bar I stuck in the fire, but had a ball doing it.! I did appreciate the tongs I had though, when I ordered 2 pair from an Australian supplier they rang me up as one set was out of stock, and after speaking to me suggested another set. The other set they suggested were made specifically to hold flat stock and they were brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 The best part of this discussion is the curmudgeons who have read it and said to themselves, "they don't sound like they are going to hurt themselves plusI tired of giving the same information ...so they can just go ahead and learn this stuff the hard way " ..and I'm thankful for that. The fact we haven't been chastised means we are doing something right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Re #6: Turn off the blower when forging ONLY for charcoal and bituminous coal. Anthracite needs a constant airflow, or it will go out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kailthir Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 JHCC... Good point. I am using Bituminous coal and coke. I didn't think to put a disclaimer for Anthracite coal. Thank you for mentioning it. "Judge me by the size of my hammer, do you? ...And well you should not! For my ally is the Forge, and a powerful ally it is." ...Forge Master Yoddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Olson Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 So you solved the lighting of the fire problem. How did you do it. Like jackdawg said you talk about stuff thats happened to all of us. I was reading and laughing thinking that sounds like some of my days. I had an idea for this piece and said i can do that in one try. Nope :-) took 4 attempts. Left alot of steel in the forge for this one :-) Its one piece. Rail spike. Had to cut the head off cuz it looked funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 14 hours ago, Lou L said: The best part of this discussion is the curmudgeons who have read it and said to themselves, "they don't sound like they are going to hurt themselves plusI tired of giving the same information ...so they can just go ahead and learn this stuff the hard way " ..and I'm thankful for that. The fact we haven't been chastised means we are doing something right. Lou, I think a better way of putting it is....."so they can just go ahead and learn this stuff the way we had to." The hard way is not always the best way, thank goodness. Happy forging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Lou: Most of us curmudgeonly old grumps aren't saying much or anything because you guys are learning from mistakes and making excellent progress. Why fix something that ain't broken? Your ideas are unpolluted by "traditional knowledge" and you might come up with a gem of an idea we all can use. Good show, carry on Gentlemen. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Frosty should we tell them about the pool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aessinus Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 22 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Frosty should we tell them about the pool? Just had to throw your...kilt in, didn't ya.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Naw I'm more of a lederhosen type of guy---much better in yellowjacket season... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kailthir Posted August 30, 2016 Author Share Posted August 30, 2016 Hey now... I own 3 kilts myself. Cant get more manly than a guy forging in a kilt. lol And yes I solved the issue of starting up the forge. I put the blower on low, and I used a little bit of coal before I thru coke on it. Worked like a charm. "Judge me by the size of my hammer, do you? ...And well you should not! For my ally is the Forge, and a powerful ally it is." ...Forge Master Yoddle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Woohoo....my advice (which was simply a repetition of someone else's ideas) worked! Thomas, if it is a burn pool then whoever had me can already collect their dough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 The first rule of the inner clique is to deny all possibilities of one existing....(4 quatloos on the newcomer!) Anyway my comment was to hint that perhaps some of use were watching but not talking and as mentioned usually a good sign (you're doing OK); or a very bad sign (a few we have given up on) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 I can neither confirm nor deny one existing, inner, outer or other. (I'd see your Quatloos but I'm keeping my eyes closed till you sit DOWN in the pool!) It's not a burn pool it's pretty comfy actually. Just go easy blowing bubbles or you'll float your kilt. Here's an insider secret for you, Most of my advice is something I learned from someone else copied and adapted. It's far FAR too much work figuring all this stuff out myself you know. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 dont look at me, I am not the one that bet 3 quatloos he would be untrainable and have to be put down. Your doing fine. The point is to have fun, be safe and LEARN from your mistakes. that is all we ask. we only get grouchy when you violate one of those 3 rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 2 hours ago, Steve Sells said: The point is to have fun, be safe and LEARN from your mistakes. that is all we ask. we only get grouchy when you violate one of those 3 rules. Especially the second. If you survive doing something stupid and dangerous, you may not survive the curmudgeonly thrashing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 well there is an old saying that "stupid should hurt" but some of us believe it shouldn't Maim, Kill or Burn down your house... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 I wonder how much good equipment is collecting dust in the garages and sheds of the world after the eager owners realized that their new hobby would lead to their demise. Moreover, I wonder how to reach out to those people... I could save a life by taking someone's anvil and post vise off their hands! I already have a pretty nice anvil but I'm already finding I want another... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 31, 2016 Share Posted August 31, 2016 3 hours ago, Lou L said: I wonder how much good equipment is collecting dust in the garages and sheds of the world after the eager owners realized that their new hobby would lead to their demise. Moreover, I wonder how to reach out to those people... I could save a life by taking someone's anvil and post vise off their hands! I already have a pretty nice anvil but I'm already finding I want another... I see a noble quest in your future Lou! I don't know how a person would get their hands pinned under an anvil and post vise but I bet they'd really REALLY want someone to come take them off. Please reach out to those people Lou I'm positive they can't reach out to you! I just hope you can get to them before they're completely covered in dust and can't be found by less than future archeologists. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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