Arthur210 Posted July 25, 2017 Author Share Posted July 25, 2017 Nice to see you gentlemen have a proper appreciation for a dedicated and righteous historical recreation approach to learning a craft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Gee, what do you know Thomas ANOTHER speed demon, talking about Completed shops. Like that happens. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gote Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 A shop (or home) is never finished. If it is, it turns into a museum. (Just laid in my wooden floor. more shelves next) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 26, 2017 Share Posted July 26, 2017 Memo: get empire started and encourage it to build lots of marble buildings; arrange fall of empire, access old buildings and burn for lime.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 Much progress over the last few weeks, since I was on vacation. Poured the concrete slab before going away to Pennsic War (a big SCA event). Once I came back I started putting up the structure, with much help from my dad. Here's a few pictures of the progress... I'm starting to install the roofing this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted September 19, 2017 Author Share Posted September 19, 2017 Workshop update: The roof is done, including the chimney. All that's left is to add the spark arrestor to the chimney cap. I've started working on the inside while I wait for the siding and windows to be delivered. I made a mistake in not ordering those sooner, but it's not like there's nothing else to do in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Arthur, Formidable. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Greetings 210.. Your new shop is kinda looking like my small studio FE26.. It will serve you well and a fun space to work in.. ENJOY Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted October 17, 2017 Author Share Posted October 17, 2017 Workshop update: Almost done with the exterior work. I have installed the windows, door and siding. All that's left are the finishing touches (soffit and fascia). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Long time since my last update. The exterior is done and I'm working on the inside. I have installed some shelves. The lighting is done as well, although for now it will be plugged into an extension cord to the house whenever I need it. Still have a lot of work to do before I am ready to light a forge in there, but it is coming along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Monsieur Arthur 210, Nice job. I notice a lot of oriented strand board, (OSB), in the interior. Permit me to offer a tip. OSB gives off an odor, my wife and many others call a wood odor. It is not. It is formaldehyde gas. Which is part of the 'glue' that OSB is compounded with. Formaldehyde is not healthy. But there is a simple trick to get rid of that gas. Certain plants will absorb and use the gas. There are a number of such plant species. The most common one is the spider plant. They are sold at garden stores, and also church rummage sales. (the snake plant is another). Hang several in the interior windows of your deluxe smithy. It really works. Salut, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Nice tip SLAG. I can get some spider plants easily -- we have some in the family and they are easy to multiply. But I will have to wait until spring at least before I can put any into my shop, as they would simply freeze right now. For now I get plenty of air coming in, as I pass an extension cord through a window for power whrn I am in the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Of course if there will be a forge in their there will HAVE to be ventilation for it which will help as well; and may in fact keep it too cold for houseplants in Quebec. If you will be using a propane forge MASSIVE amounts of ventilation are required. Re-running exhaust products back through the burners raises CO production horribly high and breathing CO is much worse than formaldehyde! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Good point. Thanks. I used spider plants to clear the air in the new extension to our house. The odor was so strong that I had to air out the rooms, every morning. Which meant that I and the "Marvelous Marg." get lungs-full every night while we slept. (Yes, for those who may be wondering, we HAVE had 'benefit of clergy'). Those plants cleared the air, completely! SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 So you have had your thumbs branded after your recited the neck verse? How *retro*! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 I plan on using a charcoal forge, so 2 windows plus the door should be enough ventilation. I did a bit of research on formaldehyde gas and OSB, and in Canada there are regulations since 2010 that limit how much OSB can emit. There may still be some, but not as much as before. So far the smell has been fairly low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted February 21, 2018 Author Share Posted February 21, 2018 Long time since my last update on the workshop. Winter was cold here (several week at -20 C), so that slowed down progress. Still, I managed to work a few days and evenings over the last months. I made a stand for my anvil and mounted it. Nothing fancy or original, but that should work well. The stand gave me a more even rebound on the anvil, I'd call it a decent 80% over pretty much all of the surface, dropping down to about 70% on the heel. I then organized the shop somewhat, cutting the old railings and window grates that I got from my brother and parents into bars that I can use, and storing them in a more efficient manner. I also made a side draft box for my chimney. I had some help and tips from my dad, who was a professional welder before he retired. Painted it two days ago and installed it today. The side draft is hungs from the ceiling so that the weight doesn't put stress on the chimney. It will also allow me to move the forging table when I'm not using it. I've started to work on a japanese box bellows that will fit behind the chimney on the wall. It is narrower and taller that the standard design. Overall, I am quite happy with my progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Finished my box bellows and installed it today. It's made to be operated from either side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted June 29, 2018 Author Share Posted June 29, 2018 Last weekend I finally mounted my post vise, thus completing the basic triangle of my small blacksmithing corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Nice. How's it work and where are the pics of it with a fire burning? You're going a need a screen or an arc welding shield with a hood to protect you from reflected arc rays. Flash blinding yourself is NO fun I know. It may be temporary but he lesson of the feeling of sand in your eyes and not being able to see for a day or two is something I'd like to save you from learning on your own. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Nice set up and let me also caution you about welding in that shop. The arc flash would be reflected over and over and over again. The flat walls may create a sound reflecting problem too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Nice looking shop, you'll enjoy it. BTW, the backside of that super sucker hood is going to get very hot. I would be concerned about the closeness of the bare wood on your bellows....you might notice it becoming blackened, or worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 Haven't had a problem with the wood of my bellows getting hot. Even after 4 hours of having a fire burning in th forge the wood didn't get more than warm. There's a couple of inches between the back of the hood and the bellows. I'll be careful when welding. The setup works well so far, though I've only used it before mounting the vise. I should be able to post a picture with the fire burning tomorrow. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted July 1, 2018 Share Posted July 1, 2018 Glad to hear you haven't had a problem with it. From your photos and description, it appeared that you had not used that arrangement before. Really neat and novel bellows design, BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur210 Posted July 1, 2018 Author Share Posted July 1, 2018 arkie, I've had a chance to light up the forge half a dozen few times before and made a few things with it. It is only the leg vise that is a recent addition. But I do try to keep the work area clean, so I'll take your comment as a sign I am succeeding there! Frosty, here are some pics I took this morning, as promised. Before lighting it up, I added some more clay (from the ground right outside of my shop) to reshape the bowl. I prime my chimey with a small fire lit inside the hood. It is made from a modified wood pellet scoop (cut shorter and added short legs). That way, when I light the forge itself, all of the smoke is sucked into the hood. Once the forge is hot the hood suction becomes self-sustaining. Once the charcoal is going, it only takes a few minutes to heat up a piece of half-inch square to orange-yellow. I can move the bricks on the far side of the forge to let longer stock through. This morning I was forging a firepoker for my parents' outdoors fireplace. Charcoal works well for me, but occasionally I get a small storm of firefleas. Most of them get sucked by the hood right away, but a few manage to escape. Overwll it works quite well. Used the post vise this morning and it is solid. It is behind me when I work at the forge, so I only need to turn in order to use it. Everything is within reach, I barely need to make a step to my right to put my steel on the anvil. I'm left-handed, so this seem natural to me. But my bellows can be used from the other side of the forge as well, so if I have a right-handed visitor it will be easy to rearrange the position of the anvil. The post vise, however, is fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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