Jump to content
I Forge Iron

General help on a brick forge/ needing info


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 266
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Day before yesterday at Gallo's in Anchorage. Had a lunch combo, crunchy beef taco, cheese enchilada and chili relleno, frijoles refrito and rice of course. Deb had a pair of tamales, beans and rice. 

We have surprisingly eclectic foods here, even in the valley. There have to be 5-6 different types of Asian restaurant, (don't even ask about sushi bars) 4-5 Mexican, I don't know how many Italian, Greek, Mediterranean places and a few I don't recognize from their names. For some reason Indian and Cajun restaurants open but don't make it for a year or so.

Frosty The Lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Hey guys I know that forging and casting are totally different from each other. But I'm just curious, and I wanted to run this threw you guys. I do recall that y'all said that casting weakens the metal that you are working with; but my question is can I cast my tools if I'm making them? I'm thinking of different ways I can make my tools that's all. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Getting set up to cast steel will probably cost you several thousand dollars; why not just buy the tools for MUCH less?  I have a 6' long rack of tongs and the most expensive pair was US$12  My hardy tools were made from scrapyard finds for pennies.  Shoot you could buy them brand new  from a catalog cheaper than casting them yourself!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A picture book could be a good course of action. No, I'm not being smart. Studying pictures is my preferred method of learning, a thousand words and all that. I struggle with text or talk, but a good set of pictorial instructions really helps. Wish I'd known that back when I was still in school...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I have seen cast tools for sale---but made by large companies that already have the equipment, materials and trained personnel to hand and were looking for a niche market to help fill up unused production cycles.  I know a fellow who made some cast H13 anvils to sell IIRC they were about US$13 a pound...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

I wanted to run this threw you guys

Usually, you run something BY people to get their opinion. Running them through is an entirely different process, and generally won't get you a favorable opinion. :lol:

It's one thing to cast aluminum or brass. It's another several levels higher to get into casting steel. Not really a backyard process.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So what you guys are saying is that casting steel and iron tools are on a hole different skill level for a beginner smith right??  If so then what kind of tools can I make by casting that are on a novice level? I'm sorry if I'm really picking y'all's brains to much. I'm trying to get the most out of a novice can do (when I really start) from y'all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

So what you guys are saying is that casting steel and iron tools are on a hole different skill level for a beginner Smith right??  

Yes.

14 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

If so then what kind of tools can I make by casting that are on a novice level?

Unless you're planning on getting deep into casting, I wouldn't even bother. There are some tools that can be made by casting that might end up in your skill zone at some point (brass hammer, for example), but (A) you don't need them at the novice level, (B) you can probably find one at the flea market for cheap, and (C) it's going to take a huge investment of time and money to get to that point.

14 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

 I'm trying to get the most out of a novice can do (when I really start) from y'all.

Then pick ONE craft and work on that.  If you want to cast, cast. If you want to smith, smith. Starting two different things at the novice level simultaneously is just going to slow you down on both. Don't go chasing down the rabbit hole in pursuit of stuff that's cool or fancy or weird; all that can come later.

Assuming that you want to smith, the single most valuable thing you can do with your time is to invest it in learning basic skills: drawing out, upsetting, bending, twisting, punching, etc. The single most valuable thing you can do with your money is to invest in (A) affordable basic tools and (B) instruction in basic skills.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know of no blacksmithing tools you can make by casting the lower temp metals; especially as they tend to conduct heat way more than steel does---so a brass pair of tongs would need 6' long reins to keep from burning your hands in use and so be unusable!

(the only exception I know to this is casting a tin repousse plate; but that's not blacksmithing if you are doing it cold.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are there ways to Warp/ shaping iron or Steel to make tongues with no fire? If so what are they because I can use that to make some tongues that I can use for when I start. I know casting and smithing are two different types of ways a blacksmith should know.

and I like to challenge myself also multitask on a few things to spice it up a bit. Even though it may take a long time I will be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to learn to cast go to college, many have casting in their art departments. Otherwise do like blacksmiths have for millennia, heat the iron/steel. Bash with hammer, repeat. Almost none of the tools you need can't be forged. Almost all the tools you need you can not cast. Almost all tools you can buy are forged, either in a drop forge or a press. if you insist on going down this road after being warned about the expense and intrinsic danger, invest in life insurance

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

And I like to challenge myself also multitask on a few things to spice it up a bit. Even though it may take a long time I will be able to kill two birds with one stone.

Understand and succeed at only one task at a time. Otherwise you will not understand or succeed at anything. Each learning experience based on what you have learned before. You do not build a roof before you have walls, and you do not build walls before you have a foundation. 

Blacksmithing is about moving metal with a hammer. Hot metal moves easier than cold metal, so we heat the metal up. You can make most of the tools you will need, or buy them until you learn how to make them. 

Read the site starting with a subject that interests you. Take that information and apply it to see if the information actually works. If it does not work, then tell us what you did and ask questions. If it did work, read some more and apply the new information. As you learn what works and what does not work, you are learning. 

You can stop learning at any time, just quit and walk away. Or you can spend the rest of your life learning. Your choice. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OSB.....Try to con yer Ma and or Pa to take you to Bridgeton, In. this weekend to the Parke Co. Covered Bridge Festival. There are 3 smiths, setup and working. It will be about an hour drive, maybe a bit more. Offer to pay the $5 parking fee....it will be the best 5 bucks you have spent in reference to learning. There will be more yard sales along the way than you can shake a stick at....should I say....smithing tools?

 When you go.....tell John, John and Ross your just starting out and want to get setup. All 3 are very informative if you approach them properly. Take your phone so you can locate Mom and Dad if you get separated.               Enjoy                     Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Ignore Brian's big hammer, it will get a beginner in trouble and will for sure aggravate your hand/arm problems. You have gone to the doctor, right? 

I think it was @Dillion Brian Grant who was having the hand/arm problems, but I could be wrong.

12 hours ago, old school blacksmith said:

Are there ways to warp/ shaping iron or steel to make tongs with no fire? If so what are they because I can use that to make some tongs that I can use for when I start.

In a word, No. Even the most simple tongs require some degree of forging. However, Denis Frechette has about the simplest version I've ever seen, that should help you get started:

 

Mod Note: Link removed due to advertising and request for money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...