Newbie thread.....

[ThomasPowers]

Doors?  "People are Strange"!

[JHCC]

If the doors of punctuation were cleansed...

[ThomasPowers]

We'd be eyeless in Gaza?

[JHCC]

At least without capital eyes.

[Will W.]

 

Umm...that would be "When I said "all", I suppose it was an exaggeration. What I wrote and what I meant were different things. [...] I really need to learn to proofread what I write."

I consistently underestimate the speed with which you drop the grammar hammer lol. 

[JHCC]

 

I consistently underestimate the speed with which you drop the grammar hammer lol. 

99.99% of what I see here, I just have to let go. But when you hand me a silver platter with "I really need to learn to proofread what i write" on it, how could I let that pass?

[Will W.]

Not only did I open the door, I prepared a meal and invited you in! Lol. 

[Mtnstream]

 

Doors?  "People are Strange"!

"Faces come out of the rain"

[Frosty]

Ranger guy: For 1/2" stock, 4-5 minutes is a really long time before going back to the fire unless you're hammering REALLY fast and hard. If you are hammering hard and fast enough to keep it above red heat that long, SLOW DOWN! 

I usually don't start folk with 3lb. hammers I like them to start with 2lb. especially a drill hammer for it's shorter handle and ergonomic relation between the faces and handle. They're easier to control while still being heavy enough to do good work.

In the beginning heavy hammers tend to make mistakes permanent more quickly. So, here's my advice for learning good hammer control. A lighter smooth faced hammer, don't worry about peins save that skill set for a little later. Dress the hammer, radius the edges so they don't cut with a missaligned blow, a slight radius on the face is highly desirable. 

Use mild steel, work it above red heat and work on processes before you work on projects. All a project is is a series of processes in the correct order. For instance a nail = tapered draw + even cut + upsetting. If you spend a little time getting each step down making nails becomes much easier and less frustrating. 

A spoon is a drawn object but a lateral draw is different than a longitudinal draw than a tapered one, etc. etc. Yes? THEN you get to dish it. Several processes to make a thing. Yes? 

Making leaves is good practice for making blades, DOUBLE edge blades that is. Doing a tapered lateral draw on flat stock and maintaining control of the stock is a LOT trickier than it may seem. It's why I REALLY prefer to make a blade-like shape from round stock than flat. Single edged knives are a LOT harder to control than doubles.

If you lighten up on the hammer and worry about getting a bunch done in the limited time you have, you'll actually get more done and do it better. Your situation is a perfect example of, "Hurry slowly."

Relax brother this is a LOT more fun if you take it at a party game pace rather than death race. Hmmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

You set up your anvil right, learn to bend your knees to adjust for thinner stock and learning to lift the hammer over your head and getting fast effective blows when you need to move a lot of steel, and knowing when the short er, swings are appropriate. If you pick a spot in the anvil and move the steel under it. Yellow-orange forge, red to black straiten and planish. 

I routinely turn 5/16x3/4 on edge cold with a 2# hammer. 

 

[rangert]

Frosty, Charles, Roger that!

I will work on it more. I agree from other pursuits and professional experience that learning the basics first is "All important!" seems no different on that aspect here. I will dress my hammer faces (honestly hadn't thought about that much). So I think then, that I have my heat about right for this  furnace though it also seems like I will be forever tinkering with it.

I chose this one because it is a scrap piece of steel for me to just kinda work on to figure out some of those processes. I flattened it back out because it is my learning piece to see what I can do to it. My next process is going to be making some square nails maybe. I am also learning how to use the geometry of my ASO as well. I have been using the face mostly but now I intend to try to use the horn some. I believe I got pretty  close on the anvil height on my first try, part luck, part experience elsewhere. My profession deals a lot with ergonomics at times. As far as body posture, martial arts taught me a lot about how to move on this. In that discipline, you do a lot with your hips and knees and so that seems to come pretty naturally, I try to use less in my shoulders as that would just wear me out pretty fast.

So another question I have, on the time thing, I thought about tapping the anvil between blows, to help give me a chance to build rhythm and also to slow me down enough to be more precise with my hammer placement. What are your thoughts?

[Frosty]

It's personal choice I don't or almost never do or my anvil puts flat spots on my hammers. So I stopped and got out of the habit. A lot of guys do though some for the rhythm some to help return the hammer with less energy to lift it. I've heard a bunch of reasons but don't recall others right now. On occasion I'll tap a little ditty while I think it's sort of like humming or whistling while you think.

There's nothing wrong with tapping the anvil but pay attention to the effects on the anvil. If you have one of those cheap Chinese cast iron anvils it's going to get dented up anyway and tapping it might do so faster. It'd also lack the rebound that makes tapping such a pleasure. 

I wouldn't make it PART of smithing, it's more a place holder than useful in a forged steel sense. What might work better seeing as tapping the anvil will be dependent on YOUR rhythm instead of a control. How about putting on some tunes? A good beat might help, I've equated smithing with doing a dance why not add music? A waltz has a strong even beat and if it's too slow you can double time it and still be working at a slow even pace.

Lots of tricks, maybe get drum sticks and just reprogram your natural timing by tapping out a tattoo, say marching band timing? They're easy and catchy, down right addictive. Oooh, that might be a thought.

GOOOOD question, I never thought of that. It may be a worthless idea but it might work. Cool.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[ThomasPowers]

We're going to roll out the anvil   we're going to forge things tonight

Roll out the anvil; trying to hammer them right