Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

I Forge Iron

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Hand forged tongs from rebar

Featured Replies

Oh, and beware of that crackling and spitting anthracite: I have a scar under my right eye from a piece that flew out of the fire and stuck to the skin of my face. (I also once got hit by a piece that flew out of the forge while my back was turned and went down the cleft where my back changes name, if you know what I mean. Last time I ever did any smithing shirtless.)

  • Replies 582
  • Views 70k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Author

bet that hurt, i have a problem with not touching hot metal with my bare hand i dont know why i do it

almost time to change classes

When I start getting the urge to grab hot iron I *KNOW* it's time for me to take a break and check my blood sugar!

  • Author

im back

 

12 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

You will learn, pain is a wonderful teacher.

iv'e learnt my lesson plenty of times and im starting to get used to the pain

seriously like if i get a match put to my skin i don't really feel anything sparks too but i usetacould

Not reacting to pain is a major danger and I would not allow someone in my shop who was not safely aware of fire!

  • Author

oh im aware of it but you will hear me probably the whole neighborhood does

its more like a pain tolerance you know

Most of us laugh at the Mexican waiters warning about hot plates...

it took me a while as a kid to remember that black is hot. Keep a bucket of cool water handy. 20 min in cool water may make the difrence in a first degree burn or a second. 

Cooling the effected area minimizes the damage, your meat continues to cook after you remove it from the fire. Just like a stake from the grill. So cool first, then ointment and dress. Do not use patrolium jelly based ointment on 2nd/3rd degree burns. It will interfear with treatment, and subsequent healing. Same goes for cuts. If it's bad enugh to need stitches don't slather it with ointment, as the dock will have to scrub the heck out of it to get rid of the grease before sewing it up. 

  • Author

bout time to leave for the day and hope to get the truck fixed

315

 

1 hour ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Most of us laugh at the Mexican waiters warning about hot plates...

Yes thats for sure! I also have to remind my self when people are in my shop who dont forge that there meaning of hot and mine arent the same.

                                                                                       Littleblacksmith 

A lot of us have probably done the grab the plate and hold it while looking questioning at the waiter trick.  Makes my finger joints feel good if they have the AC turned up to "glacial".

I have to prop up the dishpan about 6 inches or my back hurts...My wife says I take showers at about the temperature she makes coffee at...though I found here an old Revere Ware Percolator in mint condition; perhaps she will use hotter water...

Someone had been using it to make mint tea?

  • Author

well im gonna check the starter on the truck because it might be that cause it is pulling the battery down and i dont know if today i might do some blacksmithing or maybe not cause i heard it was gonna rain all day this week so  i might not get started on that trammel until this weekend and i got to go to the shop to go get my pallets that littleblacksmith suggested i use. so i got nothing to do today much im still in school but we basically do nothing.

So ask your teacher if you can work on a special project and research blacksmithing!  Say a book report on "The Complete Modern Blacksmith" by Alexander Weygers.  You may have to ILL it from the public library; but most teachers love it when students want to do *more* than just get by!

  • Author

but getting by is more my thing

but not when it comes to math and engineering

Well we tried.  Life seldom excels for people who just show up. The more skills you have under your hat the more you can take advantage of opportunities others can't. I've had to change careers several times over the decades: Geologist, apprentice swordmaker, factory worker, hardware support for telecommunications, software testing for telecommunications, Software Integration Engineer for Astrophysical research, Validation Engineer for a computer company---you can sort of tell when my second degree a BS  in CIS kicked in...I've had a lot of fun and done more crazy things than I will admit to on a public forum; but by showing enthusiasm and doing more than get by I have been picked for things like spending a month in Jakarta Indonesia (I had a $6000 hotel bill there!) or 89 days in Germany, both doing installations (company flew over my wife and kids to keep me focused on the job and they had a 6 week vacation in Southern Germany).  I've greatly appreciated having benefits and being paid enough that I can buy a Bader or power hammers.

Give some thought about your trajectory...

  • Author

That's true 

School only teaches a couple of skills math and what Little engineering classes they teach everything else is pointless except science and history, also career and technology those are what matter as actual skills. when is knowing Shakespeare going to help you in life physically 

31 minutes ago, ryancrowe92 said:

when is knowing Shakespeare going to help you in life physically 

There are other ways besides physically. Hamlet and Macbeth changed my life.

  • Author

i was never into English always hated it. its boring i mean who wants to sit through something they already know and know how to do. its pointless and if your ocd about grammar i dont really care if i misspell a word or few because as long as its readable then im OK with it

 

41 minutes ago, ryancrowe92 said:

That's true 

School only teaches a couple of skills math and what Little engineering classes they teach everything else is pointless except science and history, also career and technology those are what matter as actual skills. when is knowing Shakespeare going to help you in life physically 

Putting forth the effort to learn something you may not be interested in is the lesion. In life you end up having to learn plenty you don't want to but need to.  It's not all you need to learn in school. It's how much effort you put in to it. That you were willing to do it and do it well even tho you hated it. Thats the life lesson 

  • Author

math and engineering have change my life for the better and you know how people are like how is this going to be useful and it is very useful and the STEM area is rapidly growing thanks to jobs like these and other ones in construction and manufacturing. They are the leading jobs that keep America running if road weren't built cities didn't have malls and knifes weren't made and etc. and truck drivers they haul loads from coast to coast to keep stores going and business afloat and they all involve math and science and most of the people who do those jobs are middle class working people who have families to feed and bills to pay. 

but enough of that back to blacksmithing I may fire up the new forge when i get it built thursday or friday maybe on the weekend ill go get the stuff thursday to make it

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.