hoovesandswords Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Hey there! I'm Jordan, a beginner blacksmith from Stillwater, Oklahoma. I became interested in metalworking when I went to a Scottish festival several years ago with my dance troupe and wandered over to the forges. It was pretty much an instant love, and after I was given the opportunity to smith a couple times, I was 100% certain that it was what I wanted to do with my life. I've decided to make metalworking my full-time job, as I'm currently in a two-year program at Meridian Tech for metal fabrication/welding, which I'm really enjoying so far (even if it doesn't allow me too much free time, haha!). I'm a member of SCABA and I recently went to the conference, which was quite an informative experience. I enjoyed the in-depth demonstration on forge welding, which was something I'd been curious about, and being able to meet and talk with other more experienced blacksmiths and craftsmen was invaluable. Everyone I've met in this association has been amazingly kind and willing to share their advice. I now have an anvil, and I am finally able to afford all the materials for my own forge, so I'm planning on putting it together this weekend. In addition to blacksmithing, I collect knives and swords. I have a major interest in antique swords, particularly nihonto, but I enjoy studying all sorts of historical weaponry. One of my absolute favorite books is The Archaeology of Weapons by Ewart Oakeshott; I carry it with me everywhere. I look forward to connecting with you all, and learning from the experts. - Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 Welcome to the addiction. I am a bit farther south. Interested in cheap effective forges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 4, 2018 Author Share Posted November 4, 2018 On 11/2/2018 at 12:56 PM, JHCC said: Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! Hi there! I have, thank you. It's quite sad that the 'no grinding on an anvil' thing had to be mentioned, it seems like common sense. Have you had many problems with that in the past? I am quite looking forward to reading through the other articles and posts on the forum, and soaking in all the knowledge like a sponge. On 11/2/2018 at 3:21 PM, Charles R. Stevens said: Welcome to the addiction. I am a bit farther south. Interested in cheap effective forges? Ah, I see! Nice to see someone else from OK. Thank you! I think I'm all set with mine, at least for now, but I am curious; what sort of forges do you have? Are they portable, like a rivet forge or something similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 Not selling anything just helping new folks get started on the cheep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 4, 2018 Share Posted November 4, 2018 "Have you had many problems with that in the past? " Yes *many* times usually part of the "I know nothing about smithing so I decided to make irreversible changes to my anvil because I don't know how it's used; but I have access to a welder or mill." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 @Charles R. Stevens The forge I got mostly built today is actually almost exactly the same as the first one (the box + dirt one), save for the size! Thank you so much for the links though, I will definitely take everything into consideration for the future. 1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said: "Have you had many problems with that in the past? " Yes *many* times usually part of the "I know nothing about smithing so I decided to make irreversible changes to my anvil because I don't know how it's used; but I have access to a welder or mill." Oh no! I just...don't understand why someone would do that. It seems like a really silly idea to permanently alter something like an anvil without knowing what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 The JABOD forge is an evolving project. It has taken inspiration from others and has inspired others like the “just a pile of bricks” forge. It also was conceived to provide an alurnitive to the provasive “brake drum” forge. As to ignorantly modifying anvils. Many have sought to “repair” sway backed and scared anvils buy milling the faces flat and welding up the edges to grind them sharp. That is all to common. Wile experiences smiths recognize that sharp edges are bad as they Lead to sharp bends that crack and flat faces not only make it hard to cold straiten stock (you need a little over bend to over come the springiness of steel) but the faces of good old anvils approach knife hardness and heating or grinding in them removes this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 @Charles R. Stevens Very neat! I was struggling financially but I didn't want to put it off any more, so I went looking for cheap ways to build an effective forge and found that someone had posted a video of their box forge in action on youtube. It seemed like a great idea so I just decided to do that, got myself some wood and fire bricks this weekend. In my eagerness I forgot to check the all fittings I bought though, like an idiot, and a couple of them were zinc-coated so I'm having to return them and wait on getting it finished until I can find safe materials (which is surprisingly difficult; I know screws are pretty much all zinc-coated or galvanized, but I had a heck of a time trying to even find nails that would be safe to use). I had no idea that it was a part of a project like that, though! Very cool indeed. I have a friend who's just getting into smithing too, I'll be sure to pass the anvil information on to him so he doesn't make that mistake. Seems like common sense but then again, common sense isn't so common these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 If you have some vinegar, you can soak your galvanized parts in it to remove the hazardous zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 If it's going to be in wood it won't get hot enough to cause a problem with galvanization---the wood would start burning before the cook off temperature of the zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Gas pipe doesn’t use sink as it can flake off the inside and clog gas jet orifices. Alomost every one caries 3/4” schedual 40 pipe and fittings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 5, 2018 Author Share Posted November 5, 2018 @Charles R. Stevens @John in Oly, WA @ThomasPowers Ah okay! Thank you all for the information, and for humoring my beginner ignorance. I was really concerned about the zinc since I'd heard so much about metal fume fever, both from the welding side and the blacksmith side. I was also worried about the screws and brackets I have for reinforcement on the corners of the box, since they're galvanized. But since I'll be lining the box with dirt and fire bricks, I suppose it won't be a problem, correct? I'll double-check our Lowe's, I guess I completely missed the section with the gas pipe. Once again, thank you for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 Please skip the @ sign for any reference to me. I doubt you are as aware of the dangers as I am---I had a friend die of Metal Fume Fever going into pneumonia. (See the safety posts over at anvilfire.com' I forge section.) I gave the farewell toast for him at Quad-State that year. However the danger zone is for items that get above the kindling point of wood; so if you can use wood for your box then anything you put it together with will be OK. Same for tuyere parts, The ones in direct contact with the fuel should not be galvanized but you don't have to get very far away to be ok. Think about how close you can grab a piece of steel in the fire and how your hand burns WAY under the danger point of zinc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 H&S...sometimes the big box stores (Lowe's, HD, etc.) don't carry a good selection of black pipe. Go to your plumbing supply store/warehouse for the best pickin's. Welcome to IFI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Mr. H. A. Swords, After living a few too many decades, I had to concede that "Common sense", is surprisingly NOT common. A sad state of affairs, but true. Welcome to the group. SLAG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 We like newbies and their questions, especialy the ones who do their homework and then ask good questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 Thank you all! I will check the hardware stores in my area if I can't find anything at Lowe's. I apologize for using the '@' thing, I wasn't sure whether I should quote every post or just type in a reply without any sort of quote or mention, and used that instead. I will stop using it. Thomas, my condolences for your loss. Thankfully I can say that I haven't had anyone close to me suffer to that degree, but being a welder, I do hear about it, and often. My uncle runs a structural welding company and tends to see a lot of that sort of thing as well, unfortunately. At any rate, I'm glad to know that my using that hardware won't be hazardous to my or anyone else's health. I'll still keep an eye on everything to make sure it doesn't become an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 1 minute ago, hoovesandswords said: I apologize for using the '@' thing, I wasn't sure whether I should quote every post or just type in a reply without any sort of quote or mention, and used that instead. This is covered in the Bonus tip #1 & Bonus tip #2 in the (current version of the) READ THIS FIRST!!! post. As for pipe (and other steel), I've had very good luck with contractors on renovation jobs, where they've got enough scrap metal to be a bother, but not enough to haul off to the scrap yard. I've gotten pipe, plate, rebar, rod, angle iron, and (perhaps best of all) the 4x8 I-beam that became the anvil stand in my profile pic. A section of pipe shouldn't be an issue. Keep your eyes open on the road, as well. I've scored lots of good scrap from the shoulder of the highway; just be careful about traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoovesandswords Posted November 6, 2018 Author Share Posted November 6, 2018 57 minutes ago, JHCC said: This is covered in the Bonus tip #1 & Bonus tip #2 in the (current version of the) READ THIS FIRST!!! post. Ahh okay. Once again, I apologize. I should have read that part more carefully, that was my bad. Hmm, that's a good idea. I know a few people in that business, I'll ask and see if they have some scrap. Everything not re-usable for weld practice in the scrap bin at our tech school is also free game, apparently, so I'll have a look there as well. I've dug up a bunch of rebar and various scrap from around our house too, since we live on an old farm. We actually live right on a highway (I know, a farmhouse on the highway. Go figure). Last year I found an old child's tricycle someone had left on the side of the road and then run over. Quite a shame, it would have been nice otherwise. I'll have to see if I can fix it up at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I had friends in Oklahoma City that had a farmhouse smack dab in the city; they still heated it with the old cast iron kitchen range too. City had grown out around it and when subdivided; the original farmhouse was left in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I once visited someone at their home in California that had been the central house in a ten-thousand-acre orange plantation, now covered in identical suburban little boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Made of ticky-tacky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 And all just the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 We are showing our age... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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