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I Forge Iron

How to forge a flatter.. No swage block used..


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Thanks guys and thank you Enewguy for subscribing..   Youtube uses some funky algorytyms so the more the better.  Likes make a huge difference and the more likes the better the video links get to other videos and sites.. 

51 Papy..   I got a request for more personal info so added it.. I might change the photo's of the work for each video intro to keep things interesting..  Still don't really know what I am doing with that..  

Was it okay to leave the video a little longer where it slowed down vs 1X speed or more???  I was conflicted on leaving it real time or not.. 

When I make videos I have a tendency to work slower..  There is a few spots during the upset where I go regular speed.. ;) 

Thanks again guys.. Much appreciated and the feedback is fantastic.. 

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Very nice JLP. Now you have gone and upset me again. You have the hammer control of a farrier and the detail of a master smith. It is intimidating to watch those of you that make every stroke count. I will never get there but I am confident I could with a lot of patience

get close to where you got to with that flatter. I very much liked the fact that you showed the end product in the beginning and the photos of your previous work made it clear that you were not one of the hacks trying to fake it.  Nice video. 

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Nice video, thanks. Ever consider some narration instead of text? I loved the " I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway ". What is it about human nature that causes us to do that? 

What size bar was that, or did I miss it? I've been sticking to smaller stock but your upsetting technique looks like fun. 

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Hi folks - I took Jenn's video as inspiration to get off my butt and back into the forge - I could use a flatter, but had been putting it off on the assumption that I needed a swage block to do the job.  I didn't end up using my vise very much at all, though I can definitely see where it would have saved me time and some iterative shaping work at the anvil.  Over two afternoons and about 4 hours, I came through to what you see here.  The length of bar to start is, I think, very important, as it gives enough inertia to do a lot of upsetting without too much effort.  I started with about 26 or 30 inches.  I also used a 1/4" round punch to start my handle eye, and a tapered round drift to open the hole up.  As I knocked the cheeks back in, the hole ovalized relatively nicely.  The thinner cheek sections also made it easy to make some small adjustments to get the face of the flatter perpendicular to the "tail".

I know this is a bit on the crunchy and lumpy side, but my first piece always is.  A few days in vinegar and a wire wheel will help some...  The next one will come out better with the lessons learned.

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Hikerjohnson..  That is great..  You might want to make up a mark for the time being with no name if you feel that way..  

I use a more traditional mark for historic items and only use the more modern anvil stamp for items that I want to be known as new made.. 

This is my traditional mark and it's a joke of sorts.. Or really i thought it was kind of funny when I was a kid..  it's just formed with a center punch and cold chisel.. 

The anvil mark is neat but in some ways I think this is cooler.. 

I mark everthing thats worth it..  and thankfully I can remember every piece I have ever made..  Take photo's of even the stuff you don't like and put into scrap.. It will be amazing once your famous..  

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Mudman, thanks   It works well enough and is possible for someone who has limited experience to get a usable item..  

I'd consider this a beginner/intermediate project as the dynamic nature of the shoulder when punching the eye will give people a challenge... 

Might be a little to much for a raw beginner....   As the combination of close shoulder and punching can be a problem.. 

The punched hole can be moved back some from the face.. I just prefer to have it closer vs further away..  

Thanks

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Hi folks, here's a couple photos of the finished (but unhandled) flatter.  I stopped by and visited a friend with a 2x72 belt grinder, which made fast work of dressing the face.  The corners are slightly relieved to avoid getting "smileys" in my work, and the lion's share of the face is otherwise dead flat.  I'm really pleased with how this came out for a first attempt.  I'll drop in again when I get a handle on this.

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Polished the face up to 60grit and put a really expensive time intensive handle on it..    All of my top tools are pretty much handled the same way.. I had a bunch of wagon spokes but they are all rotted out now and went to the burn pile.. 

I forgot to mention that in many shops wheel spokes were used for handles so the top tool was punched to accept these.. 

I never get fancy with the handles and are just a tight slip fit.. I just smack the butt of the handle to pull it on more.. If it breaks I just take it back some and put it back on.. Any wood will work..  But find pine doesn't last long even just from the vibration.. 

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