Starting blacksmithing/bladesmithing

[Latticino]

On 11/13/2019 at 11:09 AM, Matthew H said:

good deal or a rip off? It says forged steel which is the highest quality

As regards the anvil in the photo, I seriously doubt it is a good deal, regardless of the price.  It is also very unlikely to be "forged" steel.  I've seen similar ones on a Walmart site at around 20# for $65, with mounting holes on the feet.  At best I would expect that it is cast ductile iron, which is a step up from cast iron, but certainly not a premium product.  The flat top horn is a bad sign, in my opinion.  Probably a good option for forging smaller non-ferrous items, but I like a shop blacksmith anvil to be larger than 20#.

 

On 11/13/2019 at 11:09 AM, Matthew H said:

wondering what it would look like if you stripped off the paint with a wire brush

I wouldn't be shocked to see Bondo on some of the less successful "forgings".

[Matthew H]

I really wouldn’t mind spending 10 minutes watching someone review that lol, seeing that the company says its forged steel and says its not cast iron, wouldn’t that be false advertising and they could get sued?

[ThomasPowers]

I've seen anvils made by the "Real Steel" brand that said in fine print that they were cast iron.

Also on the wallyworld site with those 20# forged steel anvils at US$65 :

"We aim to show you accurate product information. Manufacturers, suppliers and others provide what you see here, and we have not verified it. See our disclaimer"

When dealing with imports caveat emptor tends to rule.

[Matthew H]

I’ll have to look for that

thanks 

-Matthew H

[Frosty]

I wear my caveats at a jaunty angle. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[ThomasPowers]

Must be a Friday, Frosty's wearing his Caveats again!

[Matthew H]

What’s that exactly?

-Matthew H

[ThomasPowers]

Mainly bats; perhaps a few blind fish---Cave Ates. 

(In reality just some Friday silliness, feel free to join in or to ignore it, either one.)

[Matthew H]

Cool didn’t know that, google wasn’t really much of a help.

[pnut]

Google define caveat if you don't know what it means and you should get a result. 

Friday is also iforgeiron vocabulary day. The test usually is on Tuesday afternoon. Just kidding so is Thomas and Frosty but you really should look it up. 

Pnut

Edited November 15, 2019 by pnut

[Matthew H]

I did, it was not what Thomas said. It said its a warning, I don’t know though if there’s another meaning, i just didn’t see it.

thanks 

-Matthew H

[pnut]

Caveat means a warning or stipulation. Emptor is Latin for user iirc.  Caveat emptor means buyer beware. They were making jokes. Puns and word play are enjoyed by some of the members almost as much as blacksmithing.

Pnut

[ThomasPowers]

Caveat is fairly close to Cravat (or carharts for that matter); I could have just asked Frosty if his was apricot 

You walked into the smithy
Like you were walking on a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf, it was apricot

However "Let the Buyer Beware" is the important thing.  We are taking a swing back into sellers claiming anything they want to as it's very difficult/expensive to sue internationally and hosting sites are trying to accept no responsibility for what companies say on their sites. Companies are also gaming the review and recommendation systems. 

(Hmm maybe I should start selling "Air Forging" anvils to folks who don't know any better..."As used by top Professional Smiths"   Composition: 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.04% carbon dioxide, Values may differ depending on how your forge is tuned.)

This way to the Egress!

[Matthew H]

Cool, thanks for the explaination? 

-Matthew H

[pnut]

40 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

This way to the Egress

Please exit through the gift shop.

Pnut

Oh yeah I prefer an ascot

Edited November 15, 2019 by pnut

[Matthew H]

I’m so confused it’s unreal.

thanks for that 

-Matthew H

[ThomasPowers]

Isn't that a bit "racy" Pnut?  Ah well more work for the Mad Hatter.

Matthew; just take it as read that some of us had a way to Libational Education; and especially on Fridays it tends to seep out...

[Buzzkill]

7 minutes ago, Matthew H said:

I’m so confused it’s unreal.

The puns and plays on words here range from the silly to the sublime.  For some reason Fridays seem to encourage more than the normal dose of frivolity.   If you think you are confused now wait until JHCC starts making obscure references in ancient Greek or Latin.

[Matthew H]

Cool.

I know some Latin words for death...

[JHCC]

We have some interesting euphemisms for death in my line of work, my personal favorite being "He activated his estate plan."

[ThomasPowers]

(Norwegian Blue, beautiful Plumage!)

Revoked his Birth Certificate

Cold turkey'd breathing.

Finally escaped Taxes/Texas (works either way...)

Looking up at the roots rather than down on the daisies.

and too long to type in:  "A Cowboy looks at Reincarnation"

https://blog.cowboypoetry.com/category/poems/reincarnation-by-wallace-mcrae/

[Matthew H]

Lol

[Matthew H]

So i have a question, instead of buying a blacksmithing hammer online i decided to make my own... but here’s the problem I don’t have a punch or drift whatever you call it... but i went and made these handles, one for a heavier hammer and one for a lighter one. Since you guys told me to start out with a small hammer. But i was wondering with the hammer blanks I’m going to buy if i could use a drill press to drill the hole for the hammer to mount on the handle. What do you guys think about this, I’m doing this because I don’t want to spend 100 some dollars on hammers 

One on left needs a bit more work 

[Buzzkill]

For starting out I'd recommend buying an inexpensive engineer's hammer or drilling hammer in the 2 to 3 lb. range.  Harbor Freight carries them for about $6.  After you develop some skills then you may want to think about making your own hammers, but if you want to get mashing metal quickly this is a good option.  You'll need to dress the hammer faces and probably take some meat off the handles so they are comfortable for you, but that's far less time consuming than making a hammer from scratch.

[pnut]

Definitely start with a cheap hammer. Look at flea markets and pawn shops for a two pound ball pien hammer or as buzzkill said a cheap harbor freight cross pien is about six or eight bucks. The steel doesn't care how much your hammer costs and you won't notice the difference between a hundred dollar hammer and a two dollar one when you're just getting started. There's no need to spend a bunch of money on a hobby that you may not stick with. I'm not implying you're going to quit but many people like the idea of blacksmithing more than actually swinging a hammer. It's hard work and a lot of people decide it's not for them.  Before you spend any money on equipment if possible you should try to attend a meeting with your local blacksmithing group or see if there's any introductory classes near you. That way you can get a taste of smithing without having to spend a bunch of money and if you find you don't like it you won't have wastes any money on tools and a forge.

Pnut