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I Forge Iron

Finally got back in my forge


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I have been too busy at work then Covid 19 got in the way but finally after about 9 months I managed to get back in my forge this morning. 

The poor anvil was very rusty so I took to it with a wire brush and linseed oil and it looks a treat now. 

Then I fired up the forge and made myself a belt buckle.  It's a bit wonky and too small for a 2 inch belt because I started with too short a bit of steel but it's the first time I have hit steel since October and the first time I have punched holes. 

It will be used as a prototype for my next bigger one that will be going on my work belt. 

Felt good to have a hammer in my hand again

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Nice buckle Dax, well done. Next time try it for size before you wrap the ends of the hinge around the buckle and you can widen it easily over a wider section of the horn. It's normal to have to tweak things like this and unless you're using something other than mild you can usually do it cold.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Thanks Frosty. I looked at widening it before I fit the hinge bar but it would have been out of proportion, wider than its long, the ID of the d section is only 1 1/4, I am going to add  1 1/2 to the bar to make the D for the next one. Might step up from 3/8 bar to 1/2 bar too. 

I need to make a hold fast first though, holding the bar stock, punch and hammer wasn't easy. 

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Yeah, that might be a bit much without drawing it out some. It'll make a fine gift or for a satchel or a wall hanger. 

Instead of cutting a piece of stock, how about making it BEFORE cutting it? Measure the bar first so you can determine how much you used but getting the correct proportions is much easier, just leave a LITTLE to punch and drift for the hinge pin. Hmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

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My process was to punch the holes in the round stock first then I cut it off and formed the D. I put some wood on the floor to stand on so that I could hold the length of round stock between my legs to punch it. 

Without a second set of hands I'm not sure I could make the D then punch the ends. Maybe a short hold fast so I could put the D over the heel of the anvil and hold it down to punch. 

This is what I love about smiting, working out how to get to where you want to be. 

 

Thank you Awrksmonkey. It's a very compact setup indeed, it's a 10 by 10 storage container at my work. It's a bit of a pain because it's on top of a 40 foot storage container so everything has to go up by ladder but it works. 

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You're probably right, I have a lot of little thingies I've made to hold stuff around my shop. Setting up two helpers (adjustable stands to hold long stock) to punch the holes after it's bent in a long piece of stock is more a matter of fiddling with my shop full of . . . stuff. 

So, keep note so you know which length of what stock works best for particular buckles. Oh sure, to it the normal guy way why don't you? ;)

And being on top of a storage container explains the weird floor, I should start looking at everything in pictures one of these days.

Frosty The Lucky.

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Now that's an idea I didn't think of, leave the stock long but support one end on a stand. I don't have room for a floor stand but if I put a hook on the roof I could drop a chain down to support the end and swing the working end between the forge and anvil. 

That may be Saturdays project. 

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Make a ring to hold the tong reins closed makes it easy to use a chain without a helper.  I store some sucker rod in the rafters that I can shift to where I need it and then have some light chain with a hook that I can hook on the sucker rod with a long pair of tongs and stretching---10' walls. The bottom I can adjust the loop with a bolt through the links or use a hook through the links. to rest the piece of tongs on.

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