Stopping here to just say hello.

My name is Jeremy and I currently live in Michigan. I have two young daughters a beautiful wife and a doberman. I'm a millwright and have been welding and machining for alittle over 20 years.  18 of witch I've been doing as full time work.

I also own a small business for the last 3 years making ice fishing spears. Machines-tools in my home shop are metal lathe 12x36, 3 welders, press brake, tube binder, drill press, horizontal and vertical band saws, all kinds of grinders small anvil, torches, anodizing line, paint booth and other miscellaneous stuff.

I'm here today with the intentions to learn more about blacksmithing and building a gas forge. The tips and barbs on my spears are O1 and I currently heat threat them with torches. This is a time consuming slow process with having spears with 9 tips and barbs each.  I would also like to one day forge a spear or two instead of machining, welding stainless steel and adding tool steel tips.

Thanks

Jeremy.

 

P.S I tried to change the picture size but it wouldn't work on my phone. Sorry

Welcome aboard, sounds like you are well on the way. Picture looks ok to me, it loaded fine. Those are some good looking spears. I haven't done any ice fishing in about 50 years since moving from New England, after mustering out of the USCG and finally landing in Arkansas via Florida.

Thanks. They are 316L hubs (the main weight) With 420 HC tines ( The long thin things) topped with O1 tool steel tips and barbs.  

Only did the ( ) thing because I'm not sure if the ice fishing jarken is the same with blacksmithing. 

This side business started when I made myself a new spear and then friends wanted one.. the following year their friends did and the next 3 years it's been multiple states of people buying them. So basically it's at about 40 spears a year with around 10-15% growth every year. I'm not here to sell in anyway. I just need to refine my heat treating and hopefully forge one day as it's the next main step in my metal working for my own learning. 

The shafts on my spears are hex aluminum with a oak handle. They fly nice and true even in deep water.

Jeremy aka Lerms