just typing in Lee Sauder in the search bar on this blog get 72 hits, way more if I use a search engine.  Why would a link to his website be removed, I could not find a reason in the rules?  His research papers are a foundational read. 

Wire brushed and BLO's a Norlund axe, a 1982 Birkinshaw straight peen 7# sledge with British Broad arrow, (Matches my 1944 one, both found in US fleamarkets) and an old large set of tinsnips with the hardy hole or bench projection.  With the light I may have to make a habit of doing a couple of tools every night.

A moderator removed the link as it goes to a sales site.  

29 minutes ago, Will-I-am said:

Why would a link to his website be removed, I could not find a reason in the rules?

I haven't looked at the website, but direct links to websites with commercial content are generally not allowed. 

Well, Lee does sell bloomery iron and some objects he has made, so there you go. He is a great resource, and he is still offering classes around the country, obviously affected right now by covid. I did a week with him up at New England School of Metalwork. Worth the trip.

Steve

Lee Sauder's area on his site called "smelting research" has quite a number of research papers that are a highly educational read.  Just finished reading 5 papers he wrote on bloomery and he even has one just on bloomery construction plans with lots of pictures in each paper.  His concepts and his "clay mix" could be incorporated into normal forge builds.  Gets the creative juices flowing.

Someone started a “100 animal heads” here some time ago, here’s my efforts tonight. Another blink in’ fireside set started alongside the first rams head I ever made. I turned that first one into a Chuck key for my angle grinder so I have to look at it most days. Looking at the books I reckon I’ve sold over 200 now and made over 300. Another 300 and I’ll be getting there

Any improvements in aesthetics along the way are all due to the advice given on IFI

I had about an hour, so I started cleaning the leg vise which followed me home last weekend.

All the parts seem to be in good condition, particularly the screw and screwbox.

I'm making a couple more pry bars for work and started cycling a dagger I started before my shop froze over. 

I need to put up a privacy fence around the swimmin' pond. So I decided to try my hand at making the gate hardware.   Started a hinge. parent stock is 1/2" x 1".  So most of the time was spent getting it to a suitable dimension to start.  All done by hand, with many heats. I need to hit up the local supplier for some drops of a closer dimension.

 The saying "Free stock isn't free if you have to spend a lot of time changing it's dimensions to make what you want out of it!" is very true.  As I get older I try more and more to work from stuff that is as close as possible to what I need it to be. (Of course once the triphammer is online...) 

On 3/16/2021 at 12:00 PM, MacLeod said:

Any improvements in aesthetics along the way are all due to the advice given on IFI

Don't discount the practice you put in! You're making nicer rams heads than I do. Lots nicer!

Frosty The Lucky.

Thomas, as a complete noob to this smithing stuff, the experience I've gained from 1/2"x1" into 1/8"x2", then into an almost doable hinge half was worth it. But, now that I've gained that experience, I'll be sourcing material more suited to the task.    Another bit of experience I gained was in the holes, two were punched round, then drifted square, the other two were punched square. 

Had some forging time today,

I made a prototype awl, without any handle yet, to see what I need to change for it to work optimally, continued working on some tongs as an ongoing project, forged a new spring for my post-vise, as the old one broke when I dropped it. no idea why though, there were no visible clues to a crack being at the breaking point, my guess is that it had somethin to do with it being -5 degrees C in the shop. 

finally I started preparing a big ball bearing house to make a few drawknives from, the diameter of the bearing was around 25 cm.

Now back to studying for my finals next week.

Here in the USA a lot of the larger bearing races are made from case hardened 8620 and so not good for a blade.  Please check before putting a lot of effort into it!

Not *in* the shop per se; but I went out at lunch and bought nearly 40, (39.7), USgallons of propane . Cost me US$104.87 or  US$2.64 per USGallon.  That's pretty much my allowance for the month!   (Luckily I have left over from the "slow months"  and the class on Sunday will cover some of that!)

Tomorrow I hope the scrapyard will have unstacked the HVAC stuff dumped there and let me salvage some large louvers and some 12" dia spiral seamed duct.

Got hinge #1 ready for a pin, and a good start on hinge #2.  Found some old lawn mower blades that work real well for this.   Sure is nice to be able to start off with metal of a size closer to the task at hand. 

Thomas, Thanks for the tip, that's the first thing I'm checking next time. Any recommendations as to how to test this? my guess is to grind a large chunk off so that the unhardened core would be exposed and then quench to see if it gets hard.

 Cut a section off, heat to critical and quench in warm oil.  Then wearing PPE; place in the post vise and see how much force it takes to break it.  8620 will be *tough*  52100 will be brittle! (Hence the PPE!)

3 hours ago, Jobtiel1 said:

Had some forging time today,

I made a prototype awl, without any handle yet,

A wooden file handle would work well. 

Pnut

I use golf balls for handles.

Chad J, that blade looks awesome for a push dagger! Might consider trying it sometime.

Thanks Chimaera!  I usually try to make a practice blade out of mild steel to practice what I'm trying to accomplish.   I have a lot of mangled half finished railroad spike knives laying around I'm going to reuse one day. 

Edited March 20, 20215 yr by Chad J.
Fatfingers

On 3/18/2021 at 9:36 PM, Frosty said:

Don't discount the practice you put in!

There’s a bit of that but if you are going to get anywhere at all you need decent directions! Thanks.

How was your meal out? 
 

I’m looking forward to a pint. I’m imagining something like the last scene of “Ice Cold in Alex”.

I’m making tongs today, inspired by jonnytaits recent ones and just in case i accidentally include my go-to rebar ones in a photo and the (Thomas)Powers that be sees the state of them

Nice hinges.

4 hours ago, MacLeod said:

How was your meal out? 

The eating out was better than the food. Not that Chepos food has slipped I just forgot the number of my favorite combination dinner and didn't get my Chile Rellnos. That'll teach me to trust my dented memory and not read the menu. <sigh> 

It was GLORIOS! 

I'm looking forward to coffee with the boys and heck almost any return to pre-pandemic "normal." 

Frosty The Lucky.