What did you do in the shop today?

[JHCC]

One trick I've learned when forging something with that kind of sharp transition is to do the initial shaping and upsetting over a more rounded edge, and then cleaning up the final form on a less rounded one. That can reduce the risk of a cold shut.

[Shainarue]

I started creating the shoulder on a more rounded edge of the anvil but it didn't seem to be shouldering so I moved to a non rounded edge. I did move back to the rounded edge when I was doing the corner hits but probably stayed on the other edge too long

Next time I'll take more time with the rounded edge. Patience patience patience. One of these days, one of these many hobbies I take on will finally teach me patience, lol

[gewoon ik]

Yesterday but still good i guess.

I finished the snowflake bowl. (I have burned my first one, when chiseling out the supports in the middle, the cross).

Second one. Looks nice. No picture yet of the finished part, no time for waxing last night.

 

Here i play with the acyoxy set (shalomo in flemish, some dutch will understand) to make the bends a nice Y shape. 

[NoGoodWithUsernames]

Shaina, it is hard to tell from the photo, but to me it almost looks like a fatigue crack more than a cold shut. (Though photos on a computer screen are often deceiving.) If it is, something to help keep from fatiguing thinner sections like that is when you are hitting one "corner" of your ball make sure the exact opposite corner is against the anvil. It is not always possible with different shapes, but if your work piece is supported then it is not trying to twist and bend that thin shank every time you hit. 

I try to imagine a line straight through a piece from where I hit with the hammer, and I want to line up the opposite end of the line with the anvil (whether it is the face or an edge or the horn that I am using at the time.)

That's my $0.02, again through a picture on a computer screen. If I'm totally off base feel free to ignore this. Free advise is free for a reason 

[gewoon ik]

Now it is waxed.

 

[Mothman_c3w]

I have recently found myself with an abundance of 1/4" round stock so I have been trying to come up with some varied ways to use it. I made the candle stand yesterday and the penannular brooch today.

The candle stand is a hair over 36" high, with 4" square candle plates. If I'm being critical, it's a bit spindly. I may need to scale down a bit.

The penannular brooch pin is a bit over 3" long, with an inside loop diameter of 1-7/8". I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, seeing as how it's the first one I've ever made.

Lastly, I finally made the first test cuts with my Racine Power Hacksaw today. I'll put some more details in my thread over in the equipment section of the forum.

[Hefty]

I like the brooch, Mothman. Good, clean forging and finish. Nice work!

(I like the candle holder, too, but the brooch stood out to me.)

[MacLeod]

 Hope you’re all well Thus is my favourite page on the internet, great to know that others are going through the burns, the heartache and joy that bashing hot iron brings and producing unique work. I have nothing to contribute. Repurposed a leaf from a cancelled order to keep my pipes handy in the office and starting a different kind of shepherds crook type finial(?) or end for a fire set stand. Shoulders and upsets and an attempt at geometry rather than bashing out a dirty oval penny scroll. 

[Rojo Pedro]

Super cool Gewoon and I really like the decoration on the brooch Mothman. 

Doing good Mac, thanks for asking. Agree about this post

[Shainarue]

Gewoon, that's a nice winter display bowl. I like how the metal that remained from the cross was used as the supports. 

Mothman, that's a whole lotta candle holder, lol. The cloak pin is gorgeous.

Mac, I agree with you about this forum. I'm so glad I stumbled across it. I don't want to imagine my journey without all the help I've gotten from people here. 

NoGood, that's exactly what I did. I remember it happening exactly as you described. I tried again tonight, concentrating on making certain it was where it should be, and it went much better. 

I'm not finished, but here's where it's at so far. 

 

 

 

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning Shain,

When I am making a ball, I have the base of the ball hanging off the anvil side (with a reasonable radius) at about 15-20 degrees down. My hammer blows will then come straight sideways. This pinches the base of the ball against the radius of the top anvil plate edge. You have to rotate as you are working and adjust your angle as needed and adjust the intensity of your blows. Remember, a lot of little light blows as it starts to cool down to dull red, is your clean up time. Do NOT hammer on it below dull red, it will crack and fall off the stem.

You can make a spring fuller for the size of Ball you wish. Use the Ball Swage to finish them to size and conformity.

Neil

[Shainarue]

Swede, that's how I was going about it. 

Here's the video I used for the steps:

https://youtu.be/jK0b-RSiLTI

[anvil]

If you are making a ball that is to stay on the end of the bar, not be removed, then don't make a shoulder, just do an upset if you want a larger ball than the parent stock. Then concentrate on forging the mass to a ball and concentrate on not decreasing the thickness of the parent stock.

If you are making a ball that will be removed from your bar, then you need to make a shoulder. If you are doing this on the edge of the anvil, then you need to have a "sharp" anvil edge. When I radius the edge of my anvil, I radius it from where the step is back to about where the heel begins and leave the rest sharp. So I make my shoulder back in this area. Note, its not razer sharp, just no radius. You need to use the edge of your hammer face as well, not the face. Thats why I use a square faced hammer, not a round faced hammer for my daily driver. Now rotate your hammer handle in your hand to bring the hammer edge into play and minimize the face. Notice how long the taper is on your parent stock in the above pic.  Your taper is too long by a magnitude. it should be almost zero taper. If your anvil edge is fully tapered from  step to the back edge of the anvil face, then, depending on the radius, it might be easier to make a cut off hardy with one vertical face and the other tapered. If you have any taper, a very short taper on the ball side is better than on the parent side.  I prefer using square stock when making "removable" balls. Its easier for me to forge the edges into a ball shape than with round, altho either works.  

I use equivalent weights to figure how much parent stock is needed to get your end results. As above

1: figure the volume of the ball as above. you get inches cubed. Use this to figure how many pounds or oz it is. 

2: get a weight chart for your steel size. easily found on line, many blacksmithing books and your steel supplier. This will give you the pounds or oz per foot or inch. Half inch square stock is .85 pounds per foot. Convert to pounds per inch. Now do the math to figure the needed length of 1/2" square stock you need. 

If you are going to leave it on the bar, then do it the same way, then taper your bar. The important deal is to keep your taper as short as possible and  the taper as thick as possible whilst making your ball.

[Shainarue]

Anvil, yes - I did want to keep the ball end on the bar - and I was also intentionally adding that taper behind the ball. Ultimately, I wanted to make the project featured on a storyboard of Glenn Horr (Highland Forge) in the October Ababa Quench Tank newsletter. (pic attached)

Last night, I was getting frustrated because I couldn't get that little bit of shoulder just under the ball to reduce to my liking and I decided the actual ball part was 'close enough' to my personal satisfaction to move on to tapering as it shows in step 3 of the storyboard. I figured I could go back to narrowing that shoulder later when I wasn't frustrated at it. The ball part I had intended to leave mostly as-is since any beating on that would add stress to the tapered part beneath it. Might tap at it with dark red heat to smooth it out a bit though.

Using the steps in the video I posted: I started by creating a small shoulder on two adjacent sides. Then started forming the ball with a combination of angled hits (varying degrees, including flat with hits against top of ball - tilted with hits at corner toward opposite corner - etc - taking advice from earlier in this thread to envision a line going through where I'm striking to where it meets the anvil) and I would periodically reintroduce a shoulder when the forming of the ball took too much of the shoulder away - but also being conscious to not give too narrow of a shoulder so it could handle the stress of the hammering against it.  

[Goods]

I like that story board. Nothing terrible difficult for novice, but put together makes a very elegant finished product. It’s great that your challenging you skill level!
Just be weary about going back to clean up the ball after it’s drawn out, it get a little unwieldy and difficult to keep every thing in line.

Keep it fun,

David

[natkova]

Forged some tongs i want to ask question can I split this lenght for decent Tongs, its 18 long inches 3/4 thick

[JHCC]

If you use about 5” of stock to forge  each end, that leaves ~8” of stock for the reins. If you draw that 8” out to an average of 3/8” round, it will quadruple in length to about 32” long. Cut that in half, and you have two ~16” reins. So, in theory, Yes. 

[natkova]

It is 3/4 20 mm round I found new home depot for material , I was haappz you have  even 2 inch round in diameter.

 

One thing I noticed round bar is easier to forge squish than squere and I will now use sometimes you need right materials for right work.

 

This 3/4 look great for tongs (making boss and reins drawing out)

And I can't forge too long like I wanted but good thing is I will cut this in half.

[anvil]

On 10/21/2022 at 10:49 AM, Shainarue said:

I did want to keep the ball end on the bar

No matter what,,, It appears you are truly "having a Ball!!"  

I watched the vid. My process is a little different. I make the shoulder on all 4 sides, but not to final depth. I make the taper as small as possible, just big enough so I can get in and forge the ball on the smallest radius anvil edge. This maximizes the material I have at the neck, thus minimizing stress and breaking it off. I then forge the ball, basically hitting the high edges inwards. With experience, the fewer blows to completion increases. Thus minimizing breaking it off. When the ball is done, I then forge my taper to completion. I usually mark all transitions so I know how much material I need for each part. I know where the taper stops, marked with a scribe or center punch,, light and on an edge if using square stock so the mark can disappear when the edges are champfered. And I know it ends at the neck on the ball(where it transitions from ball to shoulder/taper). Knowing this, I can start forging the taper at the "big" end( transition from parent stock to taper) and work down to the neck until I hit my taper length and neck thickness. This way, I leave the thinnest part, the neck, the thickest until the very last, thus minimizing stress and breaking it off..

Enjoy

[BillyBones]

natkova, it looks like you forged one of your down sets backwards. The down set behind the boss is supposed to be on the opposite side of the one for the jaw. It looks like you got them on the same side. 

A quick sketch to illustrate what i am meaning. The top is how i see yours while the bottom is how i was taught to make tongs. 

If i am mistaken please disregard my ramblings.

[natkova]

I forged one backwards that is  with holes?

Other part I wanted to draw reins out to be one half of Tonga  but changed mind it will be two sides from one rod.

 

What do you mean I don't get it?

Oh now I see what you think we'll i will reforge it there is plenty ofd material 

[natkova]

Cut in half

[JHCC]

Might have been easier to draw out first, but this should still work. 

[natkova]

I always forge from reins.

Well I can't hear that much of material forge get deep/shallow and it loose too much fuel in vein.

[natkova]

57 minutes ago, natkova said:

I always forge from jaws 

Well I can't heaT that much of material forge get deep/shallow and it loose too much fuel in vein.