What did you do in the shop today?

[Goods]

Thanks Chimaera! (I ended up sanding back up to 1000 grit, but it’s not a good as it was before I handled it. At least the mark from the stone is gone!)

Les, I’m assuming you wet molded the knife sheath. How hard was that to pull off, and is it secure with out being too difficult to draw? I like the look, and have to make sheaths for 3 knives of similar style, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort to wet mold them.

Keep it fun,

David

[Chimaera]

Oh, didn’t even see the blacksmith knife. Very nice.

While I haven’t wet molded a sheath for a blacksmith knife, I have done a few for other styles and can say that it’s by far the easiest way I’ve tried to do sheaths. Just some important hints I’ve figured out- cut your leather oversized, since the clamps leave marks and it shrinks a bit. Spray a bit of WD on the knife and wrap it well with Saran Wrap so it doesn’t rust during the process. Make a few Templates before you get to cutting (I guess that applies to all sheath making). 
Im the furthest thing from an expert, but they have generally turned out pretty well, and have good fits with wood handles knives. But as I said, I don’t know what it’s like for blacksmith knives. Good luck! 

[Les L]

Yes, it was wet molded. I didn’t cut it oversized, just wet it after sewing it up, shoved the knife in and then used my fingers and a rounded piece of smooth wood to shape it. Left the knife in to dry and after putting it in in and out several times it works easy, but holds the knife very good, also worked some saddle soap into that area to help 

[anvil]

A lot of good stuff!  

[ThomasPowers]

All those nice holes in the bender arm look ready for a few pegs for bending fork work.

[BillyBones]

Why clean off your benches when you can just get another one? The shop i work in was getting rid of this bench so i claimed it. Had to rearrange the shop, make a new door, but it fits now. However anything else and i will have to make the shop bigger or move it to the barn. 

I do not use the big garage door, i have had 2 big tool boxes sitting there for a couple years now, the spring is broke any way, so it is not an issue with me for it being in front of it. 

[Chimaera]

Got some pallet strapping. Tried to do a torch quench, but results were inconclusive. Here is a spark test on an 80 grit belt. Most of the sparks were in the 12-16" range, with some reaching 24". Bright orange to yellow. I know that the definitive test will come when I actually get my forge going one of these days and do a real quench test, but as a preliminary, what do y'all think?

[Goods]

Chimaera, I would expect that to be harden-able based on the spark pattern.

Tonight, I hardened and handled the top tool I made almost two months ago. Also, forged out a blank for the next tool.

Keep it fun,

David

[George N. M.]

Looks like reasonably high carbon to me.  Maybe about the equivalent of 1080.  Should harden very nicely.  Try cupons in various quenching mediums.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[BillyBones]

Been working on these knives for the past few days. 

My SIL and daughter have a horse farm and he wanted a machete to use around the property, i went with a seax. You can not really tell in the pic but the tip is at 2" and tapers to 1 1/2" at the handle. May put a bit more taper in it. I found the seax deceptively harder to forge than it looks. 5160 from an old leaf spring.

 The second is one i forged out maybe a year ago and had in a tool box drawer. I used it to try out the jig i made for my belt sander. After knocking of the rust i found it to be a twist damascus. No clue as to what steels i used.

the 3rd is a chefs knife just under 8" made of 1095. 

And last is a camp knife i guess you would call it, also made of 1095.

[Arthur210]

Finished a pair of bolt tongs I started a bit over a week ago. Made from a piece of 1.5" x 3/8". Split the reins with an angle grinder, but the rest of the work was almost all with a hand hammer. Rivet is 3/8" in diameter.

They were made to hold hexagonal stock -- 1.125" jack hammer bits -- and weight 3.5 pounds.

These are the best tongs I've made so far, but a wide margin. They took me about 20 hours of work, but I am very satisfied with the result. 

[JHCC]

Very nice!

[Goods]

Yesterday at our local hammer-in, I finished out a 90degree top swage:

After looking at it in my shop, it seems a little crude. Maybe I should spend a bit of time refining it. Of course I could just handle it a finish out this set, and get on with the intended project. After all, they are all a bit rough:

Keep it fun,

David

[Tim695]

Nice knives Billy! I cant wait to see them finished.

 

I really like those Tongs Arthur.  I always struggle to make the hoop in the jaws, I always seem not to leave enough material for a nice arch.

[Arthur210]

I watched a few videos before making them, Tim. The hoops need to be 4 inches in length, so you calculate the volume based on your original stock. In my case I was starting with 1.5" x 3/8", and I wanted the hoops to be 3/8" while retaining the same thickness, so half the width of the original stock. So I isolated a 2" length after the 1.5" length I was keeping for the jaw.

I recommend the videos from Black Bear Forge in general, but for the style and starting stock I was using I liked the one by Torbjörn Åhman. It shows the measurements at the beginning.

[Shainarue]

Arthur, those tongs turned out really nice! 

David, in my shop, those "crude" tools would look nicer than anything else I made, and look as good as something I'd purchased. 

[JHCC]

No real smithing work, but I did spend some time over the weekend cleaning up my old Stanley planes, which I’m thinking seriously about letting move on to new custodians. I haven’t used them in thirty-some years; perhaps it’s time.

(From left: #s 3, 4, 6C, 8C, 40, and 140; #71 router plane in the front left corner.)

[Jobtiel1]

If you decide to sell them, there's good money in those planes. I don't know how familiar you are with pricing in your area but don't allow yourself to be ripped off, plane prices have risen considerably, and yours are looking like older models so there might be collector value as well. Especially the low knobs are popular, and the scrub (#40) is quite rare.

Good luck with them and they're looking like amazing users, you can still decide to make some custom furniture with forged ironwork.

~Jobtiel

[JHCC]

I'd considered taking them to Maine (where I will be this week on business) to sell to a tool dealer there. I ultimately decided not to, because (A) I can probably get more for them on eBay, (B) carrying them in my luggage (and having to deal with the TSA about them) would be a pain, and (C) I just sold a pair of plant hooks to an acquaintance, thus providing cash for any purchases I might decide to make at said tool dealer's shop.

[Chimaera]

Finally got around to handling my flatter with a broken axe handle. Just need to scrape off the lacquer and torch it for a nice charred handle. 
Now I just need to replace the axe! And the hatchet. And the cross peen. And the ball peens. I’ve got some work to do. 

[alexandr]

Finish ! It remains to deliver to the customer.

[arkie]

Stunning!!  Simple but elegant.  And not a scroll in the lot!  How DID you manage that?

The curved pieces... more chairs?

[natkova]

On 3/9/2023 at 7:03 PM, anvil said:

Now you will be able to bend the world around your little finger!

 

 

Are you sure about that, can it make much difference X I know there is quite about lever and some scientist.

 

[alexandr]

10 hours ago, arkie said:

And not a scroll in the lot!

HI ! Thanks!

Google translate could not translate this phrase.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning Alexander,

It is the English language, it is another way to say 'And not one scroll was used, in your design'. It is not a rude statement or intended to criticize, just a statement of fact. Many people use too many scrolls to fill space.

Very nice looking chairs!!

Neil