BillyBones Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Chimaera, anything that is softer than the hot metal. I have seen some people use just a stick. A good wood or rawhide mallet is quite the useful tool. Wooden ones are very easy to make. Mine is a 2" turning round of white oak that is 8 or 9" long. Drilled a 1" hole in the side and jammed a honeysuckle branch into the hole and done. 1 tip if you decide to make one, choose a wood that does not smell bad when burning. I hate the smell of this oak when i am using it. As for the wooden anvil, i just use a length of 4"x4" on end and it works fine. I also got some smaller pieces of 4"x4" that i use for dishing. I can not remember who, i think Black Bear Forge, was showing a hardy tool that held a small section of 4x4 so it could be used on the anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 I dont know what happened to my skin but I burned it a litle bit and I feel no pain or anything,and I dont felt it either in pas that place is just rough and dirty. Did anyone had that expirience, rough skin but no pain. Feeling is like when you dip permanent glue on finger. Somehow wierd and rough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 That don't sound good natkova. Although it could be like having a blemish frozen off. same theory, different thermal direction. Yesterday I got my angle grinder finally, so I spent some time making the radius on a small section of my anvil a little more crisp. Then I built up my new grill forge! Just a side blast JABOD, but built into an old bbq grill body. Needs many adjustments to get the air blast just right and the fire pit adjusted. Had too much air going in at first and the fire fleas got kind of fractious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Now that's sparky! Charcoal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Saturday afternoon I finished the cutting for my 8 cube dice twist. Sunday after Church I did the pips and found out I should have done a full anneal on the piece. Sunday afternoon I did the twisting for both the 8 cube plain and 8 cube dice---two wrenches and an alternating 1/4 turn method for the dice and 2 wrenches and a continuous twist for the plain cube. (A student of mine had sheared it when he twisted his dice twist. I wanted to show him how to do it correctly---especially with hand sawing there will be differences in the cross section of the bridging metal and if you just try to twist it like solid steel the thinnest piece will do all the twisting and shear if you are not carful. Using two wrenches you can twist each joint separately paying attention to how it's working.) Monday I spent the morning helping an elderly church member clean the old metal out of his yard/garage/garden and then after lunch I took it to the scrapyard. I donated the rusty old steel but got about US$35 for the copper and aluminum and that wasn't counting the long copper pipes I kept for shop use. Took out 18 pounds including an odd sledge, 8 pounds, one flat face and the other was two heavy duty projections that were at about 45 deg from the axis of the sledge. Just reviewed a Woodings Verona tool catalog but didn't find it. I'll post a picture in "It Followed me Home". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Its just annoying Paul that is all and I need to see can it be washable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Yep, Charcoal. Into the second half of the bag and lots of charcoal dust in there as well. I tried to make the fire pot larger and that actually created more problems than it solved, so I'll be moving the bricks about for the next fire. I figured out that I can adjust the airflow with the simple expedient of moving the nozzle from the fan slightly away from the other end of the tuye pipe. Just the kind of stupid simple solution I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 I have same problem Paul, my fuel run out of firepot could be resolved with longer pipe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Kraft Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Yesterday I lit the forge and wasn't sure what I was gonna do, but I ended up making a fire poker and in the process making my first forge weld. As far as I can tell it took quite well and is fairly strong, will post picture in a bit. I haven't done much forging recently as I've been dealing with a bunch of school related stress, and I took the break to really just relax. It was nice to get out and get something done, and I am pumped to do more. (side note- I used one of my mum's dinner spoons as a flux spoon, forgiveness over permission LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Next project: flux spoon. Project after that: something for your mum!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pre6422hornet Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Spent the weekend working on some stock removal knives that should be heading out to their new owners this week, and spent an AMAZING couple hours in the shop with our 11 year daughter. She is very much a crafter, sews by hand better than a machine darn near, and loves to get her hands dirty. She asked me if she could help me the next time I was going to use my "tinker" ( what she calls my anvil). She watched as I drew out a railroad spike into a steak turner, and in-between heats she used one of my smaller hammers to heat up and hammer out this heart for my wife from 3/8" big box store welding steel. She did all the hammering while I worked the steel across the face. It was like having my own little power hammer! Haha! We even used a hardy tool to crease the point of the heart before bending. Well after we sent a picture to the grandmas we were asked to make a few more! Now our 13 year daughter wants in on the fun too. I really do enjoy teaching them how to use tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 (edited) Natkova, hope the hand stays infection free. I don't imagine that it would be beyond the need of some antibiotic cream and a band-aid. The tuyer I cut so I could sit the fan on the shelf that was already attached to the side of the grill. All I have to do to change airflow is just turn the fan anywhere from pointing directly at the tuye to angling slightly away for no air at all. I think the shape of the firepot is off, but that's easy to change. I really wanted a much larger fire pot so I could heat a larger area, but that didn't work out so well. Maybe I was just too stingy with fuel. On the fuel, thinking about mixing corn with the charcoal and see how that works. Edited January 19, 2021 by Paul TIKI added something I forgot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Great way to go! I gave my daughters tools for Christmas when they were younger. Out in my shop I recently ran across two small hammers hanging on my peg board, One with a D carved into the end of the handle and the other with a M. D is now Dr Powers a veterinarian and M is in Okinawa with her four sons... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Kraft Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Here’s the picture. Does anyone who knows more than me on this have any input, specifically in the weld itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pre6422hornet Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 4 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Great way to go! I gave my daughters tools for Christmas when they were younger. Thanks TP! And that is awesome regarding the hammers. It makes me slow down and take it all in as well. I still have my first hammer my grandpa ever gave me. Its a little small ball pein that weighs maybe 1/4 of a pound and he machined it at work on his breaks in the weeks after I was born. He stamped my birthday and name into the handle. I still use it today 47 years later when I need to ever so slightly persuade something to move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 I found that "kids' tools" were often shoddily made and so I would buy used adult tools and modify them for kids hands---Exp: I rasped down the handle on a wood saw to fit their hands and cut down the blade with my shear to fit their arm length and strength. Then there was the Christmas where both daughters got 3/8" VSR electric drills; a step up from the eggbeater drills they used when young! I also read where girls were often complemented on their looks whereas boys were complimented on what they could do! Well that's not how I wanted my daughters to grow up; so I made an effort to praise them for what they could do as well as they grew up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Kraft Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 1 hour ago, JHCC said: Next project: flux spoon. Project after that: something for your mum!!! ahhh but if I make something for her then she will figure I've done something wrong. i cleaned all the borax off the spoon and what she doesn't know can't hurt her... right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.J.Lampert Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 so you go to her "hey mom can i have a spoon for in the shop?" and then give her the piece you made for her. be sure to ask very nicely as if the bribe does not work mothers can sometimes be persuaded to give there child something with a smile and a hug know what you mean with the school part in an earlier comment i am having the same problem Ps nice looking weld on the fire poker i have only done 90 degree bends on mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 The trick with welds like this is that any hammering on the unwelded portion just above the weld can thin down the stock. When setting the weld, hammer just barely hard enough to get your pieces to stick, and steer clear of hammering on that spot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Mr. Lampert, Try Goodwill for used spoons. They have boxes full of cutlery. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Look for ice tea spoons, in particular: teaspoon-sized bowls on a very long handle. A little distance between you and really hot steel is no bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Natkova, yes. I burn myself like that all the time. I think what is happening is that just the top couple layers get burned and the heat is not there long enough to get the underlying tissue hot. My problem is my hands are so rough and callused there are times i do not even feel the burn till it is to late. Great to see the kids working in the shop. Those hearts would be cool for grandparents if you put the kid's photos in them. Kind of little picture frames. Maybe a ribbon to hang them with and they can even be hung on the Christmas tree. I had my granddaughters in the shop with me one day, 8 year old twins, they like to help by mostly picking up something if i drop it or sweeping or what not. Well i noticed that they disappeared on me. Went to see what they were doing. They had been in barn and were now in the backyard with shovels. So that peaked my curiosity. I discovered that they had been in my coal pile and had taken some pieces to bury so it would turn into diamonds. As a good papa i chuckled, kissed them on the head, and headed back to the shop. Coal can be replaced, holes can be filled, but those memories are the real diamonds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaera Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 BB- Now why didn't you ever try that? It's an investment. Unlike you, apparently, they care about their descendants. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pre6422hornet Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 2 hours ago, BillyBones said: As a good papa i chuckled, kissed them on the head, and headed back to the shop. Coal can be replaced, holes can be filled, but those memories are the real diamonds. Absolutely 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 19, 2021 Share Posted January 19, 2021 Well done Pre64. Nathaniel forging a simple spoon that will work for borax is easy enough. Other than that, like slag mentioned, goodwill or other used stuff stores usually have spoons if I didnt buy them all lol. Recently had to bring forks down from my supply as I was told we didn't have enough matching ones. I still have a Lot for scrap art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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