SLAG Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 T. P. is correct again; as per usual. The Internet's false news fad seems to be all the rage these days . What with the two million voter fraud and Mrs. Clinton's alleged pizza parlor child molestation ring. It's the truth by Gadfry, I read it on the net! Just saying. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 2 hours ago, Buzzkill said: "A man with experience is never at the mercy of a man with an opinion." Anon Now in my Opinion that is quite true, experience trumps theory every time and todays world is full if Theories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted December 7, 2016 Share Posted December 7, 2016 Theory is not fact. It must be proven to become fact. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 From Blister Fingers *The metal will never get hotter than your fire. Things don't tend to surpass their environment. *Every time you swing the hammer into the steel, it has a consequence. Be mindful of your words and actions. *If the steel isn't moving how you want it to, you're doing something wrong. See the hint above. *Never swing the hammer harder than you can control it, and never use a hammer too heavy for comfort. Know your limits or face the consequences. *Doing it right the first time is infinitely faster than going back and fixing mistakes. *Proper sequence is important. Don't get ahead of yourself. *Most mistakes can be fixed, but sometimes it's best to move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 Good hammer technique comes from practicing good hammer technique, with EVERY hammer blow. Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 A word of caution, blacksmithing is addictive, and sometimes only a single exposure to the craft is all that is needed to get you hooked. Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 "You just lift the hammer, boy. It'll carry itself down." -- Peter Simmons, quoted in By the Work of Their Hands: Studies in Afro-American Folklife by John Michael Vlach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 Yes the 24 inch diameter chimney was a big chimney and therefore the forge was called the 55 Forge with a Supercharger. It would suck the fleas off the dogs back when he went past. (well almost anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 24, 2016 Author Share Posted December 24, 2016 Concerning anvils : As Thomas Powers says, it's how well it works that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beech Posted December 25, 2016 Share Posted December 25, 2016 "Developing skill is like an investment that banks on time." --rockstar.esq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 25, 2016 Author Share Posted December 25, 2016 Heat treating: The rule is generally one gallon of quenchant per pound of steel being quenched. John McPherson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 28, 2016 Author Share Posted December 28, 2016 I love hanging around with other blacksmiths precisely because of the weirdness factor. So much more interesting than "normal" people! Judson Yaggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 My wife says that forging fixes "constipation of the soul" for me. Thomas Powers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Does that make forging a good laxative? I wonder. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 A little anvil time can change your entire day for the better. No therapist needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hot Steel and Heavy Anvils----Life is GOOD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 26 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Hot Steel and Heavy Anvils----Life is GOOD! That's a good one for a T-shirt, Thomas! With some visual add, as an anvil. I know I'd buy that T-shirt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 14, 2017 Author Share Posted January 14, 2017 To test if a weld has set simply lay one side on the anvil and watch it cool. If it loses color evenly across the weld it has taken and is ready for refinement. If however there is a sharp line between the halves, black against the anvil and red above the weld line it has NOT set. Reset the weld, brush, flux and bring to welding temp with soak time. Repeat setting procedure. Frosty the Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 14, 2017 Author Share Posted January 14, 2017 That weld is commonly a cleft weld, sometimes called a "bird's mouth." The mild steel is split and each split end width is tapered. I open the split a bit and use a ball peen at the anvil edge. The tool steel is tapered on one length so you have a rough triangular cross section. This steel is going to be somewhat wider and longer than the cleft. The tool steel taper is made ragged on edge by using a hot cut repeatedly and diagonally along its length. This gives gripability when the room- temp 'bit' is driven into the red hot cleft. I find it easier to squeeze the sandwich together in the vise than to hammer on them before welding. At a welding heat, NO SPARKS, use moderate backing-up blows to better seat the bit and to perhaps squeeze a little undesirable soup out the edges. Then hit on the flat, center of blade first, then toward one corner. Hit the middle again and work toward the other corner. It might take several welding heats. Frank Turley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 DO NOT show any item as a demo piece that you do not want to build. People will always choose that one item you hate to make, and want two of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 Pins next to the feet will keep it from walking about. You bought the WHOLE ANVIL not just the face. Not securing the anvil to the stand means you can turn the anvil every which way but loose. That allows you to use the curves under the horn and heel, the curves between the feet, the curves between the feet and waist, as a swage block to bend metal. You can turn the anvil on end with the horn up into the air, or the heel up into the air, and even use the porter holes if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 On November 2, 2016 at 5:56 PM, littleblacksmith said: aw man, watching German sausages being made is the wurst! Littleblacksmith A little more German. I was US Army stationed in peacetime Germany in the mid 1950's, and on leave, I noticed that many Germans carried nice leather "brief cases". You would see them on the bus or downtown sidewalks, etc. One time I saw a couple on a park bench open their cases and out came bread, cheese, and wurst. All the time, I thought there were important papers inside. Furthermore, when I told a German friend that we called the case a "brief case," he laughed out loud. Brief case translates as "letter cheese." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 24, 2017 Share Posted January 24, 2017 Procrastination is the great thief of time. Anonymous. I know from personal experience. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 "Live today; procrastinate tomorrow." Sign in my doctor's office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 27, 2017 Author Share Posted January 27, 2017 Better to lose a "client" than your shirt. Notownkid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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