Fundametal22 Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Hello everyone, I am new to the trade, which I began as a hobby last March (‘22.) I have become slightly addicted to the feeling of taking seemingly useless and turning into something with a purpose, whether it is a tool for the day-to-day, or just something nice to look at. I am currently a traveling engineer in the healthcare industry. You can catch me in [random city every week] USA on weekdays, and at home on the weekends. Prior to this, I was in the US Navy for just over a decade. If anyone is ever looking for a hand near SC, give me a shout. I have much to learn, and would be happy to see your setup and learn a new technique. Thanks for having me, Ferg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Welcome from Southwerstern PA. Ferg. You are in the right place. There are any number of here to dig through. What types of things have you made so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Welcome aboard Ferg, glad to have you. Slightly addicted. . . Right. It's hard to describe the feeling of using two of mankind's oldest tools, fire and something to bash with and having your way with the symbol of strength for humans everywhere. What do you have for equipment and tools? What are you making now and what do you want to make eventually? It sounds like you have a nearly ideal job for finding tools, equipment and meeting blacksmiths with a little scheduling and routing tweaking. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundametal22 Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 9 hours ago, Daswulf said: What types of things have you made so far? The first thing I made was a pair of crucible tongs for lifting and pouring, used my melting furnace burner to do some simple heating and bending (Will post a picture when I get the chance) Castings I’ve made include lots of Copper, Aluminum, and Zinc ingots, anthill casts, buttons and coins, and recently a few failed attempts at a wolf statue. 7 hours ago, Frosty said: What do you have for equipment and tools? What are you making now and what do you want to make eventually? My current melting furnace (pictured partially in profile pic) is a 20# propane tank as the shell, 2” of rigid kaowool, 1/4” satanite, and a naturally aspirated T burner I’m sure you’re familiar with I don’t have much in the way of large equipment yet. Mostly due to space, but also money. New roof this year set me back some. I currently have a 1x42” belt sander/8”disc grinder, 6” wheel, bundle of dewalt 20v power tools, a 4# sledge, 6” anvil face on a bench vice and a cheapie flux cored MIG/stick welder. It is very overcrowded, so I am in the planning stages to build a 24x12’ shed with 8’ long barn lofts on either end. 8’ of the total length being for storing yard tools and miscellaneous items, with a partition between the other 16x12 working area. The 8’ in the center will have no loft ceiling and is intended to have space for a chimney eventually to have an indoor furnace. Currently trying to get the hang of lost wax casting and finish that darned wolf statue. On my to-do-list is a pair of copper shears for my honey to use in the garden, some custom copper or brass cabinet keys for my coworkers, and it may turn out terribly but, a Damascus blade made from scrap nails and screws as my first attempt at forge welding. (Been saving up dust from grinding and sanding to do a canister) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Nice, so you have some experience with the hot metals just need to get more forged steel on the list. Sounds like you have a good plan. I remember there being some good shop layout threads on here. A few searches may bring them up. And remember to search in your preferred search engine with iforgeiron.com in the search. The forums search function is eh.. wonky. Lol. That'll be a nice size shop, and they fill up quick. Good luck on that wolf, I'd love to see it. Having a welder is great to make stands and help with projects. I would recommend a simple faggot weld out of one bar of stock to start in forge welding. Cable damascus is a bit of work let alone screws and nails but hey, can't hurt to try. Again, there are a bunch of threads on the subject of forge welding. Get some basics skills down and move up from there. Keep up the ambition and work. You'll get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 The "anvil" on your bench vise is NOT suitable for much more than straightening nails. Read up on the expedient anvils here, there are bunches. I like an axel standing flange up, a little grinding any it will provide a nice face with a great depth of rebound. That's the amount of steel between the face and bottom. The bolt flange around the end cap has 6-8 holes you can use for hold fasts, punch bolsters, etc. RR rail mounted on end makes an excellent anvil as will l most any shaft. Make friends at a truck repair shop and you might luck into a nice heavy truck axle. Don't forget to forge them something nice in return, bottle openers and coat hooks are good beginner projects. Learn to forge weld BEFORE attempting a canister weld and forget about using grinder and sander . . . stuff it tends to contain a LOT of abrasive grit from grinder. It doesn't melt in anything you're gong to get from a propane burner. Once you get basic welding down try adding some bandasaw blade to the stack it has enough nickel in it to contrast nicely so you can play with pattern development for reasonable. What size T burner are you using? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fundametal22 Posted November 2, 2023 Author Share Posted November 2, 2023 On 8/29/2023 at 9:33 PM, Frosty said: “The "anvil" on your bench vise is NOT suitable” “forget about using grinder and sander . . . stuff it tends to contain a LOT of abrasive grit” “What size T burner are you using?” Thanks for the recommendations on improvised anvils, I will be sure to make friends with the local mechanics! I know it isn’t ideal to use leftover dust from the grinder, but I did use a magnet to filter out any non-ferrous materials so it’s at least mostly iron For the burner, if my memory serves, I used 12” x 3/4” black steel pipe with a .30 MIG nozzle threaded in and centered in the back of the T connection. Sorry for the delayed reply, I really need to make more time for hobbies. All work and no play recently :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWISTEDWILLOW Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 Howdy from Eastern Oklahoma!! Welcome to the forum!!! Glad to see another Sailor join up!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 2, 2023 Share Posted November 2, 2023 Ferg, belated welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming. Glad to have you. "By hammer and hand all arts do stnd." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 3, 2023 Share Posted November 3, 2023 Drill swarf beats grinder dust all hollow for canister billets. If there's a drill press at work sweep up the cuttings regularly? Better still if they drill different grades of steel you can layer them for subtle patterns. Change the 12" nipple for a 8" or 9" one and your burner will work better. The T burner build directions are on a sticky in the propane burner section here. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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