Hello from Belgium

[GeoffroyBelgium]

Hello,

I'm passionate about DIY in general and metalwork in particular. 

You can find some information about my blacksmithing activity in my dedicated website (www.forgehaiedesloups.be). It is in french. Here is a link to the google traduction.

Happy new year!

[Brian Hibbert]

Welcome aboard!

That's some very nice work.  

[George N. M.]

Welcome aboard from 7500 feet (2286 meters) in SE Wyoming, USA.  Glad to have you.

I checked out your website and you do some nice work.  I do have a question about your wrench knives.  Do you remove any chrome plating before forging?  I really hope so because forging chrome plated objects if pretty dangerous because it can cause heavy metal poisoning.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[swedefiddle]

Happy New Year Geoffroy,

Welcome from the left coast of North America, Vancouver Island.

Looks like you are making a good start with using what is available. Don't worry about what you have, that is all you need/want to get started. There is no wrong way to getting going. There are no Blacksmith Police to say you are/may be doing something incorrect. Use what you have to achieve the results you are after.

Neil

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Geoffroy, glad to have you. I skimmed your website, you do some nice work. The page layout isn't so user friendly with small pictures you have to click on to see well and the text taking space next to the pics on the page. Admittedly this could be the translation program messing the layout up. Whatever, it's inconvenient to look through the site and if you're selling you WANT it easy to look through. Yes?

Ditto George about forging anything chrome plated, Hexavalent chrome is extraordinarily toxic and will neither metabolize nor flush from your system and WILL shorten or end your life. It is NOT a dodgeable bullet, good ventilation or outdoors isn't enough. Acid stripping chrome plating still leaves toxic residue that's hard to dispose of safely. If you have a chrome shop in town have them strip it safely. It is NOT too expensive.

If you'd like to up the effectiveness of your propane burner, give me a shout. I offer you huge improvements over what you're using now and they're WAY easier to make. And NO, I don't sell them, they're too easy to make. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark Mountains.

Happy to have you on the forum and ditto what everyone has said.

Happy New Year and stay safe.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[GeoffroyBelgium]

Thanks for your welcome.

Yes, forging plated metals is not a good idea. I'm doing that outdoor (my forge is always outdoor). But still. I will add some warning in the website and perhaps even stop to promote that approach.

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

If you'd like to up the effectiveness of your propane burner, give me a shout. I offer you huge improvements over what you're using now and they're WAY easier to make. And NO, I don't sell them, they're too easy to make. 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Thanks Frosty

Yes the burner of my small gas forge is not efficient. Not enough air. 

I took some inspirations here and also on forgefr.com to make a burner with an other design. 

[GeoffroyBelgium]

[George N. M.]

Geoffroy,  You can remove the chrome plating on wrenches by soaking them in an acid overnight.  Then neutralize the acid with baking soda and dispose of it but be kind of careful since it still has chromium in solution in it.  The safest way is to buy up old unplated wrenchs at flea markets, car boot sales, junk yards, etc. and avoid the problem altogether.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[JHCC]

31 minutes ago, George N. M. said:

You can remove the chrome plating on wrenches by soaking them in an acid overnight.  Then neutralize the acid with baking soda and dispose of it but be kind of careful since it still has chromium in solution in it.

Unless you have some way to safely and legally dispose of toxic waste, DO NOT DO THIS. Even if you yourself are not affected, you are increasing someone else's risk of heavy metal poisoning and associated illnesses.

34 minutes ago, George N. M. said:

The safest way is to buy up old unplated wrenchs at flea markets, car boot sales, junk yards, etc. and avoid the problem altogether.

Yes, absolutely.

 

That said, Welcome, Geoffroy!