Another Afrikaner :)

[Johanvn]

Hi Guys,

Johan van Niekerk here
I'm busy setting up a forge. Basically to do some knife making (And a bit of damascus, and odds and ends). I already make knives the stock removal way, so this is the logical next step. Anyways, I bought a 2nd hand anvil (40kgs) in reasonable condition, and are busy weldng together a firepot based on the dimensions of the centaur firepots. I'll post fotos once the thing gets shape.
What I don't know is where on earth do I find decent squarefaced crosspeen hammers in SA???? Or do I have to make my own? If so, do I use 01 or some other tools steel? Do I harden the face & peen and leave the rest mostly soft? I'm not afraid to try new things, but I would have prefered just buying a hammer

Oops, almost forgot. I'm in Port Elizabeth :)

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard Johan, glad to have ya.

There are plenty of bladesmiths here who can and will answer specific questions for you.

If you'll click on "User CP" and edit your profile to show your location us old farts won't forget where you are. Heck, one of us may actually be in your neighborhood one day and need a free lunch or something.

Frosty

[Wim]

Baie welkom op ons Suid Afrikaanse forum. Jy sal baie tuisvoel, hier is 'n menigte kennis en praktiese raad, waarmee mens baie ver kom. Jy 's die eerste blacksmith in die Ooskaap van wie ek hoor.
Ek hoop jy gaan verder experimenteer as net bladesmithing, daar is baie goed wat jy kan maak met goeie smeetegnieke as net messe en swaarde.
Ek kan vir jou 'n tekening mail van die forge wat ek gemaak het.
Ons gaan hier weer in februari 'n forge in hou, op Coenraad Vegter se plot, as jy belangstel, kan jy oorkom, ons sal jou akkomodeer en rondry, daar's altyd genoeg slaapplek. en dis die moeite werd om ander ouens te ontmoet met dieselfde belangstelling.
Jy kan my bel by 083 263 7325.

Translated: welcome to our South African forum. You'll feel at home here, there's a wealth of knowledge and council here, that goes a looong way. You are the first blacksmith in the eastern cape that I heard of.
I hope you experiment further than just bladsmithing, there is a lot you can make, other than knives and swords, once you acquired some smithing skills.
I can send you a drawing of the forge I built for myself.
We will have a forge in at Coenraad Vegter again in februari, you are invited and transport and accomodation can be arranged, always room for a friend. It is worth a lot meeting guys with the same interest.
Phone me on 083 263 7325

Cheers, Wim.

[Herman]

Hallo Johan,
Ja die hamer storie is nogal iets ne.Daardie soort van hamers is nie vryelik beskikbaar nie so n mens maak maar jou eie.Ek het n ou duoble sledge van 3 kilos gevat en sy een oppervlakte teruggesmee soos ek dit wou gehad het.Ekt toe die hele spul non
magneties verwarm en in my knife quenching konkoksie,nl Ou karolie, Atf en diesel gemeng tot n dunnerige vloeistof verhard.

Daarna het ek dit in my oond laat bak vir so 3 ure op so 200C.Dit word dan so n donker strooikleur.(standaard prosedure om messe te temper)Sover werk dit ok,maar dit is vanselfsprekend nogal n oefening,

Yes this hammer thing is an issue here as those types are not readily available.I simply took an old 3kg double sledge and forged down its one side to the dimensions I wanted.I then hardened in my standard knife hardening concotion, old motor oil, ATf and diesel mixture and baked the result for 3 hours in my kitchen stove till it showed a dark straw colour.Like differential hardening of a knife blade.So far it works.
But it is a bit of an exercise for obvious reasons.

groetnis
Hermann
Ursus forge