Blacksmithing Bits

For posts that dont fit anywhere else.
cae2100
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:39 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by cae2100 »

lol, I need to grab some more stock to make some custom tongs for myself. I need to make some tongs that will hold 1/2" and 5/8" square bare horizontal to the tongs, kinda like a pair of chain tongs, but has square jaws instead for holding railroad spikes for upsetting. That would be cool to have someone that knows what they're doing here, I picked up a bit when I was working with the one blacksmith earlier this year, and have picked up alot from just watching various people on youtube. My one friend on the discord server is always asking me about casting stuff and Im always bugging him about the forging stuff, lol.

I figured I should show some of the stuff I do since jerry showed his stuff, lol. I was wondering what kind of stuff you usually make mike?

Here's some toolmaker's clamps that I forged out of railroad spikes by bending over the pointy bit and cutting the heads off, lol.
DSC03266.JPG
DSC03341.JPG
Stake anvil that I forged out of the bottom of a piece of railroad track that I had cut the head off of. I was working on some calipers and needed a small horn. My anvil has no horn since it's just a piece of track that I flattened the top off with the shaper, lol.
DSC03833.JPG
DSC03836.JPG
And some lathe tools that I made including a new lathe dog that can handle 1/4"-5/8" stock because of the teardrop shaped hole, which I forged the body from a spike, and the screw out of a piece of coil spring. The lathe cutting tools are made of medium to high carbon steels, but the medium carbon steels has carbide brazed onto the tips so the carbide will hold an edge for a very long time while gaining the rigidity from the carbon steel.
DSC04043.JPG
Thats about all I can really think of atm, I made up my own forge out of stuff I had laying around, and while it is small and I defenitely wont be working sledge hammer heads in it, it's perfect size for me and is very effecient with the coal imo, lol.
Last edited by cae2100 on Fri Apr 19, 2019 3:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
cae2100
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:39 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by cae2100 »

Something was going on with the pic uploading thing, so Ill just toss these last two up here.

Here's my little forge that I usually just tinker with if I wanted to forge a tool up, lol. I just stick the blower from my foundry furnace in the tube in the back of the column and turn the air way down on low, which is on a fan dimmer switch, so it works for both the forge and furnace.
DSC03886.JPG
Ill have to get a pic of the stump/anvil, I thought I had one but evidently I dont, lol.

And I made a jeweler's vise for holding small rings and such for my mom for when she's making her necklaces and other jewelry stuff. The base is a piece of train axel from a subway car, all of the thumb screws are spikes with the corners slightly domed over with a file in the lathe, and the rest was just pieces that I found laying around like old bolts and such, lol. The jaws are just spikes with the pointy end bent over like the toolmaker's clamps.
DSC03526.JPG
The forging stuff is more to compliment the machine shop side of things for me, hence why I do alot of tools rather than scrolls and art stuff, lol.

But yea, I was just curious what everyone else was into making, maybe find some ideas for something. :P
User avatar
Jammer
Posts: 1488
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:04 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by Jammer »

Spikes are great to work with, the railroad leave them lying everywhere but gets all mad if you pick one up. I like the stake anvil, my brother in law has some track at his work and says we can cut some of it if I want some. I hope I can get a couple chunks. Not sure what I'll cut it with. I may go rent a handheld band saw or a torch if I have to.

I like to watch Smiths on you tube. Christ Centered Ironworks have a lot of good info. Dirty Smith shows some good hammering skills and Mrpete222 knows something about everything in the shop.
quando omni flunkus moritati 8-)
cae2100
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:39 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by cae2100 »

lol, Ive actually worked with roy over at christ centered ironworks before and thats how I had gotten the first lathe dog that I have, we forged it up at his house, lol. He does talk alot, but does have some good info. I like watching brent bailey, black bear forge and frontier forge, they tend to do more of making the tools and such that I usually use and less art stuff. Frontier forge, most of his stuff he uses is just made of coil spring and railroad spikes, so that falls into the category of stuff I can follow along with, lol. Brent bailey is just pure straight to the point and is pretty awesome to watch either way without much talking or bumbling around.

I honestly havnt seen much from mrpete in forever, his videos just turned into one giant tangent of ramblings and I finally got tired of hearing 30 mins of rambling for 5 mins of video, lol.

I think one thing I would like to try one of these days is to try to make up a file, which if you check it out, bed frame is usually made out of old scrap train rails, so it's pretty good for a file if you can anneal it and cut the teeth in it. My one friend brought me a bunch of bed frame rails, and I was thinking of annealing some of the pieces and machining them into parallels, then hardening and grinding them.
mite5255
Posts: 1740
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:11 am
Location: Caboolture Qld Australia

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by mite5255 »

Most of the stuff that I make are small hanging pot holders and such, we have school excursions through the historical village most days, so I only have about 20 minutes with each group so I have to be quick with explaining what a blacksmith does and do a quick demo, what I make I then hand it to the teacher in charge of the group for a keep sake...My late father had a railway line anvil, so I've cut it down and modified it for a anvil stake, if I remember I'll take a photo tomorrow and post it
IMG_0148[1].JPG
When life gets tough, remember: You were the strongest sperm :)
cae2100
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:39 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by cae2100 »

cool, I thought you just did the forging stuff at your house or made stuff for yourself, but is cool that you do it for public demonstrations.
F.C.
Posts: 560
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:28 am

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by F.C. »

You guys do good work hammer'n metal. I'd like to learn more of it, myself. There's a show on TV here in the States called: Forged in Fire. It's a competition where blacksmiths compete to see who can make the best knife, sword, etc., in three hours timeframe. They give the contestants length, width and handle parameters to stay within, then when they're done they put the blades through intensive stress and sharpness tests. The two top winners of the first round go on to the second round which often requires having to make a historic sword, axe, or some other kind of forged weapon which, again, goes through another bout of stress and sharpness tests. The winner of that last round gets a prize of $10,000.00!! I'd love to compete in this event. I submitted my application last winter and have yet to hear back from them as to whether or not I qualify. They did send me a note telling me they're intending to incorporate metal casting into the competition this season.... I saw a few episodes in the past where they attempted incorporating metal casting into the knife making. Talk about lack of understanding what metal casting involves. Not a single one made anything remotely acceptable in terms of appropriate casts. Sand casting, no less, HAHAHA. Clearly, not a one knew anything about gating, venting, head pressure, appropriate metal temp, etc., etc., which is why, I'm sure, they quit doing it these past several months. Still, they said they intend to screen more candidates for metal casting experience this season. As for forging blades, here's one I made a few years back while bored between artwork commissions.
Attachments
DSCN1502.JPG
User avatar
Jammer
Posts: 1488
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:04 pm
Location: Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by Jammer »

That looks like a great chopper.

It would be fun to be on the show. Let us know if you get picked. I think I've seen every episode, wife says I've seen them all 3 or 4 times. They would have to give me 3 days instead of hours. Anytime I've tried to pound high carbon steel, it just doesn't move much for me. The steel usually wins. I've used a small power hammer but I think I would like to try a hydraulic press.
quando omni flunkus moritati 8-)
cae2100
Posts: 233
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 5:39 pm
Location: Middle of Nowhere, Ohio

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by cae2100 »

Ive seen a few episodes of that show but never cared for it that much, but Im not much into knife or sword making either tbh. Ive always been interested in making tools rather than stuff that sits on the shelf for show. I think thats why I dont really get into alot of casting channels because alot of the time, thats all they make, just oddities or paperweights to sit on a desk.

I love working high carbon steel, I think my favorite one to forge so far has to be railroad track, which is around 1080-1090 if you get the stuff made within the last 10-15 years. Thats what I make alot of my lathe and shaper tools out of. I tend to heat it up a bit slower than normal, so instead of it only taking 10-15 seconds for a reheat, it takes maybe 30 seconds. Heating it up slower like that lets the heat soak into the core of the steel and if you forge it at almost a welding heat, the stuff just moves like a dream and stays hotter longer.

Ive seen quite a few hydraulic press builds for forging and was wondering why you couldnt just take an old log splitter that's worn out and turn it into the forging press. It has all of the bits there, just need to replace the wedge with a flat anvil/place for some dies.
F.C.
Posts: 560
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:28 am

Re: Blacksmithing Bits

Post by F.C. »

I don't know if they'll call me or not... would like to try, at least. 3 hrs is definitely intensely too short of a time frame for anything of any quality. At least they give ya 5 days to do the second phase at your home forge. Here's another photo of a few more knives I did as a set. All my knives were made from leaf springs off old junk automobiles. But yes, that first one I showed is DEFINATELY a great chopper as well can be used like an Ulu for fleshing, skinning, etc. I still have that one, btw. The others I've pictured were given to a good friend of mine.


Image
302309_455169187849693_543728372_n.jpg
302309_455169187849693_543728372_n.jpg (27.81 KiB) Viewed 2487 times
Post Reply