[TheForge] A small project, questions from a new hammer.

[Dave Belfer-Shevett]

On Tue, 2002-06-04 at 16:05, Phlip wrote:
> Not sure how big it is- do you know, or does it have markings? but if it
> rings nicely, you may want to use something to dampen the sound- it can
> really get on your nerves after a while.

The markings are obscured, it needs a good solid cleaning and a couple
hours with a hand grinder.  I'll throw up some pictures soon as I can. 
The ringing comment was more along the lines of "This isn't dead iron". 
I'll probably dig up a decent sized stump to mount it on, most likely on
a flat creeper so I can move it around (its on a creeper now, but
sitting on a pair of I-beams.  Too low for me.  [I'm 6'6"])

> Ummm, not a good idea for a first project. I'll tell you why in a moment.

Several folks have pointed out that reheating tempered and potentially
annealed steel is going to cause it to lose its temper ("Bad smith!  No
hammer biscuit!"), so I'm going to shelve the old blades and just pick
up a new set.

Using the metal for other projects will be good though... I'll start
accumulating my scrap pile :)

> [comments bout building a coal forge]
> You'll also need some kind of blower.....

This has puzzled me a bit.  From looking at Ken's forge, and other
models I've seen, it looks like the blower blows -directly- up under the
coal grate... is this correct?  It sounds like it would blow ash and
crud everywhere.  

If I build my own coal arrangement, which I must admit appeals to the
traditionalist in me - even though I'm sure I'll be working gas as well,
I can put something together with brick and stone that'll have a passage
for air under the grate, pointing 'up', next to the smoke chimney - I
understand the concept of offsetting the chimney behind the heat point
and using its 'draw' to pull smoke and cinder away from the smith...
(seems eerie, but I've seen it work.  Neat :)

> Actually, you could make worse choices than charcoal briquettes ;-) Bad
> coal, for one ;-O

Interesting.  I got a brief on coal from Ken - use small chunks (1 to 1
1/2", rather than the 3+" pieces that are usually around now), and have
a lot of fine material... powder / grit is -good-)

> > Thanks, and I'm officially addicted.  Alas.
>
> OK. You have several problems here. First and foremost, is that you don't
> really understand what you're doing, the nature of the materials and tools
> you're working with, and so forth. Basicly you know that if you heat metal,
> it gets soft and you can shape it with a hammer.

That's... a pretty good analysis of where I am.

> [much very good detail, summarized above, deleted]
> Suggest you replace the mower blade, scrap the old one and maybe make a
> knife or something out of it, build yourself or buy yourself a forge, and
> work from there.

Righto!

> Where are you? Maybe one of us is close enough to help you get started?

Akshully, Marc Godbout is in Derry, and we're talking about doing a
gas-forge assembly soon.  I'll need firebrick and plumbing, not to
mention decent workspace in the garage (which I don't have at the
moment. Gotta move some old projects.

	-d
 
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Dave Belfer-Shevett\ KB1FWR \ 
www.homeport.org    >--------`------------------------------------
shevett@pobox.com  / The severity of the itch is proportional to  \
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