[TheForge] Starting up
Grover Richardson
grover.richardson at gtri.gatech.edu
Thu Jan 5 13:43:24 EST 2006
Good words about the hammer arm.
I was raised by carpenters and let my elbow fly out away from the body when
hammering. Habits are hard to stop after they are learned<G>. Think of a
power hammer, or a stapler. The arm and elbow should be up next to the body
and the arm goes up and down directly, with no outward sideways motion.
This is easier on the joints.
>*>-----Original Message-----
>*>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>*>[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Justin Fellenz
>*>Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 12:30 PM
>*>To: Sponsored by ABANA
>*>Subject: Re: [TheForge] Starting up
>*>
>*>
>*>Andrei,
>*>
>*> Phlip's thoughts below are right on the mark, as usual.
>*>One book I'd mention in addition to those below is *A
>*>Blacksmithing Primer* by Randy McDaniel--he sets out variety
>*>of projects with good clear explanation that, if you master
>*>them all, will take you from beginner to expert. It's been
>*>useful for me. Like Phlip said, the explanations are often
>*>5% of doing it, the rest is time to tune the nuances.
>*>
>*> For steel to work on, I have found that steel providers
>*>(the people from whom you buy steel bar, plate, etc.) and a
>*>lot of fabrication shops will have a scrap bin out back that
>*>you can just scrounge out of. Maybe talk to the person who
>*>runs the shop, but I have found that most of the people I've
>*>asked are more than happy to forego the pennies a pound
>*>they'd get for their scrap to help out a beginner
>*>metalworker. Something about people who work with
>*>metal--they are with few exceptions the most supportive and
>*>generous folks I've had the pleasure of being associated
>*>with. Interested to know if you find the same thing.
>*>
>*> As Phlip mentioned, taking care of your body is paramount.
>*>If you notice your elbow or wrist hurting, let it heal and
>*>then work on finding a swing that doesn't make you hurt. Use
>*>big muscles and joints if you can, not little ones. There
>*>are plenty of old and not-so-old blacksmiths out there with
>*>worn-out hammer arms; prevention is important. Really good
>*>blacksmiths and house framers kind of "throw" the hammer
>*>with shoulder and upper arm, letting the hammer take its own
>*>path from there--if that sounds kind of mystical, don't let
>*>it put you off. You'll know when you find a good swing.
>*>Also, don't spend a lot of time looking directly into the
>*>fire, or better yet invest in a set of didumium safety
>*>glasses--the UV can cause cataracts. Safety glasses of some
>*>kind are a MUST. If you hurt yourself, the whole adventure
>*>kind of loses its shine.
>*>
>*> You really only need a chunk of something heavy and
>*>relatively flat to hammer on, a hammer, and a source of
>*>heat. There's wisdom in buying the Right thing--hammers,
>*>anvils, forges, etc.--the first time, because often you just
>*>have to write off whatever you spent before when you
>*>upgrade. But that wisdom only applies if you have the means
>*>to do so now, not if it means waiting for a long time to get
>*>started. If using a piece of scrap railway tie, your one
>*>hammer, a pair of pliers (only necessary for short stock),
>*>and whatever heat source you can get and get away with means
>*>you start hammering metal right away, and you're enjoying
>*>the experience of making steel move, then those are the
>*>right tools (I suppose there's a threshold where the tools
>*>make it no fun to do--but it's pretty low). I've found that
>*>if you're patient you can find the right tools at a good
>*>price--consider the recent thread about buying anvils. I
>*>have bought tools for big money because I needed them
>*>immediatel y, but some of my favorites cost me 50 cents at
>*>a flea market. Just took time.
>*>
>*> The last thing I'd add is, I think, the most
>*>important--avoid getting hung up on trying to make a certain
>*>thing or make it "correctly" right away. Imitation and
>*>specific projects are a valuable part of learning, but the
>*>cool thing about blacksmithing, like any art, is that the
>*>world is full of wonderful shapes. At a hammer-in a few
>*>years back I was watching a couple of female presenters and
>*>was struck by their lack of the need for immediate
>*>utility--they experimented with the metal, hitting it a
>*>certain way and that and then pulling it out of the fire,
>*>seeing what the shape made them think of, and then following
>*>that direction. They both made beautiful things that worked,
>*>like gates and so on, but some of the stuff they made was
>*>just pretty and some of with was scrap. No harm in making
>*>scrap. Blacksmithing has a utilitarian history so it's easy
>*>to think of it that way, envisioning and engineering things
>*>ahead of time and then trying to control the outcome and
>*>getting discou raged if it doesn't "work." The control
>*>will come. If what comes out looks cool and/or was fun to
>*>make, you're winning the ballgame. Like Phlip says, it takes
>*>a long time to be able to make that lockset or dragon or
>*>whatever. Like writing or any other art, doing what you can
>*>do now is the most important thing.
>*>
>*> JRF
>*>
>*>marilyn traber 011221 <phlip at 99main.com> wrote:
>*> Hi, Andrei, lets see if we can help you out a bit. Having
>*>read both posts so
>*>far, I realize you're quite a ways away from most of us, so
>*>it would be a bit
>*>difficult for either us to pop over and help, or for you to
>*>drop by for a
>*>weekend of intensive smithing, so, let's see what we can do
>*>to help get you
>*>started. Some of what I'm going to tell you will seem a bit
>*>facetious, but
>*>it's not, really, it's just my way of explaining, while
>*>keeping things light.
>*>
>*>> 1. What tools do I need? Numbers, details...
>*>
>*>Tools vary quite a bit from smith to smith, depending on
>*>what you're doing.
>*>Distilled to essentials, you need something to heat the
>*>steel with, something
>*>to hit it with, something to hit it against, and probably,
>*>at least for
>*>smaller pieces, something to hold it with.
>*>
>*>First, for heating the steel. That's where a forge comes in.
>*>To determine
>*>what sort of forge you want, you need to look at what sort
>*>of fuel you have
>*>available. Can you get high quality coal where you are? If
>*>you use it, will
>*>the neighbors complain about the smell? If so, you need to
>*>choose another
>*>fuel. Can you get charcoal, the real thing, called "lump
>*>charcoal" here in
>*>the US? If so, you can use it in any forge that will handle
>*>coal, and it
>*>smells much better than coal. Or, can you get propane?
>*>That's easier to use
>*>than coal/charcoal in some respects, but requires a very
>*>different sort of
>*>forge. Let me know- I can give you some suggestions as to
>*>sites to look at,
>*>to build your forge. If you don't build, but buy, you're
>*>looking at a lot
>*>more expense.
>*>
>*>As far as hand tools, pliers will generally work to hold
>*>pieces, until you
>*>can make or buy a pair (or 10) of tongs. Hammers come in a bunch of
>*>varieties, but to start, you can get by with a cross pein or
>*>a ball pein.
>*>Only really important thing is to make sure the edges of the
>*>face (the part
>*>that hits the hot metal) is rounded (radiused) so it doesn't
>*>mark the metal
>*>so much. From what you said about needing to get your arm in
>*>shape, plan on
>*>using a light hammer for most work, say 600 to 1000 g, with
>*>800 g probably
>*>being ideal for a beginner. You'll want and use heavier
>*>hammers later (1500
>*>and up) for particular projects, but a light hammer to begin
>*>with will help
>*>you start learning accuracy- and that's more important that
>*>hitting hard,
>*>over all. And, when you swing a hammer, keep your wrist
>*>straight, and let
>*>your biceps do the work- if you use your wrist, you'll wear
>*>yourself out much
>*>faster, and quite possibly injure yourself. Something to cut
>*>your steel with
>*>can be anything- hack saw, band saw, edge of anvil, a hardy
>*>for an anvil,
>*>chisels, or a particular type of chisel, that looks like a
>*>hammer, but is set
>*>on the piece with the sharp edge against it, and the "face"
>*>hit by your real
>*>hammer.
>*>
>*>Tools, as I said, vary from smith to smith. You don't need
>*>them all to get
>*>started- you can start with a minimum, and acquire tools, whether by
>*>purchase, or by making them as you go along. To get an idea
>*>of the selection
>*>available, go to www.blacksmithsdepot.com, and look around.
>*>
>*>> 2. What type of anvil should I get?
>*>
>*>Depends on your circumstances. Most beginners in the US
>*>start out with a
>*>piece of RR track, or a similar heavy, solid piece of metal,
>*>before they buy
>*>themselves an anvil. But, you need to decide if it's always
>*>going to be in
>*>one place, or if you're going to have to move it a lot. If
>*>you're going to
>*>have to move it, I suggest one between 45 to 70 kg- your
>*>back will thank you
>*>for it ;-) You need also to be concerned about what you're
>*>putting the anvil
>*>ON, to bring it to the proper height, your stump. When
>*>standing next to the
>*>anvil, with a closed fist hanging down at your side, you
>*>want the face (the
>*>large flat area) to meet your knuckles.
>*>
>*>> 3. Where can I find patterns for what I am supposed to do?
>*>
>*>Depends on what you want to do. Really, once you learn a few
>*>basics you
>*>shouldn't need patterns, you should know what the metal
>*>does, and combine
>*>techniques to make it do what you want. Sorta like learning
>*>to write. We can
>*>teach you to hold the pencil, and show you how the letters
>*>are shaped, and
>*>after that it's practice, practice, practice.
>*>
>*>> 4. What do I need to make a forge or could I replace that with
>*>> something else for starters?
>*>
>*>There are a lot of options, as I mentioned above. Take a
>*>look at Zoeller's
>*>site, that we've been discussing the last few days, and that
>*>will give you
>*>some ideas.
>*>
>*>> 5. Where can materials be bought?
>*>
>*>We buy them from fabricating shops, steel suppliers, and scrap yards.
>*>
>*>>
>*>> 6. Some books or other kind of reference about materials,
>*>treatment
>*>> and shaping.
>*>
>*>Tell us what you want to do, and we can be more specific, but Jack
>*>Andrew's "New Edge of the Anvil" and Wayne Goddard's "50
>*>dollar knife Shop"
>*>will give you a start on getting your shop set up. There are
>*>lots more that
>*>can be a help, but I need to get into my library to give you
>*>the titles.
>*>
>*>Ask questions, please. We'll be happy to give you answers-
>*>some of them may
>*>even work for you ;-)
>*>
>*>Phlip
>*>
>*>
>*>
>*>
>*>
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