[TheForge] tools

[Jerry Frost]

I understand that reasoning. When I started I just 
liked building fires, getting things hot and hitting 
them with other things. (not even always hammers. 
<grin>)

A number of points have been covered so I'll try to 
build on what I can.

To get started a bean can forge can be made for next to 
nothing and believe it or not they have been used by 
bladesmiths for quite a while. A bean can forge is a 
tin can with the ends cut out, lined with Kaowool, 
Insulwool, etc. with a hole in the side into which you 
aim a Bernzomatic type propane torch.

About using a machinist's vise. Do NOT hit it with a 
very large hammer. Bending, twisting and and such won't 
hurt it a bit but if you do much heavy beating it'll 
break sooner than later.

Leg/post vises are designed with heavy hammering in 
mind. Where a machinist's vise jaw is directly 
connected to the screw, a leg vise's (moving) jaw 
isn't. The screw isn't rigidly connected to the jaw. In 
addition, the jaw is further supported by a heavy hinge 
pin connecting it to the main body and leg. Forces from 
hammering are taken on the main jaw and transmitted to 
the ground/floor. Lastly machinist'v vises are 
typically cast iron where leg vises are typically 
wrought iron or mild steel which takes beatings with 
much more grace than cast iron.



Twist tongs. Buy, beg, find or scrounge some strip 
stock, 1/4 x 3/4 works well. Cut (buy a hack saw, sharp 
chisel, etc.) two equal lengths somewhere between 
18-24". File any sharp burs, etc. off, use a stone if 
necessary.

Lay one on the other and clamp them together. (buy a 
couple cheap "C" clamps, visegrips, etc.) About 4-5" 
from one end drill or punch a hole. If you don't have a 
drill, buy a concrete nail, round not the twisted 
square type and grind the end flat. Hmmmm. Better buy 
two concrete nails so you can use one for a center 
punch. <grin> Mark the strip stock stack about 4-5" 
from one end with a center punch, concrete nail, etc.

Put it in a fire, aim a piece of pipe at it through the 
coals and stick a hair drier on the other end. When 
it's a nice bright orange, bring it out of the fire and 
using the ground off concrete nail (held with pliers, 
visegrips, etc.) and a hammer, punch a hole where it's 
marked. Do this by holding the flattened end of the 
nail over the center punched mark and giving it a sound 
smack with a hammer or large rock. As soon as you get 
THIS close to HOT steel you'll see why you need the 
pliers. <grin> Now, turn the stock (pieces of hot steel 
clamped together to make the tongs) over. You'll see a 
dimple where the punch (ground off nail) did it's job. 
Placing the stock over a small hole in a piece of steel 
plate, old engine block or just a gap in the vise jaws 
a bit larger than the nail, place the punch on the 
dimple and smack it again. A slug will drop into or 
through the bolster. (piece of steel with a hole in it, 
engine block, partly open vise, etc. used this way it's 
a bolster)

While the above description is lengthy, some might say 
windy, you have to move fast to do this in one heat. 
Repeat heats if necessary.

Now you have the two pieces of stock with a small hole 
drilled/punched, etc. (I didn't think I needed to 
explain drilling. AND if you figure out the etc. 
method, please share. <grin>) in them. To connect the 
pieces you could use a small bolt and nut or a rivet. 
(I'm not going to explain a small nut and bolt) 
riveting is fun, buy a few nails slightly smaller in 
diameter than the concrete nail. Buy several as you can 
easily mess this part up though with a little practice 
it's really easy. Poke the nail through the holes in 
the stock and cut it off about twice the nail's 
diameter away from the stock.

Now place the head of the ex-nail, now rivet on the 
heavy thing you're using for an anvil (hopefully an 
anvil) and pien (hammer) the cut end down. When it gets 
close move the strip stock back and forth, like 
scissors, the rivet is the hinge and you need it snug 
but not overly tight.

Now, put the nearly finished tongs (they're no longer 
stock <grin>) back in the fire and bring them to a 
bright red or more. Put them in a vise or crescent 
wrench about 1" from the rivet on the short end and put 
a crescent wrench between the rivet and vise or other 
cresent wrench and twist 90* being careful not to bend 
the bits our of line with the reigns.

Yes, now they're a pair of tongs with pivot, bits and 
reigns. You may have to straighten them a bit and tune 
them up every now and then, and they're not going to be 
real heavy duty but they'll be honest to goodness, 
handmade blacksmith's tongs.

Well, it's past my bed time.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Jesse Seipel" <jsguardian at hotmail.com>


> To answer your question:  Right now I just want to 
> take raw metal, heat it up, and shape it.  In to 
> what?  Well, I'll tell you when I'm finished what it 
> is that I made. :)  What I make is not important to 
> me right now. . . making it IS.  I have alot to 
> learn, and I have found I learn best by doing. I 
> guess in the near future I'll be hunting down a hard 
> surface, a means of holding hot metal, a hammer of 
> sorts, and using my BBQ as it was never intended. :)
>
> As I mentioned, if anyone has extra tools the would 
> be willing to sell or give away, please let me know.
>
> Also, I have a limited amount of space in my yard, 
> and was hoping someone might have a good idea as to 
> making a contained fire to heat metal.  Something 
> roughly 4 foot cubed.
>
> Thank you,
> ~Jesse
>
>