[TheForge] What are you up to.

[Andrew Vida]

Sounds like a great time.  NJBA held and anvil repair event two weeks 
ago.  I was in NJ but could not get to the event due to transportation 
woes.  Got there the next day though and it looks like a good time was 
had.

Speaking of diagonal pein hammers, I made a wax pattern for one last 
night while watching some silly western, "Prairie Fever".  It is only 
about 3/8" stem to stern and I will eventually cast and helve it along 
with the dozen anvils, bottom tools, hammers, and blacksmith's helper I 
have sitting around the bedroom.

I have made what I believe to be the world's smallest anatomically 
correct London pattern anvil the other day.  About 1/4 inch total.  I 
have one I started just over half that but popped the horn off in a 
moment of clumsiness.  A little purple wax and all will be good again. 
Just not sure if I can manage a hardie hold on that one.  Perhaps with 
wire EDM after casting... but that is getting a little too psychotic 
even for me.

I finished a wrought iron yawara (striking weapon) that has spirally 
fluted ends, 1 ball and 1 flame shaped.  Light etch to bring out the 
grain and soften the edges with a vigorous hand burnishing with a wire 
brush.

On 12/3/2011 10:05 PM, Bob Ehrenberger wrote:
> The list has been kind of quiet, so I thought I ask what the rest of you are
> up to.
>
> BAM had a hammer-in on Black Friday.  12 or 15 of us got together to make
> hammers. We had 2 gas forges going and had 2 or 3 hammer heads in each one
> most of the day.  Hammer-in host, Ken Jansen, had made handled slitting
> tools and drifts ahead of time for us to use. I think he said that they were
> made of S7, they held well. Ken had a pile of 1045 hammer blanks ready to
> go, they were drops that someone had given him and he wanted to share the
> wealth.  Another member brought a dozen high carbon (52100 or 1096) pins
> that he had picked up at the machine shop where he works.
>
> At my end of the shop, I spent most of the day holding and guiding the
> slitting tool for the strikers. Some of the guys were rank beginners so I
> made sure that the holes went in straight. When it came to drifting my
> apprentice, Thomas, did most of the striking. I wasn't willing to hold a
> drift for a beginner to try and hit.
>
> Thomas is getting into armor work so we made him 2 raising hammers. I made
> myself a slitting tool and a rounding hammer.  We made diagonal pien
> hammers, straight pien hammers, cross pien hammers, and rounding hammers for
> several other participants.
>
> One of the guys also brought a box of assorted handles to donate to the
> cause, so most of us went home with hammer heads and handles. A couple of
> the guys managed to get their hammers ground and heat treated so they went
> home with compleated, ready to use hammers.
>
> Monday I heated my hammers and put them in vermiculite to anniel them. I
> started grinding on them today after my paying work was done. I'm not sure
> when I'll get them done, but will try to work on them when I have time, in
> the next couple weeks.
>
> I think all total we made 14 hammers out of the 1045 blanks and another 10
> hammers and tools from the pins. Every one had a great time and most went
> home with something to show for their day.
>
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
>
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