I recently purchased 30 blacksmithing ebooks on eBay for $5. A little research and I came up with some details. All of them are works published prior to 1923, so they are in the public domain. The guy on eBay claims to have all resale rights, but he's full of it. You can find the following...
Ray Clontz Tire Hammer Plans by Clay Spencer These plans are for a 50 lb. power hammer that uses the rear axle and hub from a front drive car and emergency spare tire and weighs about 700 lbs. It is powered by a 1 hp, 1750 rpm electric motor, 120 or 240 volts, runs about 250 blows per minute...
As you correctly note forge flues shouldn't get as hot as fireplace chimneys, but for some reason the code does not have an explicit section for solid fuel blacksmith forges, so it is up to the code authority what section is applicable. Might be worth enquiring locally before shelling out the big bucks.
You can also make good blacksmith hammers with it, and when you super-quench tongs made from 1018, the handles will be nice and springy and they'll stay that way as long as you take care to cool them off between heats. Metallurgy snobs love to hate on mild steel, but you can actually get some pretty decent properties out of it with a super-quench.
I’m not a blacksmith … but I wonder if the higher oxygen atmosphere in the induction forge presents a problem with more material loss due to oxidation of the surface? I've been kinda paying attention to this, and I'm not sure there's more (oxygen or scale formation).
Hey guys, I'm looking at building a new general use forge. I've got a vertical forge already and that works great for HT and forge welding, but it's kinda crap for general knife making/blacksmithing tasks. I'm going to make a new horizontal forge out of a piece of pipe that I've got. It's...
A treadle hammer is only slightly better than hand hammering for damascus. They are more useful to a blacksmith who makes ornamental work. Take a look at the Cold Iron Press. It takes up about 5 sq.ft of floor space, rolls around, and plugs into a normal 120VAC 15 amp outlet. My friend uses it for all his damascus and integrals and it is way more press than I thought it would be.
I may have put the title wrong which I apologize for, but how does one go about obtaining the title of master blacksmith status? I'm sure there is an apprentice, journeymen, master path like in other trades but how does that apply to blacksmithing? Or am I crazy?
I'm a little confused - I've been reading "The Backyard Blacksmith" as well as "The Complete Bladesmith" (referred by this forum) and both authors refer to the most effective "temperature colour indication" for mild steel. However, Lorelei Sims says "forging is most effective when the metal has t...
