blacksmithing work station
- Thread starter gofast
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- Thread starter
- #22
Wow, thanks all! Mat your stuff already looks like art - very happy to get it.
I used to have an account with ABC when I lived in the Vancouver and they are a great source of "by the pound" I picked up a whole set of medical dental tools once from them - its come in handy for picking/placing O rings etc - will have to try Powel - didn't know about them. Local scrap here is rusty/greasy.
Something to note though - Metal Supermarket charges about the same as local to the Okanagan - just better selection.
Good thought on the IFS too
Crops are good if you're clearing stock and I'm coming with items in trade - I look forward to seeing the benz!
I'm negotiating on a Bender that does angle iron:
I used to have an account with ABC when I lived in the Vancouver and they are a great source of "by the pound" I picked up a whole set of medical dental tools once from them - its come in handy for picking/placing O rings etc - will have to try Powel - didn't know about them. Local scrap here is rusty/greasy.
Something to note though - Metal Supermarket charges about the same as local to the Okanagan - just better selection.
Good thought on the IFS too
Crops are good if you're clearing stock and I'm coming with items in trade - I look forward to seeing the benz!
I'm negotiating on a Bender that does angle iron:
any kind of bender is nice.
i will check to see what i got. i prety much have access to unlimited steel supply but try not to abuse it at work. normaly just grab odd items that can not just be purchased in small quantities from metal mart and such. usually its more of heavy gauge matterials. for example yesterday i noticed 300 pcs of 1"x1"x20' square bars in the yard but i dont think they will be processed by friday for left over crops.
i will check to see what i got. i prety much have access to unlimited steel supply but try not to abuse it at work. normaly just grab odd items that can not just be purchased in small quantities from metal mart and such. usually its more of heavy gauge matterials. for example yesterday i noticed 300 pcs of 1"x1"x20' square bars in the yard but i dont think they will be processed by friday for left over crops.
- Thread starter
- #25
Thanks - decided to go the natural gas route as that's how I heat the shop. Coal burning has some crazy neurological side affects. We shouldn't t be standing around briquettes either
Also picked up a foundry - the guy that sold me the bender had one - never used.
Should have my anvil stand done by the weekend and will post pics
Also picked up a foundry - the guy that sold me the bender had one - never used.
Should have my anvil stand done by the weekend and will post pics
- Thread starter
- #26
Finished my anvil stand.
Base constructed out of 3" x 3" X 1/4" angle iron. Into this I inserted a wood block. The actual block is made from laminated and screwed 2x4's placed on edge and will help absorb shock and will help with ringing and vibration.
The legs are made from 3"x 2" 1/8th wall tube which I filled with play sand to help with stability and for dampening the ringing. I used rubber feet that had a 7/16th stud so the bottom plates of the legs have a capture nut welded to the back side. The rubber feet will keep it from moving as I hammer on it.
Height of the anvil is about halfway from wrist to first knuckle. This keeps me upright but allows almost full extension for a downward blow. If too high you lose the force of a swing and too low you hyper-extend your arm and then its physio time.
This is a 196 lbs anvil and based on its markings was made by Mousehole Forge in England which produced anvils from the 1600's to mid 1930's. The forge's power came from a water wheel which it used to power machines and mechanical hammers. The classical shape of an anvil is based on Mousehole's design as they were the first to mass produce anvils and they tried to standardize its shape.
http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/blogs/news/2014/01/09/mousehole-forge
I've added rings from pipe to hang hammers and built a little tray and tong rack off the back. I used woven screen as scale will flake off the heated metal I'm forging and pile up on a solid surface - this way it will just drop through.
Years ago I made a dolly to move my cast iron table saw around. I built a tab off the front leg to accept the pin off the dolly and welded cintered wheels to the back. This thing moves around supper easy! Similar idea as to using a trailer dolly that has the ball on the front end to wheel your utility/boat,tent trailer etc around.
Now I have to wait to October as I have my first Blacksmithing course then. The good news is that they are using a natural gas forge that is made in Duncan. If I like it then I can buy local.
I chose to build a tripod design as it helps with uneven floor - Mine is polished but still has a dip or two (I may also wish to forge outside). I can also stand right up close to the anvil. This will allow me to do finer work and also keep my back upright. Angle of the legs is 22 degrees
Base constructed out of 3" x 3" X 1/4" angle iron. Into this I inserted a wood block. The actual block is made from laminated and screwed 2x4's placed on edge and will help absorb shock and will help with ringing and vibration.
The legs are made from 3"x 2" 1/8th wall tube which I filled with play sand to help with stability and for dampening the ringing. I used rubber feet that had a 7/16th stud so the bottom plates of the legs have a capture nut welded to the back side. The rubber feet will keep it from moving as I hammer on it.
Height of the anvil is about halfway from wrist to first knuckle. This keeps me upright but allows almost full extension for a downward blow. If too high you lose the force of a swing and too low you hyper-extend your arm and then its physio time.
This is a 196 lbs anvil and based on its markings was made by Mousehole Forge in England which produced anvils from the 1600's to mid 1930's. The forge's power came from a water wheel which it used to power machines and mechanical hammers. The classical shape of an anvil is based on Mousehole's design as they were the first to mass produce anvils and they tried to standardize its shape.
http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/blogs/news/2014/01/09/mousehole-forge
I've added rings from pipe to hang hammers and built a little tray and tong rack off the back. I used woven screen as scale will flake off the heated metal I'm forging and pile up on a solid surface - this way it will just drop through.
Years ago I made a dolly to move my cast iron table saw around. I built a tab off the front leg to accept the pin off the dolly and welded cintered wheels to the back. This thing moves around supper easy! Similar idea as to using a trailer dolly that has the ball on the front end to wheel your utility/boat,tent trailer etc around.
Now I have to wait to October as I have my first Blacksmithing course then. The good news is that they are using a natural gas forge that is made in Duncan. If I like it then I can buy local.
I chose to build a tripod design as it helps with uneven floor - Mine is polished but still has a dip or two (I may also wish to forge outside). I can also stand right up close to the anvil. This will allow me to do finer work and also keep my back upright. Angle of the legs is 22 degrees
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Very nice work. I like the wheel setup you did for moving it around too.
- Thread starter
- #28
Thanks Mat.
Here's a video of it being moved.
Here's a video of it being moved.
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Very nice. 
- Thread starter
- #31
Yes Jeff, I actually have a curvature that I developed the summer I bucked up, loaded and split 26 cords of birch when I was 17. My physical development was significantly built on one side. I'll have to learn to swing both ways ( hammers, damn it!)
- Thread starter
- #33
Wow that place hasn't changed since I first saw it as a kid. I want the swage block in the foreground on the right - can you load it up for me please?
Nice pic!
Nice pic!
Perhaps one of these days we'll see John on an episode of "Forged in Fire"
Forged in Fire Video - Viking Battle Axe | Season 1 Episode 3 - history.ca
Forged in Fire Video - Viking Battle Axe | Season 1 Episode 3 - history.ca
- Thread starter
- #35
Yes,
I've been diligently recording. I'm down at Kwantlen on the 23rd for a full day blacksmithing course.
Anyone need me to mudship something?
I've been diligently recording. I'm down at Kwantlen on the 23rd for a full day blacksmithing course.
Anyone need me to mudship something?
- Thread starter
- #36
Just finished shaping my hammer, punch, and flatter handles to fit my hand. When I put my hand into a regular grip the shape between finger and thumb is square so I've made my handles fit.
My wife's grip is round by comparison. ( Insert joke about Halloween costume here)
My wife's grip is round by comparison. ( Insert joke about Halloween costume here)
- Thread starter
- #38
Broom clutching
- Thread starter
- #39
So while everyone was out on Gary's run - wished I could have gone - I was at a Blacksmithing class at Kwantlen College in Cloverdale.
The smith that taught the course apprenticed in Germany and has been a smith for 27 years. He demonstrated techniques with a five pound hammer. Mine is two lbs and I was tired.
The course was in the Farrier shop.
Some of the best advice was on how not to stand and hold tools. Also, all wooden handles should be sanded with 600 grit, heated with a heat gun, and then applied with linseed oil (boiled twice). He recommended at least two treatments of oil.
The rationale was that the linseed would never leave you with a blister (I have a few) and will stick to your hand even when sweaty. He said even doing the spade, pick and rake in the shed would result in a tool that would not raise blisters.
I never imagined how difficult it is to hammer a point and ring. We spent the whole day making several basic shapes and I came home with a poker/skewer among other things.
I have to say shaping metal is more exciting to me than welding. Welding is more like assembly (gluing) and I'm happy I glued my armour together. Making tools will pose a new set of challenges for me - Step by step on the way to making knives.
The forge itself was fun and high heat actually oxidizes the metal. Leave a piece of steel in there and it disappears.
The smith that taught the course apprenticed in Germany and has been a smith for 27 years. He demonstrated techniques with a five pound hammer. Mine is two lbs and I was tired.
The course was in the Farrier shop.
Some of the best advice was on how not to stand and hold tools. Also, all wooden handles should be sanded with 600 grit, heated with a heat gun, and then applied with linseed oil (boiled twice). He recommended at least two treatments of oil.
The rationale was that the linseed would never leave you with a blister (I have a few) and will stick to your hand even when sweaty. He said even doing the spade, pick and rake in the shed would result in a tool that would not raise blisters.
I never imagined how difficult it is to hammer a point and ring. We spent the whole day making several basic shapes and I came home with a poker/skewer among other things.
I have to say shaping metal is more exciting to me than welding. Welding is more like assembly (gluing) and I'm happy I glued my armour together. Making tools will pose a new set of challenges for me - Step by step on the way to making knives.
The forge itself was fun and high heat actually oxidizes the metal. Leave a piece of steel in there and it disappears.
That's awesome. The instructor at Kwantlen is world renown, he's received awards from all over, including Europe.
Looking forward to seeing what you create.
Looking forward to seeing what you create.