For years I ran whatever bituminous I could get cheap from the local supplier in Springfield. Kept wondering why my heat was inconsistent and I was burning through steel. After a guy at the MAC show last June told me to try a specific low-sulfur grade from a place in West Virginia, I gave it a shot. The difference in my forge welds was night and day. Anyone else stubbornly stick with bad fuel for too long?
I see folks bragging about how many swings they can get in during a session like it's some kind of contest. Last Saturday I was working on a set of gate hinges and counted every single hit. Got to 5,000 by the time I was done. But you know what? Half of those were crap strikes because I was rushing to hit some number. Quality matters way more than quantity. I'd rather do 500 good, controlled hits that move the metal where I want it than 5,000 wild ones that leave me with a twisted mess. Anyone else stopped chasing big numbers and just focus on each individual hit?
Last Tuesday at the local blacksmith guild in Springfield, I was griping about how tough it is to get a good heat on my 3/8 inch stock. This guy named Joe, probably 70 years old, just chuckled and said 'Son, you're thinking too much with your eyes instead of your hands.' He showed me how he watches the scale patterns instead of the color. I've been forging for about 2 years now and that simple thing never crossed my mind. Tried it on a set of fireplace tongs I'm making and my hammer blows felt way more natural. Anyone else have a veteran drop a piece of advice that made you rethink your whole approach?
I was visiting the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown and they had a restored 1800s blacksmith shop set up. What caught me was the anvil placement - it was set way lower than what I use in my shop. The smith who worked there told me they did it on purpose to use their whole body weight for heavy striking. Got me thinking about how much I rely on just my arms and shoulders. Has anyone else noticed old shops having different anvil heights than what we use today?
I've been forging bottle openers for a few months now and kept messing up the same spot on every piece because my hammer hits were landing crooked. Tried adjusting my stance, grip, even switched to a lighter hammer but nothing fixed it. Last Tuesday I watched a video where a guy filed a flat spot on his hammer face and it clicked for me. I grabbed a old bastard file and took maybe 1/16 inch off one side of my hammer face to flatten it out. Now my strikes land way more square and I'm not getting those weird divots anymore. Still gotta practice my aim but the surface finish looks way cleaner. Anyone else ever modify their hammer face for better contact?
I was out in the shop last Saturday with a pile of rusted farrier rasps I picked up at an auction for maybe 10 bucks. Tried wire brushing them and it barely touched the rust between the teeth. So I grabbed a can of cola from the fridge, poured it in a pan, and let the rasps soak for about 3 hours. Scrubbed them with a stiff nylon brush after and the rust just melted off (surprised the heck out of me). Anyone else tried something like this for cleaning up old tools?
I'm a newer smith, maybe two years in. Last month I had this stretch of four days where my steel kept acting weird, kinking on me, not holding heat the way I expected. I was blaming my hammer technique or the stock I bought. Finally on day five I noticed a hairline crack running across the face of my anvil near the hardy hole. Must have been developing for a while. I borrowed a buddy's anvil for a weekend and suddenly everything worked. Has anyone else dealt with an anvil failure that snuck up on them?
I was sure coal was the only way to get good heat control until I borrowed a buddy's propane setup for a weekend and got consistent results on 4 knives in a row. Has anyone else switched fuel types and found one way easier than they thought?
I was working on a damascus billet last Tuesday and forgot to clean my anvil face before starting the weld. That wire brush left tiny steel fibers all over the surface. Ended up with inclusions in 3 layers and had to grind the whole thing down and start over. Took me 4 hours to fix what should have been a 30 minute weld. Anyone else wreck a project from a simple cleanup oversight?
He said the chromium in the stainless would get into the carbon steel, and sure enough after 3 passes I saw those tiny cracks forming has anyone else had this happen with a specific brush?
The face has a few chips and a soft spot near the edge, but for the price compared to a new one at $500 plus, some folks say old steel is better while others swear you need a pristine surface for good work - what's your take on buying beat up anvils?
My grandpa told me years ago that a 2 pound hammer is all anyone needs, so I spent a decade using the same one for everything. Then I watched a guy at a trade show in Springfield forge a whole set of tongs with a 4 pound sledge and barely break a sweat. He said lighter hammers just make you swing harder and tire yourself out faster. I tried his method on a railroad spike knife last week and finished it in half my usual time. Now I'm wondering if I've been working too hard for no reason. Has anyone else totally changed their hammer size and noticed a big difference?
I've been keeping a log book since I started smithing 4 years ago. Last weekend I added up all my forge time and got to 5000 hours. That's about 3 hours a day every day. I realized thats the point where I stopped fighting the metal and started working with it. My hammer control got way better and I can finally nail a full set of tongs in one heat. Anybody else hit a milestone like this and notice a big jump in skill?
Bought a budget electric blower off Amazon last spring for my coal forge. Worked okay for about 2 months then the motor started whining loud. It totally seized up on me during a demo at the county fair last August. Lost the $90 plus had to borrow a friend's hand crank blower for the rest of the day. Has anyone else had bad luck with those cheap cast iron blowers or did I just get a lemon?
I keep a logbook for no real reason, just habit. But when I added up the hours last week and saw 5000 even, it made me think about all the failed blades and bad welds that got me there. Anyone else track hours or am I just weird about it?
I was fighting every cut, grinding more metal than I needed to, and couldn't figure out why my edges kept chipping. He took one look at my setup and said 'you're grinding it like a knife, not a chisel' and showed me a 25 degree single bevel. Has anyone else had a 'duh' moment on a basic tool that made you feel like an idiot in hindsight?
I was working on knocking down an old beam in a barn outside of Lancaster last month. After about 20 minutes, a retired farrier walked past and said I was wasting my energy swinging from the shoulder. He showed me how to let the hammer head do the work using my wrist and elbow. I tried his way and the same strike hit twice as hard without wearing me out. Now I am wondering if I should change my whole technique or stick with what I am used to. It felt awkward at first but the results were undeniable. Has anyone else had someone correct their basic form and stuck with the new way long term?
Old Jack told me a slight chatter in my power hammer was normal for a machine its age. Said he ran his with the same sound for 20 years. Two months ago the keyway sheared off and I had to shut down for almost a week while I waited on parts. Anyone else regret listening to advice from the older guys?
Picked up what I thought was a steal a few years back, a beat up anvil for $60 at a farm auction. Got it home and realized the face was chipped so bad it was useless for any real forging work. Tried to grind it flat but ended up wasting a weekend and grinding through the hardened steel. Should have just saved up for a proper one from the start. Anyone here ever get burned buying old tools from auctions?
I argued with Bob for like an hour last spring at his shop in Tulsa. He said used motor oil works better than new stuff for hardening carbon steel. I called him crazy and stuck with fresh oil. Then I tried his way on a batch of 5 knives last month and the difference was huge. The steel got way harder and more even. Has anyone else found old oil works better or was I just lucky?
Last Tuesday this guy comes in with a photo of a fancy antique spoon and says "make me one just like this, but stronger." I spent 4 hours forging this beautiful, curved spoon with a proper bowl, only for him to yell at me that he wanted a flat piece of steel with a little scoop shape hammered into the end. Has anyone else had someone describe a basic thing in fancy words and then get mad when you build it right?
I always heated my oil to around 120F thinking hotter meant better hardening, until a mentor watched me and said 'you're boiling your steel, not quenching it.' He showed me room temp oil gives way better results for 1095 steel after a test piece shattered on me. Anyone else have a basic thing you got dead wrong for way too long?
Started out 5 years ago using a beat-up railroad anvil my uncle gave me. Thing rang like a church bell every time I hit it. Switched to a 150lb French pattern anvil last spring from a guy in Vermont. Night and day difference. Anyone else start on a junk anvil and wonder why your wrist hurt all the time?
I bought a 50 pound tub of that cheap refractory cement from the big box store to reline my forge. Figured it would save me some cash over the name brand stuff from the supply house. Mixed it up exactly like the bag said, let it cure for three days, and fired it up. First heat cycle and it cracked into about six pieces. Then it started flaking off after the second session. I had to chip it all out and start over with the good stuff from Centurion Forge. Total waste of an afternoon and $200. Anyone else get burned by cheap furnace supplies?
Had a batch of tool steel I was trying to harden for a chisel and it cracked right down the middle because I forgot to normalize it before quenching. Anyone else have a day where every piece you touch ends up in the scrap bucket?