Carving hatchet & Punch

Today we went to the craft show! It did not have a very big turn out but we had fun! I did not sell much but I am not going to let that discourage me. When I got home I immediately lit the forge and made a new hole punch. I made the punch to form a nice hole to fit wooden handles into. I saw a carving hatchet that I wanted to make and I needed this tool to make it! My first attempt without this punch was a disaster, the hole came out terrible and was off center. I made it out of a coil spring that is 3/4 inches in diameter, about 12 inches long. I made the hatchet out of a railroad spike and the handle out of some hard maple that I had. I still have to finish sanding it down. I do not have a belt sander yet so some things are a little difficult to make. I am one of those people that like using the right tool for the job. It makes your life so much easier and you get a better result.

I decided to start making a large knife and started to hammer the stock out flat. I know that it is hi carbon but this stuff is incredibly hard! I do not have a picture of the shape of the knife in my head yet. I am going to try and make more decorative and creative pieces and not focus on having a bunch of stuff to sell. I am open to any ideas or even do some custom orders too.

Shain

Today was a busy day for us! Francesca and I went to Reboy Supply Inc in Elma, NY to buy blacksmith coal. I got 350 lbs of coal for $70. That should keep me busy for awhile. When we got back from our trip I fired up the forge and made a bunch of stuff. Tomorrow is the craft show and we are hoping we can sell some stuff to help support our hobbies.

                                          Tent Stakes

                                          pound in J hooks and S hooks

                                          Small pry bar I made for myself

                                          Cooking fork and fire poker

Have fun!

 Shain

First knife!

Today I wanted to make my own knife. I had a image in my head of a knife and it was time to make it. I cut a piece off of a coil spring and started pounding away! I pounded the round piece of spring flat and then pound the blade part of it next. I looked at it and said "this looks to plain" It needed something to make it look different. I like to make things that not just anyone and grab a piece of metal and grind it into a shape. So i grabbed my square punch and randomly put three square in the handle. I got my grinder out with a flapper wheel and polished it up so I could see the color of the steel to temper it. I got the blade to a dark purple color and it seems just about right for hardness. I might have to temper it again after i do more reading about tempering. I will polish it up more if i have my tempering correct.

Till next time Shain

So here are the pictures that are a couple days late! I gave the chisel away already to Francesca's dad so I do not have a picture. I spent some time with charlie and used some of his hand tools to do some carving. I learned that the shape of a tool and the sharpness makes a big difference. I plan on making a couple chisels to play with and experiment when I can carve out some time. I have too practice tempering high carbon steel and i am considering buying a digital thermometer to help me get some consistency in my tempering. 

Until I lite my forge again.

Shain  

Damage to the top. 

My new square punch!

Anvils and Punches

Today I decided to start hunting for a new anvil! The anvil that I have now is a William Foster that was made in 1829! The William Foster anvils were made in England and they have a wrought iron body with a steel plated forged welded on top. They are high quality anvils with nice rebound and ring to them. I believe the one I have weighs right around 100 lbs. I got my anvil from my grandfather; he collected all kinds of things. I got really lucky that I got the anvil. My uncles gave it to me before the estate sale for helping them get things ready. The reason why I am looking for another anvil is the steel plate that is welded on top of mine is in very rough shape. It has big chips missing out of the side of it and shows a lot of wear. It still has good rebound and ring to it, however I would like a smoother working surface.

So, this morning I drove down and visited an Amish family down the road. The father was home and we got talking. He showed me a anvil that weights around 200 lbs that belongs to his son. He was not sure if it is for sale or not. I could not tell who manufactured the anvil but it is in great shape. I plan on stopping by sometime this week to try buy it or trade a post vice towards it. I have 3 post vices that I have collected over the years so I won't miss one.

It was a nice day out so I decided to forge! I made a square punch out of a railroad spike and a round punch out of an old coil spring out of a car. My girl friend's father has been playing with some wood working tools so I decided to make a straight chisel (also out of coil spring) for his birthday. I had to try out my new square punch so I put a square hole in the chisel just for decoration. I will have pictures tomorrow of the tools I made today! What a busy day; I guess we will see what i get done tomorrow.  

Shain

Getting back in to forging

My name is Shain and I currently live in western NY. I apprenticed under a master blacksmith for a year and a half when I was in high school. I haven't done much forging in the past few years but I just built myself a new forge and rebuilt a blower and I'm all set to get back into blacksmithing. I have been practicing drawing out and bending metal; I'm rusty! I am forcing myself to make S hooks as a warm up every time I light my forge. I have also been making latches, hooks, and practicing forks. I need to keep practicing as I want to get back into making knives, but I know I'm not ready. I plan on making fire iron sets and other items as practice and will try to sell a few things at a craft/vendor show that my girlfriend is making me go to with her (she sews and makes quilts) later this month. Along with forging, I have also been doing some welding lately. I enjoy making "yard art" with old tools and different metal objects. Here are some pictures of what I have been working on:

Star made from railroad spikes

Our new pet, Ralph

 Bird in progress. Will be hung from a light chain

Backpacker's cooking fork/stand

Latch and staple

S hooks

Fire iron set - set up as tripod

Hook to mount to wall

Fire iron set

Stop back soon to see what else I can come up with for the craft show.

Shain