The Design Community Hub

c/blacksmiths

11

patricia_wright•20h ago

That old timer at the Anvil Club who told me my hammer was too heavy

I was at a regional hammer-in in upstate New York maybe 3 years ago. This guy, must have been 80, watched me forge for 10 minutes without saying a word. Then he walks over, picks up my 3.5 pound cross peen, and says 'this is why your wrists hurt and your scrolls look sloppy.' He handed me a 2 pound rounding hammer and told me to try again. First time I ever focused on letting the tool do the work instead of muscling it. Has anyone else had a stranger at a meetup call out a bad habit you didn't even know you had?

12

riley517•1d ago

Went to a ren faire last weekend and watched a blacksmith try to explain tongs to a 10 year old for 20 minutes

I mean, I get it, kids are curious, but this kid kept asking why he couldn't just use his hands to grab the hot metal. The smith was super patient though, he even showed the kid his burn scars from not using tongs years ago. I was watching from the crowd for a solid 10 minutes before I wandered off to get a turkey leg. It reminded me of that first time I tried to forge without a proper grip on a 3/4 inch bar and it slid right off the anvil. Has anyone else had a moment like that where a random person's question actually made you rethink your own basic setup?

21

the_diana•1d ago

Why nobody talks about how much better a guillotine shear is vs cutting stock with an angle grinder

Been using an angle grinder for years to chop my mild steel stock. Last month I borrowed a friend's Beverly B2 shear for a railing project I was doing out in Bakersfield. The difference was insane - no grinding sparks all over the shop, no warped edges, and I cut through 30 pieces of 1/4 inch bar in like 10 minutes. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted waiting so long?

21

paigewood•1d ago

Found a trick to stop my anvil from ringing without those stupid magnets

I stuffed a bunch of old welding rod stubs into the hardy hole and it killed the ring completely, has anyone else tried something weird like that?

26

mitchell.shane•2d ago

My anvil almost took flight last Tuesday...

I was out in the shop near Tulsa, just finishing up a set of bottle openers for a local guy, when I got the bright idea to move my anvil to a better spot. That thing is 150 pounds easy, and I thought I had it balanced on my dolly. Halfway across the gravel driveway, the strap slipped and it tipped sideways... missed my foot by maybe two inches. My neighbor Randy heard me yell and came running with a hand truck. Has anyone else had a close call moving heavy shop gear?

5

garcia.miles•3d ago

Guy at the scrap yard tried to sell me a railroad anvil he found under a bridge

I was picking up some old leaf springs for knife making and this dude walks up with a 80 pound chunk of steel he pulled out of a creek. He kept saying it was "vintage railroad" but it was just a rusted piece of I-beam with a flat spot. Anyone else have people try to pass off junk as blacksmith gear?

23

henderson.hugo•3d ago

That vinegar trick for cleaning rust off old tongs actually worked

I had a pair of 20 year old tongs that were caked in rust from sitting in a damp corner of my shop. Soaked them in white vinegar for 24 hours and scrubbed with a wire brush, and they came out almost like new. Has anyone else tried this method or do you stick with sandblasting?

16

the_diana•5d ago

A master smith told me my hammer handles were too short and I was wrecking my elbows

He saw me working at a demo in Flagstaff and pulled me aside. I switched to a 16-inch handle on my cross peen and the pain in my forearm vanished within two weeks. Has anyone else noticed a big difference from changing handle length?

19

burns.brooke•5d ago

My anvil horn started sounding dead after 7 years of use

I mean, I noticed it about 3 months ago when I was shaping a hot curve and the ring just felt dull. Turns out the horn had developed a hairline crack from all that heavy striking day in and day out. I think the constant heat cycling from working near the forge eventually weakened the metal right at the bend. Has anyone else had their anvil go silent like that or am I just being too picky about the tone?

30

the_eric•6d ago

Pro tip: Found a trick for welding thin sheet metal at a farm in Ohio

I was at this old farm equipment repair shop near Columbus last month and the guy there showed me how to use a copper bar behind the weld to soak up heat, it stopped burn through almost completely on 16 gauge. Anyone else use copper backing for thin stuff or got another method that works better?

13

the_ray•8d ago

Vinegar bath for old files actually brought them back to life

I had a bunch of Nicholson files that were so clogged with gunk they wouldn't cut butter. Tried wire brushing and kerosene soaks but nothing worked well. Stuck them in a bucket of white vinegar for 48 hours on a whim last Saturday. The crud basically fell off with a stiff nylon brush, no scrubbing hard or anything. They cut like new again, at least good enough for general shop work. Has anyone else tried this trick or is there a faster method I'm missing?

27

val_taylor•8d ago

My anvil went from a rusty boat anchor to almost mirror finish in 3 days with just vinegar and a wire brush

I left it soaking in a vinegar bath for 48 hours and the rust just crumbled off, then spent Saturday afternoon scrubbing with a brass wire brush until it looked like something from a museum. Anyone else try this method or have a faster way to clean up old steel?

16

cooper.spencer•9d ago

Burned $150 on a cheap anvil from a flea market in Ohio last spring

I thought I was getting a steal on a 80-pound anvil, but the face was way too soft. After three projects, it was covered in dents and chipped edges. I ended up buying a proper one from a real supply shop for $350 that works like a dream. Has anyone else fallen for a junk anvil and regretted it?

23

grant.kevin•11d ago

Last week I noticed how my anvil ring tells me more than I thought

I was out in my shop last Tuesday working on a set of gate hinges for a guy near Salem. Been doing this for about 12 years now. I was hammering away on some 1/2 inch mild steel and the ring from my anvil just sounded off. Higher pitched than usual. At first I figured it was just me not hitting it square. But then I stopped and checked my anvil. Turns out the stand had worked loose on one side over the past few months. Tightened it up and the ring went back to that nice low tone. Now I pay way more attention to that sound for catching problems early. Has anyone else here used the sound of their anvil to troubleshoot stuff like tool wear or a bad heat?

10

schmidt.blake•11d ago

Warning: That old timer told me to use coal dust for forge welding and I ignored him for 2 years

A guy named Roy who has been smithing since the 70s told me at a meetup near Nashville to keep a jar of fine coal dust by my forge for welding flux. I thought it was some old school nonsense and kept using borax like everyone else online. After failing on a billet of 1095 and 15n20 about 8 times last month I finally tried his way. That coal dust mixed with a little borax gives me a clean weld on the first heat almost every time now. Has anyone else had a specific hack from an old timer that sounded weird but actually works way better?

24

the_diana•13d ago

Overheard a guy at a flea market in Tulsa say his grandad never used a belt grinder

He was selling old farrier tools and told me his grandad did all his shaping by hand with a file and a coal forge. Said he'd rather spend 40 minutes on one piece than mess with a noisy machine. I been using a 2x72 for years and it got me thinking. Any of you old school guys still do it all by hand? Or am I just lazy?

15

kai_stone99•15d ago

Dude at the swap meet told me my anvil was 'too clean'

I was at the Ventura flea market last month looking at old tools and this guy walks up, points at my anvil I bought 3 years ago, and says 'you ain't a real smith if your anvil still has paint on it.' Like sorry I don't want rust flakes in my steel? Anyone else deal with gatekeeping over something dumb?

20

wyatt_fox68•15d ago

Last weekend at the Stockton swap meet I nearly set a guys truck on fire

I was at the Stockton swap meet last Saturday and picked up an old coal forge for 40 bucks, figured I'd test it out behind my truck. Well the wind caught the embers and blew them right into a pile of dry leaves near his fender, and I had to dump my whole water bucket on it before anyone noticed. Has anyone else had a close call like that with a portable forge at a public event?

18

betty_shah•15d ago

PSA: Forged a knife blade too thin and it snapped in half on the quench

I was working on a kitchen knife last Tuesday in my shop near Denver, using 1095 steel. Got the blade ground down to maybe 1/16th of an inch at the edge before heat treat, thought I was being smart saving time on finishing. Dropped it into the oil and heard a loud ping - came out in two pieces. Had to start over from a fresh bar and take it slower. Anyone else ruin a blade by pushing the geometry too early?

26

seth_nguyen•16d ago

Hit my 1,000th forge weld and it wasn't even on purpose

I've been forging knives and tools as a side gig for about 7 years now. Last weekend I was making a batch of railroad spike knives for a local gun show coming up in March. I keep a little tally mark sheet on my shop wall just to track how many forge welds I do. After finishing up a particularly tricky cable damascus billet that took me 3 tries to get right, I looked at my sheet and realized I was at 998. So I grabbed some scrap steel, did two quick practice welds just to hit 1,000. But here's the funny part - my old anvil broke right after that 1,000th weld. It's been my grandpa's anvil for like 50 years, and it finally cracked right down the face. I wasn't even trying to make a big deal about the milestone, but the anvil decided it was done. Has anyone else had a piece of gear just give out after a big milestone like that?

18

ross.jessica•16d ago

Spent 4 hours trying to weld a 1/8 inch crack that should have taken 20 minutes

I was working on a cast iron plow base for a farmer near Topeka last Tuesday and kept chasing a crack that just wouldn't close. Turns out I forgot to preheat the metal and every bead just stressed the piece more, making the crack run further each time. Has anyone else had a repair job turn into a whole day because of one dumb missed step?

20

jackson.wesley•17d ago

Holding your hammer wrong was costing me all my power

So I've been forging for maybe 4 years now and always had this problem where my arm would get dead tired after like 20 minutes. I thought it was just a conditioning thing. Last week a guy at the guild meeting in Columbus watched me work and goes 'you're choking up on the handle too much'. I was gripping it way too high up near the head. He told me to shift my hand down toward the end of the handle and let the hammer do the work. Man, what a difference. I can go twice as long now and my strikes actually feel heavier even with less effort. Has anyone else dealt with grip issues messing up their swing?

8

terry_mitchell•17d ago

The difference a proper anvil stand made in my forge work

I used to just set my anvil on a regular stump I found in the woods. For about 2 years I thought that was fine. Then last spring I finally built a proper steel stand with a thick rubber pad underneath, bolted it to the floor, and leveled everything out. The ringing noise dropped by half and I can actually feel the hammer bounce back now instead of losing all that energy into the wood. Has anyone else noticed a big jump in control after fixing their anvil setup?

19

lilyt90•18d ago

Hammer vs press for laying down a weld - which actually gives you better control?

I been doing this for about 5 years now, mostly blades and hooks. Started out using a hammer for everything cause that's what my mentor taught me. Lately I tried using a press to lay down weld beads on a san mai billet and man the difference was wild. The press gives you this dead even squeeze but you lose that tactile feedback. Hammer lets you feel the weld set but you gotta be so careful not to cold shut. I'm torn. Had a billet delam on me last week using the press cause I think I didn't push the heat right. Any of you guys switch between both or stick to one? What's your call on a 4 layer stack?

10

blair_dixon•19d ago

Just hit 500 railroad spike knives forged and that number caught me off guard

I started messing around with spikes maybe 4 years ago as a side project when I was bored. Last week I was cleaning out my shop shelves and decided to count up all the finished ones I had sitting around. Ended up at 512 total including ones I gave away or sold at local flea markets. I guess the milestone hit me because I never thought I'd stick with it that long. Has anyone else had a random number like that make them realize how far they've come?