Was getting bad edges on a new chisel. Threw it in at 400F for an hour, came out way too soft. Learned the hard way that kitchen ovens are junk for precision work. Anyone else got a ghetto tempering story?
I started making fire strikers out of coil spring about 8 years ago in my garage in Modesto. Never thought much of it, just something to do after work. But last week I packed up the 5000th one for an order going to a guy in Oregon. That number surprised me because I still remember sweating over the first 50 trying to get the temper right. Has anyone else here hit a production milestone that caught them off guard?
I bought two of those $75 eBay venturi burners thinking I was saving money. After six weeks of struggling with uneven heat and constant flameouts, I finally borrowed a buddy's Frosty T-burner. The difference was like night and day. How much did you guys spend on your first burner setup before you figured out what actually works?
I spent a year fighting with coal for forge welding because that's what the old timers swear by. But after trying hardwood charcoal at a workshop in Asheville last month, the difference was night and day. The charcoal burns way cleaner and gets to welding heat in half the time with way less smoke in my face. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference in their weld quality?
Spent all last Saturday at a buddy's place in Boise using his gas forge and man, I couldn't believe how clean it was. No ash flying everywhere, no constant tinkering with the fire. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted losing that hands-on feel?
Went to a historical site in Gettysburg last weekend. The old blacksmith shop had the anvil set way off center from the forge. Tour guide said it was so the smith could work in natural light from the side windows. Made me realize how much I take my overhead shop lights for granted. Anyone else work with a specific anvil position for better lighting?
I was making a Damascus billet from 1084 and 15n20, about 12 layers, and on the third fold a chunk just sheared off sideways. Do you weld the edges before every fold or just let it ride and hope for the best?
Built a coal forge in my garage last winter after everyone told me propane was easier. Figured I'd save money on fuel and get that old school feel. Three months in and I'm spending more time adjusting the fire than actually forging. My first 10 knives came out with scale issues I never had with a borrowed gas forge. Anyone else make the switch and end up going back?
I told the old guys at the Wednesday hammer-in last week that I switched to used 10W-30 for my carbon steel knives, and they looked at me like I had two heads. It gives a slower, more even quench that stops cracks, and I have not had a single blade warp since I started doing it three years ago at my shop outside Boise. Anybody else ditch water or brine for something with more give?
Last Tuesday I went through 3 billets of 1095 and they all cracked at the same spot in the quench. I checked my temps twice and even swapped to a fresh bucket of oil. Then Thursday I caught my hammer handle slipping and it flew off on the third swing, almost hit my window. By Friday I had a pile of scrap and a sore wrist, but I finally got one decent knife out of the batch. Has anyone else had a week where every heat cycle seemed cursed and you just had to walk away for a day?
I was cleaning up a beat-up anvil I found at a farm auction in Ohio. Spent 20 minutes filing down the rust and pitting. Wrecked a good Nicholson file in the process. Now I always hit the face with a wire brush and some oil first. Anyone else kill tools prepping rusty anvils?
I was scrolling through a forum the other day and someone mentioned how they ruined a blade because there was oil floating on top of their quench tank. I've been using the same 5 gallon bucket of water for like 8 months now and never thought about it. I change my oil in the other tank pretty often but just top off the water when it gets low. Has anyone else had issues from contaminants in their water quench?
I was at this scrap yard outside of Nashville a few months ago looking for some steel stock. This guy who worked there, probably 70 years old, saw me looking at some old tools and asked what I was making. I told him I was trying to forge a hammer but didn't have a proper drift punch. He just pointed at a pile of rebar and said 'heat that up and hammer it into shape, it'll work fine.' I figured he was just blowing smoke but I tried it anyway. That rebar held up through three hammer heads and didn't even bend. Has anyone else used random junk from the yard for blacksmithing tools?
I was at a flea market in Nashville last spring just browsing and this older fella walks up while I'm holding a little rounding hammer I use for pattern welding. He says "that hammer's gonna give you grief with damascus" and walks off. Didn't even introduce himself lol. I shrugged it off but after about 3 more billets delaminating on me I started thinking maybe he had a point. Finally swapped to a heavier cross peen with a flat face and my last 2 billets welded up clean as can be. Wish I could find that guy again to buy him a coffee. Has anyone else had a random stranger drop a piece of knowledge that actually saved your work?
I was up near St. Johnsbury last month visiting family and stopped at this one-man shop off a dirt road. The guy had a homemade power hammer made from an old car axle and it worked smoother than some $3,000 units I've seen at trade shows. Anyone else notice that smaller shops seem to come up with the best DIY solutions?
I stopped by a little one-man shop near Dayton called Riverbend Forge. The guy had a simple trick for his forge welds that I hadn't seen before. He kept his flux in a old salt shaker with the top taped half closed. That way he could sprinkle it on exactly where he needed it instead of making a mess. He said he started doing it about 3 years ago after dropping a whole jar of borax in his coal. It's such a small thing but I tried it out on a coat hook project last night and it worked great. Anyone else got a weird little hack they picked up from visiting another smith's shop?
I've always quenched my hot steel in water like everybody else I knew. It's fast and it gets the job done, or so I thought. Last month I was at a farrier workshop in Akron and this old timer watched me work for a bit, then pointed out all my welds were getting micro cracks from the water shock. He showed me how he uses a slow cool in warm lime water instead, and after trying it myself, the difference in weld integrity is honestly night and day. Has anyone else switched away from water quenching for structural pieces?
I overheard a guy at the local hammer-in say he uses a magnet to check if his 1084 is ready to quench instead of guessing by color. Tried it last night on a seax blade and it actually worked way better than my usual eyeball method. Anyone else use tricks like that for judging heat before quench?
I was at a hammer-in up near Portland and this guy in his 70s watched me work for maybe 10 minutes. He just said 'you're pushing the steel instead of letting the hammer do the work.' I was trying so hard to hit hard that I was tensing up my whole shoulder. He showed me how to let the hammer bounce back natural like and now I use way less effort. Has anyone else had to totally unlearn how they swing after getting some simple advice?
I picked up a beat-up 150-pound anvil from a farm sale in Ohio last spring, and it used to ring so loud I had to wear double earplugs (my neighbor actually complained). After about 6 months of daily forging, that ring just vanished and turned into a solid thud - I'm guessing the face finally settled from all the hammering. Has anyone else had their anvil change sound over time like that, or did I just get lucky with a worn-in tool?
I figured a budget anvil would be fine for basic work, but that thing was so soft it mushroomed and chipped within a week, has anyone else had luck with the cheaper cast iron ones or should I just save up for a proper steel anvil?
I used to just start hammering cold steel on a cold anvil first thing in the morning. Then an old guy at a demo in Ohio told me to throw a hot billet on there for 10 minutes first. Said the rebound and energy transfer is way better. Tried it and he was right. My shoulder hurts less and the steel moves faster. Has anyone else noticed a difference with a warm anvil or am I just imagining things?
Last Tuesday I snapped three chisels in a row on the same piece of leaf spring steel, then my forge blower died halfway through Wednesday, and by Friday I'd burned through a whole tank of propane just trying to get a simple scarf joint to stick - has anyone else had a run like that where you just want to throw your hammer across the shop?
Back in March I set up two forges side by side in my shed near Springfield. I used a Devil Forge single burner on one side and my old coal forge on the other. The coal forge got steel to welding heat in about half the time, plus I had way more control over where the heat sat in the piece. Has anyone else made the switch and stuck with it?
I was out at a job site in Fairfield last Tuesday. Had my anvil set up on a makeshift stump. Started hammering a hot piece and the whole thing tipped sideways. Took me 20 minutes to get it reset with the customer just staring at me. Anyone else ever have your setup just betray you mid-strike?