blacksmithing-msg - 7/16/05
Blacksmithing, forges, tools.
NOTE: See also the files: blksm-anvils-msg, casting-msg, blksm-forges-msg, blksm-welding-msg, bladesmithing-msg, charcoal-msg.
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: powers at cis.ohio-state.edu (william thomas powers)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Pennsic Tales
Date: 28 Aug 1995 22:59:29 -0400
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
How about a few tales of the *good* things that went on at XXIIII?
I'll start with the tale of the Lady and the Caltrop
(all names removed to hopefully prevent me from
finding a caltrop in my bed *next* pennsic)
It was Pennsic XXIIII and it was hot; so hot that the idea of working with
the 9 pound sledge over a yellow hot piece of iron lacked it's customary
savor during the day and night fell quickly after dusk cooled us off.
Yet we still did manage to work in some forging, pattern welding, bronze
casting, iron smelting,...just not as much as we would have liked and a lot
more sweat dripping from our facial features than we did like!
Be that as it may, one evening a lady came into our camp and professed
a desire to forge a caltrop--just because she liked the word and had
need of one for a special purpose. Now a caltrop is an
anti-personnel/anti-equine item basically composed of four iron points
arranged so that no matter how it landed 1 point was always up and
available for stepping on. (She also mentioned being bothered
by folk from the camp behind her's cutting through her camp disturbing
her repose...) But we wouldn't suspect so charming and gracious a lady
of even envisioning such a medieval method of dealing with the
problem....Well we're smiths; so we did suspect and even offered advice
on empirical methods of checking a caltrop out... (once the caltrops go up
who cares where they come down--thats not my department he says...)
Well the first one did not fare too well due to a 3 smith mixed
scrap pile---who would have thought that that strap stock would be
high carbon? When the smith-on-duty cooled off part of the proto-caltrop
to allow our guest to work on another section, the first hammer blow
resulted in the dreaded *plink* of a piece of hardened steel becoming
2 or more pieces. It now being some time past full dark we regretfully
called it quits.
Another blazing day went by and in the gloaming the Caltropstress once again
found our camp and asked the two tired smiths on hand, (we had been working
during the hot hours), for another go. We were hot and tired and dryed
out so we had to say "Of Course!"; but this time would be real, this would
be proper no more mild steel and coal and a London pattern anvil.
This time it would be wrought iron and charcoal and a stake anvil!
And so the epic began, (the Kaltropschmidtenlied). Our guest quickly
mastered the basics of forging wrought iron, (work it *HOT* especially
in the lower grades such as we were using), and we could relax and talk
and offer suggestions. The difficulty she ran into was her training
as a silversmith had fostered the habit of choking way up on a hammer
and being gentle with the metal. This has a tendency to result in the
lack of hair on the knuckles due to close proximity with glowing iron
and an almost infinite number of heats required to shape a more
recalcitraint material. Working by the light of the forge fire and
the glowing metal itself adds another complication to the process.
The heats occurred but I remembered to forget asking about knuckle hair
*never* rile the person with the glowing iron and the hammer!
All went well and the lady and her caltrop were escorted to her camp
around 12:45 am. In daylight we discovered that the web had been
a bit too long and a bit too cold, (work it *hot*, you want the
iron silicates semi-molten!), when the twist had been done and
the caltrop had a tear in the web; but caltrops were supposed to be
quick and dirty and cheap since to use them you threw them away!
This caltrop was quite within the usable, (though my chiergeon friends
didn't mention any caltrop calamaties amongst the myriad of foot
failures at the war...) and fit well with her special purpose of
entering the open A&S catagory of Metal--Martial..
wilelm the smith
answering "what did you do during the war Daddy?"
From: "Dennis O'Connor" <dmoc at primenet.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: 17 Dec 1996 00:07:01 -0700
Organization: Intel Corporation
Joe Stubenrauch <yeti at linex.com> wrote:
: I have a keen and developing interest in blacksmithing. However, the
: local area I am in is devoid of SCA black-smith's (and indeed, smith's at
: all). So, I am whisking off to the library to do some more research.
: 3) What tools are absolutely necessary to buy in order to make
: any others that I need?
: 4) Would a pair of bellows and the old barbaque work as a smith?
Don't know. I've only ever bought tools. Hammers and grinders and
buffers seem to be usually bought. Tongs seem usually made. Most people
I've seen build a forge using propane tanks and refractory brick.
But like you, I mainly just watch the hot-work.
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: tip* at ai.chem.ohiou.edu (Tom Perigrin)
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Organization: Ohio University
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 02:19:49 GMT
In article <E2J4r9.7rB at linex6.linex.com>, yeti at linex.com (Joe Stubenrauch)
wrote:
> I have a keen and developing interest in blacksmithing. However, the
> local area I am in is devoid of SCA black-smith's (and indeed, smith's at
> all). So, I am whisking off to the library to do some more research.
Good... and then look in the BIP to find various books that your library
almost certainly won't carry. One way to find a couple of good books, AND
support a good organization, is to call up Colonial Williamsbergs
bookstore, and order whatever they have on smithing... I was there a few
months ago, and everything they had was a keeper.
> However, the books I have encountered there are a little out of date
> (published in the 50's and 60's) and don't have all the info that I need.
Um, blacksmithing has not really changed all that much since the 50's...
1850s.
> 3) What tools are absolutely necessary to buy in order to make
> any others that I need?
Forge, anvil, several hammers, and a few tongs. After that, it's make your
own. Mind you, making your own swage blocks is not "fun", unless you think
that figuring out how to wrestle 50 pound blocks of red hot iron is "fun".
I've done it... it wasn't "fun".
Tom
From: powers at woodstock.cis.ohio-state.edu (william thomas powers)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: 17 Dec 1996 08:35:04 -0500
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science
Tom Perigrin wrote:
>
>Um, blacksmithing has not really changed all that much since the 50's...
>1850s.
I am assuming this is a joke here since Blacksmithing had a major change
between the 1850's and now. This is the change from Wrought Iron to
mild steel. Anyone interested in historical ironwork should be aware
of the differences in materials and that they are worked *quite* differently.
Work wrought like 1018 and watch it fray, work 1018 or esp A36 like
wrought and watch it spark---blame it on Bessemer (and others).
You may want to research Abraham Darby who pioneered the use of
coal to smelt iron, the puddling process, the direct and indirect
process of making wrought iron, crucible steel, the stuckoffen (sp),
the catalan forge, the use of charcoal to smelt and forge iron, etc
(note: some of this is post 1600 but can help one understand why
what we do today may differ from what our forebearers did.
wilelm the smith
From: jhrisoulas at aol.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: 17 Dec 1996 18:22:19 GMT
Greetings:
Since I know a little bit about this stuff let me see if I can help out a
bit:
First what makes you think that the books from the 1950-60's are
outdated??
After all this craft goes back to day 1 of the Iron Age.. Techniques
haven't changed all that much.. Granted any suppliers listed in these
books may be dated, but evrything else will pretty much be viable.
What information are you lacking?? Please be specific.
As far as anvils: Good luck....Back in the "Goode Olde Days" you could
find a decent anvil and expect to pay about $1.00 US per lb...Now..the sky
is the limit. I have seen new anvils costing more than filet mignon.. Best
be: hit your local flea markets and swap meets...
Better yet get ahold of your nearest ABANA (Artisit Blacksmith Association
of North America) chapter and they should be able to help you out...
In all fairness there are several really decent books out ther that can
show you basic set up all the way up to advance pattern welding
techniques..(I should know...as I wrote most of them...)
Anyway if you have any other questions please by all means e-mail direct
as this way we will not tie up band width..
Your Servant,
Atar Bakhtar
aka
Dr JP Hrisoulas
From: jaeger at 3lefties.com (Eric Kervina)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:25:54 -0700
Organization: INET of New Mexico
In article <E2J4r9.7rB at linex6.linex.com>, yeti at linex.com says...
> I have a keen and developing interest in blacksmithing.
If you live near a rural area, you might check out estate auctions. I
have seen a few anvils go for as little as $50. They are not commonly to
be found, though.
> 3) What tools are absolutely necessary to buy in order to make
> any others that I need?
That varies depending on your skill, but you absolutely need
something to use as tongs and a hammer. I would recommend buying all the
tools you can afford, and building new ones as you gain skill.
> 4) Would a pair of bellows and the old barbaque work as a smith?
Not likely. The heat you will be dealing with would destroy a barbeque
grill in a very short time.
> Any information and tips on getting started will be appreciated,
> seeing as I have little knowledge on the subject (other than watching the
> smiths at Williamsburg for hours on end).
Many colleges offer metalworking classes, usually under the art
department. That is a good place to start, since they have all the
equipment already, and you can find out if you actually like smithing
without pouring all of your money into it. Also, why not ask one of the
smiths at Williamsburg to teach you? Most people are more than happy to
spread their knowledge.
From: rhayes at powerup.com.au (Robin Hayes)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: 17 Dec 1996 03:40:30 GMT
In article <E2J4r9.7rB at linex6.linex.com>, of Mon, 16 Dec 1996 23:18:45
GMT, Joe Stubenrauch of yeti at linex.com says...
> I have a keen and developing interest in blacksmithing. However, the
>local area I am in is devoid of SCA black-smith's (and indeed, smith's at
>all). So, I am whisking off to the library to do some more research.
Try the knifemaking magizines. You could try contacting the armourers thru
the SCA web pages, and see if you get any pointers to books, organisations
there. Do web searches...
> However, the books I have encountered there are a little out of date
>(published in the 50's and 60's) and don't have all the info that I need.
Often, the older the better. Just find more books.
> 3) What tools are absolutely necessary to buy in order to make
> any others that I need?
A basic basher, and a basic holder. You may have useful thingies in the
garage...
Some basic cutting thingies (cold chisel, punch etc) may also be useful.
Safety equipment such as safety goggles (including the gas welding type
with flip down brightness filters), good leather gloves/gauntlets, good
boots, usefully a leather apron (can make yourself) a cap to stop cenders
setting fire to your hair (personal experience here) is a must.
Your allegedly "out of date" books, if any good, should should you how to
make your first pair of tongs. It is for good reason that this is usually
the first project... Once you can make basic tongs, you can shape the ends
to hold flats, rounds, wierd shapes and sizes. You can start with multi
grips and a claw hammer to make your first tongs...
You can make hammers, but they should be made from a good high carbon type
steel, which is less easy to work than soft iron, for you can burn it,
thus weakening it. You need a punch to open up the hole. Keep quenching
the punch in water frequently, or you will "cook" it and lose the
hardness, making it useless.
Hammers: a whole art in itself, the right type will speed the job.
(a) flat surface type essential (planishing)
(b) round ball type used for hot and cold dishing
(c) the type that looks like a wedge can be used to thin sections quickly.
Heavier ones can speed some tasks, but you can get better control with a
slightly smaller hammer. The weight does the work, not your muscles... but
you can force it a bit.
Access to a welder is useful. You can forge weld, but the stick is faster,
and untill you get the skill, makes a reliable weld. When making the
tongs, use only shortish thicker lengths, and you can weld thinner longer
handles on later. This is useful, so you don't need to spend time thinning
the handles. OK, not a period techinique, but you could forge weld the
thinner handles on if you insist... :-)
> Any information and tips on getting started will be appreciated,
>seeing as I have little knowledge on the subject (other than watching the
>smiths at Williamsburg for hours on end).
Watching a good smith work can be as educational as watching a good cook
work, but if you have no background technical knowledge, it just looks
like magic. If there is no one locally you can talk to and work with, then
read everything you can. You will soon start to sort out the rubbish, for
it will not be consistent among the sources.
I believe smithing (and pottery) is the source of the Earth, air, fire and
water theories of alchemy. The chinese also use metal in their theories.
The coal or (charcoal) is the earth (as is the slag remaining). The air,
water and fire are obvious. You can poison the metal from the earth if
there are impurities such as sulphur in the coal.
Play with the fire for a time and you will find your eyes opened... :-)
These notes were just done on the spur of the moment, hope they help. I
have covered a lot of ground... Alas I am in Australia, so I doubt if you
will get to watch me... ;-)
Robin
From: "James D. Logan/Jane Sitton-Logan" <hammer at mail.startext.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Anvils and smiths
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 1996 08:03:24 -0800
Robin Hayes wrote:
> In article <E2J4r9.7rB at linex6.linex.com>, of Mon, 16 Dec 1996 23:18:45
> GMT, Joe Stubenrauch of yeti at linex.com says...
> >
> > I have a keen and developing interest in blacksmithing. However,
> the
> >local area I am in is devoid of SCA black-smith's (and indeed, smith's at
> >all). So, I am whisking off to the library to do some more research.
>
> Try the knifemaking magizines. You could try contacting the armourers thru
> the SCA web pages, and see if you get any pointers to books, organisations
> there. Do web searches...
>
> > However, the books I have encountered there are a little out of
> date
> >(published in the 50's and 60's) and don't have all the info that I need.
>
> Often, the older the better. Just find more books.
> > 3) What tools are absolutely necessary to buy in order to make
> > any others that I need?
>
> A basic basher, and a basic holder. You may have useful thingies in the
> garage...
Listen to this guy and he will get you hurt. Do not under any circumstances start out with a hammer of over 2 lbs. Laarge hammers move a lot of metal but only if your arm has had a few years practice building and rebuilding the ligiments that
tie your arm together. Start out too large and you can damage yourself. Just get yourself several sizes of ballpean hammers and a blacksmiths or
crosspean hammer of *NO MORE THAN 2 LBS.*
> Some basic cutting thingies (cold chisel, punch etc) may also be useful.
>
> Safety equipment such as safety goggles (including the gas welding type
> with flip down brightness filters), good leather gloves/gauntlets, good
> boots, usefully a leather apron (can make yourself) a cap to stop cenders
> setting fire to your hair (personal experience here) is a must.
This is good I like this.
> Your allegedly "out of date" books, if any good, should should you how to
> make your first pair of tongs. It is for good reason that this is usually
> the first project... Once you can make basic tongs, you can shape the ends
> to hold flats, rounds, wierd shapes and sizes. You can start with multi
> grips and a claw hammer to make your first tongs...
Vise grips are good for this as they can be set to the width of the material
that you will be working.
> You can make hammers, but they should be made from a good high carbon type
> steel, which is less easy to work than soft iron, for you can burn it,
> thus weakening it. You need a punch to open up the hole. Keep quenching
> the punch in water frequently, or you will "cook" it and lose the
> hardness, making it useless.
This is somewhat deceptive advice as it will require a punch and then a drift
that are sized in relation to the size of hammer handle you wish to use.
> Hammers: a whole art in itself, the right type will speed the job.
> (a) flat surface type essential (planishing)
> (b) round ball type used for hot and cold dishing
> (c) the type that looks like a wedge can be used to thin sections quickly.
>
> Heavier ones can speed some tasks, but you can get better control with a
> slightly smaller hammer. The weight does the work, not your muscles... but
> you can force it a bit.
Obviously hasn't hammered much.
> Access to a welder is useful. You can forge weld, but the stick is faster,