Forestry/Logging Blacksmithing Projects

[Metals406]

We haven't had much luck with forge welding with the propane. Still have some coal but hardly use it. Think when I get home in two weeks I'm gonna disappear into the shop or the woods with the saw for half a day then the next it's to Forks and money makin time.

Good lookin shoes there! Do my eyes decieve or is that a homemade forge I see? What kinda anvil you have there?

Nate, tons and tons of tools but cool how ya can make most you need from just a few!

That's the first rule of anyone claiming the "blacksmith" moniker. . . You have to have the "tools" to make the tools.

Most of the stuff is written down, then ya have to read it, then you have to apply it. Or you have to learn it from someone who was taught it, or developed it, or relearned it. There are many fine smiths in this country -- I certainly don't/won't claim to be amongst them. There's guys and gals out there that blow my mind with their smithing talents.

 

[OlympicYJ]

I think you need to go to a North West Blacksmith Association conference some time! Prety amazing stuff. Lots of it is artsy but mind blowing. They bring in someone from outside the northwest. One year I remeber the guy was from Italy. Usually an east coast or Old world smith is there as the main demonstrator then a few other demos and some hands on stuff. Swap meet and new tool vendors. Pretty cool stuff. Have you seen the Nimba anvils? Dad's thinkin about joining again so we'll see.

 

[northmanlogging]

We haven't had much luck with forge welding with the propane. Still have some coal but hardly use it. Think when I get home in two weeks I'm gonna disappear into the shop or the woods with the saw for half a day then the next it's to Forks and money makin time.

Good lookin shoes there! Do my eyes decieve or is that a homemade forge I see? What kinda anvil you have there?

Nate, tons and tons of tools but cool how ya can make most you need from just a few!

Its a russian anvil made for harbor fright... 110# I want a bigger one but they cost lots of money...

The forge itself is a wheel off my uncles jeep... (it was just sitting around... didn't find out until much later it was a special offset deal...) angle iron legs, and a squirrel cage fan with a rheostat to control speed (light dimmer switch). I originally built the forge when I was 11 or so, using wood for fuel and borrowing the blower out of the shop wood stove. It worked just not real well. Once I hit adult hood I could make it to Everrot and buy coal at "Harry's Leather" (not an endorsement...), I'll go all the way to Chehalis to get it now. The rest is a bunch of burned fingers and singed eyebrows.

As far as forge welding goes, patience is my big key. I'm not real good at myself. Propane doesn't always have the heat you need to forge weld. So either seal up the forge better (to keep the heat in) or change fuels. And use gobs of borax.

 

[OlympicYJ]

Its a russian anvil made for harbor fright... 110# I want a bigger one but they cost lots of money...

The forge itself is a wheel off my uncles jeep... (it was just sitting around... didn't find out until much later it was a special offset deal...) angle iron legs, and a squirrel cage fan with a rheostat to control speed (light dimmer switch). I originally built the forge when I was 11 or so, using wood for fuel and borrowing the blower out of the shop wood stove. It worked just not real well. Once I hit adult hood I could make it to Everrot and buy coal at "Harry's Leather" (not an endorsement...), I'll go all the way to Chehalis to get it now. The rest is a bunch of burned fingers and singed eyebrows.

As far as forge welding goes, patience is my big key. I'm not real good at myself. Propane doesn't always have the heat you need to forge weld. So either seal up the forge better (to keep the heat in) or change fuels. And use gobs of borax.

I didn't know anyone in chehalis sold coal. That's a lot closer than where dad used to get it. Yeah when forge welding you have to be patient but quick! The propane is hard to get hot enough unless you have a small one like blade smiths use.

Show sounds pretty cool! My Pops and I use to tinker with an old hand crank coal forge and anvil, making simple trinkets/hooks and such.
Good times!
His main skill was tuning saw blades for local mills.

Ah he was a saw filer? I imagine he could make quite a bit of stuff on an anvil! Did he do any hand setting?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[northmanlogging]

May have been Centralia I get the two confused... place was called fire and ice? sold stoves and stuff too, its been awhile since I've made a run down there, 1/2 ton is a lot of coal... and I found some on krooks list for free under a house in north Seattle I'm still burning that stuff.

 

[wowzers]

My dad does quite a bit of blacksmithing. Mostly making knives and axes. Here is an axe he made with an osage handle.

View attachment 293054

 

[Metals406]

My dad does quite a bit of blacksmithing. Mostly making knives and axes. Here is an axe he made with an osage handle.

View attachment 293054

Damn! Yer dad does fine work!

I love that Hedge too. . . Some real purdy wood.

 

[slowp]

There was a coal mine by Centralia but it got shut down a few years ago. I wonder if that is where your coal came from?

When I find a camera, I'll take a picture of my stove cleaning shovel. My Scandihoovian grandpa was a blacksmith. He made the shovel. It is smooth and sturdy. I have a picture of him standing in front of a horse he was shoeing. Unfortunately, now I realize all the "junk" we played with at my Uncle's place was blacksmithing stuff. It was stored outdoors in the elements of E. Warshington.

 

[northmanlogging]

Seems like they carried a few different grades, some from Montana, or Wyoming, some locale from Centralia or Black Diamond. Seems everyone has their favorite the smiths like the best (anthracite) the home heating peeps want the cheap stuff and the steam geeks want the middle of the road. Personally I think they are all a little to picky, the stuff I got from under a house has a bit more clinker in it and the occasional petrified cat turd, but it burns just dandy:msp_smile:

As far as yer Grandpa's tools, seems to be the way it goes, most of the good stuff went away during WWII, the rest got put away until the scrap men came along. Anvils seem to survive though if only so rich people can pay $5. a pound for em and stick em in weeds of their front yard next to an old plow, makes me shake my head...

I would like to find a swage block for a decent price, and would consider pillaging for a power hammer...

 

[OlympicYJ]

Very nice axe Preston! Love the Osage. Dad's got a pistol with Osage grips from a fence post off my Great Grandfathers place.

Gonna be headin out for the summer. We should get together for a beer and catch up!

 

[Metals406]

There was a coal mine by Centralia but it got shut down a few years ago. I wonder if that is where your coal came from?

When I find a camera, I'll take a picture of my stove cleaning shovel. My Scandihoovian grandpa was a blacksmith. He made the shovel. It is smooth and sturdy. I have a picture of him standing in front of a horse he was shoeing. Unfortunately, now I realize all the "junk" we played with at my Uncle's place was blacksmithing stuff. It was stored outdoors in the elements of E. Warshington.

No quicker way to have the Earth reclaim iron, than to leave it out in Washington.

 

[wowzers]

Got to make a retraction on that ax picture. I think that the one with the osage handle is made by someone else and he made this copy below. Sorry for the mix up just didn't want to take someone elses credit from them.

View attachment 293877

 

[wowzers]

Very nice axe Preston! Love the Osage. Dad's got a pistol with Osage grips from a fence post off my Great Grandfathers place.

Gonna be headin out for the summer. We should get together for a beer and catch up!

For sure. Let me know when. I should be heading in to town to get some groceries some time this week.

 

[OlympicYJ]

Will do! shoot ya text tomorrow.

 

[jrcat]

This is on a Prentice 120 c . I had to rebuild the ears on the stick. I bored the new holes in 1 inch plate fitted them and started welding. It took me about 8 hours total.

 

[jrcat]

The plate right behind the nut and the head of the bolt is just 1/2". I used that to add more "beef" to the area that I spliced the inch plate onto. I simply torch cut the holes in the 1/2" plate. I was running the loader when one of the ears let go. I had a grapple full of pulp wood and the stick went side ways on me and slammed into the forward bunk ... It was not pretty nothing like a pile of pixie sticks and twisted metal lol.