c/blacksmiths

My first forge weld finally clicked after 8 tries

I spent 3 hours last Saturday in my shop in Nashville trying to get a simple forge weld to stick on a fire poker. Kept getting cold shuts and scale in the joint no matter what flux I used. Then I noticed my forge temperature was reading way hotter than it actually was because my thermocouple was loose. Fixed that, brought it up to a nice bright yellow heat, and the weld took like butter on the first try. Has anyone else had their tools lie to them about temperature like that?

First time I used a coke forge instead of propane - night and day difference in 20 minutes

Switched over last Saturday to see what the hype was about. The steel seemed to heat way more even across the blade, and I didn't have to dial in that sweet spot on the regulator every 5 seconds. Has anyone else noticed the metal moves different with coke versus propane or is it just me?

Thought anvils were anvils until I used a real one

I figured any hunk of metal would work for flattening stock. Then I picked up a beat up Fisher anvil at an auction for $200 and the rebound on my hammer blows was night and day different. Anyone else hold out on upgrading something basic like this?

Had to pick between a rusty post vise and a new one at a farm auction in Ohio

I went to this auction near Columbus last month and they had two post vises up for grabs. One was a 1900s era rusty beast that looked rough but the screw was still smooth. The other was a cheap new import that shined but felt light. I went with the old one for $80 and spent a weekend cleaning it up. Has anyone else rolled the dice on old tools over new ones?

Saw a guy at the Tillamook hammer-in last fall and he changed my anvil setup completely

Coal vs propane on my first blade, think I made the wrong call

I went with coal for my first knife forge because it felt more 'authentic' but after 3 tries I still can't keep the heat even across the steel. The smoke is driving my wife crazy and the kids keep coughing when they come near the garage. Anyone here switch from coal to propane and feel like they wasted time on the old setup?

Shoutout to the welder who told me my hammer faces were too smooth.

I spent years grinding my hammer faces to a mirror finish because I thought it looked clean and professional. Then I brought a few hammers to a local weld shop for some repair work, and the old timer there asked if I was making jewelry or blacksmithing. He said a slick face on a hammer just slides off the metal, it doesn't grab and move it like you want. I thought he was being too rough, but I tried his tip. I left a slight crosshatch texture, maybe 60 grit, on the face of my rounding hammer. Next time I was drawing out a piece of mild steel on the anvil, the hammer bit into the metal way better, no slipping. It felt like I had more control with each hit. Has anyone else gotten pushback on a shop tip that ended up being right?

If you are still using harbor freight anvils stop what you are doing

I compared a cheap $60 harbor freight anvil to a $150 used Peter Wright from a farm auction last month. The difference in rebound and ring is night and day, the HF one just eats your hammer energy. I got way better forge welds after just 2 days with the old anvil. Anyone else make that swap and notice the same huge jump in control?

Broke my favorite cross pein hammer this morning

Was working on a bottle opener. Third one this week. The handle just snapped right at the eye. Split clean in two. Must have had a hidden crack. Now I gotta drive 45 minutes to the nearest tool supplier. Anyone else ever have a handle fail on a hammer you've used for years?

Old timer at the Black Hills meetup showed me a trick I still use every day

Back in 2018 I was at that annual gathering in South Dakota. Some guy, must have been 70 if he was a day, watched me struggle to forge a simple hook for like 20 minutes. He just walked over, grabbed my tongs out of my hand, and adjusted my grip. Told me I was fighting the metal instead of letting it move where it wanted. Changed how I hold every piece since then. Anyone else ever have some random stranger at a meet completely reroute how you work?

Had a perfect week at the anvil with zero interruptions last month

Last month I had a stretch of three days where everything just clicked. I was working on a set of fireplace tools for a repeat customer up in Portland (she always wants something fancy with twisted handles). Every heat felt right, my hammer blows landed exactly where I wanted, and I even got the forge welding to hold on the first try which never happens. Has anyone else had a week like that where the metal just seems to cooperate? What did you make?

Switched from coal to propane at my forge last spring after 12 years of burning bituminous

Used to spend 20 minutes every morning getting a coal fire hot enough to weld but now I flip a switch and I'm hammering in under 3 minutes, has anyone else made the switch and regretted missing the old-school feel?

Is a cheap anvil actually worth the risk? Bought a $80 cast iron one and it dents after every hit

Picked up a $80 cast iron anvil from a flea market in Ohio thinking I saved big. But the face chips and dents on every heavy strike, my hammer work is getting sloppy. Has anyone had luck with a budget anvil or should I just save up for a real steel one?

Spent 3 hours trying to fix a forge door that just needed grease

Got a new propane forge last month and the door hinge started sticking like crazy. I spent a whole Saturday messing with it. I took the whole hinge apart, filed down the pins, even drilled new holes thinking the alignment was off. After 3 hours of cussing and a busted knuckle, my buddy walked in and just sprayed WD-40 on it and that was it. It slid smooth as butter right away. I felt like a total idiot lol. The whole time I kept thinking it was some major structural issue when the answer was right there in a $5 can. Anybody else ever overcomplicate a simple fix and look like a fool in front of another smith?

Just found out the hard way that old railroad track anvil needs proper prep

Ngl, I grabbed a chunk of rail from a salvage yard near Albany last month and started forging right away. After 3 sessions I noticed hairline cracks forming on the face because I didn't normalize the steel first. Has anyone else messed up a cheap anvil by skipping that step?

Rant: People who skip the normalizing step after forge welding drive me up a wall

I was at a hammer-in last weekend and watched a guy try to weld a San Mai billet. He got it stuck together fine, then went straight to drawing out without any normalizing. Next thing I know, the whole thing delaminated at the anvil. I've seen this happen at least 4 times in the last year with new smiths. You've got to let those internal stresses even out before you start hammering, otherwise the weld is just waiting to pop. Am I the only one who thinks this is getting worse?

Appreciation post: That old knife sharpening station at the county fair

I stopped by the blacksmithing demo at the county fair last weekend and saw a guy using a hand-cranked grinding wheel that looked like it was from 1880. It was loud and wobbly, but dang if his utility knife didn't come off it shaving-sharp. Made me wonder if I'm overcomplicating my setup with all this modern gear.

Had a talk with an old timer at the shop yesterday that changed how I think about heat treating

He said I was rushing my blades and pointed out my quench oil temp was off by 40 degrees because I wasn't letting the forge soak long enough. Anyone else had a seasoned smith call out a bad habit you didn't see coming?

That fancy forge welding flux everyone raves about? Total waste of money for me.

Ngl, I was super skeptical when the guys online swore by that borax-free flux for damascus billets. I stuck with my plain old 20 Mule Team borax for 6 years, thought it was fine. Then I tried the fancy stuff on a billet I was folding for the third time at a demo in Tucson last month. The weld stuck way cleaner with way less scale, and I had to admit the old timer's advice was actually legit. Any of you made the switch and regretted going back to basic borax?

Picked up a trick from an old timer at a demo last Saturday

I was watching this guy forge a leaf pattern and he kept quenching his hammer between strikes. I asked him why and he said it stops the steel from sticking to the hammer face. Tried it myself on a seax blade I was working on and it made a huge difference in the finish. Anyone else use water on their hammer while forging?

That time my anvil fell off the stump mid-strike

I was working on a garden gate out in my shed near Elkhart, Indiana about 3 years ago. Had a big piece of 3/8 inch stock I was trying to fuller down, came down hard with my 4 pound hammer and the whole anvil tipped right off the stump. Went flying, hit my toe, and I just stood there cussing for a minute before I realized the stump had rotted out underneath. Had to dig up a fresh oak stump from the treeline and reset everything before I could finish that piece. Anyone else ever had an anvil shift on them mid-swing?

Old timer told me I was hammering too hard on my forge welds

I was over at a shop in Lancaster last month and this guy who's been at it 40 years watched me trying to fuse a billet and just said 'you're beating the life out of it, not welding it.' I started using lighter taps and letting the heat do the work, and my welds stopped delaminating. Has anyone else had to unlearn bad habits like that?

FINALLY got my first forge weld to hold after 6 tries

Had to choose between a borax flux and a commercial one I got from a guy at the Greeley swap meet. Went with the borax since it was cheaper and just kept my heat even. It actually stuck this time and I almost dropped the billet I was so happy. Anyone else struggle with getting the temp right on their first forge welds?

That vinegar trick for rust removal works way better than I thought

Left a old farrier rasp in white vinegar for 24 hours and the rust just wiped off clean. Why do so many guys still use wire wheels and grinders for this? Anyone got a soak time they swear by for heavy pitting?

Tried quenching in used motor oil on a whim

I ran out of my usual canola oil last weekend and had a jug of old 10W-30 sitting in the garage from my truck's last change. Figured why not try it on a small railroad spike knife I was messing around with. The stuff caught fire almost instantly when I dipped it and filled my whole shop with smoke for 20 minutes. Learned my lesson the hard way that not all oils are the same for heat treating. Has anyone else had a weird quenching experiment go sideways?