I tried forging a few into bottle openers last weekend and they came out way better than I expected. Has anyone else messed with rail spikes for smaller projects like that?
Spent six straight days fighting with a forge that wouldn't hold heat before I realized the new supplier's coal was full of slate and rock. Anyone else had to toss a whole pallet and eat that cost?
I picked it up for $40 in rural Ohio and it rings like a bell, still works perfect for drawing out leaves and scrolls. Anyone else run into know-it-alls who judge tools by looks alone?
I was working on a horse trailer at a shop outside of Austin and this guy named Carl walked up, must have been 80 years old. He watched me struggle with a cold set for a solid 5 minutes before he said "son, you're fighting the metal instead of talking to it." He took my hammer and showed me how to use the ball pein to mushroom the rivet in 3 light taps instead of one hard hit. I still think about that every time I'm doing a trailer repair.
I was at a county fair in Ohio showing people how to make basic hooks. Got maybe 20 minutes in and a fire brick right next to the forge just cracked and popped like a firecracker. Scared the crowd and sent chips flying. Turns out I had a hairline crack I never noticed and moisture got in overnight. Anybody else have a brick blow up on them mid-demo?
I switched from just eye-balling the color to using a temp gun on my last batch of chef knives, and the difference is wild. After about 14 days of consistent 1475°F heats before quench, I stopped getting micro cracks near the edge. Has anyone else seen a big jump in consistency after getting serious about heat control?
I always thought coal was the only real way to get good heat control, but that propane setup gave me a cleaner weld on my first try and now I'm wondering if I wasted years fighting with clinkers.
I used to fight with my propane forge all the time trying to get even heat on longer pieces. After 6 months of that nonsense I grabbed a $60 coal forge off Facebook Marketplace and the difference in control is night and day. Anyone else make the switch and find it way easier to manage?
Back when I started smithing about 4 years ago at my uncle's shop in Boise, I would grind and sand every weld for at least 45 minutes to hide the line. Now I just watch for the right color and spark at 2100 degrees and tap it right the first time. My welds still aren't perfect but they're way cleaner than the ones I spent hours hiding. Anyone else waste way too much time finishing stuff that wasn't even welded right at the start?
I was working on a Damascus billet last weekend and couldn't find my good cross peen, so I grabbed this old rusty hammer from the corner of the shop. Big mistake. The head was loose and it bounced off the steel instead of hitting clean, which left cold shuts all through the layer. Took me 3 extra hours to grind those out and re-weld the stack. Has anyone else had a bad tool mess up a forge weld like that?
I grabbed a 150lb Fisher anvil for $80 at a farm auction outside Columbus last spring. Took me 3 months of wire brushing and oiling to get the rust off, but now it rings like a bell and barely dents my hammer strikes. The difference between that and my old cast iron anvil is night and day, like switching from a sledge to a feather. Anyone else find a hidden gem at a random auction that changed your setup?
Honestly, I thought I was being smart saving money on my first anvil. Bought this cast iron one from some random seller for about $150 a few months back. Looked fine in the pictures but soon as I started hammering on it, the face started chipping and denting like crazy. The rebound was terrible too, maybe 20% at best. I figured it would hold up for basic projects but it was useless after like 10 hours of work. Ended up having to get a proper steel anvil from a guy off Facebook Marketplace for $300. Lesson learned the hard way - you really gotta save up for the real deal or find used vintage ones. Anyone else get burned by those cheap cast iron blocks?
I bought a set of 4 tongs off an online marketplace for about $150 total. They looked decent in the photos but the jaws were poorly aligned and the rivets were loose. After the third pair slipped on a hot piece of steel I tossed them all in the scrap bin. Anyone else had bad luck with budget tongs or found a good source for quality ones that won't break the bank?
I finally switched my setup last month. I had been using a coal forge since I started in 2017. The smoke and ash got old, especially working in a shared garage. I picked up a used Devil Forge off Craigslist for $150. The heat control is way better for smaller projects like knives and hooks. I still miss the coal for big stuff like gate hardware though. Anyone else switch and end up keeping both for different jobs?
Last month I pulled a 150 pound Peter Wright anvil out of a collapsed barn near Lancaster, PA. It had 80 years of rust and a few chips but the face was still hard as glass. I spent a weekend cleaning it up with a wire wheel and some oil. Meanwhile my $400 new cast iron anvil from a big box store already has a crater in the top after just two years. Has anybody else had way better luck with antique anvils over modern ones?
Picked up a pallet of firebricks from a guy on Craigslist. $80 for 50 bricks seemed like a steal. First forge fire hit about 1500 degrees and three of them cracked right down the middle. Turns out they were soft insulating bricks, not the hard dense ones for forge floors. Spent another $60 on proper kiln shelf material to replace them. Wish I'd just bought from a known supplier from the start. Anybody else get burned by a bad materials deal?
I was working on a set of 6 fireplace pokers for a client in Portland when my belt-driven blower just seized up. Took me 2 hours to rig a temporary fix with a shop vac and some duct tape. Anyone else ever have to MacGyver their air supply mid-project?
I keep seeing guys on here trying to forge weld mild steel to itself and wondering why it falls apart. Mild steel has almost no carbon, so it just doesn't bond right unless you get it perfect. Stick to high carbon or wrought iron if you want the weld to actually hold.
Met a guy named Hank at a hammer-in near Pittsburgh who swore by quenching hot steel in used 10W-30. Said it gave a better edge than any fancy brand. Tried it on a kitchen knife last month and the smell alone made my wife ban me from the house for two days. Anyone else get handed terrible advice that sounded too good to be true?
Picked up a small bag of special flux from a vendor at a show near St. Louis last month. Got home, checked the ingredients, it's literally just plain old borax with a fancy label. Could have grabbed a box at the grocery store for $3. Has anyone else run into this kind of overpriced repackaging?
Was out in my backyard shed last Saturday attempting to weld two pieces of rebar together, and the anvil actually slid off the stand halfway through the first hammer strike. Has anyone else dealt with an anvil that just won't stay put no matter how you brace it?
I had this guy named Joe at the guild meeting in Springfield tell me I was ruining my blades by quenching everything in water. He said for 1095 steel I should be using warm oil instead. I thought he was full of it until I tried it on a kitchen knife I was working on. The thing came out way harder and didn't crack like my last three tries. Has anyone else switched their quench method based on advice from a veteran smith?
Watched a guy at a demo last weekend in Dayton and noticed he was barely hitting his metal before it started moving. I'm over here swinging like a maniac on cold steel. The second I heated it up to a proper orange it bent like butter. Has anyone else had that forehead slapping moment where you realize you were doing something basic totally backwards?
I had this old anvil I got from a guy in Phoenix that just wouldn't hold a good edge no matter what I did. Finally brought it to a buddy's shop and he hit it with a file, told me the face was basically mild steel the whole time. Has anyone else dealt with a mislabeled anvil or one that was secretly junk?
It's wild how that simple, boring task has paid for my new belt grinder and half my steel for the last six months, but man, I'm starting to see them in my sleep... anyone else get stuck in a production rut that just pays the bills?