I made a pretty decent holdfast, it looks intentional and does what it’s meant to. The spring fuller is more proof-of-concept. I haven’t tried to use it yet and it could use a little refinement.

I just got into blacksmithing and I made one it turned out pretty well but I made the blade too thick and struggled to make the blade straight and I am struggling with making handles

Has anyone ordered a hammer from Andrew Larson? What kind of lead time was it? It's been about a month and a half since I placed an order on his website and haven't seen the hammer but he's also not responding to emails.

So, I want to get into blacksmithing. Wow how original, asking on reddit. Wanted to ask how or where I can actually get an anvil like thing for a good price. And on how to make a backyard forge, I think those are cool.

Hi so I've been wanting to get a propane forge but have no idea what brands or anything or what to trust anyone got any recommendations of some good forges

So, in short, I have a dual Vevor forge. I've added Satanite, and replaced the front set of thick bricks with ceramic tiles to give me more room, and get away from the burner flame. I want to talk about what I can do to make my forge more evenly heated on the inside. I have added a K-type kiln t/c in the middle of the forge body, which has issues if I am only using 1 burner.

1: How do I keep the heat constant, and even throughout? I have a solinoid valve inline, with a bypass tube for temp control. ignoring the fact that the valve buggered up and is stuck open....when I was controlling on/off at temp, even with some gas flowing.....it would sputter and I would have to reset the burner valves. it's like there wasn't enough flow to keep it lit.

2: What is the theory behind venturi burners? I've only seen DIY plans using 1" pipes, and large adapters.....what if i want to LOWER the heat?

3: When I get sputtering when at full blast using 2, sometimes I shut one off. Now my T/C is not in the direct heat area, since it's between the two burners....and i can see that area is darker. Is it a safe bet that i placed it wrong, and I should move it in line with a burner?

4: direct metal heating with the burner flame, compared to letting the forge internals heat up the metal? Confusing, so I will try to explain. You put anything IN a flame, it'll heat up fast. Move it next to the flame, it'll heat up slowly. Add in that the kiln colors can vary depending on where you look.....at the flame area, or someplace else. Using a T/C is the same issue.....if my t/c is in the flame, it'll read hot....move it a few inches back....read cooler. So, how does one have a forge that is nice and EVEN? I've heard of ribbon burners. Is this a better way to have a smaller flame jet, and yet a larger surface area of flame? Something you can't get with 2 venturi jets. Also, what about adding some sort of fins to the bottom of the burner, to actually have the flame angled, so the heat flows around the insides more, compared to just straight down onto the billet?

Should I just re-build my forge to have all of these good things, instead of trying to mod an existing forge?

A lot of this comes from Triple T's control set up, but he has a ribbon, and it also looks like the flames don't get near the actual metal you are working. So that's why I'm thinking this is key?

yeah, this shit keeps me up at night thinking. Or first thing I wake up thinking at 4am, so I can't get back to sleep. I'm an ME by trade, so I love tinkering. But this forge thing is new to me.

tldr: Where is the best placement for a thermocouple to read your billet/blade temp, can I make a small burner to keep my forge more constant temp, and can I make my forge inside more evenly heated so I don't have to think about cold/hot spots?

It's a little smaller than I wanted but works great.

NEW BLACKSMITH:

I'm really new, I'm mostly just playing with rebar and railroad spikes around the campfire and a cheap anvil. I watched this safety video and fell down the rabbit hole of respiratory conditions from black smithing.

https://youtu.be/nrKbNayoAbo?si=s_xYy0V0UfspADjg
Most of the posts I saw on this topic are 2 years old + so I was hoping to see what everyone uses currently. Thank you.

Not sure how well this fits here, but: I’m repairing a pipe expansion die made from A2 tool steel, hardened to RC58-60, used in a hydraulic pipe expansion press. The die broke during use, and my repair attempts have so far been unsuccessful. Here’s what I’ve tried and observed (all attempts were beveled CJP welds):

1. First Attempt:
   • Material: 308LSi MIG (0.045”) on pulse.
   • Parameters: 40V / 450WFS.
   • Heat Treatment: No preheat or post-heat.
   • Post-Processing: Ground down with a standard flap disk.
   • Result: Held for more units than subsequent attempts but eventually broke again.
2. Second Attempt:
   • Material: 309L TIG rod (3/32”).
   • Heat Treatment: Preheat to 400°F, maintained interpass at 400°F, cooled in an oven from 450°F to ambient.
   • Result: Broke again, almost immediately.
3. Third Attempt:
   • Material: Matching A2 TIG rod (Crown Alloy AH-10).
   • Parameters: Repaired per weld procedure spec.
   • Result: These repairs failed at the base almost instantly, which was surprising.
4. Fourth Attempt:
   • Material: Super Missile Weld (1/8”).
   • Heat Treatment: No preheat or post-heat.
   • Post-Processing: Hardfaced over remnants of previous alloys, machined the surface.
   • Result: It’s holding better than the matching A2 rod but ultimately snapped at the base.

Important Details to Consider:

• Surface Finish: Spec is 16uin, but surfaces are not ground perfectly flush.
• Collet Assembly Fitment: The assembly is driven through a hole that may be enlarged (no original ID print to verify).
• Hydraulic Spear: The spear that flares the six segments isn’t dimensionally perfect but is very close.
• Segment Stretching: Each time the segments snap, they are placed back together, but the die’s overall size increases slightly.

Questions I Need Help With:

1. Am I repairing these dies correctly, or is there something fundamentally wrong with my approach?
2. Could the problem lie in other factors like dimensional inconsistencies or the materials used in other components (e.g., the spear or collet assembly)?
3. What’s a quick fix to keep production running while the new parts are being fabricated?
4. When the new parts arrive, what steps should I take to ensure the next setup is flawless?
5. Is A2 tool steel the right material for these parts, or should I consider a different alloy or heat treatment process to improve performance and durability?

I’m open to any advice on metallurgy, welding processes, alternative materials, or machine alignment. Thanks in advance for any insights! Just to be clear, the spear drives up through the six segments that flare out and drives the whole collet body up where the base of the segments (that are being repaired) catches a thick plate with a hole in it, and this is where the snap occurs. The sensors are to spec. The spear stops where it has been registered to stop historically.

Afterthoughts:

• Thickness of material is 1-1/2". A2 tool steel isn't structural steel, so it's not in table 5.8 on AWS D1.1, which is why I randomly chose 400F on the fly.
• What is the preheat on A2 tool steel for repair? Is that AWS D2.4? What table? (https://app.aws.org/forum/topic\_show.pl?tid=4625)
• Is H13 or S7 steel better suited?

I have a repurposed propane tank, gas forge. I've been interested in making larger pieces such as shields & larger art sculptures. Any advice on how to go about larger builds? I imagine heating bits in sections & attaching with rivets. Any advise is appreciated. Thank you 🙇‍♂️

Finally found a post vice for a deal. All parts working but it needs some clean up. Wire wheel, sandblast, or something else? Grease/lubricant for the moving parts recommended?

Howdy all! Just picked up this vise for a steal, trying to get together a set of travel equipment for craft shows this year. Already looked through some ideas for travel stands, but any ideas/recommendations are welcome too! Sticking with wood for travel stands, and I’m gonna need one for the vise and my anvil. Main question here though, are any ideas on this bracket. There’s no slots on it, so I’m thinking I’ll punch slots and then make a plate to bolt it down to the stand. My other vise came with the mounting plate and doesn’t have a bracket like this, so I’m just curious how to go about mounting it. Thanks for the help! Not sure what brand this is, but it has an actual spring on it and not a spring leaf.

Im considering making a scribing knife for a friend and I would like some advice on hardening it. I'll be cutting it from a very old sawblade from and old sawmill and the steel is the hardest i've ever cut in. I'm wondering if hardening the tip without tempering afterwards and dont know wether its a good idea or not?

Ok so I just remade my coal forge and was wondering if it's actually feasible to forge outside no building or anything when it's this cold in Pennsylvania.

This is kind of tangentially related to blacksmithing, but I am building a cupola furnace and I am looking for bulk charcoal to fuel it with (charcoal has very low levels of impurities, leads to good iron). Is there anywhere in the US that I can buy bulk charcoal online for a good price?

I recently got a piece of railroad track and made a makeshift anvil. today i fired up my forge and made this. up until now I've just used it for heat treating my knives

I'm new. I have made 2 blades. Every single attempt to do anything since, for hte last few months, albeit some experimental stuff, have resulted in pure failures. Things like SS/San Mei where the S/S doesn't bond, despite trying several ways. Stack damascus billets burning cuz i got it too hot. Temp control systems failing, and my recent one, canister on my second canister damascus just fell apart on the second pressing!!! That was after holdy stick fell off, my airline of my press got pierced by mill scale, and then after finding out theinsides actually might have welded.....my propane started to freeze up, and my forge wouldn't stay at temp.

I'm just so frustrated by not being able to do, what seems like simple things. I've tried learning from everyone else, watching videos, researching each fail, only to have a new one the next time.

inb4: No, I don't want to make mono-steel blades. That's not for me, unless I have a piece of metal that has value to me, and I want to make a blade from it (like my horse shoe art, using horses I know.) So Damascus, and experimenting is my goal. But fuckall am I tired of spending hours and money, only to throw things out.

edit: thanks all, y'all have given me hope, and want to continue, no matter what happens.

Can't seem to find anything wrought iron related in Vietnam for a knife project I wanted to do for a while. Buying the wrought aboard is a little expensive and most doesn't even ship to Việt Nam. If you guys are in Vietnam or know where I could find some here please let me know.

image is a tinker tank made by us