I made the switch to a gas forge last spring because my shop setup in a residential area couldn't handle the smoke any longer, and honestly the temperature control has been a game changer for finer work like leaves and scrolls. Has anyone else found that gas lets you hold an even heat better for those tight-curl details?
Met a guy named Dave at Mid-Michigan Forge last month who said stop using water for quenching, try vegetable oil. I thought he was nuts since I'd been using water for 10 years. First time I tried it with a railroad spike knife, the steel came out way harder and didn't crack. Anyone else get advice from a stranger that actually worked out?
I watched a video from that guy Mark Aspery last weekend and he showed this chart with exact temps for different steels. I always just got stuff orange and hit it, but apparently 1375F for 1075 vs 1450F for 5160 is a real thing. I tried his method with a 5160 billet I've been messing with and it stuck on the first try after months of fails. The visual difference between a dull orange and bright orange is only like 50 degrees but it makes or breaks the weld. Has anyone else had this big of a change from just watching one tutorial?
Saw a guy hammering out a full rose from one piece of bar stock. Took him maybe 30 minutes start to finish. Told me he learned it from an old master in England back in the 80s. Anyone here ever tried forging thin petals without ripping them?
Three years ago at a shop in Tucson, an old timer showed me he quenches simple carbon steel in room temp water and it gets just as hard for half the smoke. Has anyone else experimented with different quenchants on basic projects?
I've been forging blades for about 8 years and last week I finished my 5000th handle. That number surprised me because I never thought I'd get that far. But what really got my attention was that my last 50 handles all had the same tiny crack near the tang. I think I've been rushing the drying process on my scales. Has anyone else seen a pattern like this after hitting a big number?
I just finished my 1000th railroad spike knife last Tuesday. Number 500 was a big deal for me, but by 900 I started noticing I was rushing through the same design over and over. The milestone made me realize I'd been stuck in a rut for about 300 spikes. Has anyone else hit a number like that and had to shake up their whole approach to keep it interesting?
I was working on a set of gate hinges for a customer in Springfield and the cold chisel I'd been using for 5 years just gave out with a loud crack, sending a chunk of steel flying past my ear, so I had to forge a replacement on the fly with salvaged coil spring while the forge was still hot, has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible moment and how did you handle it?
I was using a busted old tree stump for months and my anvil kept wobbling. Finally bought a proper steel stand from a guy local to me in Richmond. Set it up in about 20 minutes and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had that moment where a cheap fix cost you more time than just buying the right thing?
I got a 110 pounder off Facebook Marketplace for $150, thought I scored a deal. Got it home and set it up, but every time I try to draw out a bar, my work comes out crooked. Measured it with a level and the face has a 3 degree dip from one horn to the other. Been fighting it for two weeks, adjusting my stance and hammer hits. Anyone else deal with a wonky anvil face? How do you even fix something like that without a mill?
I've been making kitchen knives for about two years now, mostly 1084 steel. I always used water to quench because that's what I learned from some old forums. Last week I decided to try canola oil warmed to 130 degrees on a batch of 4 blades. The difference was crazy - no warping at all and the edge came out way harder after tempering. I had to file down the scale afterward and it took way less work. Has anyone else made the switch from water to oil and noticed a big difference in how straight your blades stay?
I was working on a set of dinner knives for a customer, and everything went wrong from the start. My coal forge took forever to get up to heat, then my hammer handle split right in the middle of a heavy draw out. Broke two blades trying to fix a twist pattern that just wouldnt line up (totally my fault for rushing). Ended up scrapping about 8 hours of work and $30 in steel. Anyone else ever have a day where the metal just fights back?
Was making a fire poker at my shop in Austin and the billet just exploded on me after I thought I had it fused solid. Had to stop and re-grind everything, anyone else had a weld fail right when you thought it was stuck?
I spent years rolling my eyes at guys paying crazy money for a blade with wavy lines. Figured it was just looks, no real improvement. Then a guy at the Tennessee Blacksmith Association meetup last April let me test his forged Damascus knife against a piece of rebar. Cut clean through after three passes, no edge roll. My best high carbon steel chipped on the third hit. Now I get why people chase it.
Working out of my shop near Lexington last Tuesday, I had this big draft horse stick its head right through the open bay door. I'm hammering away on a 3/8 inch punch, and all of a sudden it lets out this honking snort maybe 2 feet from my ear. Scared me so bad I knocked over a bucket of quench oil and had to spend 20 minutes cleaning up. Has any other smith had an animal just stroll into the shop mid-project?
I stopped by a working smithy in Bakersfield last week and watched a guy crank out a chisel on an anvil while his fancy CNC press sat covered in dust. He said he's replaced three of those machines in five years but his granddad's hammer still works fine. Why are we chasing perfect factory welds when a hand-sharpened edge cuts just as deep and lasts longer?
I was at a hammer-in last weekend in Springfield and this 60 year old smith named Don told me I was wasting my time with railroad spikes. He said the steel is too inconsistent and you never know if you'll get a good edge. I argued back but then he pulled out two knives he made from spikes and one had a crack right through the blade. Idk, maybe I've been romanticizing them too much. Anyone else had spikes fail on them during heat treat?
Bought a beat-up Peter Wright at a farm auction 10 years back. Took me a weekend with a bastard file and some scrap steel to true up the face. Now I see guys pouring epoxy and welding hardface on every nick. I get the science, but they miss the feel of working the metal yourself. Anyone else think we lean too hard on chemicals instead of skill?
Rushed a bowie knife project last month and figured I could just normalize the steel instead of doing a full anneal before grinding. Ended up with a blade that cracked right down the middle at 60% done. Lost about 8 hours of work. Anyone else learn this the hard way or am I the only one who thought they could cheat on heat treat prep?
The guy swore it was forged steel but it chipped on the first hit and now it's a doorstop in my shop. Anyone else get burned buying used gear from random online listings?
Everyone talks about forge welding like it's easy once you get the heat right. I spent an entire Saturday fighting a mild steel bit into a wrought iron head and it just kept flaking off. Turns out my flux was old and contaminated with moisture, not the heat or hammer technique. Has anyone else dealt with old borax ruining their welds?
I grabbed a bunch of old leaf springs from a scrapyard in Akron last month to save money on knife making. Three blades later and two of them have hairline cracks after heat treat. Is there a reliable way to test mystery steel before you spend hours forging it?
I've been going back and forth on this after my buddy's store-bought hammer chipped on the third job while my grandpa's old forged one is still going strong after 20 years. What's everyone's experience with durability between the two?
I was grabbing some coil spring stock yesterday and this older smith said he never uses rebar for knives because the tensile strength varies like crazy. He mentioned a buddy's blade snapped mid-use and sent a shard into his hand. Anyone else avoid rebar or do you just treat it special?
I was working on a 3/8 inch scroll bracket and the stand just buckled under the hit from my 4 pound hammer, and now I'm wondering if I should just bolt it to a concrete pad or build a new wooden base with a wider footprint - has anyone else had a stand fail like that?