Forgeing

Thanks!!:D I'll share this with my brother too:) You know ArchAngel really shouldn't have told my brother and I that he made those beautiful knives that he showed us---now we'll be bugging him for advice constantly once we try our hands at forging etc..;)
 
your welcome.Now you'll be scrounging around for part's to make your own forge:) You should also look at the link I E-mailed for Http://www.survival.com , they have some pic's of primitive forgeing and I think a tape.
 
Now you'll be scrounging around for part's to make your own forge You should also look at the link I E-mailed for Http://www.survival.com , they have some pic's of primitive forgeing and I think a tape.
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Yep you're right! I plan on checking out all those links asap!:) Although I'm sure I'll see dozens of things I "must" have, and then will have to explain to my wife where they came from. "oh, THIS? I've had this for years!":D
 
When you get as good as Bura send your resume to Pala -- 40 cents per hour and all the rice you can eat.
 
I guess its just about every blade enthusiasts dream. It certainly is one of the things I want to try sometime. Hey, I can forge all the khukuris I want myself! :D

But I doubt I will ever get a khukuri within 50% of Bura's perfection in this lifetime. Still would be fun to try, though.

Andrew Limsk


Originally posted by Bill Martino
When you get as good as Bura send your resume to Pala -- 40 cents per hour and all the rice you can eat.
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But I doubt I will ever get a khukuri within 50% of Bura's perfection in this lifetime. Still would be fun to try, though.
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I'll be happy if I can make a piece of rough steel that's bent and remotely khuk shaped thru forging:D Beyond that I'll probably have to use a metal file to rough shape and have someone polish and probably heat treat it at this point.
 
Rob,
As you dream about being another Bill Moran, Don Fogg, W.D.Randall or "Bura" remember that they didn't get that good without paying their dues.
My Gran'daddy started me out with old nails (20d.+). I had to stand on a step stool just to reach his portable forge. I was about three or four at the time.

You can put together a "starter kit" for less than a C-note. Not pretty, but it'll get you started on small stuff. It'll be a while before you're ready to start knives.

Heat treat for knives is important except that HI knives are only hardened. Some where in the history of Himalayan Imports Forum We had a thread discussing this point.
Boy, have you got a lot to learn!:D
I've been studying and working with steel for over fifty years and I still know next to nothing.
Dan
 
The kamis put their forge together for about two bucks excluding the heavy duty hair dryer they use for the blower.
 
Bill,
I was including everything: Anvil, Forge, Hammers, tongs, files, etc., even fuel(for a day or two).
Dan
 
Thanks for good advice Dan:) My brother and I plan on setting up just the type of forge you recommend--cheap! We're really just doing it for fun, and if down the line a knife like object is the result that'd be great too:D
 
Thanks very much Art:)

If this whole thing becomes a reality I may photograph the construction of it and post the photos. It may help someone down the line--or not!:D ;)
 
Rob,

I know you want to do the forge on the cheap, but just for giggles, I saw a couple of forge bases (just the pans I think) on Ebay. There were two sizes, a short one, and one long enough for swords. Both were running under $50.00 at the time. I think all you needed to add was a blower. They were new too. ... not used junk.

It was under my SCA search, and the forges were intended for someone who wanted to take the forge to Ren-faire'' and SCA events.

I'll try and find the link and you can take a look at them.

Alan
 
When I was a kid 60 years ago it seemed that almost every farmer had some sort of old forge around the barn -- nothing that would cost more than 10 or 15 bucks even at today's prices. They didn't have a village kami available so had to do a lot of metal repair and maintenance themselves. Most had a hand crank driven geared blower. And they did the job.
 
Those hand-cranked blowers do a fine job; but it's pretty straightforward to rig up a blower out of a car fan, vacuum cleaner or hairdryer.

The only tricky piece of gear is the anvil - they're getting harder to find and more expensive now that they're classed (and priced) as "collectible antiques" rather than tools. Most of the traffic on the blacksmiths' Usenet NG is folks moaning about trying to find a decent, affordable anvil. But a piece of railroad track will do just as well for bladesmithing.

Anybody interested in making knives really ought to read Jim Hrisoulas' book, "The Complete Bladesmith" (available online from the publisher, Paladin Books). I don't have much time for Dr Hrisoulas' business ethics, but there's no doubt at all that he makes superb knives & even better swords; and his book contains literally everything you need to know in order to make blades; from what equipment you need and how to obtain, make or improvise it, to choosing and finding the right grade of steel, basic & more advanced forging techniques, even a section on Japanese technique and Damascus. Even if you aren't planning on taking up blademaking, the book's a must-read for anybody who's interested in knives and what makes them work.

As far as making khukuris goes; it's only when you've tried it yourself that you realise just how much work and how much skill goes into it. And how in heck's name the kamis can make a curved blade with a half-inch spine without either a leg-vise or a bicked (horned) anvil beats me.
 
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