Forging Seminar

Bookie

Bookie

Joined
Mar 25, 2014
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Been pretty busy here at Toad Hall. The temp was about 12 today and had some snow piling on top of the snow that we've already been blessed with. Had some fellows from all over show up today to learn how to forge weld rifle barrels. We get wrought Iron from the rims of old wooden wagon wheels and use that for our material. Here are a few pics of today's activities:
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[/URL][/IMG] Using a fuller to start cupping the wrought iron skelp.
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[/URL][/IMG] Back into the fire before we lose too much heat. You can see the cupped shape forming at the left end of the barrel now.
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[/URL][/IMG] Tim Crowe drove all the way from upper Wisconsin to pound iron---so I gave him a 12 pound hammer to work off his frustrations.
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[/URL][/IMG] Good view of the shape of the barrel so far and the cup is readily apparent. Tomorrow will see the seam closed and then welded. We started with a blank piece of wrought iron 36 inches long. It has now grown to right at 40 inches and will probably have grown a foot ar a little more before we are through.
 
I am just amazed at the skills that folks like Bookie exhibit. Imagine, when they are done that barrel will be so evenly sized end to end that a lead bullet can be hurtled through it via an explosion. So well forged together all along the weld that the explosion is contained safely and so straight that you can actually hit what you aim at. And all done with hand tools. Pretty darn impressive in my book. And something I truly LOVE to see pictures of. Thank you Bookie for sharing your seminar and the skills they are practicing with us. I look forward to seeing the next steps.
 
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Shavru said:
I am just amazed at the skills that folks like Bookie exhibit. Imagine, when they are done that barrel will be so evenly sized end to end that a lead bullet can be hurtled through it via an explosion. So well forged together all along the weld it that the explosion is contained safely and so straight that you can actually hit what you aim at. And all done with hand tools. Pretty darn impressive in my book. And something I truly LOVE to see pictures of. Thank you Bookie for sharing your seminar and the skills they are practicing with us. I look forward to seeing the next steps.
Click to expand...

Well said! Actually, what I meant to say. However, your expertise with the vernacular is far superior to mine. :D
 
Absolutely and truly amazing Bookie. I am humbled and at the same time inspired. Thank you for sharing.
Alan
 
Bookie is the Master or Red hot steel! He can bend and twist it with the shear force of his brain... No physical contact needed. Jedi Bookie of the steel guild.
 
Glad I struck a chord for you BigBore. Not usually so eloquent elsewhere in my life, so I have to claim I am just plain inspired when I talk about the many talented folks, like Bookie, that we are blessed with here.
 
If I had a great pair of legs and didn't have a deep seated fear of glowing red hot metal landing in my lap I'd buy the house next door and be his neighbor.
He's done some incredibly wonderful things, seen pictures and even have a couple examples in my man cave.

Man has talent and he's a fellow mule lover, so don't get much better than that.
 
Well fergit any vernacler, In redneck texan all l can say is freekin awesome show Book! Hope you show the welding process. definitely some advanced stuff. Let me know if you get the urge to finnish it out and sell it to a Texan for $3800. ;)
 
The saga of Bookie Plays with Fire continues:
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[/URL][/IMG] Angus is closing up the gap between the edges so they can be butt welded together.
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[/URL][/IMG] A shot of the open and closed edges of the barrel.
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[/URL][/IMG] Have the seam closed now and needed to cool the barrel off to allow us to handle it while we rebuilt the fire,soooo, we stuck it in the slack tub. Steam appeared instantaneously and it really fogged up the smithy.
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[/URL][/IMG] The grate I made to keep the fire up out of the fire pot for this operation. You can see some of my tongs in front.
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[/URL][/IMG] Yes, ladies and gentlemen. You too, can have your very own pet piece of blacksmith coal! For one thin dime. One tenth of a dollar, I'll send you a nice piece of coal that you can feed. You can take it on long walks of an evening. It can even sleep on your bed with you! Never be lonely again! Give me a call and have your credit card standing by!!
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[/URL][/IMG] Addiing EZ-Weld flux to the seam to facilitate the welding.
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[/URL][/IMG] Here's a shot of the cheeky, ego maniac, and smug owner/operator of the Yeller Tom Cat Forge holding a mighty fine barrel blank with a big honkin' bore. He ain't even smart enough to realize he needs to go worsh his face when he's appearing in public. Smart alecky and cocky, to, ain't he?
 
So after adding the EZ Weld flux you just hammer some more so the seam joins itself? You don't have to add metal or anything?

That is a huge bore on that puppy, I'd say 120 caliber or so?

Good for varmint I reckon.
 
In that first picture that is one heck of a swage block. I don't think I have ever seen one that wide before. But then my experiences with forging ARE pretty small time. I should get a pet coal of my very own... but I would then have to make sure to remember to worsh my face after every feeding. ;) Bookie, Big Bore is right, that thing from this angle looks like it would ream out to at least a .75-caliber. So now that you have the gorgeous thing what is the plan for it? A lovely Jaeger Flintlock? A "Mississippi rifle", looks a trifle short for a "Kentucky rifle" but it has so many possibilities. I can't wait to hear (and hopefully see) what happens next. But for right now I am just savoring some fabulous results and enjoying the photo walk through.
 
Bawanna, the Barrel is brought up to past red hot, the seam is then wire brushed and flux (sand can be used as flux, too) placed on the area you wish to weld. The barrel is returned to the fire (pronounced "far") and the barrel is then brought to a much higher heat up into the yellow-orange color. The metal gets very soft and is getting ready to melt. When it turns greasy looking, the barrel is removed from the fire and placed in the swedge/swage/gun anvil/buffalo head and the seam is given a moderate, but not too heavy of a blow on the corners of the seam. This closes the gap and the metal flows into each other creating one homogeneous piece of metal where the seam was. No metal is needed or used in this case. The flux just allows the impurities on the metal to be rejected under the hammer strikes. This makes the metal clean and the weld can then take place.

Dai Uy, I believe the barrel is going to be mounted on a Southern Mountain bar' rifle at this point. I gave it to one of the attendees and we'll have to see what he intends on doing with it. Must make about 20 drill bits to clean up the bore and then make a reamer to take it to a good caliber. Flats to rasp, and it'll need breached, too.
 
Ah, So we probably won't get to see it's final form if one of the attendee's carried it off. I am pretty sure they will tell you what they did when they complete the process so at least whisper in my ear what you hear about it's resolution. Yep still a lot for the attendees to do before being able to set spark to powder, But definitely a great way to start.
 
Dai Uy, Not So! I am his Master and he must return with it to be drilled, reamed, rifled, and breached....or Grasshopper fails. He is to forge short bits that will fit the barrel. That will take close to twenty of them. That takes a little time and is labor intensive.
 
So in essence when he can snatch the glowing red hot blacksmith coal from your paw, its time for him to go?
 
Ah, that sounds much more promising. I didn't realize he was in it for an apprenticeship type event, I thought it might be a one time event type class. Yes, much MUCH more promising. I look forward to seeing more once he comes back with the bits.

Bawanna, I am thinking it is more like this: no grabbing hot coals allowed
 
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