My 2nd knife. And blacksmith tool question.

J

jaxthedog

Joined
Oct 11, 2014
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So I finished my 2nd knife last knight. Trying to post a picture.
It's a Russell green blade. I just did the scales.
Thought I was finished last week - but 3+ hrs of hand sanding last night.
Started builds with my son who is less interested in wood & scales. He wants to wk metals.
He's almost finished with his 1st knife scales - 80% by hand filing/scales.

So when he finishes his -I promised I'd build a forge.
Got an old bbq pit ready for the build.

What essential tools do we really need first. For smithing.
Have a couple railroad spikes we hope to shape into something.
Got a Proper 2 & 3 lb Hammers -
Hoping to attach a new anvil or railroad track price to a stump.
Are long vise grips ok or do we need tongs.
A bucket or 2 for quenching.
What else to start out smithing ?



IMG_4530.jpg



Thanks !
 
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What will work and what will make forging easier are a ways apart. Tongs will make forging faster and easier. Your buckets should be metal. You should get blacksmithing coal and/or coke for the forge.
 
Coke is refined coal, coal you burn in a forge, should be bituminous, will turn into coke once the impurities are burnt out. You will know because it stops smoking. You can buy coke preprocessed but it is harder to light than coal and it doesn't clump. You want it to clump for forge welding.

Essential is tricky because it really depends on what you want to do. Obviously you're interested in knives, but there is a difference in getting a smithy going to practice and make s hooks versus getting one going for making knives. I learned this the hard way. The upside is I'm probably older than your son and just lighting the forge and hammering metal is a great time for me and I'm sure it will be for him. So if you can't get everything out of the gate I'm sure he will still find it enjoyable, at least for a while.

So just to get it up and running I recommend a good blower, a few good pairs of tongs matching the stock you plan on working with the most, a good anvil and coal or coke. With your hammer and quench bucket this will get you a bare minimum smithy to start some forging.

Be forewarned that it is expensive and addicting. If you said money was not an issue I could give you a whole list of stuff that doesn't include any powered devices like a press and you would still probably find something you need that isn't on the list. The upside is as you improve you can start making your own tools and save money on things like tongs, hardys, swages and the like. Also I recommend reading up on safety, blacksmithing can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing in ways that are not obvious.

Good luck and if you start setting this up keep us posted.
 
Wow - So im looking at anvils....those things are expensive.
Where do i find scrap RR track or something else suitable to make an anvil from ?
Im in a big city - should be something right?
 
I found a chunk of rail sitting by a railroad crossing, after they had replaced that section of track... I bet if you went down to the local rail yard and asked the guys down there, you might find what you need...
 
A BBQ won't really work as a forge without some serious rebuilding. You don't just build a fire and forge knives.

I would suggest you start by stock removal.....grinding, filing, and sanding to shape. Even if you forge a blade, you have to finish it by stock removal. A small 2X42 belt grinder will help a lot.

You are in Houston, and several good makers live in your area. I would suggest you get with one and see if he would invite you and your son over to see his shop and learn a few things. The Texas Knifemaker's Association would be a good place to start finding contacts.

The stickys are full of info. I suggest reading them with your son.


BTW, the handle on your knife suffers from the common first knife problem of BHS - Blocky Handle Syndrome. It has shapes sanded into it, but is still a rectangular block of wood in many ways. It needs to be rounded to remove the corners, and the cross section should be oval, not rectangular. Let this one go and work on that for the next one.
 
Try looking up post anvils and sea robin anvils


at the scrap yard, big hydraulic cylinder rods are great

look for say 6" diameter or larger

6" round 3 feet long is 300ish pounds of fairly hard rod.
 
To find an anvil you also can watch CL.

Do a search for anvil, anvils, blacksmith, blacksmiths, forge, tong, tongs. Either set up CL to notify of new listings or check several times a day.
"Used anvils" Fisher, Hay-Budden, Trenton, Arm&Hammer, Peter Wright, Mousehole, Sodefors, Kohlswa, Peddinghaus, Reffinghaus, Vulcan....
New anvils are a premium. Some of the above are still available new plus, Nimba and a few others.

You can get a decent anvil for $1-$5 a pound used. $1 is a steal.

You only "need" a traditional anvil if you are doing blacksmithing. A post anvil made of say a scrap block of 4"x4"x12" of 4140 from your local metal purveyor, or if you are lucky a metal scrap yard will work for forging blades.

I just bought an 180# Arm & Hammer with 220# cast iron stand for $250. It was found by a friend who told the sweet little old lady he knew a blacksmith that would be intersted.
Networking is the second best if not best way to get an anvil. Tell EVERYONE you know you want one. You will likely find one that way. Just make sure you have money on hand if possible.

PS if an anvil shows up on CL at $1-3 a pound and is any brand but the Vulcan jump on it.
Take a steel ball bearing. From 12" up it should rebound 8"-10.5". With a hammer gently tap the face to listen for delamintaion of the face.
Beware of cheap cast iron anvils. Harbor Freight's are junk.
Fisher, (Star, Badger, both are old and somewhat rare) and Vulcan are all cast iron but have a tools steel face. They won't "ring" when struck because of their construction.

Good luck!
 
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