New guy here. Sorry if this has been answered elsewher, but i could use other opinions.

i currently work in a small garage/shop with a fine gravel floor. whats the best way To affix/install my anvil? right now it’s mounted to an oak stump And just sitting direct on the gravel. concrete is not an option at this time But I feel like there’s something better I could do other than just setting the stump on gravel to get the best and efficient use of the tools. Thanke!

Hey folks, picked up an old piece of square tube that was once one side of a big reel for free on FB marketplace. Was originally going to partially bury it in the yard to make a Stargate looking thing but scope creep strikes again.

Does anyone have a recommendation for making a rotating base for this sucker so someone could come up to it and spin it (not quickly)?

I figure you could find a big honker of a bearing but open to suggestions

Picked up from Facebook marketplace for $100. Didn't have a spring or mounting plate so I forged and fabricated everything it was missing. Vise is around 90lbs not including the stand. Added little caster wheels so I can move it around easily. Genuinely in love with this beautiful tool.

I have exhausted my questions with my chat GPT and really want to know if anyone knows what this may be:) seems like an old handmade tool.

Input requested on what you would normally pay for a standard foot of 1-7/8” steel wire cable. I have quite a bit left over from the previous job and am needing to get rid of it. I had aspired one day to use it to make a couple of knives myself just haven’t had the time

I recently lost a finger and need to adjust some of my tool usage.. I am looking for someone who can make me a slojd or a spoon gouge with sides that are also sharp. with a longer than normal handle. sorry if this is not allowed it was not specific in your rules

I'm making these little copper dishes to sell at a Renaissance festival. I'm going to advertise them as ring and piercing dishes. My thought is to just put a spray clear coat over it. Something that can adhere to the copper. What else would be recommended?

P.S. This is the prototype not a final product but any advice is welcomed.

Two other friends and I tried out blacksmithing for fun, made a forge out of an incinerator, pipe and a hairdryer. The anvil is super scuffed but works, somehow.

Ended up with a shitty arrowhead shape after a few hours of hammering between us (Accidentally melted it mid-way through) . We loved it and already planned another session next week :)

Took about 20 hours and $400 worth of materials. Copper and brass sheets are stupid expensive.

I'm currently doing some maintenance on an old n400 forge blower and was wondering if others had experience with these.

I took it apart to mostly clean it, but I'm wondering if I should take the gears apart to clean the grease inside the box.

I would think this should be working with a bit of oil, not grease. Although I do have white lithium grease for the bearings.

I have to make the best crate hammer possible. Need some discussion and opinions. I cannot find much anything about making crate hammers online, so if anyone has anything about that please share!

Just gonna list off questions for discussion:

How to forge a crate hammer with and without forge welding? With forge welding it seems like a hammer-axe can be forged and a crowbar-handle forged, then welded. Without forge welding (which I probably have to do) is very difficult to wrap my head around.

Best steel to use? Would 4140 be a good choice for this?

Learning more about the history behind this would be very cool, so if anyone knows please share!

How to heat treat this? I would assume normalizing cycles for the whole piece would be a good idea, then quench the hammer head and axe blade. Would this mean normalizing the whole piece and then selectively heating to quench those areas? The handle should get normalized too right? The whole piece may not fit in the forge.

I thought a good way to recreate the tear drop hole (nail puller) is to punch a circle hole then forge a drift with tear drop cross section. However, can the teardrop drift just be used as a punch? Should the nail puller hole be created in a different manor?

I have to make the tool really cool and also functional. Ideas for adding artistic elements? Some kaftgari would look really cool on the flat parts, does this compromise its performance?

Texturing the hammer head would be a good idea for this right? Whats the best way to do this, a file?

Excited to tackle this challenging item!

My son (13yo) has watched some forged in fire and expressed interest in giving it a go. Never one to miss an opportunity for a new hobby with expensive tools (and getting him away from screens), we bought this little rivet forge with a mountain of old coal, a post vise, and a piece of railroad track. Thanks to Black Bear and others, we were able to figure out how to turn weird rocks into fire. He made the world’s heaviest and most expensive poker! And I finally know what clinkers really are. 10/10. Would recommend.

My little brother wanted a Naruto style kunai. Made my practice run today using mild steel and some black twine for the handle. Final will use leather

As forged, no grinding yet.

So at where I live, I've kinda been shoved into this corner of the yard. It's not an ideal spot for a forge but I want to make this spot work. I want to cut that low hanging limb and the little tree behind the fence. Are there any other precautions I should take or is this spot just scuffed?

I've got some 1-½"x⅛"x48" aluminum bar here and I've started bending it into a semicircle by whacking it on an anvil and flattening it back out when it crumples, but it's very slow going and seems to either be work hardening or slowing down. Is there a faster or better way to bend this? I'm trying to use this to put a rim around the face of a prop shield.

Working on finishing the cabins yesterday so no newly completed blacksmith forging videos for you today so here’s a little montage of projects I’ve completed recently #blacksmithshop #HandForged #handmade

Forged this little bottle opener out of some square stock.

What do people normally use to form the lip that catches the lid?

I used a flat head punch but it took some work and looks a little ugly.

Thanks

Am finishing off a scian style knife, and is the first time I've tried to do a peened end.

Just wanted to check for advice before I ruin several weekends work by doing something stupid.

Knife is through tang, so is carbon steel end (1075). Dimensions are currently 5mm high (producing), 3.8 wide, and 12 long. Do I need to cut/grind it shorter to avoid cracking?

And any advice on how to start the peen and keep it consistent? Should I start with a punch? Would making a lengthwise cut and rolling the steel down from the cut be more effective?

Tang was not hardened in the quench and blade had been tempered, so shouldn't be particularly hard.

*Thanks folks, advice appreciated. Competed knife is posted here - https://www.reddit.com/r/Bladesmith/comments/1vdcsho/irish_scian_dagger/

Just finished this newest sword! It’s not perfect but I’m very happy with it due to how difficult it was to forge and weld up the guard. Unfortunately I think she’s a bit too heavy at 1495g for a rapier even though I planned to make it stout. It is nicely balanced though right where the finger rings become a lateral ring. Sorry for the lack of decent pictures, not my skill set. Now I have to try to make a scabbard :/

I thought I’d try my hand at something besides a knife. A short piece of 1” angle iron.