c/blacksmiths

Spent a whole weekend trying to get a clean weld on a simple bracket

I was making a wall mount for a tool rack, just a basic L shape with some holes. My welds kept looking like bird poop, no matter how I adjusted the heat or my angle. Turns out the steel had a thin layer of mill scale I didn't clean off well enough. That little mistake cost me about eight hours of grinding and redoing. Anyone have a go-to method for prepping steel that saves time?

My daughter's friend said my forge looked like a 'video game crafting station' and it made me think about my old mentor's coal forge.

Showerthought: I used to think my forge weld setup was fine until a guy at the Tacoma hammer-in called it 'lazy'

He pointed out my firebrick layout was creating a cold spot right where I needed the most heat, and that's why my welds were always a bit grainy. I switched to a tighter, more focused firepot shape and my next three welds came out clean as a bell. Anyone else have a simple forge tweak that made a huge difference?

Tried quenching a leaf spring in used motor oil and it came out way too soft

I was working on a big cleaver last week and ran out of my usual quench oil. I had a gallon of old 10W-30 from my truck sitting in the garage and figured, why not? Heated the steel to a bright orange, maybe 1500 degrees, and dunked it in the used oil. The sizzle was normal but when I went to file test it, the edge just gouged. It was softer than mild steel. I think the problem was all the carbon and gunk in the dirty oil acted like an insulator, slowing the cool way down. My buddy Mike said he uses only new canola oil for his blades now. Has anyone else had a weird result with a substitute quenchant? What do you use when you're in a pinch?

Tried to forge a tiny dragon using leftover 1095 steel from a knife project

I figured it would be a fun weekend thing, just a little 3-inch sculpture. Got the head and body shaped okay, but when I went to add the wings, I accidentally quenched the whole thing. Forgot it wasn't a blade. Heard a loud *ping* and it shattered into like 5 pieces on my shop floor. My buddy watching just said 'well, dragons are mythical'. Learned that not every piece of steel needs the same heat treat, obviously. Anyone ever successfully forge small decorative stuff from high-carbon steel, or is that just asking for trouble?

PSA: I keep seeing people quench their workpieces way too hot

Honestly, I was at a local hammer-in last weekend and watched three different folks pull their steel from the forge and dunk it immediately. Ngl, you could still see the orange glow. That's a surefire way to crack or warp your piece, especially with something like 1080. I always wait until it's a dull cherry red, barely glowing in daylight. Has anyone else noticed this, or am I just being too careful?

My buddy in Boise said something about his forge that made me stop and think

We were talking about his new propane forge and he mentioned he keeps it at 2350 degrees for most of his high carbon work. He said 'You know, you can't rush the heat, it's not a race.' I always cranked mine as high as it would go to get things done faster. Anyone else ever adjust their approach after a simple chat like that?

Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about using a cheap anvil for decorative work.

My buddy Jake, who does historical reenactment forging, pointed out that my scrolls were wobbly because my $200 anvil from the flea market has a soft face. Has anyone else found their work improved after upgrading their main block?

Forging a leaf and my tongs gave out right at the critical bend

I was in my backyard shop working on a decorative leaf for a gate project. The piece was at a bright orange heat, and I was about to make the final curve for the stem. Just as I went to pull it from the fire, the jaw on my old cross-peen tongs snapped clean off with a loud ping. The hot steel dropped onto my concrete floor and started to cool fast. I had maybe ten seconds before it was too cold to work. I grabbed it with my heavy welding gloves, ran to the vise, and used a small ball-peen hammer to tap the curve into shape by hand before it turned black. It worked, but my hand was sore for two days. What's your go-to method when a tool fails mid-forge? Do you keep a backup pair of tongs right by the anvil?

Unpopular opinion: I stopped using my gas forge for most small work after a trip to the Ozark Folk Center.

For years, I thought my two-burner gas forge was the only way to go for everything, from big projects to small hooks. But watching a smith there work a coal fire for detailed scrollwork, I saw how much easier it was to control the heat in a tiny spot. I built a simple coal forge in my shop last month, and now I use it for anything under 1/4 inch stock because I can pinpoint the heat without cooking the whole piece. Anyone else make a switch back to a 'slower' fuel for better control?

Vent: My old coal forge versus the new propane one I built

Used to spend the first 30 minutes of every shop day just getting the coal bed right and dealing with the smoke. Built a simple propane burner setup last year and now I'm forging in 5 minutes flat, but I kinda miss the smell. Anyone else feel like the new way is almost too clean?

PSA: I know everyone says to never quench a file, but I got a perfect chisel edge by dunking it in used motor oil after a 20 minute soak in my old forge.

I was trying to make a hardy tool last week and my normal brine quench cracked two blanks, so out of frustration I tried the motor oil trick on a Nicholson file I was reshaping and it came out with zero cracks and a solid bite, so has anyone else had luck with unconventional quenchants for tool steel?

Serious question, my old cross-peen hammer handle split right at the eye yesterday during a heavy forging session.

I had to stop everything and carve a new one from a piece of hickory I keep in the shop, which got me thinking about handle grain orientation. How do you all check yours before fitting?

Had to redo a whole batch of hinges after a bad heat treat last month

I was working on a set of 12 strap hinges for a barn door project, and I rushed the tempering cycle on my Evenheat oven. Set it to 400 degrees but only left them in for about 20 minutes. Every single one came out way too brittle and snapped at the pin hole during a test fit. Had to scrap all the 1/4 inch stock and start over from scratch. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for tempering time on mild steel that thick?

Rant: I used to forge all my tongs from scratch, but my buddy in Boise got me a pair of those new bolt jaw tongs for my birthday.

I spent maybe 20 hours making my first set back in 2010, filing and fitting everything by hand. Now I just heat and tweak a $40 set to fit the stock I'm using that day, which saves a ton of time. Do you folks still make your own tools, or is buying and modifying the new standard?

Visited the old ironworks museum in Pittsburgh and saw something cool about forge welding

I was at the Carrie Blast Furnaces site last weekend, checking out the historic forges. One display showed how they used to weld large iron beams back in the day. They had a simple clay paste mix in a bucket next to the anvil, labeled as a flux recipe. The guide said they'd throw a handful of that clay into the fire right before pulling the metal to weld. It made a big, bubbly barrier that kept the air out way better than just borax alone. I tried a small batch at my shop yesterday with some local red clay and a bit of fine sand. The weld on a test piece of mild steel was super clean, with almost no scale. Has anyone else experimented with old school clay fluxes like that? I'm curious if different clay types work better.

Vent: A client in Tulsa said my knife handles were 'like holding a brick' and it made me rethink my entire shaping process.

After hearing that, I spent a whole day just practicing different handle contours on scrap wood until I found a shape that felt way more natural in the hand, so what's your go-to method for getting a comfortable grip right on the first try?

Spent $800 on a hydraulic press and it's been a huge letdown for my small shop.

Trying to get a clean shoulder on a 3-inch knife took me a whole Saturday afternoon of grinding and re-heating before I realized my hammer face was slightly domed.

Has anyone else had a tool shape sneak up and ruin a simple job like that?

I spent two years hammering my bevels at a 45-degree angle before a demo changed my mind

I was at a demo in St. Louis last fall and the smith was forging a chef's knife. He kept his hammer blows much lower, maybe at a 20-degree angle off the anvil face. I tried it the next day and my bevels came out twice as clean with half the grinding. It made me realize I'd been fighting my own technique. Now I'm torn between sticking with the new method or going back to what's muscle memory. Has anyone else had a basic forging angle tip that flipped their work around?

Rant: I was ready to scrap a whole batch of Damascus billets because of cold shuts

After three tries, my welds kept failing and I was losing my mind. On a whim, I tried brushing the steel with a wire wheel right before the final heat, something my old boss in Toledo used to mutter about. It got the surface CLEAN, and the next billet welded up perfectly on the first go. Has anyone else found a weird little step that fixes a huge headache?

My worst week ever started with a cracked anvil and ended with a broken finger

Last Tuesday, I found a hairline crack in my 150 pound Peter Wright anvil right under the hardy hole. Two days later, while trying to fix a wobbly leg on my forge stand, my hammer glanced off and I broke my pinky. The whole week was just one bad thing after another. I couldn't do any real work for days. Has anyone else had a week where everything just fell apart at once, and how did you get your momentum back?

A near miss at the county fair forge demo made me rethink my apron setup

I was doing a public demo at the Springfield County Fair last month, working on a simple leaf keychain. I had my regular leather apron on, but it was a hot day and I had it tied kind of loose. When I went to quench the piece, a big drop of water splashed up from the bucket and hit the anvil, then bounced right up under the bottom of my apron and onto my jeans. It sizzled and left a nasty burn mark on my thigh through the denim. The guy running the booth next to me saw it happen and said, 'That's why mine goes down to my shins, brother.' I felt like an idiot. I've since switched to a much longer, heavier apron that I make sure is snug, and I stand farther back from the quench tank. Has anyone else had a close call like that from splash back? What kind of apron length do you all use for safety?

That time a custom order for a wrought iron gate almost broke me

About six months ago, I took on a job for a wrought iron gate with a complex scroll design. The client wanted it for their historic home in Savannah, and the drawings looked amazing. I spent three full days just forging the main scrolls, getting the curves perfect. Then, during the final weld-up, my main MIG welder, a Miller 212, completely died. No warning, just a dead trigger. I had to finish the tacks with my old stick welder, which was a nightmare on the thin material. The client was coming to pick it up in two days, and I was sure I'd have to eat the cost and tell them it was delayed. I ended up driving two hours to borrow a welder from a friend's shop to finish. What's your worst equipment failure story right before a deadline?

PSA: I saw a huge jump in people asking about forge welding on the local Facebook group

Last week, three separate posts in the Albuquerque Metalsmiths group were about trouble with forge welds. A month ago, it was maybe one. Three years back when I joined, it was all basic knife shapes and tool handles. It feels like a lot of newer folks are trying to jump straight into pattern welding without getting the fire control down first. Anyone have a go-to method for teaching a clean, solid weld to someone just starting out?