Fun times in forge

[David R. Pennington]

Salvaged wrought iron, spokes from an old farm implement wheel. Now I got some filing to do. Pickle them in a bread pan with vinegar overnight to cut the scale off and the iron files very easily
.

[bob in the woods]

Thanks for that tip regarding helping to get the scale off.  Should save me some files 

[Nordnecker]

Must have been some decent iron. Do you pickle before forging or after?

[Mike Brooks]

I used to do some of that back in my "Hand forged iron mounts" phase. I know from that past experience you have a lot of filing ahead of you.

[Bob Roller]

I have a group of small files being "pickled" now and hope to check them this
afternoon.I had an old uncle that stayed pickled but that is another discussion

Bob Roller

[hortonstn]

What does the pickling do and what mixture do you use?
Thanks

[rich pierce]

I wish you were local.  I’ve got some coal and wrought iron.

[Bob Roller]

What does the pickling do and what mixture do you use?
Thanks

My pickling is done with white vinegar,full strength and in a cheap,
dollar store aluminum pan. I looked at them today and the white
vinegar is now a lot darker than it was.I would also like to hear
what others are doing regarding files.You can't have too many
of these tools and the wider variety the better.
Bob Roller

[David R. Pennington]

I put the forged items in an old bread pan or jar depending on size with straight vinegar. Doesn’t seem to matter much what kind, whatever is cheapest. Overnight at least or a couple days. It seems to disolve or at least soften the hard oxidation, or forge scale and makes filing much easier.
I put files in a piece of plastic pipe with cap glued on one end and suspended with a wire. It cleans them up real nice, takes a few days sometimes.

[B.Barker]

Nice guards, it takes some skill to get the bolster at the front of the trigger bow. Looks like you have a couple Honnaker style guards in the works.

[BOB HILL]

These are looking great, David.  Love those forged guards.
Bob

[David R. Pennington]

Nord, it does seem to be fairly decent iron but have noticed some inconsistency. Although it all came from the same wheel one piece was real stringy. Mike there is a good bit of filing but with the scale pickled off and good coarse file it goes pretty quick.
 B. Barker, getting enough meat in that transition took some figuring out but like anything else once you get it, it’s easy. I square 3-4” inches. Bend down an inch or two and upset to get a square corner. Then I set down the heel in the vise then draw out the toe and the bow.
I used to struggle getting the right taper in my tomahawk eyes till lying in bed one night it dawned on me to put a pre-bend in the strap before I wrap. Automatically gives a good tapered eye without worrying around with a drift.

[David R. Pennington]

And yes, I have had a notion to try a Honaker style rifle gun some of these days.

[Clint]

Dave,Great looking forgings, iron will spoil you and make you not like steel. I always make small things like hinges, trigger gaurds and even locks in small bunches.  Making groups gets me into the rythim of that piece,then I pick from the group for specific projects.

[David R. Pennington]

Yes, Clint, I am the same, I’ll take a notion to make something and while I’m at it will knock out several at the same time. Sometimes just go ahead and use up the rest of the stock. Sometimes just because I’m having so much fun.
I’ve been wanting to weld up some little hatchets for a spell, and carried home a tub full of old wagon hub bands for the purpose and squirreled away some old plowshares for bits, but think I ought to make some butt plates first.
Filing these things is good after supper work when you don’t feel like making a fire.

I thought the Honaker guards turned out way to big, but I scaled the photos I have by the lock plates and they seem to be about right. I would like to see one in person someday.

[BOB HILL]

Those look very nice, David.

[J. Talbert]

They look great David.

Jeff

[David R. Pennington]

Thanks guys. I thought I would get them all finished yesterday but I wasn’t happy with welds on a couple of the finger rails so I started two more but had one of those times where I couldn’t buy a forge weld. I decided to give it up. I will clean out the forge and start again another day. I noticed some funky green flames in my fire once and think I may have gotten some junk in my fire.

[Clint]

I heard stories from an old blacksmith when I was a kid, about smiths in big shops tossing a coin into another smith's fire. It would ruin the fire for a couple of days and often resulted in fisticuffs. If you use borax for welding you should notice a slight green tinge when the flux attacks the iron, that's just before it's  time to come out of the fire. Slow and steady on the blower, make sure the fire is making a nice low roar by clearing the bottom of the fire with a skinny poker, just lift the bottom without disturbing the heat.

[Daryl]

A little pickling now and then is good for the soul.

[David R. Pennington]

Yes, all the above I know, but sometimes when the smith and the fire are both tired it is best to break the fire and call it a day. My blower is a bellows and I usually add a little more weight on top paddle when pulling welding heats. So I will clean out the pot and start fresh on another day and the iron will jump together like it grew there!
Here is a line from a blacksmith poem I wrote:
Iron yields not to the smith's desire,
but first it passes through the fire.
So count not your firey trial a curse,
but perhaps The Maker's hand at work.