r/blacksmithing

I'd like to invite you to our Iron Pour in Lamberton, Minnesota on September 11-12.

It will be the 22th annual city festival centered around the Saturday Afternoon Pour and the historic Hanzlik Blacksmith Shop. There will be Blacksmiths demonstrations through out the day Friday and Saturday. Visiting Smiths are also encouraged to bring a portable forge and set up onsite if they wish. There will be sand mold shops running both Friday and Saturday as well. We welcome everyone from artists pouring museum quality pieces to children to the farmer making pieces to restore their tractor.

We encourage anyone to participated in the pour and can provide all the necessary safety equipment if you wish to try your hand at pouring.

In addition to the pour there will be a craft market, sand volleyball and various food vendors, an antique tractor/car show, and blacksmithing demonstrations.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have and I hope to see you there.

Here is a link to the Facebook event.

Was thinking about finding a blacksmith to fix my axe to make it usable again

Damascus delaminated from the core steel, can it be fixed?

Just need one file for a damascus knife and the others are going to be my actual files, by the way file number 4 has no label or stamp

I'm thinking of buying this anvil, haven't gotten a chance to do a ring test or bounce test on it but I'm thinking that it is most likely forged steel based on the existence of mouse holes in the side.

Could anyone tell me their thoughts on it based on this picture? Also how much does the wear in the flatness of the face concern you?

Its about 27" long and 4.5" wide

Thank you!

Part one of the set is glued up! Not perfect but still better than I expected for the pattern to turn out. Handle is Bastogne Walnut, steels are 80CrV2, 15N20, and Pops Procut.

Hey guys I made a marlin spike out of 3/4" mild steel (not sure what kind or anything just stock we had at work) round stock. Do you think I should try to harden it?

Just wondering if this is worth pulling out? Over a foot long and the bar is about 3 inches in diameter. Figured some people might be interested in some chunks of it🤷‍♂️

Just hardened and reground this set to 120 grit. Camp knife and skinner set. Call this mosaic pattern “Roots” 80 CrV2, 15N20, and Pops Procut in the pattern. Really excited to get these done and off for leather. My good friend has an awesome double sheath planned for them.

Would love some feedback. Ingredients -fitting from store- tree smashed trumpet -dresser door handle-ac unit scrap-scrap wire and an old smashed brass spoon.

Just finished up my first knife forged out of a 6x1 flatbar any tips for getting less agressive hammer marks like in the first pic? already ground down the edges of my hammers to help with that but any tips are appreciated!

I think maybe I'm doing too much. Started by compressing the end of the rebar so it could be wider toward the tip. Then hammered a rough blade shape. Then tried to make the handle. I think this is where I messed up. I wanted the blade to be forward of the handle (like with most kitchen knives). So I tried to make two 45 degree turns to offset the handle so that when I folded the rebar around, the edge would be even with the front side of the handle. But while making the hand guard and the loop at the end of the handle everything got messed up.

I straightened everything out and tried again, but that just made everything more wonky.

I have no hardy tools (bending forks would probably make this easier) and I have only an angle grinder.

I also decided halfway though working with my home made tongs was shit and it was better to wear gloves and use a pliers.

From watching videos it looks like everyone uses a belt grinder for knife making. Any other major tools I should invest in to make this process better? Any other pointers for making the knife?

Also do you guys work on multiple projects at the same time? My forge is propane and seems like I should be working on a another piece of steel while my first project is heating.

Can this be saved?

I'm attemping at making a sword. It is my first blade ever (I know a dagger would be easier, but I never did chose anything for how easy it was).

It was a spring. I softned and carburised it. It is quite maleable and even holds a semblance of an edge. My fear is that I ground down too much at the sides halfway up its lenght. Trying to fix a mistake I kept going from one side to the other in order to match them. Now it has this weird thin section.

The blade is:

Blade 89,5cm

Full lenght: 114,4cm

Width at base: 5cm

Width before the tip: 3cm

Width at the problem area: 3cm

Thickness: around 5mm all along it. It narrows to 4mm ate the tip