DIY Forge
November 20, 2009 6:15 PM Subscribe
DIY Forges: not forgery, but making your own smithy. There are plenty of variations available, but there's something special when a teenage boy builds his own forge and teaches himself black smithing.
No love for Ol' Man Lindsay?! (I don't know of a specific blacksmithing book from there, but if it's DIY and metal-related, it's in there.)
posted by DU at 6:23 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by DU at 6:23 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Not to be missed: building a complete metalworking shop from scratch. He shows how to bootstrap your way up step by step from a big pile of scrap metal, some charcoal, some clay, and a bucket, to a precision machine shop (from the same source DU cites above).
posted by idiopath at 6:35 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by idiopath at 6:35 PM on November 20, 2009
Blacksmithing again today.
If I had a daughter I'd say to her, why, that's a solid boy over there; it's not every young fella starts his own forge at that age; you want to keep an eye on him. Then I'd lean back in the rocking chair and clamp a corncob pipe stem between what was left of my teeth.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:41 PM on November 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
If I had a daughter I'd say to her, why, that's a solid boy over there; it's not every young fella starts his own forge at that age; you want to keep an eye on him. Then I'd lean back in the rocking chair and clamp a corncob pipe stem between what was left of my teeth.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:41 PM on November 20, 2009 [4 favorites]
Awesome! Mefi blacksmiths, represent.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:56 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by Baby_Balrog at 6:56 PM on November 20, 2009
I didn't realize that Dave Gingery had died. :(
posted by Slothrup at 6:59 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Slothrup at 6:59 PM on November 20, 2009 [1 favorite]
Awesome! Mefi blacksmiths, represent.
The order of the hairless knuckles salutes you!
posted by stet at 7:04 PM on November 20, 2009
The order of the hairless knuckles salutes you!
posted by stet at 7:04 PM on November 20, 2009
something special when a teenage boy builds his own forge
Call me back when he's smelting his own ore.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:05 PM on November 20, 2009
Call me back when he's smelting his own ore.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:05 PM on November 20, 2009
Hey, great, now I feel even more lazy and useless.
posted by Panjandrum at 7:12 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Panjandrum at 7:12 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Now, for this to be really awesome, one of his friends should learn to homebrew and create his own tavern, another one should create a chemistry kit from scratch and start a potion shop, and one should learn to spit fire and grow scales, kidnap some girl, and move to the mountain nearby.
posted by qvantamon at 7:36 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by qvantamon at 7:36 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
My neighbors already look askance when I weld in my 13-foot-wide city back yard. Forging? Tempting, very tempting.
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:37 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by MrMoonPie at 7:37 PM on November 20, 2009
If I had a daughter I'd say to her, why, that's a solid boy over there; it's not every young fella starts his own forge at that age;
Or you know, you could realize that girls are also capable of being blacksmiths.
posted by emjaybee at 7:52 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Or you know, you could realize that girls are also capable of being blacksmiths.
posted by emjaybee at 7:52 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Awesome family raises awesome kid! Awesome! Makes knives for his Eagle Scout friends? Makes tongs for his mom? So great.
posted by rtha at 8:00 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by rtha at 8:00 PM on November 20, 2009
"Here he is in his ‘smithy’. Please ignore the neighbor’s perfect lawn. You just can’t help who moves in next door."
I'll take the kid with homemade forge over the lawn any day.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 8:04 PM on November 20, 2009
I'll take the kid with homemade forge over the lawn any day.
posted by Jumpin Jack Flash at 8:04 PM on November 20, 2009
Or you know, you could realize that girls are also capable of being blacksmiths.
You could also completely miss the point.
posted by kenko at 8:29 PM on November 20, 2009 [3 favorites]
You could also completely miss the point.
posted by kenko at 8:29 PM on November 20, 2009 [3 favorites]
I admire metalwork. I cut well. That's about it. But I appreciate the fine machining. Other than firearms though, I'm pretty useless around metal. Guy talking about "gorilla welder," mine looked like 1/2 chewed bubble gum.
Now breaking stuff. That I have a talent for. But when watching the film (No Country...) I put myself in Llewelyn Moss' position -
Carson Wells: Acetylene? Mig? Tig?
Smedleyman: Any of it. If it can be welded I can probably screw it up.
Carson Wells: Cast iron?
Smedleyman: Yeah, I'd fuck that up too.
Carson Wells: I don't mean braze.
Smedleyman: Braze? [consults dictionary] I see that it involves metal. And, some sort of heat...?
Carson Wells: Pot metal?
Smedleyman: Do you wash that with acid or someth....[annoyed] Well, what did I say?
...of course this tidbit of info wouldn't be relevant at all if I didn't try to work on metal. And persist. I mean there are many people who suck at doing certain things, they just stop making idiots of themselves. But y'know, want a precision rifle barrel? I can do that.
Want me to blow the temper on your lawnmower blade while setting fire to your shed?
I’m your man. ( Also why I use these guys.)
posted by Smedleyman at 8:35 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Now breaking stuff. That I have a talent for. But when watching the film (No Country...) I put myself in Llewelyn Moss' position -
Carson Wells: Acetylene? Mig? Tig?
Smedleyman: Any of it. If it can be welded I can probably screw it up.
Carson Wells: Cast iron?
Smedleyman: Yeah, I'd fuck that up too.
Carson Wells: I don't mean braze.
Smedleyman: Braze? [consults dictionary] I see that it involves metal. And, some sort of heat...?
Carson Wells: Pot metal?
Smedleyman: Do you wash that with acid or someth....[annoyed] Well, what did I say?
...of course this tidbit of info wouldn't be relevant at all if I didn't try to work on metal. And persist. I mean there are many people who suck at doing certain things, they just stop making idiots of themselves. But y'know, want a precision rifle barrel? I can do that.
Want me to blow the temper on your lawnmower blade while setting fire to your shed?
I’m your man. ( Also why I use these guys.)
posted by Smedleyman at 8:35 PM on November 20, 2009 [2 favorites]
Or you know, you could realize that girls are also capable of being blacksmiths.
Bwhahahaha - made by the girl I'd tell my fictional son to marry.
posted by _paegan_ at 9:35 PM on November 20, 2009
Bwhahahaha - made by the girl I'd tell my fictional son to marry.
posted by _paegan_ at 9:35 PM on November 20, 2009
This is Bobby's home-forged knife, his coatrack... and these are his third-degree burns!
Bobby is well on his way to being a branding fetishist!
posted by markkraft at 9:51 PM on November 20, 2009
Bobby is well on his way to being a branding fetishist!
posted by markkraft at 9:51 PM on November 20, 2009
(In all seriousness, though, I do know a woman who is a blacksmith. Works on a lot of neat toys for Burning Man. Really quite cool.
And yes... she has a thing for branding and fireplay. )
posted by markkraft at 9:55 PM on November 20, 2009
And yes... she has a thing for branding and fireplay. )
posted by markkraft at 9:55 PM on November 20, 2009
scrump had an awesome comment about a backyard forge.
posted by mlis at 10:01 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by mlis at 10:01 PM on November 20, 2009
That's wonderful stuff.
qvantamon: Do you think I can do this on my apartment?
Almost. Facetiousness aside, I had a friend who was able to crank out high-quality, full plate-mail armor from a shared two-bedroom apartment above a hair salon. As I recall, he had a lot of the cutting done out-of-house, but the shaping relied on use of the fireplace and a couple of anvils in the living room - the room being largely sacrificed to this endeavor. He did some brasswork there, too - mainly brazing, shaping, and cutting.
I guess if one is determined, and is able to adequately preserve carpet, floors, and walls, there really is a lot one can do in an apartment. With a full-fledged backyard and/or garage, the only limits are imagination and zoning ordinances.
posted by Graygorey at 10:43 PM on November 20, 2009
qvantamon: Do you think I can do this on my apartment?
Almost. Facetiousness aside, I had a friend who was able to crank out high-quality, full plate-mail armor from a shared two-bedroom apartment above a hair salon. As I recall, he had a lot of the cutting done out-of-house, but the shaping relied on use of the fireplace and a couple of anvils in the living room - the room being largely sacrificed to this endeavor. He did some brasswork there, too - mainly brazing, shaping, and cutting.
I guess if one is determined, and is able to adequately preserve carpet, floors, and walls, there really is a lot one can do in an apartment. With a full-fledged backyard and/or garage, the only limits are imagination and zoning ordinances.
posted by Graygorey at 10:43 PM on November 20, 2009
But do you know a woman who is a full time blacksmith? (We went down to check out her freaking huge air hammer back when I was in school. Wish I had one. And a place to set up a dedicated forge.)
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 11:53 PM on November 20, 2009
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 11:53 PM on November 20, 2009
MeFi Hairless Knuckles Local 1111 checking in...THIS THING MAKES ME FAT
Moar Metal!
posted by greenskpr at 5:13 AM on November 21, 2009
Moar Metal!
posted by greenskpr at 5:13 AM on November 21, 2009
Great links, thanks.
Full-on blacksmithy is probably beyond my reach, but I'll be making and trying a DIY arc-welder this winter. I've got the salvaged microwave transformer already.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:45 AM on November 21, 2009 [3 favorites]
Full-on blacksmithy is probably beyond my reach, but I'll be making and trying a DIY arc-welder this winter. I've got the salvaged microwave transformer already.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:45 AM on November 21, 2009 [3 favorites]
Someday I will have a place where I can set up a homemade cupola furnace. I love me some cast iron, but for some reason major cities seem not to like people setting up backyard foundries. Alas. And yup, Lindsay books are DIY pr0n. I get the catalogue just to drool over the things I can't build right now...
posted by ubersturm at 1:13 PM on November 21, 2009
posted by ubersturm at 1:13 PM on November 21, 2009
My old man bends metal to his whims. My bought (was gifted) bought an Isuzu Bellett sans bits of the front end. Dad whipped up a forge, and recreated the necessary elements. Its a good skill.
posted by mattoxic at 11:25 PM on November 21, 2009
posted by mattoxic at 11:25 PM on November 21, 2009
I'd love to build a forge, but I know where that would lead: 3am insomnia-fueled knife-making. And working an anvil at those hours in the suburbs is a great way to develop a serious resentment between me and my neighbors.
And I'm a pretty crappy neighbor to begin with. Something like that might push them into open warfare with my yard.
posted by quin at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2009
And I'm a pretty crappy neighbor to begin with. Something like that might push them into open warfare with my yard.
posted by quin at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2009
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Fuck yes.
posted by Lutoslawski at 6:17 PM on November 20, 2009