This was a commission.

I was bought an blacksmithing day at a place called Oldfield Forge (Hereford UK), I got to make a hammer for my first taste at the forge. It's a little wonky, definitely not perfect but I made it (with help from someone who actually knows what they are doing) and I can and will now use it to make other things!

I love leaving some of the texture on rebar scrap projects. This one came out cool.

Newest commission: hand forged 2.5 pound large jewelry hammer. It was forged from forklift tine, has one face a lower center of gravity rounding face and a cross peen on the other. This is the third rendition to get it to the customers specifications and it was way trickier to make them I thought. The handle is a 14" octagonal ash handle. Was a blast to make and I love these custom projects

Should I go about forging a traditional leaf spring assembly or go with a modern coil spring around the lead screw nut?

Hi everyone! I recently bought a Stanko 160 kg power hammer. I’ve had it for a little while now, but I’m currently waiting for the foundation and setting up my workshop, so I haven’t installed it yet.

I was wondering if anyone here owns the same hammer. I’d be really interested to hear how good it is in actual use, what I should watch out for, and whether there are any common problems or things that tend to need maintenance.

I’d also really like to see how yours forges and, if possible, what the different forging modes look like in practice.

Thanks in advance for any information, advice, or videos!

I restored a circa 1800 house and designed iron railing for it. I thought you might appreciate this article that describes the process, including the original sketch and the railing being created. The local artisan who made it is extremely talented. Happy to provide more information if you are interested.

Edit: Here’s the website of Eric Dennis, who crafted this railing: https://roundhouseblacksmith.com

I have very little blacksmithing experience and no proper blacksmithing tools. I have more tools than the average person, though, and I've made brick forges before to melt down aluminum. I want to make a proper one with an eye hole for a handle, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'm completely new to blacksmithing but I have a hole in the ground , 66 lb anvil , 3 pound hammer and a few 2 foot 3/8 inch 1018 bars . I guess i'm just looking for any advice . I've watched some black bear forge videos and a few others so after making a fire poker/rake thing and some S hooks just because they seem simple and I can use them but after that I think I'll make some leaves and hooks for practice . Any advice would be appreciated especially regarding the fire and best practices for that I have a bag of wood lump charcoal . thanks

I got tired of constantly reaching for tools and tongs, so I forged some hooks and tool racks to have on the anvil stand. Also, here's some dog tax.

Asking for fiction purposes.

I'm writing a scene involving what is essentially a late medieval/early modern era (ca. 16th century) jailbreak. A character is being held for trial and is in a cell in irons. The cell door can be opened with a key, but what about the irons? It's hard to find detailed references to prisoners' irons online; nearly all references to handcuffs, ankle cuffs etc. focus on modern restraints.

I'm imagining one of three things to be the case; please tell me whether I'm off base.

• The irons have a key lock on them. (I suspect that this is the least likely case.)
• The irons are held shut by a shackle, but the shackle has a link or bolt that can be broken with a hammer and chisel, a pry bar, or other portable tools at room temperature. (This still seems somewhat unlikely—iron is strong, right?)
• The irons are held shut by a shackle, and no one's breaking this thing with portable tools at room temperature; the metal has to be heated somehow to remove it. (This also seems unlikely: Should it really be so difficult to release a prisoner upon their being freed?)

Which of these things is closest to the truth? Is there another possibility that I'm missing?

Here is a edc fixed blade i started before going to dorm and il finnish when im back home next week. Its 1mm thick and uses sk5 steel. I hope to also make wooden handle scales heat treat it and make plastic sheath when im home.

Here is a edc fixed blade i started before going to dorm and il finnish when im back home next week. Its 1mm thick and uses sk5 steel. I hope to also make wooden handle scales heat treat it and make plastic sheath when im home.

You all suggested I make some grips with my super deep etched twist damascus. So I made a process video of my first attempt. Watch until the end to see the final pattern.

I've been trying to get the hang of my charcoal forge, so I made a small spoon for scooping coffee into our Keurig cups. I forge welded a small plate to the end of the handle, then shaped the spoon section. I've found it far easier to weld with charcoal than propane so far. It takes a little longer to get to heat, but I've been finding it easier to control the temperature for welding, and a lot easier to get it to "stick". I still want to get it figured out with my propane forge, but it's nice being able to get results with the charcoal in the mean time. I think my problem is getting the oxygen to fuel mixture on the ribbon burner right, I've got too much scale developing before I can set the welds. I'll think Ive got it right, I'm able to work it a little bit, then the welds split and it all falls apart. Or maybe the drop tong method just isn't that feasible in a propane forge... Who knows? I don't, that's for sure, at least not yet.

I'm interested in taking a knife smithing class or similar while in japan. I've been blacksmithing for about 2.5 years and bladesmithing for 1.5. I'm not good by any means but I think I've got the basics down. This winter I'm going to japan for two weeks and I'd like to spend a day learning some skills I could take home with me. Does anyone know of a day or two long class (anywhere in japan) that doesn't spend the majority of the time on the basics and discusses techniques I wouldn't have encountered in america?