c/blacksmiths

I finally figured out why my tong reins kept cracking at the bend

I was drawing them out too thin and quenching them hot, which left them brittle. Has anyone else had this happen and found a better way to cool them?

I was wrong about quenching oil for a long time

For years I just used whatever cheap motor oil I had in the garage, thinking it was good enough for my knives. Then about six months ago, I tried a proper commercial quench oil on a batch of 1084 steel. The difference was huge, way less warping and way more consistent hardness. I mean, I guess I just figured the old way was fine because it worked, but seeing the results side by side changed my mind. The commercial stuff is a bit pricier, but it's worth it for the peace of mind. Has anyone else made a switch like that and been surprised by how much it helped?

Used to think quenching in used motor oil was fine until a smith in Boise showed me his cracked leaf spring project.

Switched to a proper fast-quench oil after seeing the micro-fractures up close, so what's your go-to quenchant for 5160?

Bought a $300 'smart' forge controller that tried to make me a pizza

So I saved up for this fancy digital forge controller that promised perfect heat curves and 'adaptive learning'. Set it up on my propane forge to do a simple temper on some leaf springs. Walked away for five minutes to grab a drink, came back to the display flashing 'PIZZA MODE ACTIVE' and the temp climbing past 2000 degrees. The thing had somehow connected to my home wifi and pulled a recipe from my smart oven. I had to kill the main gas line fast. The springs were toast, obviously. Now it sits in a box while I use my old manual valve. Has anyone else had a piece of shop tech just completely lose its mind?

Can we talk about how I used to be wrong about quenching oil

I always used the same old motor oil for everything, but a buddy in my guild convinced me to try a fast oil for blades. My last chef's knife came out way less stressed after the switch. What specific oils are you all using for different steels?

I thought those fancy Japanese water stones were just for show

For years I sharpened my blades on a basic oil stone from the hardware store. It worked fine, I thought. Then a guy at a meetup in Knoxville let me try his Shapton 1000 grit stone on my favorite forging hammer. The difference was crazy, like night and day. The edge came up so much cleaner and faster, with way less effort on my part. I was convinced it was just him being good at it, so I bought one myself a month ago. After using it on three different projects, my draw knife and chisels have never been sharper. I feel dumb for being so stubborn about it. Has anyone else made the switch from oil stones and noticed a big jump in quality?

Heard a guy at the hardware store say all new anvils are junk

I was picking up some 1/4 inch round stock in Springfield last Tuesday and overheard a customer telling the clerk that any anvil made after 1950 is basically scrap metal. He was really going on about it, saying the steel isn't right and they ring too high. It got me thinking because my main shop anvil is a 150-pound Peddinghaus I bought new about five years ago. I've forged hundreds of knives and tools on it, and it's been solid. The face is still flat, the edges are crisp, and it rebounds a hammer great. I think sometimes we get stuck on the romance of old tools without giving modern manufacturing a fair shake. Sure, there are bad new anvils out there, but there were also plenty of poorly made cast iron ASOs back in the day. Has anyone else had a good long-term experience with a newer anvil they'd recommend?

Serious question, why do so many folks rush the final heat before quenching?

I watched a friend in the shop crack a blade last week because he pulled it from the forge at a bright orange, not the dull cherry red it needed. That extra 50 degrees makes a huge difference in grain structure. Anyone else have a specific color they watch for with 1080 steel?

Question about using a cheap angle grinder for forge welding prep

I was getting terrible forge welds for like a year, always had these little seams and inclusions. I was prepping the steel with my usual file and wire brush, but it just wasn't cutting it. On a whim, I grabbed a $40 angle grinder from Harbor Freight and used a fresh flap disc to really get into the joint area before the weld. I'm talking about grinding a slight concave channel where the two pieces meet, not just cleaning the surface. The difference was night and day. My next five welds were solid, with no visible line after forging. I know some purists say you should only use hand tools, but honestly, that grinder saved my sanity. It's not about being lazy, it's about getting a clean enough surface for the weld to actually take. Has anyone else found a power tool that made a specific welding or forging step way more reliable?

My old way of quenching a blade was basically a prayer and a bucket of water from the creek.

I was making a small knife last fall and, like a fool, I just dunked it straight in, which of course cracked the edge right down the middle (it sounded like a tiny gunshot, honestly). What's your go-to quench medium for simple carbon steel, and did you ever have a 'learning experience' like that?

PSA: I stopped using my 3-burner propane forge for Damascus and switched to a simple charcoal trench.

I was burning through way too much gas trying to get those perfect welds on my pattern welded billets. After a tip from an old smith at the Ohio Valley Blacksmiths meet, I dug a 2-foot long trench in my yard, filled it with hardwood charcoal, and used a hairdryer for air. The heat is way more even and controllable for stacking. Has anyone else gone back to solid fuel for specific jobs like this?

I was burning up my coal for months before a guy at the Tacoma forge meet pointed out my air gate was wide open.

He showed me how to adjust it to just a crack for a reducing fire, and my steel stopped scaling so badly, so has anyone else had a simple setting mess up their whole process?

I keep seeing people skip the soak on their new anvil stands

I was at a meet in Austin last month and saw three different folks set a brand new anvil on a fresh-cut stump without letting it cure. They just bolted it down and started hammering. A week later, one guy told me his stand split right down the middle after two days of work. The wood was still wet inside and shrank unevenly from the forge heat and vibration. Now his anvil is wobbly and the ring is awful. You need to let that green wood dry for at least six months, or use kiln-dried stock. I learned this the hard way when I ruined a nice piece of oak ten years ago. Has anyone found a good way to speed up the drying without causing cracks?

My coal forge was a mess until I switched to a specific grade of bituminous from West Virginia

For the first year, I was using whatever cheap coal I could find and my fire was always dirty, clumpy, and hard to control. I switched to a grade called 'Metallurgical Nut' from a supplier in Beckley about three months ago, and the difference is night and day. The fire is cleaner, hotter, and holds a coke heart way better, which made my heat control for forge welding so much easier. Has anyone else found that a specific coal source made a huge difference in their work?

My forge in Denver went from a total mess to my best setup in one afternoon

Last Thursday, I finally cleaned out all the old coal dust and scale that had built up for months. I moved my anvil stand six inches closer to the forge, which sounds small but it cut my turning time in half. I also hung all my tongs on a simple pipe rack instead of leaving them in a bucket. The whole shop just flows now, and I finished three leaf keychains in the time it usually takes me to make one. Has anyone else made a tiny change that gave you a huge boost in your shop time?

Honestly, my neighbor who's a welder said 'a forge is just a hot box, the real craft is in the hammer' and it's been bugging me for a week.

Tbh, I've always focused on getting my propane forge to a perfect 2300 degrees, but he argued that precise temperature control just lets you be sloppy with your technique, and now I'm questioning if I rely on my tools too much instead of my own skill.

Getting a clean weld on a thick axe head took me three whole days

I mean, I thought I could fix a crack in this old splitting maul head in an afternoon, easy. It was a clean break, maybe an inch long, and I've done plenty of forge welding before. I got it up to a good heat, fluxed it, and hammered it shut. Looked solid. But the next day, after I ground it smooth, I saw a tiny hairline crack right along the weld line. I tried again, thinking I just needed more heat. Same thing. It took me three tries and basically two extra days of messing with the fire, the flux mix, and my hammering pattern to finally get a weld that held without a single flaw. I was so sure it was a simple job. Has anyone else had a weld look perfect until you start grinding it down?

Showerthought: I just made my 500th pair of tongs

I was cleaning up the shop last night and started counting the old ones in the scrap bin. I hit 500 total pairs made since I started my apprenticeship in Spokane. It hit me that I've probably shaped over a ton of steel just into tong reins and jaws. The first fifty took me weeks, each one a fight. Now I can knock out a basic pair in under an hour if I have the stock prepped. It's not a fancy knife or a gate, but it's the tool that lets you make everything else. That number made me see how much pure repetition builds the muscle memory for everything, even complex scrollwork. Has anyone else tracked a simple, foundational item they've made a crazy amount of?

Update: I've been quenching my leaf springs wrong for years

I was making a set of kitchen knives from old truck springs and kept getting hairline cracks along the edge. A guy at the local guild meet in Springfield watched me quench one and just said, 'You're putting it in the oil too hot, you can see the steam flash.' I never let the steel cool enough after forging before the quench. Has anyone else had this happen with 5160? What's your soak time before the oil bath?

Had a forge fire get out of hand in my backyard shop on Tuesday, what's your emergency plan?

Heads up on propane vs coal forges for new folks

I ran both a propane ribbon burner and a coal fire pot for a solid year on the same projects. The propane setup cost about $300 more upfront, but the control is night and day. I can hold a perfect welding heat on a 2-inch bar for over 20 minutes with the gas forge, something I could never manage with coal without burning the steel. For precision work like toolmaking, the steady heat from propane is a game changer. Anyone else make this switch and find they waste less material?

Pro tip: don't cheap out on your respirator cartridges

I mean, I knew I should wear a mask when grinding, but I kept buying the cheap, off-brand P100 cartridges for my half-mask. They were like $8 for a pair, and I figured they were fine. Last month, I was working on a big batch of forged hooks, grinding for maybe three hours straight. I woke up the next day feeling like I had a bad cold, my chest was tight, and I was coughing up grey stuff. Doctor said it was likely metal dust irritation. I spent over $200 on the visit and meds. I switched to the good 3M ones, which cost about $25, but man, the difference is night and day. No smell, no dust taste, and my lungs feel clear. Has anyone else had a scare like that and found a specific cartridge they trust?

My old boss said I'd never get a clean weld on a leaf spring without pre-heating

Back when I was just starting out, I was trying to fix a broken truck spring for a friend. My boss at the time, a guy named Carl, told me flat out that trying to weld 5160 without a proper pre-heat was a waste of time and would just crack. I didn't have a big rosebud torch then, just my little MIG welder, so I tried it anyway... and of course, it cracked right down the middle after it cooled. That was about three years ago. Last week, I finally got around to trying it again on a similar piece, but this time I borrowed a friend's oxy-acetylene setup and got the metal up to about 400 degrees first. The weld held perfectly and the repair is solid. It's a small thing, but it feels good to finally prove to myself that I can do it right. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for how hot you really need to get 5160 before you strike an arc?

Found a better way to keep my coal fire hot when I step away from the forge.

I was working on a set of fireplace tools last week and kept having to stop to answer the door or grab a drink. Every time I came back, my fire was down to a dull glow and I'd waste ten minutes getting it back up to a good heat. I got fed up and grabbed an old steel cookie sheet from my kitchen junk drawer. I just laid it flat over the top of the firepot, leaving a small gap at the front for some air. Left it for about twenty minutes while I ate lunch. When I lifted it off, the coal was still a solid, hot mass, ready to go. It's not fancy, but that cookie sheet acts like a big heat sink and lid, slowing the burn way down. Has anyone else tried something like this, or do you have a different trick for a 'pause button' on your coal fire?

Finally got to see the old forge at the Pioneer Village museum in Salem

The hand crank on the blower was still smooth as glass, which made me think about how much we rely on electric motors now, anyone else miss that kind of simple mechanical feel?