New England Our 33nd Year Blacksmiths 1978- To discover, to help -2011 Spring Edition VOL. 31 NO. 2
Exciting News !
Medical research discovers brain variations in those who choose blacksmithing as a career or hobby! Would you like to volunteer for this study?
See page 7 for details
Inside this Issue: Page
2 Contact & NEB Officers 10 The Anvil Repair Day 17 From the NEBList At Morrell’s How big is your Stack? 3 A Message from the President 11 The Welder’s Play Day 19 From the NEBList At Morrell’s What kind of welder do I 4 Membership forms Need? 12 Are you missing out on 5 Around New England this benefit of membership? 20 From the NEBList Welding helmets? 6 NEB Spring Meeting 13 Isaac Royall? Who?
7 Exciting news & 15 Your Ticket to Hog Morrell’s What’s It Heaven
8 Brentwood North, report
Spring 2011 Visit us on line www.newenglandblacksmiths.com page New England Blacksmiths Most recent Contact information for NEB officers and directors Owen Bostrom- President (12) 99 Chase Hill RD Ashaway, RI 02804 Richard Holman- ME Rep. (12) Phone: 401-377-2611 195 Varney Mill Rd [email protected] Windham, ME 04062 The advantage of knowledge Phone: 207-892-9511 is that wisdom itself preserves .Bob Menard– Vice President (12) [email protected] alive its owners. — Eccl. 7:12 56 Warren Ave. Suite 106 Portland, ME 04103 Ed Grove- Me Rep. (11) Phone: 207-878-2217 Please Learn How To Work 828 Haley Town Road Safely [email protected] Brownfield, ME 04010 Phone: 207-935-2262 Jim Crothers- Secretary (12) [email protected] 953 Tuckertown RD Wakefield, RI 02879 Courtney Mead- VT Rep. (12) Phone 721 East Hill Rd. [email protected] North Troy, VT 05859 Phone: 802.988-2503 Leigh Morrell- Treasurer (12)
After an interesting winter, for sure, it seems the weather is begin- ning to break. A couple of weeks ago your president and editor headed out in the rain and later snow to travel to Portland, ME to participate in Brent- wood North. We had a good time in spite of the snowy weather on both travel days. I thought the instruction sessions went really well, and we had some really enthusiastic students. It was fun to do. Bob Menard does a great job in organizing the event and has a perfect shop to pull it off well.
Bob Valentine and his team are getting ready for our next meet to be held in Goshen, CT on May 20-22. Bob is working out the details, re- ports that things are going well, and I’m looking forward getting out there. Look for more info on this in this newsletter.
Future meets: As noted last December, we will return to the CT Railroad Museum in Willimantic, CT. I understand that Walt Scadden is signed up as demonstrator for that meet. For 2012 we are working on both meets. One will be in the Lancaster, MA area led by Bob Phillips, and one will probably be at Louden, NH led by Garry Kalajian at The Sanborn Mills Farm, which is a new craft center. There are lots of details to work out on these and both Bob and Garry will need some help for sure. I continue to be excited about the new future sites. It adds to the experience to travel to different places.
Leigh Morrell, after the successful anvil repair workshop held in ??? is hosting a welding work- shop at Morrell Metal Works in May. Members will be able to experience different types of welding using Leigh’s various types of equipment. It should be a great opportunity especially for folks lacking a lot of welding experience.
Our teaching center at Brentwood, NH suffered some damage to the forge exhaust stacks due to snow which fell from the roof. The committee is working on repair and a redesign scheme to avoid this problem in the future. Otherwise I am happy to report that there seems to be very little in the way of problems or contro- versy within our organization. We still need to find a person to step up as a new Newsletter editor as Fred is pretty adamant about retiring. Fred has done a great job, and our newsletter is one of the real strengths of the organization. He is willing to help a new person and I think we all are. I realize how big those shoes will be to fill, but I am sure that there is one of you out there that can do it. It might be something that would interest me at some point, but not while also President.
As for the economy I think it’s getting better. There sure are a lot of things and events out there trying to make a continued mess of it though. I’m still optimistic. As I write this we are just seeing the aftermath of the earthquake and sunami in Japan. It makes our problems small by com- parison. I hope that this message finds you in continuing good spirits and good health.
Cheers, Owen Bostrom, President, New England Blacksmiths
Spring 2011 page 3 New England Blacksmiths Hope you took care of this and helped us by renewing on time and supplying us with current information, Thanks!
New England Blacksmiths Membership Form: [Please check box for renewals or new] Dues are $20.00/yr (Canadian $20.00) payable January 1st of each year Send checks to: Karen Sims, Membership. 337 Rope Ferry Rd. Waterford, CT 06385 Check New or Renewal for 2011 Name Business name, if applicable Address Phone ( ) City ______State______Zip______Fax ( ) E-mail Occupation______Year of birth Check forging skill: ___Beginner ___Intermediate ___Advanced Blacksmithing areas of interest Check all that apply: ___Teach Blacksmithing ___Teach Related Metal-working Skills Which skills? ___Do Public Smithing Demos ___Demo Fee (Amount:______) ___Require Travel $ ___Would hold NEB Office ___ABANA Member Where did you hear of us? Use another sheet to comment: (How are we doing? What would you like to see us do?)
Spring 2011 page 4 New England Blacksmiths Around Connecticut New England 7 May 2011 – Heritage Metal Festival (6th Annual) at Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, Bridge St., Willimantic, CT. 9:00-5:00. Admission $5:00, chil- dren ages 8-12 $1:00, children under 8 and demon- Brentwood strators are free. Blacksmithing, pewtersmithing, re- Teaching Center pousse, etc, food vendors will be on site. For more information contact Steve Melady, 860-228-2185 or Saturday March 26th Rich Cizik, [email protected] Was the first open forge day at the teaching center. Schedule is the 4th Saturday of each month and con- TBA May 2011 – Waldo House, Baltic CT. Reen- tact Cory Conway (603) 929-3536 for info & up- actment and farm days 9:00-4:00. Ted Swol and dates. Steve Melady will be set up and demonstrating. Set up, work, demo, and sell your stuff or just watch. Vermont Contact Steve 860-228-2185.
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Maine Rinehart Blacksmith Arts Center New England School of Metalwork Auburn, ME 800-753-7502 Saturday, June 4 10:00 am to 4:00 pm www.newenglandschoolofmetalwork.com Cost: $30.00 (includes lunch) Hosts: Warren Rinehart and Peter Wells This is their 10th year of operation and the celebra- Featured demonstrator will be tion showcases some outstanding nationally known Ralph Sproul , who started at a very talented instructors: Please check the website for young age and has worked in metals this line up and take advantage of the opportunity and related fields for 49 years. found right here in New England! Some of what Ralph is planning on covering: Help Wanted Tricks on clamping and assembly.- Energetic person with a desire to serve the or- The Oxy/Acetylene torch as a tool- ganization as Newsletter Editor. Hydraulics as it applies to hydraulic press work.- In- novative tool making – power hammer, pipe and fix- This position only requires a rudimentary ture forging and tooling.- On site installation he has knowledge of the art/craft of blacksmithing, access done.- General welding including Oxy/Acetylene, to a computer and telephone and about 50 hours a Stick, Mig and Tig. year (10 hours per issue x 5 issues)
RSVP : If you plan to attend ,we would appreciate a An ability to “arm twist” and pester members call several days prior to the event as we have to or- who have promised to make a newsletter contribu- der lunches. Please call Chris McClain…802-475- tion is helpful. 2022 or email her at [email protected] Wages are without question the gratitude of Rhode Island nearly 300 souls involved in the NEB and can not be measured in $ and cents. The Southern Bunch at South County Museum On the 4th Saturday of each month Apply to Fred Mikkelsen or any BOD Member. 10:00—3:00 Page 2 has the contact info Contact: Jim Crothers 401-783-5400
Spring 2011 page 5 New England Blacksmiths “A reunion of sorts” (the NEB Spring Meeting)
Over 30 years ago these 3 members of a fledgling New England Blacksmith organization actively participated in our early growth, the fruits of which we enjoy today. The Spring Meeting will be a reunion of sorts with a show case featuring Tony Millham, Peter Ross and Dick Sargent. The skill and information accumulated by these three, amount to almost 100 years of blacksmithing expertise. So there are bound to be lessons to learn that you will cherish and apply to your work.
Goshen Agricultural Fair Grounds is about 8 miles west of Torrington, CT (although there will be enough “hot air”, we are not having balloons!) There are several area attractions for family members not interested in blacksmithing,
the Height Vineyard and Winery, The Action Wildlife Foundation, White’s Flower Farm and The Abby of Regina Laudis are a few examples.
Come and join us as we revisit the Goshen Gang, Bob Valentine, plus cohorts, and their excellent hospitality. May 20 to 22, 2011
Look for more information and meet package in late April.
Spring 2011 page 6 New England Blacksmiths Non-Blacksmith Brain Here is a random sample from our study
Neurology Today April 1, 2011 Vol. 11 Issue 7 Iamma D. Charlatan, MD, PhD Tuffs University Medical Center, Neurology Dept. Purely by chance, my team was asked to evaluate a pa- tient here at Tuffs Medical Center whose medical records revealed he was a blacksmith by trade. The scans of this brain showed areas not noted in previ- ous evaluations of any others who had volunteered for our study. This is so interesting we would hope other teams The abnormality from the “blacksmith brain”, that has caused us across the country, and even the world, might have data to re-think our study, can be seen in the scan shown below. that applies to the phenomena as seen in this patient. We have no idea as to how this abnormality develops or if it is predetermined at conception, and then either consumes the individual or, it may in some cases, lie dormant and never manifest itself. We are currently seeking funding to expand this study and also recruiting more volunteers to broaden our data base in order to clarify this finding. Needless to say, we expect a great upsurge in interest in evaluating how these brains function at other levels because as we all know, blacksmithing is a dying art!
Yes, we’ll agree this is a pair of tongs! For what purpose? If you know, or want to guess, send your answer on a 3”x5” postcard, or email [email protected]. The winner will be drawn from the correct answers. The winner will receive either 20 iron-in-the-hat drawing tickets or a one-year membership to NEB! Look for the answer and the winner in the next newsletter.
Wholly sponsored by Morrell Metalsmiths, Ltd.
It took several issues to get the correct answer and winner: From a random draw of two correct answers: Lathe bed wrench – as explained by the winner, David Hageman – It is used on the square nut under the lathe bed which holds the tool rest. Being in a blind spot, the wrench can be quickly placed on the nut and drawn into the taper for a tight fit before releasing the nut. Thanks to all who puzzled over this one.
Spring 2011 page 7 New England Blacksmiths
late in the month of Februar that Owen the Bold and the Sen of Mikkeli set sail for Portland in Maine. Close hauled against a northeast wind they sailed past many vessels that had floundered off the course, but Owen the Bold was a steersman who would not yield to any snow storm that Thor might rage and safe they did arrive at the Ball and Chain to unload their tools for the following day’s adventure. The next day dawned clear and cold with early light spreading over the sparkling new snow when Jon Hodgdon, Tim Green and the Vikings arrived at that place where the Thing would be held (Bob Menard’s Ball and Chain Forge). The participants filtered in and the day got started with Jon in the east in- structing with both hand and power hammer, producing upset ball ended leaf adorned hooks on which to hang ones cloak. Moving westward, Tim featured hot punching and a coal forge to produce a punched-hole trammel to hang over the fire pit in your longhouse. And far to the west, found the Vikings helping to create reproduc- tions of archeological finds representing every day objects from the 4th & 5th centuries, namely candle sticks for your log wall and ring pins for your cloak. The work day was partitioned so each project could be done in a 90 minute time period and after 2 rounds of exchanges, a lunch break of stewed beef with winter vegetables augmented by fresh bread, appropriate bever- ages and a lemon desert helped all regain energy for the afternoon. Back to the anvils, the work continued until the afternoon sun chariot began to glow only near the western horizon and all knew the grand adventure was drawing to a close. Smiles and warm goodbyes to friends new and old as folks parted to the four winds with their forged objects, new lessons and happy memories.
Once again kudos are due to Bob Menard for offering his shop, recruiting the mentors and organizing, what has become a NEB tradition, Brentwood North. Caused to be written by, Owen the Bold & the Sen of Mikkeli (their marks)
The Ball & Chain Forge was all set up and ready to go- Along with a healthy breakfast buffet
Spring 2011 page 8 New England Blacksmiths Jon Hodgdon photos
Jon Hodgdon’s station gave folks a hands on power hammer lesson with his ball end coat hook, above. Below and clockwise: Tim Green works with Allison on the punched hole trammel project. Owen Bostrom oversees a Viking iron project. Bob Menard (Dick Gilbert, background) prepares lunch and Fred Mikkelsen with another one of the Viking projects.
Spring 2011 page 9 New England Blacksmiths Fred does penance Two great events hosted by Leigh Morrell and the Morrell Metal Works The Anvil Repair Day (that you didn’t know about because the newsletter Editor forgot to include the information in the last newsletter) was very successful in spite of that omission.
Fred, Yesterday I went to the anvil repair seminar Leigh Morrell was hosting at his shop. It was a great time. There were 9 members present and 5 anvils fixed. Some had some significant damage but all were repairable. Numerous welding techniques were used including both Mig and Stick. I think even a tig unit was employed at one point. I picked up a number of great tips, some even relating to anvil repair. A day at Leigh's shop is never to be missed. Big thanks to Leigh for hosting the event and to Ralph for his expertise and guidance. Bob Menard
Anvil Repair Day January 22, 2011 With the expertise of Ralph Sproul, the anvil repair day at Morrell Metalsmiths was a hit. Below are some shots of the processes, and a before and after picture of repaired anvils. Along with 5 member anvils repaired, I also tuned up two of my shop anvils during the day. Bob Menard and Jon Hodgdon came down from Maine for the day and were extremely helpful with the projects. Most of the pictures posted here Jon Hodgdon took for us. I know I’m going to forget someone, but attending were: Ralph, Bob Phillips, Bob Compton, Joe Blodgett, Don McKenney, Randy Heminger, Bob Menard, Jon Hodgdon, Justin and Leigh Morrell. Leigh Morrell
Spring 2011 page 10 New England Blacksmiths And the second was a “ Welders Play Day - March 5, 2011” A small gathering of smiths met at Morrell Metalsmiths to explore the different welding machines and their capabilities. We were fortunate to have in attendance, Charlie Sedell, a professional welder, who was invalu- able in explaining the different techniques and capabilities of the various machines. We all came away with a better knowledge of welding with Mig, Tig, and Arc Left to right: Charlie Sedell, Thomas Glynn, Marc Godbout, Steve Smith, Bob Phillips, Karen Sims
One thing leads to another, doesn't it? Someone on our very own NEBList asked a question on what weld- ing equipment he should get. Amidst the conversation, someone else thought it might be a nice thing if one of our more experienced welders could hold a one-day workshop to help the hackers among us learn a little about proper welding techniques. Many of us muddle through on our own, so maybe a workshop could steer us in the right direction. In chimes Leigh Morrell, generously offering the use of his shop, tools, and knowledge. And on a dreary, rainy, foggy, Saturday morning, six of us made the trek to Colrain, Mass., for what Leigh called Welder's Play Day. The day was really free-form, basically open to whatever we wanted to learn. And we had a pleasant addition to our little group. Charlie Siedel came along as an "observer". He happens to be a professional welder, and Leigh was quick to take advantage. Between Charlie and Leigh, we were sure to get expert instruction. And Leigh's equipment, Stick, MIG, TIG welders, oxy-propane, we had plenty of toys to play with. So play we did. We started with stick and learned some great techniques, along with tips on rod selection. With lots of oddball scrap to use, we came up with some interesting creations. But eventually the welded joints looked like something we wouldn't mind showing in public. Leigh then fired up the TIG and MIG and we split up to concentrate on our different interests. TIG was a favorite of many of us, with Bob branching to alumi- num. Karen burnt up a lot of rod honing her stick skills. Later, Leigh let me use his oxy-propane rig to practice cutting. Our Play Day was a great way to get our self-learning on track. There's nothing like an experienced craftsman looking over your shoulder, making suggestions. To top it all off, we just had fun. A bunch of friends getting together, telling bad jokes and sea stories -That's hard to beat. So a big Thank You to Leigh for sharing his shop, tools, and to both Leigh and Charlie for generously giving us their time and knowledge. That sharing spirit is the strength of the New England Blacksmiths. Marc Godbout. More pics on next page
Spring 2011 page 11 New England Blacksmiths Above: Bob Phillips TIGs Steve Smith (in disguise) works all alone under the watchful eye of Charlie Siedel..
A benefit you should be taking advantage of !
Some years ago the New England Blacksmiths decided to join the 21st century and put together a website. This was a won- derful way to get information out to our members. If you haven't visited it recently, you should surf on to http:// newenglandblacksmiths.org and see how our new webmaster, Ralph Sproul, has got this thing going. It's run- ning as slick as all the machinery in his shop. Soon after our venture onto the Internet we decided we needed more than a unidirectional website and started our internal email list, called NEBList. This list operates by keeping a list of all participating NEB members' email addresses on one big server. As a member of NEBList, you would send one email to that server and it resends it out to the entire list. We figured it would be a good way to keep our members in touch, sort of an electronic blacksmith's meet, and shorten the distance between all of us. We have members all the way from Fort Fairfield, Maine down to Norwalk, Connecticut, which is about a 9-1/2 hour drive, but it's only seconds away by email. Over the years we've traded tips, tricks, announcements, and the occasional bad jokes back and forth. It's really worked out as a nice resource. If you've got a question, just email out and watch all the discus- sion happen. But since then we've found another use for this connection, and that's as a marketing tool. From time to time the directors will get contacted by prospective customers. This usually happens when someone is looking for a blacksmith in the New England area and Googles around eventually to our website. From there, we've got all the directors' contact information, which they use to send a personal email. We then forward their request onto NEBList and let the members contact the interested party directly. It's kind of a reverse Yellow Pages that costs nothing, but your NEB membership, to join. So for those of you who smith for at least part of your income, maybe only to pay for more toys,... er,... tools, I suggest you check NEBList out. If you're not already on NEBList, and have access to email, just send an email out to [email protected] (that's me, Marc Godbout) and ask to join that list. I'll set you up right away. And please put something like "NEBList" or "Blacksmithing" in the subject line so I can find it eas- ier among all the spam I get. Don't expect lots of business through this, we get maybe one or two per month, but you never know what may come your way. It's just another resource that you, as a NEB member, can take ad- vantage of. Don’t own a computer? Your local Library will give you free computer access, or if you are an “older person” most Senior Centers of- fer computer use and “lessons”. Having trouble with computer jargon? Get a kid, between 6 or 7 and they will set you straight!
Spring 2011 page 12 New England Blacksmiths
The Royall House ( at left) and Slave Quarters (on right) were built in 1732- 1739 in Medford, Massachusetts. The House is one of the finest 18th century buildings in New England; the Slave Quarters is the only such structure in the Northern United States. Both the buildings and grounds are a National Historic Landmark. Together, these unique structures tell the intertwined stories of liberty and bondage, independence and slavery, as they have been played out not only in Colonial times, but throughout American history. This was the home of one of the richest families in New England and the enslaved Africans who made their lifestyle pos- sible. Architecture, furnishings, and artifacts bear witness to their entwined stories. Isaac Royall never intended to abandon hearth and home. He just got caught on the wrong side of the Revolution. After Isaac Royall, Jr. fled to England, the General Court confiscated his estate. After the departure of the Royalls to England, General John Stark made the Royall House his headquarters in the first days of the Revolutionary War. General George Washington helped plan the siege of Boston from here and according to legend, General Washington interrogated two British soldiers in the Marble Chamber in preparation of that siege.
The Isaac Royall House Where we found lessons for us all. Theresa Kelliher a volunteer at the site had taken on the as- signment of supplying objects for the hearth in the renovated kitchen, based on an inventory made around 1768. She con- tacted Neil Mansfield to see if the Assabet students might be interested in forging some of these objects. Neil talked with Fred Mikkelsen to see if the NEB members might give some guidance to the endeavor and so the story unfolds:
In the fall of last year we all met at Assabet, along with graduate student Justin Cam- eron, to look at some items that Fred had borrowed from South County Museum, take measurements and make some sketches from which to work. Fred only managed to get up to help the students once during the winter, with snow storms and snow days impacting the class schedules.
On February 19th The Royall House invited the students, Neil and Fred to tour the house and its slave quarters During the tour one thing became immediately appar- ent, the items were needed for the house kitchen and not the slave quarters. What the students had forged were common to the “average man” but the Royalls had been one of the 10 wealthiest families in America, loyal to the Crown, and liked to show off their station! The items would suffice for the slave quarters but not for the kitchen in the main house.
(Continued on page 14) Spring 2011 page 13 New England Blacksmiths
Starting left and clockwise: The Assabet Gang in the Marble Chamber, Fred and a student, Neil makes suggestions, Fred at the anvil at Assabet, and the Gang in the Royall House main kitchen.
The Lessons Learned:
So the students learned that, just as today, many with wealth like to flaunt the fact. The adults and youth learned much 18th Century history and gained an insight in to the lives of separate classes in society at that time. Theresa, Neil and Fred learned that clear communication is the most important part of any project and assumptions will lead to undesirable surprises. Neil Mansfield & Fred Mikkelsen
Spring 2011 page 14 New England Blacksmiths Your Ticket to Hog Heaven by Ian Walker
Needing a demo forge for a barn-raising festival, and other events, I consulted Ralph Sproul's "Bear Hill Blacksmith Demo Forge Plans" (1) and ABANA's "Coal Forge Hand- book" (2). Ralph’s plans yield good results, but if you cus- tomize, and what blacksmith doesn’t love to do that, this project will put you in hog heaven.
"Tony, the Engineer," describes the ideal side-draft exhaust as one that provides a smooth transition for smoke from the fire to the stack, with little turbulence (2). Aside from not breathing smoke, my requirements included a 10” diameter stack and a 24" high exhaust with a small footprint and ap- pealing lines. Relying heavily on Tony's suggestions, and balancing function and appearance, I fabricated the exhaust pictured and illustrated here.
The exhaust footprint is 16" by 8”. The 8" depth (versus 12" or more for many designs) reduces turbulence and oc- cupies less space on the small 2' by 3' table. The chamber top is 12" square. All four sides are tapered. The front of the exhaust is vertical, the sides and back are inclined. (See photos and illustration.)
Tony writes: “The size of the opening is variable. But start with 8 by 14 for a normal sized firepot.” Start? I gulped (I didn’t have time to experiment). Putting my trust in Tony, I cut an 8 by 14 opening. Tony suggests a 12" diameter stack, but a 10” stack has worked well for me before, so I went with 10”. The exhaust worked well during the two-day festival with two lengths (4') of 10" galvanized stovepipe.
The exhaust is bolted to a base made of 1 ½” x 1 ½” angle that raises the floor of the exhaust slightly above the fire pot, and provides flanges for bolting the exhaust to the table. The 13" square cap has a decorative lip and supports the collar that accepts the chimney. I tack welded the front, bottom and sides before cutting the back plate, the height of the sloping back being determined after assembly of the other three walls. All exhaust welds are internal, resulting in a neat appearance. The small eyebrow at the top of the opening to the exhaust is decorative: it emphasizes the curve at the top of the opening and adds interest to the otherwise flat face of the exhaust.
A piece of 10" diameter schedule 40 x 6" pipe serves as the chimney attachment. At 10 pounds, the pipe adds excess weight to the already heavy exhaust and the pipe section has to be cut and welded back together (decreased in diameter) to provide a slip fit for the stovepipe. Another time I'd fabricate a collar of thinner steel.
(Continued on page 16)
Spring 2011 page 15 New England Blacksmiths
After consulting a community college welding inctructor, an impromptu MIG welding lesson, and some practice, I as- sembled the 1/8" thick side-draft exhaust pieces with a newly purchased Lincoln Electric 180C MIG welder (Argon shielded). If a job is worth doing, it is worth a new tool. An old Lincoln AC225S arc welder was used to assemble the forge frame with welds that aren’t so pretty.
I substituted a hand-cranked blower for the electric blower in Ralph's plans because I didn’t want a bright yellow 100’ extension cord snaking across the lawn of the Historical Society, the site of the barn-raising festival. Nor did I have to construct and frequently adjust an air gate. The hand-cranked blower is a pleasant reminder of the easy control afforded by the hand-cranked blower on my first forge years ago. On the other hand, Ralph's portable forge with its electric blower and sliding air gate can be operated from either side (left- or right-handed). Customizing is about preferences, and tradeoffs.
A leg vise slips into an adapter attached to the right front leg of the forge, as per Ralph's plans. I installed a single tool bar because one seemed sufficient for the few tools required for demonstrations. The tool bar gave an opportunity for decorative forging, rather than bend- ing a straight bar at its ends and welding it to the forge frame. Remov- able pipe handles are used to move the forge, and for added stability the handles are splayed like wheelbarrow handles. The wheels are stout and don't need to be removed when the forge is in use, so I mounted the two wheel brackets to the bottom shelf rails and dis- pensed with back feet. A standard-sized, heavy-duty fire pot is a good investment. If not abused, it will serve many years in a port- able or station- ary forge for any size stock.
Spring 2011 page 16 New England Blacksmiths
Absent a trailer to transport the forge, it can be assembled and disas- sembled with 3/8" and 1/2" bolts, and cotter pins (the wheels). Every- thing comes off the frame, and excluding my 136 lb. portable anvil, at 70 lbs. the exhaust is the heaviest component. The forge can be taken apart in less time than it takes the firepot to cool to the touch. I prefer a much heavier anvil and am considering a pickup truck ½-ton crane, a crane being cheaper than spine surgery.
An important element of my demonstration at the barn-raising festival was that my wife, Diane, joined me to explain a table full of forged samples and "story boards." One series showed the steps in forging a gravy ladle from a fragment of a fisherman's scallop drag salvaged from the town dump. Bystanders marveled that a dump find could be transformed into a graceful utensil.
The public is rarely invited to US blacksmith club events. In Europe, blacksmithing festivals take place on city streets and the whole town is invited to mingle with blacksmiths and their portable forges. A well-crafted portable forge will inspire the demonstrator and promote the craft beyond the blacksmith club membership.
Ralph's plans not only yield a fine demo forge, but the forge will also serve well in a hobbyist blacksmith's shop, or as a weekend roll-out forge. If you have such a need, or if you aren't already protecting your lungs with a well-designed ex- haust, get a copy of Ralph's plans and Tony's suggestions, and customize to your heart’s content.
Sources: 1. Sproul, Ralph, "Bear Hill Blacksmith Demo Forge Plans," 12 pp., [email protected]. 2. "Tony the Engineer," ABANA's "Coal Forge Handbook," p. 23-25, www.abana.org, see "Marketplace, ABANA Store" 3. Ian can be reached at [email protected]
From: Sibel Karchner Subject: [NEBList] Chimney help Our new forge setup is in a 8x12 shed and the only thing left to make it working is the chimney. I read online that it is not advisable to use less than 10" diameter chimney pipe in order to have sufficient draw. Is this the general consensus? I found out that chimney or stove pipe larger than 8" is not as easily available. Also, in our setup there will be a 90 degree bend in the pipe. How bad is this for the draw? Any advice on design and source of chimney pipe is appreciated. I live on the Cape, but am willing to drive for an hour or so to save on shipping and also to see what I am getting. Thanks, Sibel
Sibel, Based on the old tire forges in wagon shops, they used a 8" brick so that the interior of the chimney was 8" square. Transferring that to round pipe you don't want anything smaller than a 12" diameter chimney. Plus it needs to be 24" higher than the peak of your roof. If you use a cap on it be sure it's at least 10" off the top of the pipe. Yes, a 90 degree bend will reduce your draw by about 20 to 30 percent. Making a 45 would not be as severe. Good hardware stores carry what you need, not Lowes or Home Depot. You can also order it online. Hope this helps, Randy
Spring 2011 page 17 New England Blacksmiths Sibel, There's not a lot of room in an 8x12 shed for you and extra smoke, so if it were me, I'd look for 10" pipe, espe- cially if there's a 90 degree bend, which reduces pressure and draw. I recently built a forge (portable) and had trouble finding 10" pipe: the usual stove sources didn't have it. When I starting asking "who might have it," someone named a source which did. If 10" pipe is available in Bangor, you should certainly be able to fine it down there. Just keep looking. By the way, I was amused earlier this year (appalled, actually) when someone installed a bunch of forges (called it a "school") in forges in which the hoods weren't "side-draft", the chimneys were 6", there were lots of elbows, and to add more insult, there were two forges, and in one case, two forges and a wood stove, con- nected to a single 6" chimney. When the building, and people's lungs filled with smoke, a mastermind installed two exhaust fans which further reduced the amount of energy available to push the hot gasses up the already inadequate chimneys. The "inevitability of coal smoke", is how the perpetrator referred to the resulting smoky conditions. That's like a carpenter nursing a head wound from leaving his hammer on the top of his step ladder and blaming it on the inevitability of gravity. So, keep looking for the 10" pipe, Sibel. You, and those who love you, will be glad you took the time to find it. Ian
Sibel, Our local hardware store (Edmund’s in Henniker, NH can get 10” pipe). The 90 will slow the draw a bit (every elbow does) – so sticking with 10” or larger is your best bet. Ralph
Sibel, Don't skimp on this.. OR.. think HVAC duck work. I used 12" pipe from Industrial Chimney Company. 400 J-F Kennedy; St. Jerome, (Quebec); Canada, J7Y 4B7 Phone : (450) 565-6336 Fax : (450) 565-6519 http://www.icc-rsf.com/en/index.html Jim Fecteau
Sibel, For the new shop chimney, 10" x 10" tile readily available for inside of a brick chimney. The outside height should be at least four feet above the ridge line for proper draft, Mack Beal
To all, I have used coal fires for a long time at home and in forges around the country as a demonstrator and teacher. The variety of styles and configurations can no longer be counted or recalled. These forges varied from home made toys to truly remarkable work all day, brag-about beauties. My current forge has been in almost daily use for the last 30 years. I think its configuration is one of the best. There are only two my shop now. I will outline both. My forge has a 4' x 4' hearth. There is not a hood or any other item to interfere with tall or large work. There are two restricted chambers going into a tile lined brick chimney. The chimney has a standard 13' x 18' (Outside Dimension) tile liner. Fire and smoke go sideways into the chimney. When the outside tempera- ture is below zero cold air packs into the closed chimney. Draft is started with a burning rag or paper placed into the chimney base, near the fire pot. The second forge is a large standard cast iron Buffalo with a 12" culvert 20' long standing on end for a flue. Draft is very good. A 12" flue is 113 square inches and should be the smallest size considered for a clean oper- ating forge. My forge design has been reproduced many times. It too is a modification of a very old New Eng- land design. Ed Grove
Spring 2011 page 18 New England Blacksmiths From: Thomas Glynn
Tom, If you're getting a stick welder, get 220, and it'll let you weld just about any- thing thicker than sheet metal. If you're welding sheet metal, get MIG instead. Justin Mercier
Tom, What do you plan to weld with it?? That determines which way to head. If you're thinking of a Stick welder - that says amps - which would be best for heavy usage to get a 220 volt unit. However - the new 110 inverters that do stick and tig are pretty awesome for light assembly work and in field tack welding of a project off light current on the site. Then of course how much you spend in any particular process welder is going to determine how far you can go with it. Going to a welding trade show is a great way to figure out what you want. Something like the Miller Road show when it's in town at your welding suppliers is great - there will be 20-40 welders set up to try out - you can't beat that type of decision clarity on what you're getting after you've tried the ones you think you want. The other approach is get literature, decide which way you want to go, then go try one at someone's shop that has one. Spending hundreds or even thousands in the wrong direction is a bad move. Impulse buying should apply to welders....unless of course it's like Jim Fecteau winning a Mig welder in Iron in the Hat. Ralph
Tom, I'd add taking a welding class to the list. Something short like the one day classes at New England School of Metalwork. Money well spent. Steve
Tom, Pay attention to stick welding and really try to master it – it’s the only welding process you can use outside in the wind – this is incredibly important in repairs and tack welding projects together on site. Think small circles with bead path, keep a tight arc, and a lead angle of 15-30 degrees is fine…….this will yield awesome stringer beads. You’ll find Tig totally different than stick as a welding process (even though amps determine the function of both). The tig will be like gas/torch welding – only 3 times hotter, and MUCH less distortion from the long whisping flame of a torch (BUT) the same direction(angle presented) of the torch yields the same results in the weld between tig and oxy acetylene torch welding. If you find no trouble gas welding – you’ll fall right into Tig in no time. It sounds as though someone bought too small a machine and delved into aluminum with the 250 square wave……that’s about the only thing that can burn those up and need to have rebuilds done. Aluminum will be fine with your machine to about ¼” – after that a bigger machine is really needed if you do aluminum. Pay attention to the duty cycles at those higher heats this is what will cook a tig welder faster than anything. Ralph
Spring 2011 page 19 New England Blacksmiths ----Hello All.....it's a very interesting subject of discussion here..an arc welding workshop.....i would definitely attend...and i will add the fact that if anyone has the desire for a one on one chat/demo, i would be quite will- ing to help (my own shop being too small for more than a couple of people)....i have a miller thunderbolt (ACDC) as well as a miller dynasty 200 should anyone be interested in testing/viewing their capabilities with respect to stick and tig welding...in regards to the original post (what type of machine?)..it is a very large ques- tion...i'm kinda old fashioned, by that i mean, in learning to arc weld, one should start off and master the use of stick welding...as an all purpose welding tool, stick welding actually can do it....the range of electrodes avail- able pretty much covers any application, the caveat being, "it is not as easy as it looks"...the key being (like any endeavor), practice,practice,practice...repetition (kinda like making hooks and scrolls)....that being said, the first step is observation...a workshop would allow one to see what a properly accomplished weld should look like....jeesh, i could ramble on for hours on what if's and how comes....mig is purported to be the user friendly process...easier to learn...true enough...but it does have it's limitations...accessibility of the gun to the weldment being the primary limitation, ambient environment being secondary. thirdly,overall cost being slightly higher than stick..and too, the mig process is not one type of machine..there are three different varia- tions most commonly used...short arc, spray arc, pulse arc..and variations within..solid core and flux core....application has the most to do with machine selection...steel, alloys(NICU,CUNI,CRES,INCO,et.al.) aluminum, high strength and purity, pressure vessel and pipe, machinery, high volume production?...but get- ting back to the average joe mechanic/backyard metal worker..i say an AC/DC buzz box is where to start....well anyways, at our get togethers/meets, NEB, CBG, SouthCountyBunch, ABANA, etc...i am the goofy looking dude wearing a very fashionable welding jacket...look me up and ask away Charlie Siedel
From here the conversation turned to welding helmets to bring to the welding symposium at Morrell’s Metal Works. This event developed between newsletters and is a reason you should join the NEBList and not miss opportunities that develop too quickly for the newsletter. Contact Marc Godbout for inclusion in our E-Mail discussions.
For anybody without one, either going to Leigh's or not, www.harborfreight.com has auto darkening welding helmets on sale for the next 4 days for $44.99, plus they have a store in southern NH now if that's close by to you to save tax and shipping. I'd call first to verify it's in the store, sale items disappear quickly. I can vouch for the helmet too as I bought one a while back as a cheap replacement for one I paid over $100 for years back that needs a new battery that costs near as much as the Harbor Freight helmet and I like the performance, fit and weight of the Harbor Freight one better than the old one. I'm also putting some time on it regularly, doing 40 minute stretches of welding as part of production work I do. Wanted to add to the welding thread that I'm entirely self trained, begged my parents to buy me a buzz box and oxy/acetylene torches 48 years ago and I think that ultimately, someone can point you to what to look for, but it's you that has to be able to see it and if your a curious type, you can figure most anything out for yourself. Of course there are some people you can show how to tie their shoes and they just aren't going to get it. So either you're interested in something or you aren't and that makes all the difference between a creative person and someone who can follow directions and only knows one way of doing things. Bruce
Just a warning, if anyone is going to do TIG, most of the cheap auto darkening helmets won’t work correctly. I forget if it is due to the color, frequency or brightness of the spark. I originally tried one, it worked perfectly with Stick welding, but when TIG welding it would lighten in the middle of a weld or not start quick enough other times. Try welding with a black spot in the middle of your field of view… So be warned and check the writing on the box.
Spring 2011 page 20 New England Blacksmiths Also on the other thread about welding and the upcoming welding class, so that people don’t misunderstand what someone wrote as a comment about TIG, it may be more sur- gical than Stick or MIG but it is no less penetrating or strong. Actually in some cases it can be stronger since there is NO possibility of burying a puddle of flux in the weld and the metallurgy tends to stay more consistent in comparison the base metal. With the ad- vent of gas lenses for the torch head, you can, and I have, welded in a mild breeze (enough to 1/3 lift a flag) without losing the gas shielding. Even if the breeze gets a lit- tle stronger, a breeze diverter is as simple as putting a cardboard box 6” upwind from the weld. One nice thing is you immediately know you have lost your shielding when the TIG starts to spark like a Stick welder, so you stop and adjust the diverter. Rich Cizik
A good auto darkening helmet for Tig work will have a “Delay” dial = to keep the lens from lightening until the radiant heat from the weld diminishes so you don’t get flashed from the yellow heat of a tig puddle – and a “Sensitivity” dial so the helmet will trigger at a lower setting if you’d like it to. Without these options you do risk eye damage - Not good. Ralph
Hey Rich, I think what you had was a defective helmet, as ANSI Z87.1 standards apply to these helmets, cheap or other- wise, so I wouldn't set up any concern in anyone considering buying one of these helmets. Test it when you get it, they even have a safe procedure to do so outlined in the manual, and if it doesn't work, return it, Harbor Freight has never given me a problem with returning anything defective. Meant to mention the cheap helmet being discussed does have a slow-fast delay setting, but not a sensitivity setting, which means if I swing my head towards a bright light it can be triggered, even more of a problem out- side in the sun, so for situations you can't control the exposure to a bright light source it could be a problem, otherwise I think it's a fine helmet after putting quite a few hours in with it and it's also the most comfortable helmet I've had, this being number six or so to compare against. The much more expensive one I retired did have both settings while it also required turning it on via a touch pad ever time it sat idle for more than a few minutes, the new cheap guy has an auto on, so no taking the gloves off to work the touch pad before going to town. Bruce
In regards to those situations where the auto lens seems to malfunction: auto lenses are activated by a light sen- sitive switch which is integral to the assembly....the least costly lenses have but one of these sensor/ switches....more costly ones will have multiple sensor/switches....when one is tig welding, you have an arc in one hand and filler rod in the other...often in order to accomplish some finesse in adding filler to the puddle you will move your fill hand and momentarily block the arc light creating a shadow over the lens' sensor switch, thereby shutting the lens off (even though you are still welding)...the same "shadow ef- fect" (inadvertent shut off) can occur with any arc process...say for example when you move your head and field of view from one side of a welded assembly to another without breaking the arc.....obviously, the more sensor/switches you have the less chance there is for inadvertent shut off....yeah, yeah, yeah...auto lenses are the greatest things since sliced bread....for me they ain't worth it for the times they shut down without intend- ing to, for the times I forget to turn them on and mostly for the times when I'm wearing one, shield down and looking through the clear lens mode, whereby, just prior to striking an arc, I instinctively rattle and shake my skull trying to flip down an already down hood Charlie Siedel
Check out this URL http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/auto-darkening-welding-helmets.html Joe Blodgett
Spring 2011 page 21 New England Blacksmiths