What is Best Layout For a Blacksmith Shop?

What is best Layout For a Blacksmith Shop?

I have been a member of your site for a while. I have done welding in the past but never blacksmith work. I have accumulated most items over the years but I am going to join our local blacksmith club in Murfreesboro Tennessee to start learning about the trade. 

I am also in the process of drawing up plans for a shop/barn combination I wish to start on within the next year. 

Can you recommend anything on how to layout a shop for blacksmith work? I have seen some people keep the floors dirt and I saw some youtube videos talking about having the forge, anvil and vise in a triangle around where you stand. I just don't want to build the shop and say later that I messed it up. 

Thanks

Gary  

Hi Gary
Thanks for the inquiry.
Shop design is a personal thing and each of us have our preferences. Most of us agree that they are never big enough.
So that is my first suggestion build it as big as you can afford.

Floor
I prefer concrete as you can keep it relatively clean and you can move heavy equipment around using wheels and rollers.
I don,t like the dirt floors. They kick up too much dust and you can never find a level spot to true up a table. Also if you drop a small nut or bolt it disappears.
For standing on I use a piece of plywood by the anvil. This softens the concrete for standing for long periods.
The concrete also gives you something to anchor to if you don't want things to move.

Ceiling
Again as high as you can afford. I have a small shop with 8.5 foot ceiling and there are many times 10 feet would have been better. Also if you run a gas forge the higher ceilings will allow more of the heat out of the working area of the shop.

Doors
At least one door should be wide enough to get equipment in and out easily. A roll up garage door is great. I have a 4 foot wide man door that works pretty well.

Electricity
230 volts and at least 60 amps. 100 amps would be better but depends on the equipment you will be putting in. If using industrial equipment you may want to think about 500 volts and 3 phase.

Lighting
Some debate here. I use standard 4 foot florescent lighting. Some people use spot or task lighting. Generally I suggest well lit as opposed to the "dim blacksmith shop lighting". More the key is uniform lighting especially on and around the anvil.

Windows that can open for ventilation.

Layout
This is personal. A common mistake is that people will put the forge against a wall or in the corner. You should be able to hold and work on an 8 foot bar. Now it is very rare that we ever work 8 feet but the extra space does come in handy. If you work with a coal forge you will need to factor in a chimney. In this case I would put the back of the forge against the wall with the working sides free on either side. You never know when you may have a friend over that wants to do some work too. 

The triangle is a handy adaption although it is more each major piece of equipment is one point of the geometric form with the anvil in the middle. So forge one point , vise another, layout table another, power hammer another, tool rack another, slack tube another. Again this is personal adaption on your space and work style. If you set something up and hate the work dynamic you can move things around.

Cold working tools such as grinders and sanders and welders, should be nearby but do not have to be in the hot working area.

It doesn't hurt to sketch a couple of scenarios down on paper and see if they may sense.
I hope this helps a bit 

David Robertson

Artist Blacksmith

How Strong Do you Have To Be For Blacksmithing?

How Physically Fit Do You Have To Be For Blacksmithing?

Hello,

I noticed that you have a blog where you answer questions about blacksmithing.  I am hoping you might answer mine as it is something I think other people wonder about as well.

I am thinking of taking a blacksmith class because I appreciate well-made items that are not mass-produced and like the idea of working with metal.  I don't intend to make my living this way but hope to make some basic items, like knives, hooks, etc.  However, I am curious how strong and in-shape one has to be to do this.? Also, realistically, what kinds of skill sets make a good blacksmith?   I am a woman in my 50s, moderately good condition but not an athlete or weightlifter, a bit on the short side.  I know how to use basic tools but have never built anything before.  Would blacksmithing probably be beyond me?  Perhaps you can describe the physical qualities and basic skill sets which make someone a good blacksmith?

Thank you in advance for your reply.

Regards,
Tara

 Hi Tara thanks for your question and I will put it up on the blog as I agree it may be a common question.

How Strong to be a blacksmith
In this modern age strength is less important than stamina and willingness to look at new ways of doing things. I am by no means what people think of as a hulking blacksmith. I explain to my students that it is really about coaxing the metal to shape not muscling it to shape. This means that there are many repeated hammer blows to create the shape desired. The object is to apply the right amount of force at exactly the right spot to move the metal the right amount. Of course bigger bars require more force to move them.

There are a miriad of techniques and tools that help us manipulate the steel. I know a number of women of all ages that do blacksmithing with out any problems. They tend to think more about design and how to work with the steel instead of handling huge bars.

Realistically it is a physical activity and it requires standing for long periods of time. There is movement of the hammer. Usually a 2 lb hammer swung many times in a day but you get to take a rest every time the steel heats. This is almost 50% of the time. Most of the starting projects use small bar and this is easy to manipulate. Larger projects often use multiple small pieces that are later assembled. The final project might be quite heavy but we can use over head cranes and hoists to move things around. If you set up a larger shop power hammers can help manipulate the steel. These are expensive machines but the amount of work that they do is incredible.

Where I would caution a person with blacksmithing is if they have a previous ailment such as carpal tunnel, tennis elbow, or rotator cuff injuries to their dominant side. The smithing can make these conditions flare up.

Skill sets that make a good blacksmith
There are many common skills that serve the blacksmith well and some specialized skills.

• Be able to look at a problem and figure out a solution given resources at hand
• Willingness to learn and do a bit of research
• Learn from your mistakes
• If you are fighting with a problem being able to stop and look at it from another view point
• Willingness to experiment
• Understanding that this endeavor requires practice and lots of it. You usually can be successful with minimal effort but to be really good takes a lot of practice.
• Some ability to roughly sketch on paper what you want to make helps a great deal. Especially with later complicated projects.
• Not be afraid of the hot metal. Yes you will get burned. Usually they are minor.
• Specifically being able to electric weld will help
• Good hand eye coordination

In short from your description I would say that you would be fine at blacksmithing. Be realistic that it takes time to get good at it but you should have a good degree of success from the beginning.
I hope this helps.
David Robertson
Artist Blacksmith

Is Arc Weld Forgeable?

Is Arc Weld Forgeable?

Mr.Robertson,

Is arc weld forgeable? In other words can you heat a arc weld and change its shape and still maintain the integrity of the weld. I'm talking stick weld using rod for low carbon steal, a36, 1018, 1045

thanks for your help.
Jjim Shaver

Hi Jim
The short answer is yes if it is a good weld to start with.

Now there are some problems. Arc welding tends to create a bit of an undercut right at the edges of the weld. When you forge over top you flatten out the weld but the undercut stays. This can become a crack with successive forgings. It also usually stays visible which I find unsightly and indicates to me that the piece has been electrically welded.

Higher carbon content steel may develop a fracture at the undercut more easily than low carbon mild steel, if it is worked on the cold side. Although high carbon may actually benefit more from the forging process than lower carbon steel especially if it was not preheated when welded.

I would suggest (of course depending on the application) using a rod that doesn't undercut the steel very much. 7014 comes to mind but this depends on the steel and your welder (dc is better than ac) and your welding skills.

Alternatively if you mig or tig weld there is less undercutting and you can forge directly with little issue, both in strength and visibility of the weld.

Of course try a few practice pieces and I recommend forging more on the hot side than the cold side of temperatures and properly prep your welds with V groove and multiple passes as is appropriate for strength. Play with your machine setting until you get the least undercut with the weld.

I hope this helps.
David Robertson
Artist Blacksmith

Hand Forged Nails

How To Make Hand Forged Nails

Thanks for the black smithing tips. I have been enjoying them. I am a beginner. Right now I am learning to make a nail. Can you tell me what size of a hole you need to hammer the nail through to create the head if you are working with 1/4" round stock? And is the hole a little wider at the opening? I am making my own tool to help form the nail head.

Glad you are starting out. Nail making is a good place to start as it teaches you hammer control and speed.
The nail header is a flat bar which can be mild steel to start, but if you make a lot of nails you may want to use a piece of tool steel such as car leaf spring. It should be fairly thick about 1/2 an inch.

You hot punch a square tapering hole in the bar. For the 1/4 round you mention I would not go bigger than 3/16 square. Now the key is that the hole is smaller at the top and larger at the bottom.

This means that after you draw out the point on the 1/4 round and position it . Make the partial cut so that about 3/8 to 1/2 inch sticking above the heading tool. Then take a good upsetting heat on it (bright yellow) then place in the heading tool and twist off the "handle" then quickly drive straight down into the heading tool.

It is best if you cut from all sides not just one side.

As the nail gets driven down onto the nail header the first thing that happens is that it slides until the sharp edges of the sides grab onto the steel. Once it grabs then the hot metal deforms "upsets" to create the head. Once it is well seated you can use angled hammer strokes to make the rosette head.

When it has cooled a bit a tap on the point or simply turning the heading tool over and tapping on the anvil and it often releases the nail. If the heading tool has the small opening down you are wedging the steel into a socket and it is much harder to get out and it doesn't make a nice shoulder.

If you are just starting you will find bigger nails are easier to make. 5/16 or 3/8 rod size. They hold the heat longer so you don't have to work quite so fast.

David Robertson
Artist Blacksmith
www.ArtistBlacksmith.com

Review of Kevlar Flame Resitant Apron

Puncture and Flame Resistant Apron Review

Review of Kevlar Spark Resistant Apron by Magid Glove and Safety

I have been asked to do a review of a heat resistant apron for use in blacksmithing.

You can see it in the photo. It has full coverage and is quite light material. There are cross over straps that are quite comfortable and easy to adjust for sizing. It is also easy to get into and out of.

I am not a huge fan of the color but in a blacksmith shop that will change.

The traditional leather apron is used to deflect sparks or falling hot metal away from your body. Leather is quite durable and will take a beating. But in cold weather (as you see I am wearing my hat as it was chilly today in the shop) leather stiffens up and you practically have to thaw it out.
With this apron it was soft and pliable all the time. A nice bonus.

So How did I test this apron out? Well I simply stretched the fabric across an opening and secured it with two magnets.

I then heated a 3/8ths square bar about 3 inches long to about 1800 degrees F. See the photo on the left.

I then placed the hot bar on the fabric and watched what happened.





So it turns out that after about 3 seconds the heat transfers through the fabric and scorches the underside. Now this means that if you were inc contact with the hot steel for 3 seconds you probably would get burned.

But after smoking a bit (stinks a bit too) the bar was still well supported after 15 seconds. This means that the fabric was still intact after 15 second direct exposure to 1800 degree heat.

Now in the greater schem of things 3 seconds is a long time to have something hot brush up against you in blacksmithing. 15 seconds is an eternity.

So my feeling is this is a good product for general protection.








You can see the smoke in this photo.














This final photo shows the scorch mark. Not bad for 15 second exposure.

More on Forge Welding

Forge Welding Tricks and Temperatures

Hello Mr. Robertson:

I very much enjoy your website (www.ArtistBlacksmith.com) as I am new to blacksmithing and value the articles as a learning resource.

My two questions deal with technique to follow when hand forge welding:

Q#1) I have used both a gas forge and an oxy/acetylene torch to heat small parts when I need to shape and forge weld tool steels (D2) to mild steels. From my research, I understand that the best forge welding occurs when steel temperatures are both above 2400F and when both surfaces are well cleaned. I have a very difficult time seeing the difference in color between dull yellow/orange, bright yellow and yellow/white to know when the materials are both hot enough to effectively weld. I have tried using "Tempsil crayons" to measure surface temperatures, but these crayons only indicate when surface conditions are above 1850F.
What trick or tool do you use to insure that both steel parts are adequately heated to guarantee a good quality forge weld?

There is a lot going on with a forge weld. You certainly need a high temperature and scrupulously clean all helps. At these temperature it is very hard to see and judge the colors of the steel. I usually tell people to look for a lemon yellow or melted butter color or the same color as the interior of the gas forge running at max. But there are some tricks that can be used.

The first one and will gain you the most success is to use special shade 2 welders glasses. Click Here for selection of Amazon Infra-dura safety glasses. I use either the infra-dura shade 2 or rose dydmium glasses for the forge welding. The infra-dura lens actually filters out more of the harsh light than the dydimium. Both of these lenses allow you to see the surface of the steel at high temperatures. The shade 2 lens is green and you have to get use to the color shift but with a little practice this is not a problem. I would suggest wearing them for all forge work.

When using these glasses I am looking for a surface that has a bright greasy look to it. It should also have a look like it is almost slithering around. This is not liquid but getting close to it. The whole weld area should be the same color with no shadows. If it is an uneven heat turn the bar over in the fire and soak it from all sides. It should be an uniform temperature all the way through.

Another trick to try when starting out is forge a 1/4 inch round bar to a point and bend the point over a 90 degrees. Bring the bar that you want to weld up to temperature with the 1/4 round pointed one beside it. When you think it is right touch the point to the part that you think is at welding temperature in the fore fire. It should stick. If it doesn't stick it is too cold. Soak it longer.

If it sticks ( you should be able to pull it apart) take the weld. Start with simple fold over welds such as handles or even 1/4 by 1 inch flat bars just folded over on itself to learn the temperatures required.

Remember in gas forges this is working right at the top of what they are capable of. A high altitude makes a big difference as well. Above 4000 feet you may need a blower to provide extra air.

Q#2) I have heard that some blacksmith's prefer flux when forge welding while others strictly refrain from using flux because flux introduces contamination to the weld site. If flux is preferred, what are the best flux formulas for forge welding steels, stainless steels and wrought iron?

Flux is a bit of contentious issue. If using no flux your joints and fire have to be as clean as possible. Flux keeps the scale from forming on the bar. Scale does not weld. Some fluxes contain a ground metalic ingredient that lowers the welding temperature and increases the surface area at the joint. All these are good things when joining mild steel. I have used these compounds and they do work well. Trade names that come to mind are EZ-weld, Cherry heat, Antiborax, There are others. The problem comes when you are welding damascus billets as this metallic grains introduce a new layer into the billet and it can muddy the sharp transition between the layers.

20 Mule Team Borax found in the laundry isle has been used for years and works well for all general forge welding. It introduces no metallic contaminate. However there is a downside to using 20 Mule Team Borax. On regular joints it leaves a residue of borax that is very hard to clean off. It can be ground or sand blasted off. The problem with this residue is that it will start to turn white as it is exposed to moisture. So you may have this lovely forge welded piece then it starts to get this frosted appearance at the joints after a couple of years. Not pleasant

Different fluxes for different steels.
I have not forge welded stainless steel, but I understand you require a special flux with a Fluoride component to clean the stainless. Wrought iron should have enough slag in the matrix of the bar that you don't need flux but Borax wouldn't hurt.

I hope this helps
David Robertson
Artist Blacksmith

Blacksmith Protective Eyewear Questions

Protective Eyewear Questions

1. Can you comment on fit for people who normally wear glasses - i.e. isn't it necessary to get safety glasses that fit over the regular eyeglasses. I've ruined two different pair of regular glasses because I thought that if I got lenses comprised of 'safety' rated material, e.g. polycarbonate that would work. Well, it might work for safety features, but after a short while I had so many small pieces of metal shavings and welding rod flux imbedded in them, the visibility through them was degraded. To replace these is quite expensive.

2. Why is the tint necessary if the eyewaer has UV protection?

Hi Doug
1) Prescription glasses are a problem. Although if the safety lenses protected your eyes from the metal shards and flux yes they did their job. This is a personal fit thing and yes best option is glasses that cover completely your regular glasses.

2) The forge like a cutting torch puts out UV and Infrared. Most glasses are well protected for the UV but very few protect for the infrared spectrum. The chemistry of the additives in the lens can filter out the infrared. Various tints help you see the metal better by filtering out different spectrums of visible light. The didymium ones I use filter out the sodium flare which is the bright yellow light from the forge.

I recommend shade 2 welding lenses such as Uvex Infradura shade 2 (shade 3 which is more common is pretty dark for shopwork as I start to trip over things). You may also find clip ons available that would protect both you and your prescription glasses but you may have to dig a bit for those. I use a pair similar to the above glasses for forge welding and find them much cooler on the eyes Than the rose didymium that are my regular forging glasses. The infradura filters 85% of the infrared and about 99% of the UV

Also www.auralens.net has a more extensive line of specific high temperature lenses. Look for metal working.

I hope this helps.
David Robertson
Artist Blacksmith