The Home Blacksmith by Ryan Ridgway

Author:Ryan Ridgway [Ryan Ridgway, DVM]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CompanionHouse Books
Published: 2017-11-08T22:51:03+00:00

Chapter 6: Making Your Own Tools

The great thing about having a blacksmith forge is that you can make your own tools or refurbish old tools very inexpensively. Historically, journeymen blacksmiths had to make their own tools before setting off on their own and making tools for everyone else. The tools in this chapter will get you started forging and will help out around the house and farm.

MAKING YOUR FORGE TOOLS

Your first project should be a set of fire-maintenance tools because without proper fire maintenance, you will be forever inefficient as a blacksmith—dirty fires will prevent you from forge-welding, clinker will rob your fire’s heat, and you will burn more fuel than you need to as the fire constantly grows more inefficient and larger. Forging a poker, rake, shovel, ladle, and coal scoop or scuttle will help you work on tapering, rounding, dishing, and riveting.

Making a Match

When you are making anything that needs to match, always start with stock of equal dimensions. If you have unmatched types of steel, I find it easiest to forge them into matching stock before performing the next step. For example, if I have differently shaped (e.g., square and round) or sized pieces of steel, I will forge the larger piece to the same dimensions as the smaller piece and then taper both pieces to match. You only need to forge the piece to match as far as the next step, and you need not change the dimensions of the whole piece of metal unless you figure out the matching volumes and cut off that exact amount. I always prefer to err on the side of caution, so I like there to be extra metal to cut off at the end. You can always find small one-off projects to use up the cut-off pieces.

The Ubiquitous S-Hook

Every blacksmithing how-to book includes a section on forging an S-hook as a beginner’s project, and I would be amiss if I didn’t as well. Besides, S-hooks are useful for hanging up your forge tools as well as for other things around the house and farm. The hooks can be plain, or they can be as decorative as you want, with fancy scrolled ends and twists.

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