MTFBWY Eps: 34 - New Quench Tank and Bad News...

Well guys, I got a new quench tank, but I have to rebuild my forge... Ive lost too much refractory off the roof, so it doesnt hold the heat properly anymore. Not getting close to welding temps...



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MTFBWY Eps: 33 - Ed's Knife & Grind Bowie

Well, I got Ed's knife rough forged to shape, and I got a bunch of grinding done on my Bowie! I switched out to the Norton Blaze belts that I bought, and WOW! i love my grinder again haha!



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MTFBWY Eps: 32 - Peter Wright 84lb Anvil!!!!

Thanks to my friend Ed, i now have a proper anvil! its a 84lb Peter Wright anvil. I started cleaning it up, and once i get my hands on a wire wheel for my angle grinder, ill finish it up. I just got too antsy and wanted to try it out. having a proper anvil means that i can put in about half the work to get the same result! The anvil will put in as much as i am with the rebound it has! AWESOME! but now i have to build a few new hardy hole tools, as this anvil has a smaller one than my mild steel home-built one haha!



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MTFBWY Eps: 31 - My Bowie pt1

Well guys, as promised, here is part 1 of my bowie build!
Next weekend, ill put the final grind on it, and start building the guard and handles!



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MTFBWY Eps: 30 - Brother's Bowie pt2

Well guys, we didnt exactly plan on going out to the forge, but we did, and i forgot the camera inside... we just got so lost in time that i didnt even think about the camera haha!



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MTFBWY Eps: 29 - Brother's Bowie pt1

My brother is down for Christmas, so I got the forge all working really well! We started working on a custom leaf spring Bowie knife for him!



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MTFBWY Eps: 28 - Welding The Sideskirts On!

Hey guys, I needed to make and weld some sideskirts on the forge to help keep the heat in! I think it works pretty good!



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MTFBWY Eps: 27 - Rearrange The Shop & Natural Gas?

Well guys, I moved the forge so i could try to run it on natural gas, but that was a huge fail... I cleaned up the shop, leveled my anvil, and tried to make some tongs. I gotta seal up my forge better... losing too much heat.

Check these guys out!
Alec Steele
Tim @ Big Dog Forge
Jeff @ Darkmoon Metals
Tom @ Tom Chitwood Bladeworks



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MTFBWY Eps: 26 - Top Secret Project pt2

Well guys, after 3 weeks of resting my wrist, I got back into the shop. Last week's footage got about half edited before i got bored watching it, so i deleted it. I gotta follow this video style, instead of doing long running clips. ANYWAYS, i got a lot more done on the Top Secret Damascus Dagger project!



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MTFBWY Eps: 25 - Top Secret Project pt1

Well guys, I need to build something, but I have to keep it as quiet as i can haha! Here's part 1 of the top secret cable damacus build!



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MTFBWY Eps: 24 - My First Cable Damascus!

Well guys, I decided that I wanted to try some forge welding. After getting a piece of cable from a deck truck, I decided that my first piece made from pattern welded steel would be a cable damascus knife!



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MTFBWY Eps: 23 - Truck Nuts for Jeff!

Well guys, my buddy Jeff wanted some truck nuts made for his truck, I had a pile of these giant 2.75" nuts, so I decided to take on the challenge! He wanted them 'beat-up' looking, so I hope he likes them!



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MTFBWY Eps: 22 - Holdfast & Hole Punch Tools

Well guys, I made a holdfast to help with certain tasks, as well as finished my hole punching block. I cant wait to start using them! I need to make another set of tongs for bigger material and square material...



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MTFBWY Eps: 21 - HH Hole Punch Tool pt1

Well guys, punching holes in the tongs with my round hole in the anvil was tricky and messy, so I decided to start building a hole punch tool for my hardy hole!



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MTFBWY Eps: 20 - Fix and Hang Hammers!

Well guys, Seeing as I have to work tomorrow, I decided to just tidy and do some needed things in the shop, vs any forging this weekend. I picked up a new cross-peen hammer, which had a terrible handle fit (believe it or not, it was the better of the two that were at the store!) and a new handle for my favorite hammer! I also FINALLY got those straps attached so I could hang my hammers on the anvil!



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MTFBWY Eps: 19 - TONGS!!! FINALLY!!!

Well guys, I FINALLY was able to build a set of tongs! they arent anything pretty, but they will work and if i can forge easier and without dropping hot steel on the floor, then that's a win!



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MTFBWY Eps: 18 - HD Bench Vise pt1

Well guys, I cant afford a brand new big heavy duty vise, and all the used ones for sale are too small, so im building my own!



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MTFBWY Eps: 17 - Hardy Hole Drawing Tool

Jeff @ Darkmoon Metals

I actually made it through a project without stopping to start something else haha! The Hardy Hole Drawing Tool isnt pretty, but it works! I need to make more stuff and get better at symmetry. I am thinking that Im favoring one side more than the other, which is creating the lopsidedness of the stuff that i am making...



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MTFBWY Eps: 16 - BIG Anvil, Tongs 2.0 & The Stretcher

Well guys, I tried making a set of tongs, but they didnt turn out, so I started another set. This time, they are starting to work a little better. I need to stretch material better, so I saw the need for another tool! I also welded the hardy hole section onto my anvil, built the base, and got it higher off the ground! It is much easier to work with now, and Im not getting a sore back from hunching over anymore!



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MTFBWY Eps: 15 - Prepping for Sunday (Bonus Video)

Well guys, my buddy Mike should be coming over to smash some iron on sunday, so I decided to get a start on one of the projects ill be working on. Also Im going to be building a marking punch!



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MTFBWY Eps: 14 - Forging A Hot Cut Tool!

Well guys, as my first official forging project, I decided I needed a hot cut tool! My Next tool will either be a hold-down, or tongs. I REALLY need tongs...



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MTFBWY Eps: 13 - Shop Cleanup

Well guys, Im getting closer to having my forge ready to go! I got the intake system figured out, and now all I need is to take it all apart and use sealant on the threads!



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MTFBWY Eps: 12 - Finish Wiring & New Anvil Head!

Hey guys, I finally got the West Bank lighting done, now all I have to do to totally finish the wiring is pigtail the 2 outlets. Anyways, I went to the local scrap yard today, and picked up a good chunk of 2.75" Square stock, weighing 27lbs to use as my new anvil head! i gotta build the base for it, but I am getting closer every weekend to being able to forge stuff! Very excited!



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MTFBWY Eps: 11 - Grinding Swivel Seat Parts!

Well guys, I need a stool for the grinding bench, so i decided to make one. Ive gotta clean up the parts so I can then weld them!



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MTFBWY Eps: 10 - Shop Wiring

Well guys, today I got the East-Bank lighting wired up and working, and I also got the 4 East wall outlets wired up. I popped open the fuse panel to see what was going on inside, and turns out I didnt even have to buy any breakers! SCORE!



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MTFBWY Eps: 09 - Setting Up The Shop

Well guys, Im getting the shop ready for my next adventure into blacksmithing! I cant wait to get started making knives!

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MTFBWY Eps: 08 - Cutting The Firebrick

Well guys, the methods i tried first were probably not the safest... I googled it, and found that a hammer and chisel is the most effective way to size firebrick.



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MTFBWY Eps: 07 - Belt Grinder Modifications

Well guys, I got one more pulley welded onto my belt grinder assembly, then noticed how terribly not square my pulleys are! So I cut it apart, and modified it from its original design. I think I may have one more modification yet to make...



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MTFBWY Eps: 06 - Cast Refractory Pour Update

Well guys, this is just a quick update on the cast refractory and how it is curing.



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MTFBWY Eps: 05 - Cast Refractory Pour

Well guys, In this episode, I mix up the refractory and pour it in the forge pieces that I built in the beginning of this series!

My cast refractory consists of 4 parts:

Perlite
Silica Sand
Portland Cement
Fireclay*

*due to funds at the time, I could not afford actual fireclay, so i opted for regular clay... this was a big mistake i found out... my forge is capable of reaching 2300*F, but holding it at those temperatures is destroying it... the ceiling part around the burner inlets is melting off, leaving dangerous hotspots on the top of the forge.



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MTFBWY Eps: 04 - Sacrificial Table Saw

Well guys, I picked up a cheap table saw that I didnt feel bad about repurposing parts from to make my belt grinder go! I harvest the motor, and a few other parts from it. Almost nothing will go to waste off this!

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MTFBWY Eps: 03 - Belt Grinder pt2

Well guys, Im here again working on getting my home-made belt grinder up and running! With the tensioner system working, the rest is a walk in the park!

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MTFBWY Eps:02 - Belt Grinder pt1

Hey guys, How's it going? Well, I started working on my belt grinder in this video. This grinder has had a lot of sketches done, and a lot of re-works to get it right. This is the beginning of this tool build!

Have a great week guys!

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MTFBWY Eps: 01 - Forge Build

Hey Guys, I thought I would start a new blog for the new chapter in my life!
A Lot has happened in the past 7 years since my last blog update haha!

I got into blacksmithing (mostly bladesmithing) and have been really enjoying it!
This is the first episode of 'May The Forge Be With You'; my Blacksmithing series.

In this episode, I begin construction of my forge: the crucial part of any blacksmithing operation!

Enjoy!

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