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8:17 pm
December 12, 2010
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I'm practicing making a cows head out of 1/2 sq bar stock. This is my first attempt and so far so good. But, I have not forged the cows head in one forging. I usually put the heated piece on my anvil when I'm done forging for the day and return days later to continue. I was wondering if it would be better to place it in some vermiculite, quench it, leave it on the anvil, throw it on the ground, leave it in the turned off gas forge, etc This eventually may lead to a larger door knocker, or fireplace poker, but for now 1/2 is the material at hand. Does it matter? What about forging in general when you can't complete your project in one forging. Does it depend on the materials used? What's your thoughts?
10:29 pm
April 12, 2010
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i usually throw my partially forged items under the forge of just someplace out of the way that wont catch fire or get picked up by mistake.
but really it doesnt matter stick it where you want. You dont gain anything by sticking it in the forge to cool off. And actually you might end up loosing more material do to heavy scaling.
goodluck!
12:28 am
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April 26, 2010
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What kind of steel are we talking about here?
If it's mild steel - something like A36 or 1018, then just let it cool in air. If you're in a hurry, cool it to black and swish it in water.
If it's 304, just swish it in water.
No matter where you go... there you are.
4:13 pm
May 22, 2010
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I also just throw my unfinished projects under the forge when I need to stop as I am hobbyist at this point and still have to work at a paying job, lol. Anyhow, I just throw them under the forge so that I know I still have projects to complete instead of starting something new.
What I have found is that if you can forge a piece in one heat, it will generally look better than if you took 10 heats to do the same thing. Being a hobbyist ... I don't always have that opportunity, nor do I have the expertise at this point, I'm still learning from every blacksmith I come in contact with! I'll be learning until I die, love it!
It amazes me every time I watch an experienced blacksmith (one who does it for their employ) just how quick and precise their movements are to get the most out of each and every heat! Time is money to them, not to mention that every time you heat that piece of metal up, it's going to scale ... the more heats, the more scale which means your piece is getting smaller each time and is losing some detail due to the scale effect.
Just my 2 copper! :help:
Brad Roland :hot:
10:29 pm
December 12, 2010
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What do horseshoers do when they are finished hot shaping a shoe. I've seen them throw the shoe in the dirt, quench it, and what do they do with heated aluminum shoes. The reason I ask these questions is that isn't each time you forge something aren't you heat treating it also, and it must change the structure of the metal to some degree. So, if you have to stop forging, is it best to let it air cool on the forge, anvil, floor and does it matter if you are going to heat it up again in a few days. My guess would be is that it matters how it's cooled depending on what is the purpose of the object ... punch, chisel, drift , art object, decorative object, furniture bracket, etc.
3:22 am
May 13, 2010
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On a related note, be careful about putting hot steel on your concrete floor. Small pcs. are usually not a problem but bigger pcs. or piles can cause parts of the the floor to explode and you end up with a spalled floor, and bits of concrete flying around.
3:43 am
December 12, 2010
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JNewman: Thanks, I'll be careful.
4:38 am
NWBA Member
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April 26, 2010
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Dave;10434 wrote: The reason I ask these questions is that isn't each time you forge something aren't you heat treating it also, and it must change the structure of the metal to some degree.
True. Each time we heat it up from below critical, we renucleate new grains. Each time we leave it at heat in the fire, or heat it up a lot, we increase the grain size.
Dave;10434 wrote: So, if you have to stop forging, is it best to let it air cool on the forge, anvil, floor and does it matter if you are going to heat it up again in a few days. My guess would be is that it matters how it's cooled depending on what is the purpose of the object ... punch, chisel, drift , art object, decorative object, furniture bracket, etc.
This is the part where I tell you to read Professor Verhoeven's pdf: http://www.feine-klingen.de/PD.....hoeven.pdf
"Fast" and "slow" are relative terms. Taking a 3" by 3" die of H-13 from yellow to room temperature in five minutes is fast enough to make it hard. A bright red 1/4" round 1018 bar would be partly annealed in the same amount of time. Quench the bright red 1018 in water and it won't get very hard. Quench the yellow H-13 in water and it will shatter.
For the most part, you need not worry about how fast you cool mild steel. If you think you've messed up the grain (too hot or too long at heat) then bring it up to red & cool it down again a few times.
For a decorative item in mild steel, grain structure doesn't much matter until you are working thin bits or working at black heats.
No matter where you go... there you are.
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