Hammer In @ Ragnarok Forge

[Ragnarok Forge]

Gudspelr and I had been chatting by email about blacksmithing and bladesmithing.  He emailed two weeks ago to let me know he was taking me up on an offer to come down for a weekend of free blacksmithing classes.  This just happens be the weekend he picked to visit.

We got right down to business this morning.  Jeremy started learning hammer control at the anvil.  Once he had the basics down he worked on turning a round rod into a square one, then a square rod to an octagonal.  The next step was more hammer control work making a coil spring into a straight rod.  

The last task for the day was to make his first set of tongs.  Tomorrow we will work on forging a small knife with the intent to get it completed before he heads home to Idaho.

   

   

   

   

   

   

[Steve Nuckels]

Very nice shop!  I like that anvil too!  I have a large chunk of steel 11" X 12" X 2"  that I plan to use on edge as a anvil of sorts.

Big hammer, some one's in good shape!

Looks like fun and informative!

Steve
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Potomac Forge

[Ragnarok Forge]

Not yet but he will be, he will be!  

[sticshooter]

How do you keep that shop SO CLEAN? Looks great and I noticed a hatchet head in the forge plans?<><

[Cody D Works]

Looks like a blast!
I would love it if there were some type of lessons areound here. we have a local blacksmith but he does strictly artistic/decorative work i believe.

[Ragnarok Forge]

So it is day two and Jeremy is doing a great job.  His first knife is in the tempering oven and will get an antler handle before he heads home.  He forged up a piece of horse rasp I had left around the shop and then ground it to final shape.  Due to short time frames we couldn't spend as much time as I like working on fine hammering the blade shape. I will post pics of the knife once we have a handle on it.  

It has been a fun weekend with a lot of laughing and hammering going on.  I see a bright future for Jeremey in the forging world.  

   

   

   

   

   

   

[Ragnarok Forge]

Jeremy is headed home on a 7 hour drive to Idaho.  Today he took a piece of horse rasp and forged, ground, normalized, heat treated, tempered, and then fitted a boiled antler handle on it. He plans to put a wood butt cap on the end of the handle and pin it in place.  The front of the antler handle will be ground and fine sanded to make a nice taper to the spine of the blade.

My shop is not normally that clean.  I spent an evening cleaning it up so I could teach without any clutter.  That hatchet head will be forged into a spike tomahawk that is going to travel overseas with a Marine.  

   

It was an awesome weekend spent with a great Trad Ganger.

[gudspelr]

Clay-

Just wanted to say thanks again for such an awesome weekend.  Your generosity is incredible-I'm truly thankful for this site and folks like you so willing to share your knowledge with guys like me.  I had a blast learning with you and will hopefully keep getting better.  I'll be sure and post a picture with the finished knife here.


Jeremy

[elk ninja]

Looks like a very fun weekend fellas!

[Ragnarok Forge]

Elk Ninja,

Do you know of any bladesmiths or blacksmiths in Idaho?  Gudspelr has been looking around to find one closer to home.  He came to visit me since I am the closest one he has found so far.  He is excited to learn and build his own forge and shop.  7 hours is a bit of a drive.

[Steve Nuckels]

Jeremy, that blade is going to be very nice!  I'm liking that!

Steve
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Potomac Forge

[Scott Roush]

cool stuff. sounds fun. your shop makes mine look like a dungeon!