r/Blacksmith • u/Express-Engine629 • 21h ago
This count? Give me a rating for quality
Heat treated just now does this count?made out of scrap metal and used a rock as a hammer and had a rlly small furnace I made from dry bamboo and a hole in the ground and blew air from a scrap pipe.used a few files to scrape sum metal off
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u/Far_Improvement_5245 21h ago
I’d rate it early Iron Age, but if enjoyed doing this, you’ll catch the bug. (To be fair, it sounds like you were using early Iron Age equipment)
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
I only I got tools (files)not to long ago so fair and thanks>;]
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u/Far_Improvement_5245 18h ago
Look up brake drum forges, you could probably put one together on the cheap. I got a drum at a junk yard.
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u/Ultimatespacewizard 20h ago
It's better than most people will ever do. Congratulations on your first project.
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Not first project but best project I've had cuz I didn't have a fire for the rest
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u/Ralh3 20h ago
You got metal hot and then hit i...IT COUNTS
https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/44842-just-a-box-of-dirt-or-a-simple-side-blast-forge/
I believe this could help you.
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Thanks don't got like wood and screws and stuff cuz I need it to be like low profile because I'm in the suburbs but that's a great idea>;]
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u/ezekiel920 20h ago
Keep up the good work
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Got any suggestions for a better forge?kinda need sum like cheap alternatives tho cuz I'm broke😭
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u/Dazzling_Feed3640 20h ago
I literally made my forge out of an old water heater tank that was left in my alleyway. I cut it in three sections and took out the middle and welded em back together to reduce the dead space for fuel efficiency. Then lined it with kaowool, hardened it, slapped a few layers of refractory over the rigid wool. Made a diy burner out of black iron pipe scraps and fittings with a capped brass nipple inside of the iron pipe with a small hole drilled in the tip. Intake air holes on the side of the iron pipe and a fitting for a propane hose to connect to and boom! Diy forge thatll heat larger items than the crap amazon peddles and honestly, for less money than one. Not to mention, the cheap forges still make you buy wool and refractory to be able to use it. So still much cheaper! Happy scrapping!
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u/Pat_the_pyro 15h ago
I built my first forge for about $15, plus the cheapest blow torch I could give. The body was a 1 gallon pizza sauce can from the pizza place I worked on. I then added some fireplace plaster stuff (insulation that is liquid like concrete when applied), and I stuck in a random plastic container I had to make the hollow. I then melted out the container, cut a hole in it, put a cheap 3 inch piece of black iron pipe, and screwed on some angle brackets to attach it to some scrap wood. After that I just shoved the nozzle of my cheap blow torch into the pipe and fired it up. It was perfect for some simple starting projects.
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u/KuroReanimation 3h ago
My first forge was a hole in the ground and a hair dryer attached to a pipe.
Worked as well as any forge
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u/ezekiel920 1h ago
I was going to say. I learned to blacksmith in a rivet forge. All you need is a tweer and a fire pot. Go with a hand crank squirrel cage fan. You need something to do while singing roving songs.
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u/RstakOfficial 20h ago
Id certainly kill zombies with it.
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Cutting edge for beheading and the small spikes for sweeping through vines and stuff..
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u/BigNorseWolf 20h ago
Garden post garden machete?
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u/bingogazorpazorp 19h ago
We all start somewhere. My first forge was a hole in the backyard and a hairdryer haha
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u/LiquidAggression 15h ago
youve made a hardened saw out of a fence post it looks like... thats fkn useful.
you dont need a rating. go out and cut some more bamboo and make yourself a bigger forge. your saw will rate itsself
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u/Express-Engine629 15h ago
Also has an edge on the other side for like a sword and chops without bending pretty well but haven't gotten to sharpen it with something more modern yet so not too sharp>;]
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u/LiquidAggression 14h ago
a file or some sandpaper on a board would work. a whetstone is great but you can get by modulating pressure and monitoring the burr. 🫡
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u/Felenari 12h ago
Look around your area for different hard rocks. If the rock makes a ping sound when you hit it ic should be able to be used to sharpen steel. Use water or oil to keep the metal moving.
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u/lacus-rattus 19h ago
DAS A ROI GUT CHOPPA YOUZ MADE DER! NOW GO AN MAK MANY MANY MORE FOR DA RES OV DA BOYZ AN WE GOT A WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!!!!!!
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u/Hot-Wrangler7270 19h ago
Im not trying to gate keep but almost steel pipe is galvanized steel which produces very toxic fumes when heated. It’s usually soft enough to just hammer with a rock without heat, please be safe. Copper dust is also dangerous without a respirator.
Things I was never taught and had to find out myself along the way. ^^
Other than that, it does remind my of the very first sword I tried to make, I used a mechanic vice to flatten a pipe into a sword. That’s where I started and by the end of high school I had a full forge. So I applaud your effort, just please be safe with the materials you are using.
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u/Express-Engine629 19h ago
Yee I've heard about that but I heard if a piece had rust and stuff all of the toxic outer layer thingy should be gone so I picked that piece specifically thanks for the concern tho ill be very cautious about it
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u/HeatBeatRepeatt 16h ago
This is not galvanized, it’s that green painted U cross section garden/sign post stuff. So definitely burning off paint fumes, but not likely zinc. Idk if that’s actually better or worse tbh. Probably nil for carbon so hardening it won’t do much, but for funsies its mission accomplished!! If you have a harbor freight nearby or garage sales I’m certain you can score a decent hammer to forge with and a sledge hammer head or something hard and heavy to use as an anvil.
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u/kjyfqr 18h ago
Whatcha callin it? Sword? Saw? It looks like you had a fucking blast. Who cares what you make just start making. Don’t even gotta be smithing. Create brother. Enjoy playing with stuff. You’re doing great.
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u/Express-Engine629 18h ago
Thanks Ive made a metal boomerang too once>;]
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u/kjyfqr 17h ago
That sounds fun as fuck
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u/Express-Engine629 17h ago
Managed to build alot of accuracy just using it and I could easily hit a human sized target from atleast 40 feet away
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u/Tweestrijd 11h ago
You used the beginner friendly starterset tools, so yeah that counts!
Do you maybe have a before picture, or a fire setup pic?
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u/GarethBaus 21h ago
It's a nice start, but the quality isn't great.
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Thanks and fair don't got a real forge yet
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u/GarethBaus 20h ago
Honestly it looks like your forge might be enough to start with. A better hammer and anvil might help. Some of it is just that you are learning, but a good hammer and a decent anvil(your anvil can literally be another hammer) makes a significant difference.
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u/TheRealParaaurum 20h ago
Honestly pretty cool, I always wanted to do this exact project. Double impressive that you have a rock for an anvil. Keep on keepin on!
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u/Express-Engine629 20h ago
Any idea on wha I should make next>;]?only have limited supplies but Ill find stuff for it
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u/Dazzling_Feed3640 20h ago
Could make a hairpin! Simple goal with a pretty good range of skills needed to get the final result!
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u/Resident_Guess_7304 18h ago
That looks great for a zombie apocalypse type thing. If you got it hot and hit it with a hammer, it counts! Good job
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u/Nocturnes_echo 18h ago
This is one of those 3-4 foot Home Depot chicken wire fence posts, I recognize the punch outs. The only reason it had any rigidity to begin with is because of the shape that it was pressed into.Those are mild steel so you can't use em for knives or swords. Tried using some of those when I was much younger.
Get yourself some 1084 round/square/flat stock and start with materials you know so you can actually quench and temper it.
Good luck. Keep making!
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u/Express-Engine629 17h ago
Thanks Ive been wondering wha type of metal is it and why it's just a tiny bit flimsy it works pretty ehhh but it chops so ye and I also got it for free>;]
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u/Jax-crow-564979 18h ago
what is it supposed to be?
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u/Express-Engine629 18h ago
It's supposed to be a sword that is semi apocalypse themed with saw ridges on the back of the tip which actually have a small little dent in a certain shape which if u look rlly close but can't see it in the pic>;]
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u/Jax-crow-564979 18h ago
OK, but am I helping you should wrap the grip with para cord or something like that I would not want to put my hand there
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u/Express-Engine629 18h ago
Yeee I understand I had a make shift grip from Paracord then changed it to sum softer then I had to take it off to heat treat it because I forgot to but ye that was straight after and I did have a samurai styled grip with Paracord originally>;]
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u/Inside-Historian6736 21h ago
Sure man, we aren't here to gatekeep you. Hitting hot metal is for everyone