Just saw this rigged idea today, this is amazing

cool. A little air pump like that could be used for many things. People buy those little cans of compressed air to blow dust out of things, maybe a little air pump like this one would work as good but you wouldn't need to keep buying the compressed air.

Fireinfolding said:

These two videos are cool, the first will refer you to the second (if interested in a metal foundry)

Plant stand serves as a foundry

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I once thought it might be useful to melt aluminum into ingots, but haven't tried it yet. I couldn't find any useful information on heat treating the aluminum, but many people seem to just melt it and use it the way it is without any heat treating. IT was just an idea i once had.

Fireinfolding said:

This is too cool too, I recall looking at these lenses many years ago

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Have you seen the hydrogen engine that this same guy made? That was cool, i thought about trying it but it seems a bit dangerous.

Fireinfolding said:

I guess necessity would be the mother of invention in things like this (at that time). I thought what he made in that bucket of sand (in that later mold) gave a decent idea.

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Yes true. I think about making all sorts of aluminum parts, to be used in all sorts of homemade tools.

Fireinfolding said:

I love to watch these sorts of hacks.

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Me too.

I am planning on building a charcoal forge so i can forge a few hand tools and decorative items. Charcoal throws a lot of sparks when you blow air into it and i had this idea a making some chain mail, or a chain mail curtain, and place it over the forge openings. This would hopefully keep all those sparks inside the forge. I saw a youtube video on how to make chain mail, it seems like a tedious project though. Its interesting however, i have seen people make decorative chain mail jewelry too. I love creative youtube videos. I had this idea the other day of forging rustic style candle chandeliers. They would give your home a rustic feel, and could be used when the power goes out as well, or anytime that candle light is desired. I like candle light, its relaxing.

http://www.lightsoftuscany.com/medi...f78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/5/1510-8.jpg

Fireinfolding said:

Thats great, I thought, wow how crazy, many are relearning half the trades lost on most of us.

I seen some vids on this very thing earlier, I can get sort of hung up on how something works but I will lose interest if its too complicated, like the giy with that underwater stuff, I like he eye balled things (that I can relate to lol)

But yeah, I was watching some of the home made forges there for awhile, all the do it yourself vids sort link up (you eventually roll onto one of them at some point while clicking through them. One guy I liked was making some really nice knives and handles, but he had other equipment besides just a forge to do so. Then I lost interest

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I don't like the long winded videos. I love lots of detail but i like getting to the point as well. Forging metal doesn't need to be so complicated. Many people you see on Youtube and the net have more tools than blacksmiths had 100 years ago, and those old time blacksmiths made everything back then. A person could dig a fire pit, place charcoal in it, blow air into to it in order to increase the temperature, and that would work fine for forging and heat treating any knife. He could also get a hammer, pair of tongs to hold the hot steel, and any hard piece of metal to use as an anvil. You could use a piece of granite rock as an anvil if you had to. People on the net who have all the best tools can be discouraging, but the truth is that a person can make just about anything with very basic tools.

I have literally watched thousands of you tube videos on forging steel, i have seen it all most likely. Im in love with this craft. I have learned many things but have yet to actually forge anything because im still building a forge and anvil. My anvil is finished, and i'M almost done with my forge and will be forging steel very soon. I don't have much money and that has hindered me a lot, but i have learned a lot in that time. I started to make a propane forge and after gathering some scrap metal i built it, and i then learned about different burners too. I messed around a little, experimenting with different things, and finally chose a burner design. I haven't yet bought all the parts needed to build that burner though, and a propane forge needs to be insulated properly as well, unlike a coal forge which needs no insulation. THe refractory and insulation isnt exactly cheap though, and so i decided to just go with a charcoal forge instead because its much cheaper and easier to build. Perhaps one day i will finish my propane forge but till then im going to be using charcoal. Most blacksmiths use coal not charcoal, but many people use charcoal as well. Charcoal is the oldest and most traditional way of forging. I can make my own charcoal and it wouldn't cost anything, charcoal is also cleaner burning than coal is, and much cheaper,. so thats my plan.Keep things simple.

Look at this kid, he makes due with what he has. The other guy just uses a block of granite. The last video shows a guy with a propane forge, but his anvil is nothing more than a sledge hammer head mounted in a stump of wood.

Fireinfolding said:

I liked that young boys video (the first one) he had just a great attitude towards begining this, that is so rare.

Thank you for sharing those with me PosterO

To be young again...

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Yes, he has the blackmith spirit i suppose.