Vol 24 No 2 - New England Blacksmiths

To discover, to help
April 2004
New England
Blacksmiths
VOL. 24 NO. 2
Our
26th
Year
1978-2004
At his “Brentwood” workshop, (that was moved to
Portland, ME) Ed Grove
welds with an ease that
comes from lots of practice.
It rivals the sureness of a hot
melt glue gun!
A review of the day can be
found on page 16
Inside this issue:
Page,
3 Around New England
5 Could you use a lathe?
8 Power Anvil
9 Radius Jig
10 Repousse’ , on the
Beam
Spring 2003
11 “Spring” Fuller
17 Not a Circus Act
12 Ray Ciemny, by the
Book
18 Library
14 Basics—the Hammer
19 Norm’s Puzzle
& Tailgate
16 Ed’s Winter Work
Shop
Visit us on line
www.newenglandblacksmiths.org
Page 1
www.newenglandblacksmiths.com
New England Blacksmiths
Updated Contact information for
Ian Eddy - President
P O Box 169
Saxtons River VT 05154
phone: 802-869-2828
aanviliee@vermontel.net
David Burtt - Vice President
203 Flying Point Road
Freeport, ME 04032
phone: 207-865-1627
fpforge@juno.com
Ted Jones - Secretary &CT Rep.
722 Raymond Hill Rd
Oakdale, CT 06370
Phone: 860-848-7101
Connsmith722@aol.com
Bob Menard- ME Rep.
56 Warren Ave. Suite 106
Portland ME. 04103
Phone: 207-878-2217
ballandchainforge@yahoo.com
Ed Grove- Me Rep.
828 Haley Town Road
Brownfield, ME 04010
Phone: 207-935-2262
Engro828@pivot.net
Chris Caswell- VT Rep.
24 1/2 Pomeroy St.
Burlington, VT 05401
phone: 802-660-8248
olayers@sover.net
Tim Blanchard - Treasurer
18 Hayes Ave.
Beverly MA 01915
Phone: 978-927-3546
timb88@msn.com
James Fecteau—VT Rep.
1735 Main Rd.
Huntington, VT 05462
Phone: 802-434-3871
Marc Godbout, Membership
2 Manning St.
Derry, NH 03038
Phone 603-548-8771
marc@ironringforge.com
Harry Dunning - MA Rep.
P O Box 92
Colrain, MA 01340
phone: 413-624-8888
W2HMD@aol.com
Ralph Sproul - NH Rep.
99 Winnepocket Rd
Webster, NH 03303
phone: 603-746-3783
brhlbsmt@mcttelecom.com
Rick Korinek– MA Rep.
46 Joseph Road
Framingham, MA 01701
Phone: 508/320-7425 shop
508/877-8815 home
korineks@rcn.com
Larry Stilwell- NH Rep.
102 Chester Road
Fremont, NH 03044
Phone: 603-895-3281
stilwell@briarwoodfarm.
Fred Mikkelsen - RI Rep & Editor
23 Waterman Dr.
N.Scituate, RI 02857-2036
phone: 401-647-3086
fred@trollshammerforge.com
Owen Bostrom—RI Rep.
99 Chase Hill RD
Ashaway, RI 02804
Phone: 401-377-2611
obostrom@cox.net
David Hageman - CT Rep.
6 Dickinson Rd.
Colchester, CT. 06415
860-267-0659
hagemanneb@yahoo.com
Letters to the editor, articles, technical tips, tools
for sale, or other materials which furthers these
ends, will be considered for publication in this
newsletter. The New England Blacksmiths disclaim
any responsibility or liability for damages or injuries
as a result of any design, construction, manufacture,
use or other activity undertaken as a result of the use
or application of information contained in the newsletter of the New England Blacksmiths.
Check Mailing Label
For the Status of
your
Membership!!!
If we’ve made an error,
let us know.
If you’ve found other interests, we wish you
well.
If you just over looked
renewal, send in your
dues! $20 to:
P.O.Box 58
Beverly, MA 01915-0001
“I have become . . . convinced
that the most valuable fortune
anyone can amass during a
lifetime is not material wealth
but the things he learns . . .”
Eric Sloane
Thanks to all
Contributors to this issue:
Al Butlak
Norm Champlin
Ed Grove
Rick Korinek
Ron Gilpin
Ralph Sproul
Add your name to this list
Become a contributor!
Next newsletter deadline:
June 15th, 2004
The New England Blacksmiths, an affiliate of the Artists-Blacksmith’s Association of North America, is
devoted to the preservation and advancement of blacksmithing.
Spring 2003
To help them do the best job of representing you, let them know what you
think, need, and hope for the NEB!
Page 2
New England Blacksmiths
Upcoming events around New England: (it will be a busy Summer!)
April 10th – Tour of Yellin Iron work at Yale University, New Haven Ct.
Those interested could write to joe.chadwick@yale.edu
April (date to be determined) – Lamson Farm Blacksmith Shop – The farm’s power hammer rebuild going on
at Ralph Sproul’s shop. The Lamson Farm Blacksmiths Group meets approximately every six weeks. Contact
brhlbsmt@mcttelecom.com if interested in activities in Mont Vernon NH.
April 23-25th – New England Blacksmiths Spring Meeting will be at South County Museum. Jonathan Nedbor
from High Falls, NY will be demonstrating. The Southern Bunch meet on the 4th Saturday of each month.
May 15th & 16th – Blacksmiths Wanted: Spring Rendezvous. Setup your forge and demo and/or sell your
wares. Encampments by 1700’s Quoketaug Rangers, Rogers Rangers, Civil War Groups, Revolutionary War
Groups and selected craft people, 10:00-4:00, Denison Homestead, 120 Pequotsepos Road, Mystic, CT. Contact Helen Keith, the_Denison_society@yahoo.com
June 12th – Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic, Ct, invites blacksmiths to set-up your forge
and demo/or sell your wares or just hang out. 10:00-3:00 Steve Melady smelady@earthlink.net 860-228-2185
June 26th & 27th – Berkshire Blacksmiths Age or Iron at Hancock Shaker Village, Junction of Rte. 41 & 20,
Pittsfield, MA. Jim Stapleford,
845-657-8212
spin-smyth@worldnet.att.net
July 7-11th – ABANA Conference, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky, 706-310-0323 conference@abana.org Ralph Sproul will be assisting with the conference set up and take down this year, contact
at brhlbsmt@mcttelecom.com if you wish to come early or stay late to assist with this project.
July 8-11th - CBG at North Stonington Fair. Call Bill Crandall at 860-535-1969 to schedule a day and time to
demonstrate or hang out.
July 18th –26th Barnstable County Fair Blacksmith Exhibits – Barnstable Mass.
September 25th – Boy Scout – Metalwork Merit Badge – Badge O Ree – at Millstone Power Plant, Waterford,
CT. Contact Doug Van Verdeghem, Douglas8@snet.net 860-444-1894
Oct 1-3rd – New England Blacksmiths Fall meeting in Barnstable, Mass with John Little from Nova Scotia as
demonstrator.
Summer & Fall of 2004 – Green Mountain Blacksmiths continue to do educational blacksmithing demonstrations to the public at the Calvin Coolidge Homestead, The Burlington Art Hop, and the Shelburne Farms, etc.
Dates to be announced. If you wish to get involved in the Northern Vermont area, contact Jim Fecteau at fecteau@gmavt.net
or Lucian Avery at www.lucianaveryblacksmith.com
Fall 2004 (date to be determined) Clint Wright will host the CT Blacksmiths Guild at his shop in Noank, CT.
Fall 2004 (date to be determined) Susan Madasci will host the CBG in her shop in Stonington, CT.
Spring 2003
Page 3
New England Blacksmiths
Opportunities to Learn, Brentwood and beyond.
New England Blacksmiths Teaching Center
Brentwood, NH
Dereck Glaser’s New England School of Metal Work
<dglaser@newenglandschoolofmetalwork.com>
or call 1-888-753-7502 See page 8 for schedule
George Martell teaches at R. I. School of Design
For Fall session info, call 1-800-364-7473 ext 2
Bill Scheer will be teaching at Mystic Seaport in CT call
860-572-5322 and at Guilford Handcraft Center in CT
203-453-5947
Lucian Avery 802-472-3899
Spring/Summer 2004
Call for schedule
“Get off to a Good Start” There is a great advantage to starting out on the right foot. Andrew
McMillan will be holding a beginners class ($20)
in April, based on the COSIRA series. Contact him
for date & time. (781) 395-1507
Bill Senseney will be teaching at the Brookfield Craft Center, CT 203-775-4526 <brookfieldcraftcenter.org> and at
the Carving Studio & Sculpture Center, W. Rutland, VT
802-438-2097 <carving@vermontel.net>
Bob Jordan teaches at his studio in Orleans on the Cape
(508) 255-1767
NEW ENGLAND BLACKSMITHS MEMBERSHIP FORM Dues
are $20.00/yr. (Canadian: $32.00) due each
January 1.Send checks to: NEB Membership, 2 Manning St., Derry, NH 03038
Name ______________________________________________ Date_______________
Business name, if applicable___________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________
Phone _____________
City _______________________ State_______ Zip________
Fax _______________
E-mail____________________________________________________________________
Web Site__________________________________________________________________
Occupation________________________________________ Year of birth______________
Check forging skill:
__Beginner
__Intermediate
__Advanced
Blacksmithing areas of interest ________________________________________________
Check all that apply:
__Teach Blacksmithing
__Teach Related Metalworking Skills
Which skills?________________________________________
__Do Public Smithing Demos
__Demo Fee (Amount:
) __Require Travel $
__Would hold NEB Office
__ABANA Member ?
Any demonstrator or demonstration requests for NEB Meets?_________________________
Comments:
Spring 2003
Page 4
New England Blacksmiths
The Use of a Lathe for decorative
iron and spring swaging. By Ralph Sproul
New England School of Metalworking
offered a tool making class last month. During
the many topics of tooling and shop ideas that
were being discussed – some other very interesting topics came up with some “show and tell”
examples that involved the use of a lathe in your
blacksmithing shop.
I offered a method I’d heard was used at
the Yellin shop many years ago for tenon cutting. During a trip to George Martell’s shop last
year, and to Bob Bergman’s shop last summer
for the ABANA conference set up, I had checked
out many ideas that these shops had for cutting
tenons on the end of baulisters within a railing
frame.
George Martell had shown me a nice
stop guage that was very clever for cutting tenons on a lathe. (unfortunately I don’t have a
picture of George’s lathe set up). Bob Bergman
had shown me a nice rotobroach cutter commonly used in a magnetic drill that he used for
cutting the tenons in his lathe. These cutters as
you can see in the picture relieve a perimeter to
the outside and leave the center in tact. This is
how the center finder is used in a mag drill, but
when the bit is used in a lathe without the center
finder……..you get a beautiful tenon cut on a
square, rectangular, or round piece of stock and
by putting a wooden dowel of the correct size
into the hole…….one can make a stop to make
all the tenons cut to the same size. These bits are
sold by the outside diameter that they cut, but
talking with the sales reps from McMaster Carr
or MSC you can find out what the inside diameter will be from them. It is sometimes necessary
to get a “Millimeter” OD to get the ID your after
for the tenon you wish to cut.
When using these
“magnabore” bits in a
lathe the tailstock
does the tenon cutting.
Spring 2003
Page 5
As you can see
this three jawed
chuck works
well for putting
tenons on round
material. It cuts a
perfect tenon
with a nice clean
shoulder. I have
also made up a
small four jaw
chuck that slips into the larger three jawed chuck.
This allows tenons
to be easily cut on
square and rectangular stock used in
railing designs. The
use of a tool in the
compound is
needed to clean
shoulders on the
rectangular stock.
Now comes the slick items that Joel Wentworth showed during the tooling class. Here is Joel’s
version of his tenon cutter. As you can see Joel made
his to fit into a chuck and take round stock, or add
these four tangs and easily hold square stock.
The tool that Joel
made to actually cut
the tenons was made
from 0-1 and after
drilling the size tenon
hole he desired, he
cut the flutes into the
tool steel, then back
cut, before hardening
in oil.
Here is the
“magnabore”
verses the “home
made cutter” that
works just as well –
made by Joel Wentworth.
New England Blacksmiths
While were
showing off
Joel’s tool making abilities I’ll attach a picture of Joel’s
caliper/gauge
for checking
size while forging. Real nice!
Of course, Dereck Glaser,
not wanting to
be outdone in
the “more traditional” power
forging of a tenon stepped up
with his example of how to
forge a tenon with a two step tenon spring swage.
You can see Dereck’s system for forging a tenon
in this spring swage is first done by cutting the tenon shoulder in the larger socket, then finish to
size in the small “sizing” section of the spring
swage. This led to more discussions of course on
spring swage positives and more lathe talk came
up during that discussion.
To make a
positive on a
lathe (to make
spring swages
from), the use
of a cut off
tool is good to
relieve the
center to the
desired depth,
then the regular facing and turning tools can easily shape the
positive to that depth you have preset with the cutting tool. In this picture you see a “quick change
tool post” and a carbide insert cut off tool. The
quick change tool post allows you to change tooling for the steps involved to make your parts. This
type of carbide insert cut off tool is one I just can’t
say enough good about. I’ve had horrible luck with
Spring 2003
Page 6
other cut off tools, and this style really works.
After a rough machining, the positive
can be filed to a nice
smooth finish (if so
desired).
Another
approach to cutting a positive - is to use a
bolt and take advantage of the upset
head material. Use of grade 2 and 5
bolts is recommended to extend tool life.
Grade 8 bolts will eat up your tooling.
I hope this helps metalworkers
understand that machining can be a valuable side of
the forging shop. It doesn’t take thousands of dollars
to purchase a lathe with “blacksmith’s tolerances! In
fact hundreths (.01) usually does you pretty well.
Another good tooling idea is the lathe
shelf over the lathe
bed itself. It keeps
your quick change
tooling, all the drill
chucks, allen
wrenches, boring
bars, cutters, T-wrenches, and regular wrenches in order and close at hand.
The tooling class at the New England School
of Metalworking, was the first time I had taught a
four day class. The experience of doing this was an
extremely pleasant one. Dereck Glaser has done an
incredible job of setting this facility up and running it.
If NEB members are considering continuing their education in the metalworking trades……..New England
School of Metalworking is a very good choice to look
at. The welding shop is outstanding(as is the forging
section). Their resident welding instructor is Warren
Swan. You get to use the latest equipment, and get
shown how to use it by an extremely competent instructor. I came away from a day long TIG class that
Warren taught, feeling I had learned a great deal about
my tig process needing some practice, and the antique
equipment I own and use could really use an upgrade
New England Blacksmiths
to something more like what the school offers for
use.
I hope you find this information handy, as
this class and teaching experience left me learning
as much as those that attended it! The fringe benefit to the four-day program was everyone got to
leave with a full set of power hammer tools on top
of what we all learned! Give Dereck a call and see
what classes will interest you in his course catalog.
New England School of Metalwork Spring 2004 Workshop Season
Guest Instructors form Around the Country!
May 14-17, Dereck Glaser, Getting Started
May 28-31, Susan Madacsi, Flowers from Fire
June 4-7,
Charles Orlando, Forge Welding
June 11-14, Doug Merkel, Colonial Ironwork
June 25-29, Clay Spencer, Inline Treadle HammerBuild it, Use it, Take it Home!
July 16-20, John Rais, Forging Sculpture;
On and Off the Wall
August – Steve Yusko
September – Rick Smith, Mindy Gardner,
Bob Becker
October – Rob Kirchner, Zack Noble, Mike Greene,
Todd Greene
Varied Subjects include:
Botanical, Welding, Colonial, Beginners, Tool Forging, Sculpture, Repousse’, Damascus, Armor. The
largest selection of courses offered at 7 Albiston
Way, Auburn, Maine 04210
Last Fall’s tooling class at New England School of
Metalworking
The New York State Designer Blacksmiths are inviting all Affiliates to participate in displaying a
flag or pendent at the conference in 2004 at Richmond Kentucky Pass the word on to your membership and see if a flag or pendent can be created displaying your logo as well as your club colors Dave
Koenig (chairman of the conference) is excited
about the idea and will furnish full cooperation
with the event rather than the lack of it at Lacross
Originally we had only one banner and now we are
boasting six, One for each of our five (group)
Forges. We have found that the pendant is an attraction to the public And the members also enjoy
it’s presence.
No specific rules will apply, although the stand
should be forged and any welding should be concealed as much as possible The flag or banner
should measure about 22” x 34” as that’s about
what ours measures. The stand can be any height
But no more than 7’ to the flag support bar Use
your own design One other note the flag Should
Spring 2003
Page 7
Call to register 1-888-753-7502 or online at
www.newenglandschoolofmetalwork.com
have a cross bar to help
hold the flag straight plus
Snap hooks for fastening.
The Pittsburg Artist Blacksmiths, the Saltfork blacksmiths and the. Michigan
Artists also participated at
LaCrosse in 2002.
If your group wishes to participate we would like your
commitment so plans can
be made for the display.
If you plan on participating
notify:
Al Butlak NYSDB editor
1351 Walden Ave Buffalo
NY 14211
email <butlak1@mindspring.com>
Contact your NEB State Rep. If you would like to
participate in this idea. What do you say?
New England Blacksmiths
Propane Powered Anvil, A New Product
Review
ByBob Fredell
Introduction
Pete Stanaitis wrote a product review article on a
propane powered leg vise in the last issue of
”Metalsmith” (the newsletter of the Guild of Metalsmiths, St. Paul, Minnesota). I was so excited to
learn of the propane powered leg vise that I called
the company to learn more of the product. Was I
ever surprised to learn that Pete short changed us
by falling to give all of the information on their
new product line. You can hardly believe my
pleasure when they informed me that they also
have a propane powered anvil. What a deal this is,
especially for those persons who have tennis elbow
and can’t swing a hammer very hard.
Here is how it works
A space age sensing devise senses when the
smith’s hammer is 1/4” from the hot iron and ignites a propane charge in a cylinder below the anvil which drives a piston upwards. This action
forcefully drives the anvil up ¼” thereby increasing the force of the hammer’s blow with no additional effort on the part of the smith.
Features
The sensing devise is cleverly built into the hammer in such a way that is not only dead accurate,
but the hammer looks just like any traditional hammer.
Alternately, the sensor can be affixed to the side of the
anvil, or even on the far wall that faces the anvil. While
this setup can be a bit if a nuisance, it does avoid the
sensor’s life shortening shock of the hammer’s blow.
Wear and tear on the smith’s arm is greatly reduced.
The anvil face is heated because the exhaust of the
burning propane is routed through the anvil. This gives
the smith a least three and possibly five additional
blows before returning the iron to the forge. An added
benefit of this feature is the hollow ductwork in the anvil mutes the deafening ring of the anvil. (Purists may
not agree that this is really a benefit.)
Standard at no additional cost is a three power setting;
high, medium and low. With a simple press of a button,
your anvil will pop up with high, medium or low power.
Optional at additional cost is a voice-actuated switch
whereby the smith simply says, “high,” “medium” or
“low.” This could cause a bit of a problem if a friend
should walk into your shop during your mid-swing and
say, “Hi, George.”
For simplicity sake, some of the same technology as
used in the propane powered vise is used in the propane
powered anvil--for example, the ignition system and
propane hook-up system.
The company currently offers a 125 pound anvil. Plans
call for 100 pound and a 150 pound anvil to go into production in the near future. If the sales are brisk enough
they will produce heavier anvils.
Thanks, Bob and April Fool to you too!
Trailer Ball Reworkred– as a Bottom Fuller, by James Barkely taken from the California Blacksmith
Upset and square up the end
Used trailer hitch ball
Spring 2003
Finished tool
Flat sides in line with sq. shank
Page 8
New England Blacksmiths
The Quick and Easy Radius Jig
The radius on these will not make
marks on the work piece.
But they MUST float free.
1/2” round welded to plate,
ONLY.
Split, then
Grind to a slight radius.
By Richard Sheppard
Pittsburgh Area Artists– Blacksmiths
Spring 2003
Page 9
New England Blacksmiths
On the Beam or
Working with a Laser Light
By Louie Raffloer
Last year I had a job making an awning system for
a building in my neighborhood. The client wanted
an art noveau feel to the design which included a centerpiece that was inspired by a brooch designed in that
era. The brooch had two faces gazing at one another
and was probably cast in silver. Repousse’ seemed to
be the best choice for doing these faces.
It’s my habit to try new techniques on as many new
jobs as possible (the education usually makes up for the
underbid). So, having never done repousse’, I was anxious (terrified) to start.
That summer Black Dog Forge was very fortunate to
have had Willem Yonkers III visit and give an evening
demonstration. Knowing that having advice from such
a world-class smith would help me in my attempts, I
requested a short lesson in repousse’. He happily
obliged and, as you would guess, made it effortless.
Using a variety of blunt chisels in the vise he showed
us how to hammer 16-gauge sheet over their edges and
produce a variety of results.
The purpose of this Hot Tip is not to teach repousse’. Much better information is available elsewhere. I only want to share a little cheater method
I developed to alleviate a beginner problem. The
biggest problem that I was having was locating the
chisel tip through the steel sheet that I was trying
to hammer over it. No doubt, after much practice,
this would become intuitive, but I needed a crutch
to speed up the process. When a light bulb above
my head lit up, it was a laser light!
would
become
but
Itip
needed
a crutch
to
speed
up
the
process.
When
the
light
bulb
above
head
lit
up,
itI was
locating
chisel
through
themy
steel
sheet
that
tryingintuitive,
tothe
hammer
over
it. No
doubt,
after
practice,
this
amuch
laser
light!
I went to the hardware store and bought a cheap keyring laser pointer. I later upgraded to a more durable
$25 one. With many frustrations in the beginning of
this crackpot scheme, I was finally able to focus the
pointer on the working edge of the vise-mounted chisel.
Now, when I put the sheet steel over the chisel, I could
easily find the chisel edge.
Brilliant!! No, not quite yet. Several challenges still
existed and I’ll list some remedies here:
1. If the chisel moves all bets are off. It is important
that the laser light stays put since the slightest movement will be deceiving. Adapting the chisel to be
movement-free is an important alternative to using one
Spring 2003
Page 10
of Jeff Wester’s
Wedge Vises. I
was very happy
to have one in
this endeavor.
2. You can refine
the pinpoint of
the laser by putting a piece of masking tape or foil over the
tip of the pointer and using a pin to prick a hole and form an
aperture of your needed size.
3. Mounting the laser overhead about ten feet away at approximately a 45-degree angle minimizes shadowing it with
your body or hammer. Adding a second laser helps with the
shadow problem. This is something you’ll have to work out
with your own shop layout.
4. Creating a mounting system for your laser pointer that allows you to dial in it’s point in a more controlled manner will
solve lots of frustration, especially if you’re changing chisel
shapes often. Also, leaning a piece of sheet metal or cardboard against the mounted chisel helps you see where your
light is before it’s in the perfect location.
Several participants at Midnight Madness at the Enumclaw
Conference got a chance to try this idea and it was met with
enthusiasm. Using this idea helped me a lot with my project,
but I still cannot claim to know the most fundamental aspect
of repousse by using it.
If I didn’t preach to students that there are fifty correct ways
of doing many things in blacksmithing, I might say that this
is even wrong. But I also preach that you learn more from
mistakes than successes, so please try everything you think
of. In any case, there’s the idea—give it a try!
Oh... one more thing! I’m not sure of what dangers exist
in staring at a dot of light created by a laser, but the labels warn against looking directly into the pointer. This is
probably true with the one point at which it is directly
reflected (same angle, opposite side).
So watch where you aim that thing!!
Please Work safely
Louie Raffloer
From the North West Blacksmiths Association - Hot Iron News
New England Blacksmiths
The Connecticut Blacksmiths Guild
The scene is the Driggs Blacksmith Shop at Mystic
Seaport and the first of the year meeting of the
Connecticut Blacksmiths Guild. Bill Scheer is as
comfortable here as anywhere in CT and demonstrated a footed heart trivet and his signature jig
produced heart decoration that has many applications.
The hand of Carl Thornton, fashions one of the many
decorative hooks, produced in the shop, for the museum store. Carl is one of the staff blacksmiths, working with Bill.
A look at page 3 will convince you that the CBG is an
active ABANA Affiliate!
”Spring” Fuller Ideas—a young man’s fancy?
Working alone and with a hand hammer, requires
one of these easily produced devises. The 2 shown
here, are a 3/8 for my 130# anvil and a 1/2 for my
200#.
When made of mild steel, like mine, they get bent all
out of shape but are easily reworked and can be adjusted for any size stock! Don’t Quench!
A different approach to the “tang” that fits the hardy
hole, is to do a single (as opposed to my doubling) and
twist it to fit diagonally in the hardy hole (Yankees
always want to “conserve material”).
Of course you PRO’S can use the anvil edge and with
your mastery of hammer control, produce the same
results with out these “gadgets”!
Fred
Mikkelsen
Spring 2003
Page 11
This drawing, compliments of AnvilFire
New England Blacksmiths
Ray Ciemny’s get together
For those that attended, Groton Mass was
the place to be on Feb 22nd. Ray Ciemny hosted a
get together at his shop that was very educational
and inspirational. Ray had just completed a gate at
the local library, and had another commission for a
“Book” outside the return door at the town library
as well.
Ray covered many topics during the day,
but had a curriculum all planned when we got
there. It was involving the fly/screw press techniques (texturing, veining, and we even tried slitting with it). One of the other topics was on gilding with gilder’s paste that Ray had done some experimenting with on a job prospect the week prior.
Ray also demoed his Tig welding of copper, furling a leaf on his anvil tooling, and pneumatic upsetting with a hand held air gun.
From his two “book” projects, Ray showed
us how he used the fly press to make the veining
that simulated pages of an open book, and how to
run a curved vein to depict the top and bottom of
the book when it was in the open position.
This is the gate where Ray made the “Book
of Trees” installed at his local library in Groton.
Ray and his
spectacular
gate!
In the close up picture, you can see the detail of
the pages done in the fly press.
Each one of the leaves on this gate was from a different species, and Ray showed us his “furler” that
he used to accomplish this technique. It gives the
leaf a real life like
texture and look.
The furler as you
can see is made
from a railroad
spike.
Spring 2003
Page 12
The book that
Ray was currently
working on for the
book return area
was at his shop that day. We all enjoyed his
“mechanism” to make the book worm come out when
someone lifted the cover of his book.
The detail of Ray’s book can easily be seen in these
two pictures as
to the cover detail, the page texture, and the copper corners that
made it a really
amazing piece of
work.
The demos he
did on the fly
press that
showed the texturing, the page
veining, the v
grooving for a
large leaf, the
edge texture on
banding, and
even the possi-
bility of slitting on
the press left me
coming away from
his shop realizing
the fly press was a
very viable tool for
the metalworking
shop.
Ray also had some samples of gilding paste that I’d
New England Blacksmiths
seen advertised in the Anvil’s ring, but had never
tried this type of finish. It really came out nice and
is a great option for color in your work.
28 colors, Info
can be found
on page 21
For his air
chisel, Ray had
made up some
tools to head
over rivets, and
the pneumatic upsetting of
a piece of
large stock
was impressive.
This is
what Ray
had done
to make the worm’s head shown in this picture
along with Jay Cadero.
The demo on Tig welding copper to steel really
made me realize how handy that option could be
for affixing copper weather vanes to steel armatures by welding instead of mechanical means.
Using a piece of copper electrical wire, Ray made
a weld (not a braze) on a copper disc to a forged
steel band creating a nice post cap for a railing like
he had done on a customers project before.
The right picture shows Ray setting his amperage
and doing a test piece and the left one shows the
sample of the finished railing post.
Rick Korinek brought some leaves and cat
tail that he’d made and he had a very nice joint for
the top of the cat tail with a shoulder to braze the
Spring 2003
Page 13
cat tail to the stem, and leave the bottom open to allow
any water to get out. This was a nice touch for outside
decorative iron joinery.
Rick then went on to say he’d really taken some time
making the
leaves for the
cat tail as
studies for a
project that
he was going
to require 14
of them be
made and
wanted to
know if anyone had ideas
on how to make them faster. This set us all into motion on veining the leaf blank in the fly press, then cutting the top on the band saw, and forging it in two
heats on Ray’s power hammer. We made a four step
leaf that became an economical way to approach his
customer’s project and stay within the budget allowed……….and had a good time doing it.
These pictures show Ray veining the leaf blank
in the fly press. It gave it a natural curve and established the vein while the second picture showed how a
couple heats on the power hammer at a 45 degree angle on a set of drawing dies yielded a good texture and
continued the curling of the leaf.
It was hard to leave
that day as the conversations went on
about upcoming
jobs, possible solutions and suggestions
to make the job easier, tips on where to
get non ferrous stock,
and on and on. It leaves you realizing these get togethers are so important to share knowledge, get inspiration from someone else’s work, and makes working
by yourself not such an isolated situation.
Thanks Ray, It was a great workshop! Ralph Sproul
New England Blacksmiths
Beginner’s Corner The Hammer
by Albin Drzewianowski
—
originally from the Hammer & Tong, July/
August 2003
taken from California Blacksmith
You can’t get much more basic in blacksmithing than a discussion about hammers. After your
anvil, the hammer is probably your most important tool. There seem to be a number of different
theories about hammers. One theory says to do
everything with one hammer, preferably a threepound hammer. The other end of the spectrum
espouses the theory that you should have dozens
of hammers, each specific for one purpose. You
will probably want to find a middle ground
somewhere between these two extremes.
Here in America the traditional blacksmithing
hammer seems to be the cross pein hammer.
Based on books I have read, British and Canadian trained blacksmiths seem to favor the ball
pein hammer. Those blacksmiths who originally
were trained as farriers often use a rounding
hammer (more on this hammer later).
I think some of the best advice for beginners
is to try as many different types and weights of
hammers as possible. Try to pay attention to
things like balance, weight, length and shape of
handle. I have found, even early in my blacksmithing experiences, that certain hammers just
seem to fit my hand. I cannot explain why, but
they feel like an extension of my arm. Other
hammers just seem not to belong there; no matter
how I try, they do not seem to work right. Pay
attention to your instincts. Every blacksmith is
different, and what is a great hammer for one can
be a poor one for another. So go to hammer-in
tailgate areas and flea markets and watch for
hammers, especially hammer heads. I often find
good hammerheads for $.50 to $1.00. Learn to
re-handle hammers, a valuable skill (to be covered in a future installment). When you come
across
a handle that seems to fits your hand and seems
Spring 2003
Page 14
The Troll’s Hammer
to work well, study it carefully. Try to determine what
characteristics make it good for you.
When you go to blacksmith events, pay close attention to the type and size hammer the demonstrator is
using. How is the handle shaped? How long is the
handle? How many different hammers does he/she use
in the demonstration?
A word of warning: many blacksmiths are very
possessive about their favorite hammers. Always ask
if you may try it and don’t be put off if they say no.
Many smiths have hunted long and hard to find the
perfect hammer and don’t want someone else, especially a beginner, abusing it.
There are a number of different styles of blacksmith hammers. If you study the catalogs, you will see
that there are French pattern, Swedish pattern, German pattern hammers and others. Often a smith settles
on a particular pattern, having a small, medium and
large, all in that particular pattern. The traditional
American style of cross pein, like the ones sold at
Sears, are sometimes called English pattern hammers.
Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that
the balance of the hammer is a critical factor. You
want to have the same amount of steel on each side
of the hammer. If the hammer has a lot more steel at
the hammer-face end, as opposed to the pein end,
you will constantly be fighting to keep the hammer
correctly oriented to your target on the anvil, causing
extra work for your arm and wrist. That is why I
went from using a cross pein hammer to using a
rounding hammer. (A rounding hammer, used by farriers to make and adjust horseshoes, has the same
amount of steel at each end. One end is basically flat
and the other end has a slight dome to it.) Using a
well-balanced hammer made a difference to me. I
will use a cross pein hammer when I need the pein,
New England Blacksmiths
but 90% of the time, I use a rounding hammer.
And if the rounding hammer has a square face
instead of a round one, you can use the top and
bottom edges of the hammer face as cross peins
and the two side edges as straight peins — the
best of all worlds.
Hammer handles are another issue that keeps a
beginner from realizing the joy of using a perfect
hammer. Each blacksmith’s hands are different;
the odds of a hammer coming with the perfect
handle for your particular hand are pretty slim. I
noticed that Sears sells a fairly nice cross pein
hammer, but the handle is way too thick for anyone who does not have monster size hands. Since
the handles are made of wood and most of the
time we need to make them smaller, it is a simple
matter of taking a wood rasp and thinning them
down. Based on a number of demonstrations and
personal experience, I have come to prefer a
roughly rectangular shaped handle. If the handle
is too round, it tends to
rotate in your grip and, again, you have to fight
that tendency to rotate. If the handle is rectangular
and properly oriented to the head, you always
know exactly what angle the hammerhead is to
your work. Also with a rectangular handle, it
takes just the slightest finger pressure to adjust
the angle of attack. (I once had the disturbing experience of using what seemed to be a perfectly
good cross pein hammer, only to leave a lot of
hammer marks all over my steel. Drove me crazy.
I finally realized that the handle was installed at a
slight angle to the head and when I thought I was
holding the hammer straight, I was actually holding it at a slight angle, hence all the stray hammer
marks.)
Once you find a handle that really seems to fit (I call
that the “ooh-ahh” experience), your hand seems to
whisper “ooh-ahh” when you pick up the hammer.
Carefully copy down the dimensions: length and girth
every couple of inches along the handle. Better yet, cut
that handle off the hammer head and save it as a pattern so that you can copy it every time you need a new
handle.
There is a relationship between size of steel and size of
hammer. The bigger/thicker the steel, the bigger the
hammer you will need. You can always use a big hammer on small steel, but it will require skill and excellent hammer control. If you try to use a small hammer
on big metal, you will probably end up wasting your
time. You need that extra mass to apply enough force
to your material. That is just basic physics — mass and
force.
Finally, I want to close with a brief discussion about
the habit of tapping the anvil with the hammer between
hammer blows. As you watch different smiths work,
you will see some smiths who never tap the anvil and
other smiths who seem to constantly do it. There are
various theories here. One is that tapping the anvil is a
waste of energy, i.e., you shouldn’t do it. Others say
that tapping the anvil keeps up the rhythm of your
work as you turn the piece of metal or to give you a
moment to stop and think about what you are doing.
My own theory is that a smith tends to emulate his/her
teachers. If you took basic blacksmithing classes from
a blacksmith who has a tendency to tap the anvil as he/
she works, you will do it also. If your teacher did not
do that, you probably won t either. I find that as I get
more tired, I tend to tap the anvil more than I did at the
beginning of the forging session. Lightly hitting the
anvil between forging strokes seems to rest my arm
slightly. In any case, it is something to watch for as
you observe other blacksmiths work.
Happy Hammering!
Hammer Control:
Bill Scheer gives each of his beginner students a scrap of 1/2” plywood and has them hammer on it to show
them how much improvement they need so that they strike in the same place more than once. You don’t need a
forge or even an anvil to work at this. Getting used to swinging a 2 or 2-1/2 lb. hammer takes practice and
practice makes perfect. It seems a long way from blacksmithing but in the long run, learning some things right
in the very beginning will make your future in the art/craft of blacksmithing, a lot easier and rewarding.
Spring 2003
Page 15
New England Blacksmiths
Through the eyes of Ron Gilpin-
Photos courtesy of Ed
Grove’s new camera!
We all met at Bob Menard's shop in Portland
that Sunday morning. There we meet Mr. Ed
Grove with his multiple canvas bags filled with
blacksmith goodies. Ed started to pull his life story
out of those hard work-worn bags. Jigs, bending
fixtures, hammers, punches, dies, in depth reasons
on why he made these tools, how he made them,
and what they were made of. Ed left us with no
question unanswered.
Then we started on the hands on part of making
our candleholders. This is where Bob's spacious
“to die for” shop came into play; there were 5
forges going and a lot of learning in progress!!!
Tom Ruelke
Spring 2003
Burt Sargent
This was the first
N.E.B. clinic I have been able to
attend but I assure you it won't be my last [I’m
hooked] ;-) Personally, I had a little extra pleasure that
day also when I found out that Ed had also spent his
life shoeing horses because that is my profession,
also.
Thanks Ed for the great clinic and sharing your knowledge, wisdom, caring for other people it doesn't go
unnoticed!!
Thanks to Bob Menard for opening your forge to the
well being of others!!! “to Discover- to Help”
Some of the smiths in attendance:
Dick Holman
Paul Bilodeau
Page 16
Host, Bob Menard,
The old crank
Bob Robinson
New England Blacksmiths
Tame Your
Angle
Grrr-inder
To run a grinder (or other electric
tool) on a speed control, there are a
few things to consider. First, the
tool must be a "Universal AC/DC
type" with brushes. Most, but not all
4- 1/2 inch angle grinders are of this
type (Bosch, for example, makes an
AC machine which cannot be controlled in this manner). Second, the
speed controller should be designed
to handle the current or amperage of
the grinder. For instance, my Makita
9527 has a current draw at full load
of 6.4 amps. Third, the grinder uses
a fan on the motor armature to cool
the windings. Running at lower speed reduces the
cooling effect significantly. Fortunately, wire brushing hot metal is an intermittent operation and does not
require a lot of force. Use care not to bog the tool
down and it should not overheat.
By Rick Korinek
Tame the Wild Beast--Put Your Angle
Grinder on a Speed Control
At the Fall Meet, Nol Putman mentioned that,
while forging, he uses his electric angle grinder to
remove scale instead of a hand wire brush. When I
tried this I soon found out how nicely the grinder,
with a knotted wire cup removes forge scale.
I also found out how dangerous it can be!
When I tried holding my 4 1/2 inch grinder running at 10,000 rpm in one hand, and a piece of hot
metal in the other.
To make this process safer and manageable, I
put the grinder on a speed control. Running the
grinder at low speed, I was amazed at how much
this tamed the grinder and allowed me to clean the
piece as it cooled to black.
Spring 2003
Page 17
Here are 3 controllers, which should be suitable for
controlling angle grinders.
Most woodworking tool catalogs list a speed control for routers. These controllers are ready to plug
in and use for $30-40.
Grainger’s sells a speed control with a 10 amp
rating which fits in a double gang electric box (Stock
No. 4X797) for $35.
I am using a Nu Tone speed control (CFVS-1N),
which I purchased from an electric supply house.
In conclusion, using your angle grinder with a wire
cup to remove scale is a great alternative to using a
hand brush. Adding a speed control makes it a
much safer and manageable operation.
Rick Korinek, Mass. Rep.
New England Blacksmiths
The EXPANDED N.E.B. VIDEO
LIBRARY, 2003
The following tapes are for rental only:
“Power Hammer Forging” 5 tapes 2 hrs. Each
By Clifton Ralph
The following Tapes may be Rented or copies purchased:
“Treadle Hammer”
By Clay Spencer
Tape #1 Introduction, Making tools, "Wizard head
Knocker"
Tape #2 Shovels, Quench Formula, "Dogwood & Iris
Blossoms
Tape #3 Candle Holder, Tool making, Discussion Decorative panels.
Tape #4 Tempering Ranges, Small Bowl, Free Standing
Cross.
Tape #5 Working Flat Stock, Making tools.
“Woodwrights Shop”
By Roy Underhill
Tape #1 Making an Axe, Chisel from Bog Iron, Anderson
Forge
Tape #2 making a forge from Brake drum, Anvil From
Junk
Yard steel, Spike Dogs, Heat-treating Chisel, Roy and Peter Ross make a Cant Hook.
“Forge and Anvil” Vol. #1
By Elmer Roush
Beginning Blacksmithing - 5 projects, Thumb Latch,
Colonial American Hardware and Fixtures
"New Additions, Tapes"
NOMMA ED. Foundation 1997 Video series
“Basic of Forging”, 1 hr 30 min.
“Learn how to Forge”
By Bill Epps
Tape #1 Forged Animal heads- Dragon, Long horn Steer,
Ram, Horse.
Tape #2 Making Tongs- Three joints, Twisted, Traditional,
Champion. Three types of Jaws- Rat tail, Wolf, Bolt
Tape #3 Leaves and Flowers- Five leaves: Cut
Vein, Folded Raised Vein, Peapod, Oak. Five Flowers:
Trumpet, Morning Glory, Dogwood, Calla Lilly, Rose Bud
Tape #4 Bugs and Birds- Scorpion, Snail, Dragonfly,
Hummingbird, Swimming Swan, Winged Swan.
Spring 2003
“The Power Hammer Cycle”
How to cure the Bang-Tap-Miss Blues (1 hr)
By Dave Manzer
Page 18
George Dixon @ Cassidy Bros Forge 1990
Bud Oggier 1991
Francis Whitaker @ South County Museum 1991
Tapes #1 and #2
Francis Whitaker, A Yellin-esque Quatrafoil
Peter Renzetti @ Camp Leslie 1991
Tapes #1 and #2
"Uncle Bud Roast” 1992
Rob Gunter, @ South County Museum 1993
Rob Jordan, @ Orleans, MA, 1994
Frank Turley, @ Stratham, NH, 1995
Carl Close and Bob Compton, @ Manchester, NH, 1996
Rob Lyons @ Brentwood, 2001
Suffolk Latch, H+L and Butterfly Hinges
L-tec Welding + Cutting Systems Safety-composite
(45 min.)
Audio Tape by Walt Scadden
"How to survive in Business as an Artist, Craftsman or
Creative Person."
Rental fee is $40/ tape. This "fee" is returned to
the member upon its timely return to the library assuming it
has not been damaged in any way. Tapes that are
available to be purchased can be done so for a fee of
$10/ tape, which includes postage. This is a new
service to our membership and gives everyone the
opportunity to build their own blacksmithing library.
Make checks payable to: NEB and forward to:
Tom Perkins
NEB Video Librarian
141B North St.
Georgetown, Mass. 01833
I can be reached either by phone or email.
Phone # 978-352-2735
Email perkinst79@yahoo.com
An idea:
Buy a video from a commercial source and then
after you’ve watched it enough times to have
memorized it and driven your family crazy, donate
it to the library!
New England Blacksmiths
Member, Norm Champlin sent me his solution to the
crossword we printed in the Scrap Box edition. (see
right). Is this what you got, too?
He also sent this version of what is usually referred
to as “Einstein’s Riddle”. It is said that 98% of the
world’s population can not solve it.
Well, at least I’m in the majority, for once!! (editor)
The NEB riddle:
There are five different work areas, or structures, in a
row. Each work area uses a different type of fuel. Each
smith is from a different state. Each smith uses a favorite tool, and each smith likes a certain food. None
of the smiths use the same fuel, none are from the
same state, none have the same favorite tool, and none
like the same food.
Other facts:
1. The smith from New Hampshire works in a shed.
2. The smith from Maine prefers a vise.
3. The smith from Massachusetts likes cranberries.
4. The barn is on the immediate left of the shop.
5. The smith in the barn likes lobster.
6. The smith who heats with coke prefers tongs.
7. The smith in the studio heats with charcoal.
8. The smith in the center work area likes maple
syrup.
9. The smith from Connecticut works in the first area.
10. The smith who heats with wood is next to the
smith who prefers an anvil.
11. The smith who prefers a swage is next to the smith
who heats with charcoal.
12. The smith who heats with propane likes potatoes.
13. The smith from Rhode Island heats with coal.
14. The smith from Connecticut is next to the garage.
15. The smith who heats with wood is next to the
smith who likes clams.
The question:
The hammer is the favorite tool of which smith?
????????????
Tailgate Sales Area
As mentioned on page 14
Baroque Art Gilders Paste
Can be purchased from
Artist Supplies & Products
2165 Underwood Prky
Elm Grove, WI 53122
(800) 825-0029 info@gliderspaste.com
Visit WWW.GILDERSPASTE.COM
Accept all major credit cards (source code 103)
Free adds to members
Contact 400 smiths at one time!
Spring 2003
Page 19
Norm Champlin’s family shop in Cold Spring, NY
New England Blacksmiths
NEB Stuff by Mail
Get T-shirts, sweatshirts and other good stuff featuring our great logo
By sending a check or money order made out to new England blacksmiths
Mail to:
Why wait for the next Meet,
Neb Stuff c/o Dondi LaRue
P.O. Box 58
Spring clearance specials!
Ashby, MA 01431-0058
Please remember to tell us what you want, how many and what size. We will try to honor color selection, but
color depends on stock at hand. Tell us your second and third color choices. Chose T-shirts in 100% cotton or
50/50 cotton/poly blend, let us know. Total your order and remember to add postage. Payment to: New England
Blacksmiths. Please include your mailing address and phone number.
Before 9:00pm, you can call Dondi at (978) 386-0066
T-shirts
Adult 100% cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10.00
“ “
“
long sleeve . . $15.00
Kids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6.00
Adult 50/50 cotton/ poly . . $7.50
now only $5.00
Sweatshirts
Adult crew neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $18.00
Adult hooded . . . . . . . . . . . $25.00
Others
Postage for the average order $4.00
FIRST CLASS MAIL
New England Blacksmiths
Fred Mikkelsen, - Editor
23 Waterman Dr.
North Scituate, RI 02857-2036
Patch, NEB logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 3.00
NEB caps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12.00