Steven Spall

Holy friggin cow man! That thing is turning out to be a real work of art. I can't wait to see it finished.

Hi Jason. I am also a beginner and so far I haven't made anything, but I have done a LOT of research. I'm waiting on my tax return to get what I need to get started. But what I plan on doing with what I've learned here and elsewhere is starting with railroad spikes. Go for a walk down the tracks and pick some up for free. Doug is right about them being a poor choice for hardening, but you can get practice with basic technique without spending money on good steel. Then once you're confident in your abilities move on to the real stuff. It's like an aspiring potter practicing with play dough before buying nice Italian ceramic. As far as the good steels go... What Mark said.

Thanks for the info matt. I was actually researching pilots knob and my fiancee saw and said she wanted to visit the area this summer because of a place nearby she went to in college. so i was thinking i may check out some old mines while we're there. I'll definitely look into buying some for now but i would LOVE to eventually make a knife from iron i pulled out of the ground myself, just for nostalgia's sake

I have an old Forgecraft butcher knife that my mother got at a yardsale over 20 years ago. Best I can tell, it dates from the early-mid 50's. She gave it to me a few years ago so I've kept good care of if up until now. I was about to do dishes yesterday and I noticed a blue spot near the tip . It looks to me like it got too hot, but I don't recall using it for anything that could have done that. Could it be something else? I'm not even sure I'm the last person to use it so I'm completely baffled by it. I'm hoping I don't have to re-heat treat it, but if I do then so be it. It could use a new handle anyway. My mother took decent care of it but it has seen a few accidental soakings in dish water, so the handle isn't in the best shape. I just want to make sure it lasts to pass to my own kids. I'll post a pic of the damage to give everybody a better idea of what may have happened. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This knife has a lot of sentimental value.

I've been looking around the internet for sites that sell raw ore but all I can find is mines for sale or large quantities (tons or more). if anyone could point me in the right direction to smaller amounts that would be awesome. Thanks.

A lot of good advice. Thank you all. There's actually a lamower shop not far from my house. I think i'll pay them a visit. But i'm actually not wanting to jump straight into knives yet. I need better tools for that. so i have to learn how to make them first. On that note would RR spikes be good for hammers and drifters?

thanks for all your input guys. I will definitely check out the books. Doug, will grass clippings work instead of hay? Also i saw a recipe for fireclay that was 1:1:1:1: portland cement,sand,cat litter,perlite.. it was used in a waste oil foundry. would it be worth it to go with that or does the adobe work just as well/better?... also, my yard has alot of red clay soil. would that work instead of the cat litter? and i will be making my own charcoal. a friend is going to get me some paint cans. i know a big barrel would be better and quicker but i can't acquire one just yet.

After a bit of research i've found that it IS possible to separate the nickel from copper in nickels... with hydrocloric acid, boiling electricity, H2O2.... not worth it. But if you don't mind a bit of chrome, Nichrome may work for you. It's 80/20 Nickel/Chrome on average(some has iron in it). And it's easy to get. It's used as heating elements in toasters, dryers, space heaters etc It melts at around 2400-2500 F depending on the composition.

is there a way to separate the copper from the nickel in coins? then you could use the nickel in steel and the copper for bronze? just curious.

I was wandering if it is possible to take regular mild steel (table legs, steel cans, fridge doors etc.) And make it usable for knifes. I was thinking about making a tatara/bloomery and processing it through that instead of iron sand. Of course it would have to be cut up real small but I enjoy the extra work as long as it's not a waste of time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I first tried my hand at smithing when I was a teen, and I was rather ignorant about it. I just heated up a metal rod and started pounding. I split the metal in several places and destroyed my moms smoker grill in the process. But here lately I've been doing quite a bit of research and I'm confident I can pull it off now. The only problem I have is funds. I've got kids, and kids aren't cheap. My wife and I work are butts off to provide and we just get by. So the idea I came up with is to build a small forge from scrap I have lying around. An old pan for the forge, a satellite dish mount for the air inlet, and the whole thing on bricks for a base. I know it's not the best but it's a start. What I plan on making is whatever I can sell. My stock is going to be any scrap steel/iron I can get. Steel tubing from chairs, railroad spikes, old pots and pans, you name it. Right now I have no real smithing tools to speak of, just a framing hammer and channel lock pliers(insert WTF comments here). My first project will be making a punch and drifter from railroad spikes. Next will be a decent hammer, then tongs. And from there I will start working on art and knives that I can (hopefully) sell. I will use any money I make at first to upgrade my workshop until I am happy with it and I can afford better materials. Like I said, I've done a lot of research into the art. But research is just that. It's not experience or practice. I know what I need to do overall but I'm still gonna need a lot of practice on technique and form and such. So if anyone out there has any good advice or comments please let me know. I am eager to learn and willing to take advice from experts. I am definitely open to suggestions on anything. Just keep in mind that for now my budget is about $0.17 Thank you, Scrapsmith Steven PS I will post pictures as I build.