Crumbling metal...

Finally got back on the forge today.  I started with trying to make a drift out of the A2 steel I had been given.  Things started out okay but on about the 3rd or 4th heat, I took the steel up to a nice yellow, hit it with a hammer, and watched it crumble.  Not crack, it just look like cheese that crumbled apart.  Hmm...  Guess its time to check the spec sheet on the A2.

So I decided to make the drift out of mild steel.  The drift was because I decided to remake most of the frame other than the corner posts.  I'm simply not quite happy with the current frame.  I did not form the tenons or mortises very well.  Not a whole lot of time wasted.  Anyway, the drift is so I could make the mortises on the posts consistently the same size.

After I made the drift, I resized all of the mortises on the corner posts.  I used some new files to clean up the finial on one of the posts.  Coming out pretty nice...  :) 

I hate work...

Will get very little done over the next few weeks.  Busy time at work.  Just when I was starting to make good progress...  :)

Thinking can be dangerous

I was just thinking about possible remaking the cross pieces of the frame.  I made the mistake of making them at demos and they are not as well shaped as I would like.  Yeah, they are just simple straight pieces except the shoulder of the tenons are not as well formed as I would like.  I might do one sample piece just to see if it is worth my time to remake them.  I think it will be.  More to follow.

BTW:  I'm posting a lot here recently because things are actually going fairly well.  I know sometimes the progress stands still but during that time I'm usually learning a lot.  Boring for the reader, fun for me.  :)

Minor update.

  Just a quickie update.  I cut the pattern out for the motif pattern that will be one both ends of each corner posts.  I was going to start the filing but decided that I wanted to make sure that I soften the metal up before I do that.  Just to make sure that I didn't harden any of the posts accidentally.



  The motif is in the upper right side.  It is referred by horologists as a pregnant lady motif and it was common in the later parts of the middle ages.  The slot on the left side is used to register the correct spot on the posts.  It matches up with the mortises on the posts.

Umm... Wow!

First some minor items...

Last night, a friend gave me about 40# of A2 steel.  A2 steel is one of those alloys thats great for blacksmiths.  It is very resistant to heat and it air hardens.  The stock size is perfect for chisels and punches.

Also, tried today to use the char cloth.  No great luck so will have to try some other way to make the cloth or change the cloth I start with.  Could also just be the way I'm throwing sparks on it.

So today I decided to remake the corner post that I screwed up a few days ago.  Starting from scratch, I had to cut the post to length, trim the center section, punch new mortises, cut the thin post and mount the finial.  I suprised myself.  All of that I managed to do in under 3 hours.

I've had several posts in the past where I mention something like this.  I am really surprised by how far I've come and how much better I'm getting.  Things that took me several days now just take me a few hours.  My confidence is rising.  I just need to make sure I always pay attention so I don't make too many mistakes like last week.  Earlier this week I reread my blog from the beginning.  It was very humbling.

So, anyway, all 4 corner posts are done other than minor cleanup.  I'm really going to push to get the frame done within the next two months. 

Char cloth 2, Bomlin 1

So I made some char cloth.  The 2nd batch came out somewhat okay but it was obvious that I took it out to soon.  So, for the 3rd batch I followed some online advice and I stuffed the tin very tight.  I baked it at 550 for about 1 hour 20 mins.  This batch was much better.  Near the top and bottom of the container(near the vent holes) the cloth had burned too far.  At the very center, the cloth could have used a bit more time.  But in between those areas, I believe that I have some good stuff.  Will try it out tomorrow.  I may have to put together a simple article together for our Kingdom newsletter.  Essentially, it would be how to start a fire in a period way.

Char cloth 1, Bomlin 0

So today I decided to make some char cloth as part of my long term project to make my demo area at events more period.  Char cloth is essentially cloth that has been heated to the point of combustion but deprived of oxygen.  This allows the cloth to gas off anything that's non flammable making the cloth very susceptible to burning.  It is great for starting fires with a flint striker.  Real charcoal is wood that has had the same process done to it.  You are left with carbon molecules that burn very easily and hot.

My first attempt involved packing a tin container with scraps of fabric about 2" square.  Very small holes are poked to allow venting but not too large so oxygen can't get too rich in the container.  I popped the container in the oven and put the oven on the clean cycle. When I came back four hours later, the char cloth had burned too far.  I'm not sure if the heat was too high or it was just in there too long.

Anyway, second batch is in the oven.  This time I'm just going at 550 degrees to see what that gets me.