My first bodkins (pics)

[SimonUK]

And we'd like to see you turn a candlestick into a horse shoe 

[Kviljo]

I'll see what I can do Simon

Here's some more pictures

[DBernier]

Kvilgo, those are really nice for your first points. I am really interested in your forge. Good job.

Dick Bernier

[duffontap]

Thanks for posting those pics Kviljo.  That looks like a very simple setup.  I was looking into making a propane forge but it just got too expensive for me.  I think I could handle what you've got there. 

How long does it take to get the steel red-hot?

           J. D. Duff

[Pat B]

A section of rail road track makes a good anvil.   I like your simple set up.     Pat

[Kviljo]

Just thought I'd share some more photos.

Mark Stretton has forged the one on the shaft. I think I've been a bit too much influenced by that point, because almost none of my points are under 1/2" size, hehe.

I started on a type 16 too, but I'm struggeling with the splitting and making the point pointy.




And a group photo. That's the head of my new selfmade paddle by the way Haven't tried it yet, but I think it got a bit too narrow.





Click these links for larger pictures:

http://kviljo.no/bue/smi2/a.jpg

http://kviljo.no/bue/smi2/b.jpg


The whole forge cost me about 200$, because a bought a way too expensive board to make the bellow.


When the forge is hot, and the blank is just not hot enough to hammer, it only takes a couple (5-15 perhaps - didn't count) of pumps to make it glow again. But it really depends on how thick the blank is, and how well the coal is covering the blank, plus how far it is placed from the air flow.


Oh, and you need a couple of spare hands. Mine is starting to wear out already.

[SimonUK]

Kviljo, how do you get the flattened bit starting to curve?

John Marshall used some sort of U shaped groove and hammered the centre of the flat bit into the U with the thin end of the hammer. Then he used a bit of tapered metal and hammered the socket round it. Do you do the same thing?

[Kviljo]

Nope, but if I had a real anvil with some accessories, I would do the same. But it works okay to do it on a flat surface too. Get it to curve just a little, hammer on it vertically, and it curls up nicely almost by itself

[duffontap]

Couldn't you shape the socket around a piece of re bar ground to a point?  That way you could get some consistency. 

              J. D. Duff

[Kviljo]

Yep, bet that would work well. I'm going to fetch a big old anvil some day soon now, so I'll make some tools for it. Though I've found out that it really isn't neccessary to get a nice socket, it sure would be a lot easier.

[SimonUK]

It also might be possible to weld the overlapping flaps together.

[duffontap]

Yep, bet that would work well. I'm going to fetch a big old anvil some day soon now, so I'll make some tools for it. Though I've found out that it really isn't neccessary to get a nice socket, it sure would be a lot easier.

You need one of these:  (They're only about 2,000 bucks).

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[Kviljo]

Ohh   That looks HUGE!

"Mine" is weighing 150#

Making a tanged point there? - or are you making the socket after the point?

That looks like a little more effective furnace than mine Maybe I shold give mine some walls and a roof too. Bet that saves a lot of coal.

[duffontap]

The local blacksmith was just letting me use his shop one Saturday.  I actually have an open invitation to work there and use his natural gas forge and anvil.  He was pretty interested in my desire to make bodkins.  At that point, I had no idea what I was doing so I was just practicing shaping the necks and points. 



That was hard enough.  After hunting season I'll try some more. 

          J. D.

[Kviljo]

That looks very nice! The part I'm struggeling the most with, is hitting where I want, hehe.  So I most often end up drawing the point out in a long and not so thick point

But I see you don't have that problem