Using the Tumbler

Frequently, I remind myself that blacksmithing is an intrinsically dangerous business. That’s part of why I expect to be well paid for my work. I regard my tumbler as a nearly essential tool in my operation. When I finish forging a piece it goes into the tumbler. When I cut off a drop, it goes into the tumbler. If something needs removal of rust or paint, it goes in the tumbler. Twenty minutes of tumbling with small pieces of steel aggregate leaves the pieces clean and deburred.

I can only imagine how much time this has saved me. It also saved buying numerous, grinding discs, flap wheels, sanding belts, cup brushes, etc. Perhaps most importantly, I don’t have to breathe the dust produced by those other alternatives.

Three tumblers were built before I achieved what I needed. If I ever build another one I would make a few more small changes but I like what I have pretty well. It has an inside diameter of about 16” and a length of about 5’. Usually I have it loaded with about 50-100 pounds of steel aggregate, carbon steel balls, punch drops and other small odds and ends of scrap. It can easily accommodate another 200 pounds of work steel. I haven’t actually tried to test the upper limit. I’ve tried a number of other aggregates, stone, corncobs, walnut shells all with unhappy results. For me now it’s only steel.

Like a lot of other studio tools it is powerful and could inflict severe injury. I have special respect for those things which rotate. My setup is designed so that to turn on the machine I must open my garage door and turn the timer. Then I exit, pull down the door and lock it from the outside so I’m well away while it’s working. Incidentally, I’ve also locked the other studio doors so no one can enter while it’s running.

In addition to it having the rotation danger it is quite noisy, especially if it has some large mass pieces in the load. On rare occasions I do work in another area with ear plugs while it is running and it is tolerable for a few minutes.

A lot of “dust” is produced with each run - magnetite, hematite, paint, and more depending on what is being cleaned. To contain the dust and also add another safety barrier I cut a 55 gallon drum in half longitudinally and put half under the tumbler as a catch basin and hinged the top half so it folds down like a clam shell over the cylinder. Then I fold down a tarp which hangs nearly to the floor. The dust falls into the basin as the tumbler door seams rotate to the bottom and the tarp traps the airborne particulate and makes most of it fall so less circulates throughout the studio.

I recently welded four 5/8” square studs on the non-motor end so I can insert a dedicated custom socket wrench to turn the tumbler to the desired position for unloading. A floor stand supports the front side door in a level position so it serves as a shorting shelf when open.

Changes I would consider in a next generation tumbler are these:
1. Increase the length to accommodate 80” pieces and diameter to 22”.
2. Make the shaft on the non-motor end hollow so a vacuum/dust collector could be inserted.
3. Place the 1” square cylinder reinforcement ribs on the outside surface of the tumbler.
4. Make the interior baffles bolt mounted so I can experiment with covering the interior with rubber stall mat or similar material to diminish the noise. That’s possibly futile but I think it would be interesting to try.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The Hanging Files Database

Over a decade of business let me with several file cabinets filled with hanging files relating to client projects, business records, design ideas, maintenance and operating manuals, publications, inventory files, etc. I felt they were reasonably well organized by general category but when a critical volume was reached I had a hard time finding an individual folder or when a file was removed for use I lost track of where it was located.

This year I was able to devote time to organizing them. I settled on a numbering system, somewhat like the Dewey Decimal system, which allowed the files to be grouped in large general categories and subcategories and numbered so that I could search a computer database and find precisely where the file resided. This took quite a few tedious hours to set up and still requires some attention to maintain but it is already saving a lot of frustrating searching time.

Most of the files are up in the loft which is generally cleaner that the rest of the space. If, for instance, I am working on a door knocker for a client I go up and get the door knocker design file and bring it down to the file cabinet by my layout table. On the computer database it is given an additional number which shows it is now temporarily residing with the work-in-progress files. When the project is finished the files goes back upstairs. It is a bit awkward to explain the system fully and I suppose each individual has to find an organization plan which suits their needs. This works for me.

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Using Touchmarks

The beginning blacksmith may derive sufficient pleasure from the creative activity alone so that marketing and selling is not a consideration. However, the situation changes when making the transition to blacksmithing as a business.

The best strategy for growing a business is probably doing good work. When the work is good enough for the maker to stand by it may help the business to sign the work. Traditionally smiths and other craftsmen have used a distinctive maker’s mark to stamp the inverse of the mark in the finished product identifying it as their creation. They are also known as maker's marks.

Touchmarks are coining or embossing stamps with a unique image associated with a practicing craftsperson or shop. I have read that making a touchmark was part of the ceremonial transition from apprentice to craftsman and that the touchmark was destroyed upon the death of its’ maker.

It is my experience that clients who have commissioned work like the notion of having their work signed so that is sufficient reason to do it. However, another reason is archival. Well executed metalwork will likely be around for a long time and it is uncommon enough that there is some probability it may eventually attract historical interest.

In recent years I have helped students make touchmarks but I actually had mine made by a manufacturer specializing in stamping dies. I chose one stamp to strike my initials and another stamp to strike the stylized persimmon logo.

I don’t touchmark everything I produce especially small items which may be appropriate for sale at an art/craft show. Even a small custom item I would likely sign with just the logo stamp. Larger forged projects are signed in an inconspicuous place with the persimmon logo stamp, the DJE initial stamp and alphanumeric stamps which identify the month/year of production; for example, 10.09.

Each smith will have to decide whether to bother using a mark and what symbol would be appropriately unique. A well made tool steel stamp will hold up through thousands of strikes in hot or even cold annealed mild steel.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Presto Pen Marking

Correction pen marker fluid has a high visibility and has become a much used tool in the studio.

Originally I used the pens to delete ink lines on sketches, but now I use them when I want to mark a workpiece temporarily to designate some type of transition point where a punch mark would leave a permanent mark and a soapstone or silver pencil mark is sometimes hard to see or easily rubs off on the hot work. The white material deposited from the correction pen works something like a fast drying paint. It doesn’t come off easily even with a wire brush but can be cleanly removed with lacquer thinner.

The white line is very easy to see on hot iron. One point of caution, if the material is allowed to remain on the workpiece through several heats it may protect the underlying metal from oxidation, so the protected area might be visible on the finished piece as a local difference in reflectivity of the surface .

I find they are nice for labeling containers and for marking instructions on stock to be forged at some future time when I otherwise might forget the plan. They are handy for marking a date on machinery to record when the oil was changed for instance. In the offcut rack I sometimes record the length of the piece so I don’t have to pull out the tape each time I’m looking for a certain length.

I have tried several products and so far I prefer the Pentel brand Presto pens. I got some here on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NNXZ4W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NNXZ4C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F245Y3BJDMAZKMD6YMW

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Laying in a coal supply

The Kansas summer heat was dreadful but nothing out of the ordinary for late July. When the heat is on I try to focus on cold work and keep the forging time to a minimum. This is a good time for repair and maintenance, building new equipment and laying in supplies.

I was lucky to get some gracious assistance from a blacksmith friend who found a relatively handy source for coal not far away in Oklahoma. He offered to show me the way and we set a date for the trip.

I have used bagged coal for years and didn’t have a bin for loose coal so I had to build one before the trip. I used a couple of sheets of 5/8” treated exterior grade plywood to construct a bin on the studio porch. I can back the pickup to bin to off load with a scoop shovel. It sits about 16” off the floor so a five gallon bucket can slide under and fill easily by gravity when the door slides open. The bin should hold about two tons.

On the scheduled day we drove to the mine and I was able to purchase a pickup load of smithing coal for quite a bit less than I was spending for bagged coal. The current price was $100 per ton and the trip down and back was about six hours total and then there was the price paid for gas to figure into the actual cost. When I add in the cost for the coal bin I may not come out ahead this year but as long as the mine produces I should be set for the future.

The process was really easy. Check in at the scale office and place the order, weigh inbound on the scale, drive to the loading area, get out of the way while the huge front end loader filled the bed of my truck, weigh outbound, and pay. Twenty minutes in and out and we were on the road again.

It was nice to get this chore done at a convenient time. With only a little prudence I should be able to avoid making a trip in inclement weather or running out of fuel.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The Daily Routine

Developing a daily routine has really helped my productivity.

I’m usually up early, around 0400 - naturally I went to bed early too. I eat breakfast, then do computer work; check the e-mail, record on my computer any hand written notes made the previous day, write client correspondence, do design and bidding work, and prepare orders until around 0730 when I shower and dress for work.

My Regular Pocket Tools:
The day schedule - a single page outline style computer printout updated daily.
3” x 5” spiral pocket notebook
Presto Pen correction fluid marker
Silver pencil
Ink pen and graphite pencil
12’ tape measure
Soapstone
9" slip-joint pliers

Occasional Pocket Tools:
Aluminum folding pocket ruler - 72”
Small file
Scribe marker
Steel inside/outside pocket caliper

In the studio I first unload the tumbler and sort the cleaned items. Work pieces nearly ready for assembly get a rag wipe and a light spray of Minwax satin polyurethane to prevent rust unless I plan to apply some chemical treatment in a patina process.

The rest of most mornings I use to prepare pieces for forging, and work on design and assembly. I also run errands and obtain supplies.

In the afternoon an assistant arrives about 1400. We do forging until around 1600. Those items go into the tumbler for a timer-controlled 15-20 minute run. I turn it on as I leave the studio for the evening. With this schedule the studio functions quietly during the hours my neighbors are at home.

On weekends I often work in the studio if there are no other activities are planned. I use this uninterrupted time to experiment with designs and techniques and do quiet work.

Having a clear vision of what I need to accomplish each day and a overall plan of how to schedule the production process gives the work direction and momentum. Even with the best planning it seems as if a nearly unlimited number of possibilities for interruptions are ever present and must be accommodated. So the schedule is actually rather flexible in practice.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Flint and Steel Fire Starting

Recently a young man working on his eagle scout rank showed up wanting to learn some blacksmithing techniques. He will soon enter Flint Hills Technical College to pursue a program leading to welding certification. This gave me the excuse to work on a small project to use at an upcoming Missouri State Fair demonstration. I anticipated it would be hot in mid-August so a light-duty project would be in order.

A “C” style flint striker and fire starter kit was decided upon. It’s not the kind of thing I usually do but seemed fitting for someone who has mastered a lot of camping skills and a good beginner level project. We started with an old flat file and he was quickly able to learn how to start and run the coal fire, draw the tapers and scroll them. Later I did the heat treatment by oil quenching.

I also made some char cloth from an old 100%-cotton tee-shirt by cutting several approximately-two-inch squares and cooking them on the coal fire in an empty pint paint can with a pin hole punched in the lid to allow the smoke to escape. When the can stopped smoking it was allowed to cool and then opened to reveal the char cloth.

My flint was not very good but it was enough to get a few sparks and the first one striking the char cloth ignited it. We used dried grass as tinder and started a little fire. Even though I knew intellectually that this process worked it was still a bit delighting to actually accomplish it myself. No more need for matches.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Check out YouTube

With the heat index soaring over 100º recently I have been catching up on maintenance work and other chores which don’t require the forge.

I’m building two more 50+-pound power hammers adapted from the type Ray Clontz developed. One I’ll keep as a studio backup machine. The other I’ll deliver to a friend in Texas who wants me to build one for him. I currently use one I constructed a couple of years ago it serves as a prototype to work out design changes to correct a number of its little problems.

A couple of other projects are in the design phase so that work can proceed in the comfort of air-conditioning.

It has been quite some time since I have really taken a close look at the web to see what is currently offered by searching “blacksmith.” I devoted a few hours and discovered, from the coolness of my study, there is a great deal of quality information in video format on YouTube. When I last checked a couple of years ago I wasn’t much impressed but now the variety, image clarity, improved editing and and increased length of the segments seem to have changed everything for me.

I visited over 200 sites and watched all or part of them and copied their URLs to a file with some data relating to their subject, date of posting, length and number of views. After spending more time studying and reflecting, I’ll decide how to pass along this compilation of really delightful entertaining and educational material. I'm thinking of posting a list of active links to ones which I enjoyed.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/