forge the 09... · 2017. 10. 29. · $300 more than our last pur-chase. conservation of this coal...
TRANSCRIPT
The High Costof Coal
THE SHOP has recentlybeen supplied by the Park
Service with more coal for theforges. Thanks to Harry Newtonand Bob Conner for making thetrip down to Monroe to pick itup. The price of coal continuesto escalate. This ton cost over$300 more than our last pur-chase. Conservation of this coalshould be a primary goal of
everyone whouses the forges.Please rememberto put forge firescompletely out byspreading the hotcoals out on thehearth and wet-ting them downthoroughly. Aforge fire thatsmolders all nightwastes preciousresources. Screencold forge contents before starting a fire, andbe sure to salvage any usable coal or coke. Ifanyone does not understand these proceduresplease ask Ranger Bill or some more experi-enced smiths for help.
We must conserve coal! ♦
THE GUILDwishes to wel-
come Wade Seiders asa volunteer at theforge. Wade has beena farrier in theCanby, Oregon,area for over twen-ty-five years, so heis no stranger tohot iron. Wadewent to Oregon StateUniversity and servedan apprenticeship as partof that training. When asked what he dislikedabout being a farrier, he said that the horseswere generally OK, but collecting bills (theprice of being independently employed) was areal chore.
Wade has always been interested in his-toric artifacts, so working at the fort is agood fit for him. He has recreated some peri-od 16th-century Viking swords, axes, rapiers,and cutlasses. Work for contemporary useincludes tools, fireplace implements, and dec-orative objects. He is an active member ofseveral organizations, including OregonFarrier’s and American Farrier’s associations,American Bladesmith Association, OregonKnife Collectors Association, AmericanHorse Show Association, and NorthwestSaddlebred Association. His wife, Linda,assists in his business. ♦
&forgeTHE
planeOfficialNewsletter of theFort Vancouver
Trades Guild
VOLUME VII, NUMBER 1 WINTER 2009
New Face at the Forge: Welcome to Wade Seiders
Wade Seiders
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EVENTSFOR
BLACKSMITHS
2 FORGE & PLANE
DEFYING THE DECLINEin the economy, Newton
Forge Works reopened thisMarch, when Harry and RangerBill DeBerry commenced workon the 4th Edition of the NewtonForge. It was looking good onMarch 18, when F&P did thisphoto shoot.
The forge was described indetail in the Winter 2006 issueof the Forge & Plane. Anyonewho wishes to revisit the article iswelcome to contact the editor forfurther information. ♦
Phot
os:
S. G
awec
ki
Newton ForgeWorks Backin Biz
Newton Forge, 4thEd., under constructionAbove: Bill DeBerry demonstrates period welding techniques.
Below: Harry makes a pattern.
NWBA SpringConferencePonderosa ForgeSisters, Oregon
May 1 – 3Additional information:
www.blacksmith.org/drupal/
Can Iron VIINess Creek, Saskatchewan
August 7 – 9Registration Deadline: July 20
Demonstrations/instruction byAdrian Legge, Herfordshire, England
Additional Information:www.caniron.ca
Great Oregon Steam UpAntique Powerland
Brooks, OregonJuly 25 – 26 and August 1 – 2
Additional informationGary Strausbaugh
Off-Site DemonstrationOpportunities
Champoeg State Park
Founders’ Day & 43rd AnnualDraft Horse Plowing Exhibition
May 2, 10:00 – 3:00 • May 3, 10:00 – 2:00
Blacksmith DayJuly 18
To participate, please contactOff-Site Coordinator Gary Lewis
POINTING TO THE BEAVER trap,“Isn’t that a bear trap?” “Isn’t that an
awfully big trap?” “That can’t be a beavertrap, it’s way too big.” Many of us who workin the blacksmith shop at Fort Vancouverhave fielded these and similar queries fromthe visiting public more than once. (I haverecently found out that the interpreters atChampoeg State Heritage Area hear like com-ments from the public during programswhere they use a reproduction trap from ourforge.) With that in mind, I decided to lookinto the artifact collections here at the Fortand see what information could be gleanedwithout an all-out in-depth analysis. (If any-one wants to spearhead that project, I willgladly support it).
I conducted a search of the computerizedaccession records of the collection using vari-ous criteria and came up with the followingdata.
Search criterion Number of records (artifacts)
Trap 1,628Trap spring 686Trap spring fragment 464Trap jaw 434Trap pan 134Trap base 91Trap ketch 65Trap chain 14
A cursory inspection of some of theseartifacts revealed that the majority of itemswere fairly uniform in size compared one toanother, and that the shape and forging tech-nique also appeared to be fairly uniform. Iretrieved several samples from the collectionfor closer inspection, comparing them to oneof the reproduction traps that we make in theshop. Gross comparison showed that ourreproduction traps are very close in size to thearchaeological trap parts recovered from thesite (see photos).
WINTER 2009 3
Phot
os:
Bill
DeB
erry
Aren’t Those Traps TooBig????Bill DeBerry Original
Reproduction
Original Reproduction
Original Reproduction
Original Reproduction
Right: Full TrapBelow: Trap springs
Right: Trap jawsBelow: Trap base
4 FORGE & PLANE
We can thank our friend, Guild memberand volunteer Dave Stearns, for coming upwith the specifications for our reproductiontraps. Several years ago Dave spent many daysin the collection looking at the artifacts anddeveloping methods to reproduce them. Theresults of his work can be seen in the trapsproduced by various smiths at our forge.
While I was upstairs in the archives roomI also looked through an excellent referencebook on traps and their use, The Steel Trap inNorth America, by Richard Gerstell (StackpoleBooks: 1985). This book has a detailed discus-sion of traps during our era. Gerstell quotesfrom Peter Skene Ogden’s journals about howmany traps were taken along on various expe-ditions and what repair parts were included inthe inventory. Ogden reports that over a hun-dred traps were lost during the 1824 – 25 sea-son due to chain breakage. In his journals for1826– 27 he records the following sundriessupplied to the expedition: 218 beaver traps,15 beaver trap chains, 157 beaver trap ketches,3 pair beaver trap jaws, 29 beaver trap springs,and others. This brigade numbered 36 or 37trappers, so the average was six traps per man.Ogden stated that the demand for trap partsexceeded the supply. John Work, who replacedOgden as brigade leader in the Snake countryin 1830 – 31, recorded how his brigade wasconsituted for that year: “The party consists of41 men, 29 women, 22 boys, and 23 girls,making 115 souls who have 21 lodges . . .272 horses . . . 337 traps.” There is a greatdeal of additional pertinent information inthis volume, and I would recommend thatthose interested in the topic borrow it fromthe library.
Available artifacts in the archaeolgical col-lections at Fort Vancouver confirm that thereproductions we make, which are on displayin the shop, are fairly accurate representationsof traps that were available here during thehistoric period. So the next time somebodythinks that one of our beaver traps is reallyfor bear, you can set them straight! Happyforging! ♦
Bill DeBerry is Historic Programs Coordinatorat Fort Vancouver.
F O R T C A L E N D A R
April
Cultural Demonstration: Shell WorkMcLoughlin House, Oregon City
Saturday, April 11, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Nez Perce Chief Redheart Ceremony(To be confirmed)
Lower Parade Ground, across from the Fort Saturday, April 18, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
National Park WeekSaturday – Sunday, April 18 – 26
Saturday, April 25: National Park Family Day 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Discovery WalkFriday – Sunday, April 24 – 26
8th Annual Children’s Cultural ParadeFriday, April 24, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
May
Cultural Demonstration: Antique ButtonsMcLoughlin House, Oregon City
Saturday, May 9, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Memorial Day 1860’s Cannon ShootParade Ground, across from Howard House
Black powder demonstrationMonday, May 25, 1:30 PM
For more information on any events360-816-6230 or www.nps.gov/fova
Notes from the Fort
PREPARATIONS for the new VillageHouse are continuing. You may have
noticed a large pile of milled timbers in thefort parking lot. The maintenance divisionhas been working on getting these timbersready. Several smiths in the forge have beenworking on hardware for the building (theirefforts are much appreciated), and the maindoor and loft door for the house are being-constructed by staff and volunteers in thecarpenter’s shop.
School visitation season is well underway and we need all the help we can get tomake sure the blacksmith shop is covered onweekday mornings. Keep up the good workand see you at the fort. ♦ — Bill
WINTER 2009 5
Fire poker by Bob Race
Right: full viewBelow: handle detail
The Forge & Plane proudly presents these photos of work byguild member Bob Race. We look forward to showcasing the
work of other members and will be happy to capture yourfavorite piece digitally for publication.
gallery of guild work
Bob Race has recreatedthe original nonelectricvisitor alert system, nota knocker, but a tir-ling and pin (right),modeled from one in
Early AmericanWrought Iron, by
Albert H. Sonn (left)
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6 FORGE & PLANE
UNDER MOST circumstances, box jawtongs offer a number of advantages over
open-jaw tongs. Foremost is that the smithcan take a relaxed grip on the tongs whenforging, without fear of losing the piece.Work will not shift during forging when it issecured by the box.
In past times, making a pair of tongs wasa milestone for blacksmiths. A “journeyman”smith literally went on a journey to acquiremore skills before taking the master’s test.Journeymen smiths appearing at a prospectiveemployer’s door were required to demonstratetheir skills, and one of the major yardstickswas to make a pair of tongs. Making a pair oftongs takes a number of skills. Understandingthe cow poop theory of blacksmithing is amust.
The Cow Poop TheoryImagine a freshly placed patty of cow poop atyour feet. If you were to jump into it withboth feet, where would the poop go? Out —360 degrees out! If we imagine the face of theanvil to be the cow pasture and the hot metalto be the cow poop, your hammer becomesyour feet. Striking a blow on the hot metalwith the hammer will have the same result asjumping into a cow pie with both feet. Themetal will spread out in a circle. If you wantto draw a taper on this piece of metal, themetal that did not move in the direction ofthe taper will have to be hit again in order toforce it to cooperate. Let’s get back to the cowpoop. Suppose that we hit that cow pattywith a baseball bat. Where would the poop gonow? Perhaps a bit would splatter on ourgloves, but most would move perpendicularlyto the bat, i.e., we would have directionalcontrol of the metal. We can apply this toforging in a number of ways. We can forgethe piece over the bick or horn (a built-inbaseball bat); we can use the peen of ourhammer (a smaller baseball bat); we can drawout with a fuller, or we can use any combina-tion of the above. We are limiting the amount
of metal that we have to move twice, so weare doing more with less effort.
The Theory in PracticeWhen you drive a piece of metal into thecorner of an anvil (as in Figure A) it gives thesame result as driving a fuller into the metal.(The fuller is shown for clarity.) We will usethis technique in Steps 1 and 2 of making thetongs. The jaw of the tongs will be only aswide as the parent stock, 3⁄4 inch, so any gainin width will have to be forged back into thestock. Using the corner of the anvil in thisway, we are following the cow poop theoryand using a “baseball bat” to keep anyincrease in width to a minimum.
In Figure B, the smith holds the piece flaton the anvil and delivers a half-faced blow.
Making Box Jaw Tongs Mark Aspery
Metal supported on the anvil spreads 360degrees, and unsupported metal is drivendown the side of the anvil. The result istermed a “set transition,” as if it had been putthere with a set hammer. This is the “bothfeet” part of the cow poop theory, which wewill use in steps 4 and 5. These examplesdemonstrate how techniques that look similaryield different results.
There are a number of ways to make apair of box jaw tongs. In some, the boxextends all the way down the jaw. Othershave half the box on each jaw (Figure 1). In
Figure A
Figure B
your tong hand, and deliver hammer blows inthe direction of the arrow (Step 5). This willform the back edge of the boss, or hingeplate. Maintain the angle and dress the boss.After completing Step 5, you have finishedwith the box jaw side of the pair of tongs.
WINTER 2009 7
this example, the box is about 3⁄4 inch long.With a sufficient gap behind the box we canpass stock in from the side, as shown inFigure 2. This is useful when we want to holda bar for upsetting purposes. (The followingexample assumes that the smith does not havean abundance of tools. There are other waysto get the same results, but they are moretool-intensive. Stock for the following exam-ple was 8 inches of 3⁄4-inch square A36 hot-rolled bar.)
Hammer control is an issue during thisproject. The smith is advised to make surethat the hammer being used is well dressed,with no sharp edges, to deliver blended, over-lapping blows and improve the overall finishof the piece. (Measurements given are approx-imate.)
Steps One through FiveWorking on the near side of the anvil, place achalk mark on the anvil at about the 11⁄4 inchmark. Place the end of the bar against thismark, lower your tong hand, and deliver thehammer blows in the direction of the arrowin Step 1. Turning the bar 180 degrees overand working on the off side of the anvil, posi-tion about 3⁄4 inch of the bar over the edge, liftyour tong hand a little, and deliver yourblows in the direction of the arrow (Step 2).Take care to avoid hitting the shoulder thatyou formed in Step 1. Work out the resultantkinks on the near side. At this stage do notcorrect any gain in width (Step 3). You willreduce this dimension in Step 4.
If you hold your tongs in the left hand,turn the top of the stock 90 degrees to the leftfrom Step 3. Move out to the off side of theanvil. While holding it flat on the anvil, ori-ent the piece approximately 45 degrees off theedge of the anvil (Step 4), deliver half- facedblows, and, moving further back onto theanvil, full-faced blows. Stop when the stock isan even 3⁄8 inch thick. The stock will tend tocreep a little over the rounded edge of theanvil, so start a little further back than youwould like.
From Step 4, turn the stock 90 degrees tothe left. Move the bar out about 7⁄8 inch, lift
Figure 1
Figure 2
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
8 FORGE & PLANE
Steps Six through NineWe must now work on the opposite end ofthe bar to make a flat jaw side. This is identi-cal to the previous side, except that chalkmark on the anvil moves back about 1⁄4 inch orso and Step 2 is omitted. Step 7 shows theresult clearly. After the second jaw is complet-ed, the bar must be cut in two and scarfed fora lap weld. Placement of the scarf is impor-tant. As you look at the jaws, there is only oneflat side. I have found that this needs to be onthe anvil at the time of welding to make theweld go a little easier. Keep the flat sideuppermost as you make the scarf, to makesure that the scarf has the correct orientation.Steps 7 and 8 show the welding progression.
Twenty inches of 1⁄2-inch diameter stock isused for the reins, which allows a little extrain case of mistakes. A jaw of the tongs is weld-ed to the end of each rein. (If you are upset-ting the ends of the 1⁄2-inch stock on the anvil,remember to upset both ends before making ascarf, otherwise you will have to upset theother end in the vise.) The completed weld isshown in Step 8. The reins taper from behindthe boss to the ends. The length and shape ofthe reins is a matter of personal choice. If youare going to use the tongs for forge welding,you might want to have longer reins to avoidburning your hands!
The cross peen, fuller, or a piece of roundbar stock, is driven into the material at theend of the jaw. The order is important. Firstdivide the material down the middle. Next,making sure that you don’t create a cold shut,work one side out from the center to the edge.Come back and do the other side. (The resultis shown in Step 9.) Tidy the end up a little.The next step is to form the box.
Finishing Up: Forming the BoxAfter spreading the mass to create the sides forthe box, you need to fold them up to makethe sides of the jaw. There are a number ofways to do this. I think the following way isthe least troublesome and time-consuming.
The vise insert (opposite) shows a piece of1-inch half-round welded to the back of apiece of angle iron. The angle iron is held in
the vise by bailing wire. This allows it topivot freely from both sides and allows you tomove the insert along the jaw.
Step 6
Forging Progression
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
Vise insert
WINTER 2009 9
On the front of the angle iron, weld apiece of 1⁄2 x 3⁄4 inch stock, with the 3⁄4-inch sideon the angle iron. This will act as a spacer asyou form the box. Remove any sharp corners.You will find this tool very useful for grippingnonparallel stock. I have a number of differ-ent spacers and lengths of insert to choosefrom, to suit what I am working on. Theangle iron will pivot around the 1-inch half-round as it attempts to grip something that isnot parallel (see below).
Take a heat on the tong jaw and clamp in thevise with the edge of the jaw and the edge ofthe spacer in line. Next, take a small set ham-mer (this could be a piece of square stock ofthe appropriate size with the edges rounded).
Vise insertin use
Starting as shown in Step 10, strike the sethammer and, lifting up as you go, bend the
Set hammer aboutto be used
side of the box over. Be careful not to shearthe tab as you start the bend.
Step 10
First bend completed
Both bendscompleted
Take another heat on the jaws and coming infrom the other side of the vise, bend the sec-ond side of the jaws. The result is shownbelow.
Making the Rivet Hole in the BossMark center and drill. The wooden block actsas a spacer so the jaws can lay flat under thedrill. Mine is a hand-powered post drill, andI do not need to clamp this piece as you
would for an electric drill. I prefer to drillthese holes rather than punch them, becausedrilling does not distort the boss. Rememberto slightly chamfer the drilled hole. I usuallyuse a 5⁄16 or 3⁄8-inch rivet to hold the tongs. ♦
Mark Aspery operates the Mark Aspery School ofBlacksmithing in Springville, California.www.http://markaspery,net
NOTE: Photos supplied with this article were not good fordetailed reproduction, especially in print. Contact the edi-tor for an electronic copy of the original file.
Interesting Web LinksFort Vancouver Trades Guild
2008–09 Officersand
Board Members
The Forge & Plane is the officialnewsletter of the Fort Vancouver TradesGuild. Please send your comments, submis-sions, and suggestions to
Susan Gawecki, Editor17706 NE Homestead DriveBrush Prairie, WA 98606360-666-3398
If you would like to be added to the elec-tronic distribution list, please send anemail request to
Unfortunately, due to postage and printingcosts, distribution of printed copies is limit-ed to guild members only.
&forgeTHE
planeOfficialNewsletter of theFort Vancouver
Trades Guild
OFFICERSPresident: Ted Anderson4505 NW Lincoln AvenueVancouver, WA [email protected]. President: Larry Coffield308 SE 151st StreetVancouver, WA [email protected]: Jeff Cawley3421 SW KelleyPortland, OR [email protected]: Bill Evans1750 SW Carey RoadPortland, OR [email protected]
ELECTED BOARD MEMBERSDennis Torresdal20327 NW Sauvie Island RoadPortland, OR [email protected] LewisOregon College of Art and CraftWood Studio8245 SW Barnes RoadPortland, OR 97225800-390-0632
OFF-SITE COORDINATORGary Lewis112 NE 108th AvenuePortland, OR [email protected]
http://home.earthlink.net/~bazillion/intro.htmlThis site will tell you more than you want to knowabout springs.
http://www.watchman.dsl.pipex.com/filemaking/index.htmlThis site has great photos and information onmaking files both historical and contemporary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlacksmithGreat photos by Jack Delano among others.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/16/2517219.htmArtisans from Australia and around the world arebeing called upon to forge gum leaves to add to asteel gumtree, which will be erected in one of thetownships devastated by the February 7 fires.
http://www.northwestwoodworking.comA great site for those of you who work in thewood shop and may be interested in improvingyour skills — and, it’s local!
http://www.slossfurnaces.comSloss furnaces are a national historic landmarkand well worth the visit.