Subject: Re: Making a double-edged sword-- Cool forge for long work.

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 1996 23:19:38 -0400

Hi Troops..

In the long distance past I bought out the Kensington Iron Works on Staten
Island, NY. (Across the bay from NY City.)  It in turn had bought out 11
other shops as they went down.  It would be too sad to tell you the tools
that I had to leave for the scrapper because they were to big.  (This was the
last marine shop that could build anything.  The reason the guy closed it was
that he couldn't find anyone interested in blacksmithing to help him!  [early
70s.] ) 

One of the items there that came to mind was a forge that was made of iron
about 14" wide, 12" deep and about six feet long.  It had a pipe system
attached to one side about 1/2 way up that side that took air from a
compressor (huge tank) and sent the air into the forge through a series of
about 1/2" holes about 6" apart.  Each hole had a plug in it.  When the owner
wanted to forge a piece 3 feet long, he would simply unplug 3 feet worth of
holes and build his fire.  It was great for heating any length up to the
limit of the forge's length.  

I thought of this when you mentioned heat treating swords.  

BTW Does anyone know what became of the two 4' x 4' by 8' swage (bending)
blocks from that shop?  I understand they weren't scrapped.

I left a whole wall of 4-5' tongs stacked six to ten deep that were used with
the gin pole cranes in the shop.  Wish I had had a video camera then.

Kent Reeves   :o)
[email-masked]

P.S.  Long double edged swords were made with a series of hammers and swages
(about 4)  that matched each other.

---

From: [email-masked] (Stephen Smith)
Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 17:34:11 -0400 (EDT)

Swords were made with both hammers and swages?  Do you know any more about
the actual process involed?  Thanks for the info.!

Stephen Smith