how to use a coal forge? and "soften" steel

[Brett Holmes]

this may seem like a stupid question but i want to know how to use a coal forge sure it may sound simple to you, stick it in then pull it out when its hot but to me the newbie there are a few simple things i dont kow, mainly i want to know if i put the steel in the coal(or charcoal probably) or if i hold it above it, will puting it in get stuff stuck all over it or what? i really want to just use it to "soften" old circular saw blades, files and things like that, to make them easier to work. i was thiking i would just heat them up to an orange colour and then put them in some dry sand hopeing that would slow down thir cooling and have them retain there heat longer, thats sort of what im suposed to do right??
also why do people use charcoal instead of just wood?
anyway thats enough questions for now, i wouldnt want to burden you with all my problems in one day, if i did what would i have to do tommorow,

Brett

[AwP]

You'd want to stick it in the coals, not on top, that would allow too much oxidization and cause alot of scale. You can bury your steel in hot sand, but just laying it on top won't be a slow enough cool to anneal it. Another way to do it is to just turn the blower off on your forge (you need a blower for it to get hot enough, not sure if you knew that yet) and let the fire burn down, that will let it cool slowly enough to make it pretty easy to work for most tool steels.

Some people do use wood, but even when you use wood you're really using charcoal since you need to let it burn down to coals anyway. People prefer prepared charcoal due to convience, but wood works too if you don't want to take the separate step of charcoaling it first.

[Brett Holmes]

thanks for that andrew
yeah i was gonna bury it in the sand but just turning off the blower and leting it burn out is a pretty good idea, ill probably just go with that

[hammerdownnow]

Holms, I think the best and fastest way for you to get up and running in the right direction is to order the Lively unplugged bladsmithing video. Me, not being the brightest bulb in the tulip patch, just spun my wheels and stood around scratching my butt for a year wondering just how to go about it. After ordering the video I was all set up and hammering in a matter of days. Best 20 bucks I had spent in a long time. Still glad I got it and watch it often. Of course don't go abandoning us here.
Lively video(clickhere)

In the mean while check out the tutorials in and on these sites

lively site directions

Tai Goo tutorials

Primal fires tutorial room

The Outpost

[Brett Holmes]

i ended up going with the method of turning the blower off and letting the fire burn out and cool, and i think it went pretty well. my "forge" consisted of a fire on the ground with a hairdryer for a blower, and the verdict, it worked a treat the hairdryer worked better than i could have ever imagined and the only thing that i will deffinately change for next time would be to use charcoal instead of wood, that would provide me with coals quicker than wood and also less flames, otherthan that the whole setup worked well and nothing needs changing however obviously it would be a little beter if i did make some refinements.
after i let the files cool i started my first ever day of grinding and with it my first ever grinding accident , in the form of a severely scun nuckle, yeah i know it may not sound that bad but it hurt like hell. in a way i guess im lucky my first injury was pretty mild because really its a pretty cheap leson on the improtance of safety and concentration. i straight away got my self some gloves and have decided to use them from now on when i am doing the rough stock removal and only take them off when i am doing the finer work when i need precise handleing. and im glad i wore them because i ground them alot so i would hate to see my hands if i wasnt wearing them. anyway enough of that what matters is i have started my first knife and hope to have it in the display case in a week or so, so keep a look out.
brett

[Jason Cutter]

Holmsy, I told you that grinder would bite !! Seriously, hope that grinder is letting you do some new things. Just remember to test the files by cutting into it with another fresh file to make sure you have actually annealed the steel. Jason.

[Brett Holmes]

oh yeah jason it bights alright, took me totaly by suprise too. but i got a pair of gloves now so everything is going alot better, i tried a file on it and it is anealed but not quite as much as i would have hoped but oh well its working, so what more could i want.