Forge Work
 

I'm still trying to work up enough enthusiasm to get back to doing some serious work --- the End-of-Year holiday period is always an interruption to routine, and frankly, I don't like it all that much. One of the spinoffs from my present lack of enthusiasm for work is that I spend more time drifting through odds & ends on the net that I normally regard as non-essential viewing.

I've just clicked onto a thread in the Ethno Forum about making a golok.

It is in my opinion very valuable viewing for any keris interested person.

Anyone who has not yet had a look at this would be doing themselves a favour by putting aside a bit of time and closely watching the linked YOUTUBE presentations in this thread.

I know a few keris people are currently playing around with doing some forge work themselves, the linked videos in this thread are a really good tutorial:-

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27583

I have indeed seen these videos with great interest even if I myself don't practice blacksmithing or woodcarving.
It's really fascinating to see this work. :)

Thanks Alan, i'll check that out. :)

When you do David, take particular note of technique and colour used for forging out homogeneous material, and then the technique & colour used for taking the weld and then forging out the welded material.

Note the little sparks appearing in the flames and the little sparks coming from the material at weld heat.

The window for taking a weld like this is very narrow, a whisker too long and you've burnt the material, not long enough and you've got a cold shut.

You need to develop a sense that puts you in touch with the material, you need to be able to feel what is happening in the fire.

These two blokes are very capable & very experienced, this is the best video I've seen of how to forge & to take a weld.

Thanks Alan. I did indeed take note of that while watching ng, but thanks for pointing it out. :)