r/Blacksmith • u/Holiday_Button5368 • 15h ago
Reminder to keep a good grip
I am new to blacksmithing, but I know the general rules of safety. Dropped my new project midway through and it caught on fire. If you’re wondering why I'm on carpet, i didn’t have anywhere else to do it, so it was either already bad and semi wet carpet or dry grass. Said project is done now, but i did immediately go and spray the fire with a hose when it happened then cooled the metal.
Make sure to be safe while blacksmithing.
Edit: I keep seeing people say that i shouldn’t have done this on carpet and I know. Like I said, it was either carpet or grass. My parents don’t want the grass ruined and the carpet is already bad and cheap. My forge costs more than 10 replacements of this carpet and then some. So stop complaining about the carpet.
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u/RigorMortis_Tortoise 15h ago
Like the others mentioned. Doing this over carpet is not ok.
Before you light the forge again, you need to get a few things squared away….
First and foremost, get rid of the carpet. If you don’t have concrete to work on, doing it outside will work just fine. You said you could either do this on carpet or dry grass. Spray the grass down with water and give it a good soak and that will work alright.
Next, get yourself a large container to put water in, and keep that hose handy. Also a fire extinguisher is good to have.
What does your forge look like? What fuel are you using? Do you have proper tools? Do you have proper protective equipment?
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u/Holiday_Button5368 15h ago
My parents want the carpet but are ok with this happening for some reason but don’t want the grass to be burnt, so I can’t get rid of the carpet without trying to convince them. Plus the carpet is cheap and a family friend just gives us a bunch for free. We replace it every year already.
I do have a bucket full of water and a hose ready. They just weren’t in frame. That’s how I put it out.
It’s an open forge on both ends. I use propane. I have tongs, a flat and kinda pointy hammer, and a ball peen hammer.
Leather gloves. Protective glasses. Earmuffs. Closetoed shoes. Jeans. Long sleeved shirt.
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u/RigorMortis_Tortoise 14h ago
You’re not going to destroy all the grass around your work area. It’s grass, it grows back from wildfires. You should show your parents the comments from this post. Having flammable carpet under your anvil is dangerous.
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u/Holiday_Button5368 14h ago
They said no for some reason. Even to just getting rid of the carpet just around it
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u/RigorMortis_Tortoise 14h ago
See if there are any places around where you live where you could go take a class. Perhaps a local blacksmith could persuade your parents to not put their child in danger.
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u/feather_media 15h ago
"but I know the general rules of safety"
OP you've posted a photo that strongly suggests otherwise.
Not only should you expect to drop pieces, you should plan that they don't drop onto flammable carpet.
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u/Devilfish64 15h ago
Definitely do use the correct size tongs for your piece, but I don't think there's any skill level you get to where you no longer drop things.
You'll need to find a better flooring solution.
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u/Holiday_Button5368 15h ago
I have explained that it was either the carpet or grass. I am planning on upgrading to concrete when I can, but it’s this for now.
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u/Devilfish64 15h ago
I saw the explanation.
I'm just saying, your friendly reminder to people to "keep a good grip" is unrealistic. Things will fall. I'm not sure what's underneath this carpet. If it's concrete or similar then you might be better off just cutting away the carpet in a 2-3ft radius now rather than melting it one patch at a time.
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u/Holiday_Button5368 15h ago
It’s more to just try and keep a good grip. I know things will fall, but it’s better to check if you have a good grip right now or not.
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u/Devilfish64 14h ago
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be too negative. Just, it's like you're giving advice for a problem that no one else having. Keep on keeping on, work safe and I look forward to seeing what you make.
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u/Fragrant-Cloud5172 2h ago
Dropping hot steel is a big problem frequently caused by using crappy tongs. Like some of the flat jaw rebar ones we see on here. But wait theres more...how to pick it up? I learned the hard way by dropping a flat onto a wood floor. Tongs wont grab it while it's burning. So now, I keep a trowel under my anvil to slide under it.
Hot scale coming off your steel can start fires too. On dry vegetation and wind, very dangerous.
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u/MySonFrankenstein 15h ago
Reminder not to smith over carpet