>>Regarding making holdfasts, it ain't rocket science.

Snip--

>>I can tell you that anything even remotely holdfast shaped will work.
And it doesn't take long to make up a pair once you set to it.
You *need* a pair, and right now, to do a better job on that reno.
Time spent at the forge now will make the rest of the job so much
easier.

>>This message has been brought to you by your friends at the SGFH.

What he said.  It's a job for a beginning blacksmith, and I should
know, because I are one.  Have been for going on 20 years.

Since this started as a WTB, and since I've been mentioned by name,
and since I haven't posted a FS for a long time, let's just do it--

The "price" for my holdfasts is US$110 per pair, including priority
mail postage in the US and Canada.  My policy is like SOT, but more
so.  Send me your mailing address, indicating that you want a pair,
and I will mail them to you.  If you decide to pay for them, that will
be fine.

I usually email a pic with the first note, but Chris Schwarz recently
posted a UTube at
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/workbenches/improved-phil-koontz-holdfasts

Where you can see some action shots while listening to some very bad
musical accompaniment.

They are made from 20" of 11/16" round bar stock.
Here's my technique.  (OK--I see that Adam Maxwell found a similar
older note, but I'm on a roll now--don't distract me--).

Cut the bar stock in 40" pieces.  Each piece should be marked in the
middle because you will eventually cut it in two.  Heat one end and
make a short taper--that is, hold it on the anvil at about a 20 degree
angle, and hit it with your hammer at about 40 degrees.  Keep doing
that until you get a square point, like you would find on a big nail.

Start drawing a flat taper about 10' or 12" long.  By flat taper, I
mean that only two sides taper--call them the top and bottom.  The
sides remain parallel.  The last 2" or so should be allowed to spread
out, so don't extend the parallel all the way to the end.  After about
three heats you will see the leaf start to emerge.  Here's a pic that
illustrates this stage.  You can see the short taper, the long flat
taper, the parallel sides, and the beginning of the leaf.  It really
just emerges on its own--

http://pics.livejournal.com/pdknz/pic/0014fbsp/

Also in this picture, you can see the "S" curve mentioned below.

Use a slightly rounded hammer to encourage the leaf to spread,
thinnning the edges and keeping the bottom flat on the anvil.  From
here, you can start working on your hammer technique.  Watch the
finish and shape--it doesn't really affect the tool, but practice
never hurts.  Brush the hot steel to remove the loose scale from the
wor before you strike it at this stage--it helps improve the finish.
Here's a simple trick--do the last of your hammer blows on the bottom
of the leaf and taper where they won't show--the anvil acts as a
finishing tool and erases a lot of your hammer marks.

When the taper is nice and even, and the leaf is symmetrical and
nicely shaped, stamp your touchmark and leaf veins if you feel like
it.  Then do another leaf on the other end.

Finally, cut them in two, and get a nice long heat--all the way from
the beginning of the taper to the end.  Mark it at 9-1/2" and stick it
in the vise with the flat side nearest to your belly button. Bend it
about 45 degrees--that looks like way too much, but then you bend the
top back to nearly square, so there is a nice "S" curve.  Square up
the pad--I have a hole that I can drop it in and smack the pad a few
times with a hammer to make it set correctly on the bench.  I suppose
you could actually do this on a bench if you like, but I have a steel
jig that similates the angles.

Put it back in the vise, give the leaf a bit of a shine with a wire
wheel, then start brushing with a brass brush.  This part takes about
5 minutes, but you can do it with a beer with one hand, or take
frequent breaks--the issue is to brush when it cools off to the right
temperature--about 600F.  It always takes longer than I expect.

The last touch is to toast the shaft to a nice red to form the black
oxide so it will have a grip.

As you see, there are a few tools involved.  The bending wrench is a
classic old tool, just a piece of steel in the shape of a letter "F",
about a foot long.  The pad squaring jig is handy for production work,
but not necessary--you can do adjustments cold any time you like with
a good vise, a hammer, and a big crescent wrench.  Remember that ANY
galoot project requires more tools.  We ain't called the SGFH for
nothing.

As always, I'm "willing to make holdfasts for all those galoots and
only those galoots who don't choose to make their own."  (With thanks
to the barber of Seville)

PK
------------------------------------------------------------------------