Maritime Blacksmiths Association

Started off the morning with Mark Asprey giving demo’s on a bottom swage blank, a chisel and crimping stake. In the process he discussed techniques in prepping your work, hammer control, anvil effect and several other items.

Here’s some photos from part of his demo, more to come.

His smushamatic tool is a great addition to a blacksmith shop. Particularly if your using different size hardie holes. The tool in the picture is used for making his tenons and it’s a piece of angle iron that fits in the hardie hole. The tool itself rests over the anvil.

His chisels have a very distinct shape and he gave a very good explanation why it was.

Next Mark created the crimping stake. It’s starts off as a 1′ X 1/2″ flatbar that will be folded over to make it 1″ X 1″. He started with the bar 1″ over the edge of the anvil wide side down and struck it with half face blows to drive it down. He turned it vertical and gave the 1″ piece a slight taper. He then bent it over almost 90 degrees and upset it.

The piece will be bent back on itself to fit in the hardie hole and the upset piece is the stop for the tool.

The other end is bent over 90 degrees, it will become the crimping tool. Mark used fullers to create the groove.

When it was complete with the groove all dressed it was time to case harden it. Mark uses Kasenite. Its made organic material and apparently doesn’t smell very good. The directions a fairly simple, heat to orange, coat in Kasenite, heat to orange again, quench in water.
That’s it until I get home, other than some photo’s. It’s been a great time, there were 205 registered participants. Yeeha!

Stephen P.