Post by Admin on Nov 20, 2013 9:40:22 GMT -5
(21:41:00 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I walk along the edge of the market, moving towards the forge that I have rented out. I'd decided to do some work in here tonight, I walk in and yell to the two thralls to get to work, stoking the fire and working the billows. They both grimace, having thought that I was not going to be using this forge any more. I had the builders in Exeter Metal Works though installing some new work benches and finishing the second furnace so I needed a place to work out of tonight. I wanted to make something for myself anyway, so it did not really matter where I worked. Most of what I needed was already here in the forge, a mold, and all the other tools. I take out a bar of iron from my pack, sitting it on the workbench as I put away my pack and start to get dressed to work in the forge.
(21:44:04 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I could feel the heat begin to rise in the forge almost immediately as the one thrall begins to work the billows, blowing air from outside across the hot coals, the same coals that were always burning. I'd finished working here before the rent I paid had been fully used, so I'd worked out something with the owner of the forge that I could work out of here when I wanted to. I watch the second thrall begin to rake the coals, after adding some wood to the fire. He would be pulling the ashes that have burnt down almost all the way and are now white, the coke, towards the front as these ashes would burn the hottest. I also would be taking a bit of the burnt out ash to mix with the iron to actually make the steel that I wanted for tonight. I start to search through all the molds, I wanted a single bladed axe head, with a spike back. I knew I would be able to find one without too much trouble as they were a rather common weapon on Gor. I was looking for a very specific one though, so it takes me a while. At the same time the thralls continue to heat the coals, getting them ready for me to work in. I finally find the mold that I want and clamp it to the work bench with vice grips.
(21:48:30 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: Now that I have everything set up I move to one of the walls, undoing the straps on my weapons harness and sliding it off. All that I had on the weapons harness at the moment was a broad sword across the back and my hammer on the left hip. There was a leather loop there, which would end up holding the axe that I wanted to make tonight. I thought that having something like that would make for some interesting fighting. I would ditch the short swords probably as well, just carry the axe and sword, and I did need at some point to make myself a shield, but usually when I fought I as able to just use one of the shields at the arena, because they were very often destroyed anyway. I hang up the weapons harness, and then strip off my tunic, baring my heavily scarred and thickly muscled chest. I reach over to the wall and take off one of the aprons, sliding it over my head and then tying it off at the small of my back. I also pull my long dark hair into a leather strap at the nape of my neck. Pulling on heavy heat resistant gloves finishes off the look, still wearing the leather pants and boots that I entered the forge with.
(21:54:39 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I turn to the work bench and start to select my tools. One of them is always my brother's hammer, a 10 pound head and a 30 inch handle. I'd recovered it from his body after he was killed. I had a pair of them, and the huge double bladed war axe which were the only things I had recovered. I select a few other hammers, and some tongs and other items. Setting each of them out on the work bench next to the anvil. I then drop the steel bar into a trough, with a 3 foot long steel pole coming off the end. The tip of this pole was wrapped in layers of leather, to try to keep it from burning through even the insulated gloves. I then measure out carefully the burnt down ash, or coke, adding about 5 percent the volume that the iron would be when it was melted down. THis would add carbon to the iron and turn it into steel. After measuring everything out I set the trough into the fires. The vessel that the iron would melt down into was made of obsidian, the rock would not melt in the fire no matter how hard it got. The obsidian was jet black, and shimmered just a bit, I could feel the heat baking out of the furnace, washing over my skin. I always felt good when I first experienced the heat of the fire, the forge continues to gain in temperature, now it must be at least 15 degrees warmer than outside. I yellto he thrall to keep running the billows with all he was worth or I would get out my whip to encourage him.
(22:04:26 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I grab the end of the steel pole, moving the obsidian trough around in the coals just a bit. One of the thralls was loading wood into one side of the furnace, the large billows on the other side. The smell would start to drift out through the marketplace now, of smelting steel. The iron starts to melt down, the liquid shiny as it flows off of the iron bar. The heat continues to rise, baking out over my arms and face, causing sweat to stand out on my face and begin to drip down it. Already the soot was starting to spread across my torso. I keep moving the trough slowly, keeping the iron heating evenly as it begins to mix in with the ash that I am using as a source of carbon. After several ihns it melts down into an actual liquid, I use another small steel bar to stir the liquid, mixing in the ash evenly, I would want this axe to be sturdy but also keep the steel soft enough to hold a razor sharp edge when I used the hammer on it. Once the mixture is done I move carefully the mold, dumping the now mixed steel into the mold. This would make up the axe head and the final dimensions would be about four inches across and eight inches wide. The cutting edge would be about 4 inches, the spike would come another three inches off the back side of the axe when it was completed. Steam runs out of the hole as I finish pouring the steel into the mold. I walk away, dunking the obsidian trough into some water, just fresh water. This causes the steel that is left in the trough to harden and flake off into the drum that contains the water. I check to be sure that there is a barrel of brine water as well, this would be used to temper the steel when I was finishing the crafting of the axe head itself. I'd already selected a handle to use, it was 30 inches long and made of dark temwood. That was in my pack and would be used in the final step of crafting the axe
(22:13:53 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: As I wait for the steel in the mold to cool I make sure that the fires are perfect, not trusting the thralls to get it just right, even though I have worked with them before. They were well trained but I took a rake and started to move some of the coals around myself, causing more heat to escape from the fire itself, it had to be at least 20 degrees warmer in here now than outside, smoke curling from the chimney of the forge. Finally I take the mold from the vice grips and knock it apart with my hammer. Inside is the axe head, the central hole is already there due to the way the mold is set up, and the axe head itself is smooth, but not sharp and the edges are rough where the steel was poured into the mold. I would also need to create a hole for a rivet, that would go through the axe head and the handle and lock it in place when I was done. I pry the axe head out of the mold and grab it with a pair of steel tongs, setting it into the fire, the center first, wanting to put the rivet hole in before I do anything else. I leave the axe head in the fire, allowing the steel to heat to a bright orange, and then beyond that, it starts to turn white, this was the perfect temperature to work with steel. Each kind of metal would turn molten at a different temperature, silver with the lowest melting point, then copper, then iron, then bronze and finally steel. I reach into the fire and pluck the axe head out with the tongs, turning to the anvil and setting the hole in the axe head over the slender end of the anvil, there was also a hole there, made to do just this sort of work. I then take up my hammer and a steel punch, rapping it once hard, driving the punch through the steel. I Then turn the axe head over, and drive the punch through the other side, lining up the holes. I quench the axe head in the brine, tempering it for the first time. I Then set the edge that would be the single blade of the axe in the ashes of the fire, allowing that to heat. The bit of water that is left on it bubbles up and turns into steam almost immediately.
(22:19:09 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: The sweat was streaming down my body now, dripping off my chin and then running over my chest, leaving streaks in the soot that was now covering the thick claw mark scars that are on my upper chest. The heat was oppressive, and took a long time to get used to. I keep moving the axe head around in the coals, getting the side of the axe hot that would be the bladed edge. Finally it has turned the white color that I need and I Pull it from the fire. Holding it against the anvil I use the 10 pound hammer to start beating the steel into the shape that I want. Loud sounds ring out each time the hammer meets the steel, bits of molten metal flying off,looking like sparks. I could feel some of the bits of metal landing on my upper arms, areas not protected by the gloves or the apron, they would sizzle for a moment and I could smell a slight waft of burning flesh. I was used to this though, and I did not even flinch. I was concentrating on working the edge of the axe into exactly what I need. The hammer ringing down in steady blows until I get the edge worked on to the steel the best that I can with the 10 pound hammer, I then take another smaller hammer and continue to smooth the steel. This would work as fine of an edge on this side as I could before moving on to the grinding wheel and then the buffer.
(22:27:50 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: The back side of the axe would be sharpened into a spike, that would work as a interesting addition to the weapon. Along with the cutting edge of the front side of the axe, one would be able to skewer his opponent with the back side. I set the axe head into the brine, sending steam up into the air, covering me in even more soot and damp air. Each time the axe head was put into the brine it would temper the steel and make it harder. I then set the axe head back into the fire again, the side that would soon be a spike was put into the hottest part of the ashes, right where all the wood and burned down into the fine white ash, also known as coke. I yell to the thralls, telling them to keep it up, we only had a few more ins before the forge could be allowed to cool again to the normal temperature that it was when none were using it. I could tell that the thralls were beginning to tire, but me yelling about getting the whip again keeps them in line. The thrall at the billows pumping furiously, heating the fires which in turns heats the steel of the back side of the axe head. Finally when it is a nice bright white I grab it with the tongs and turn to the anvil. The hammer blows ringing out again and again as I begin to smooth and shape the back side of the axe, working it into a nice fine point, almost as though I would the end of a sword blade. This took a little while, but when I was sure it was as good as I was going to get it with a hammer I dunk it into the brine, this time letting it stay in the salty water to cool all the way.
(22:34:46 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I reach down into the water, getting the axe head and taking it out with another pair of tongs, I then pull off my gloves, yelling to thralls that I am done with the furnace for today. I turn the axe head over in my hands a few times, checking it out, satisfied with its look. I go and retrieve the handle that would go up into the axe. The handle already had a hole in it for the rivet. I slide a rivet into the axe head, and through the handle, after lining all the holes up. I then set the axe down against the anvil, and hit each side of the rivet hard, expanding it within the hole, locking the two pieces of the axe together permanently. I take a few practice chops with it, ah yes this was going to work perfectly. I take the axe and walk over to the whet stone wheel sitting down. THis was a huge rock wheel, that would turn by the use of peddles, which would get it spinning at a high speed. At first I do not fill the reservoir does not have any oil in it yet. At first I would be working without oil, then I would add the oil to further refine the edge of the blade. I start to pump the peddles with my legs, spinning the stone wheel very slowly at first and then faster.
(22:37:58 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: The sound was always interesting as the steel meets the stone, sparks flying everywhere, washing over my muscular arms and the apron, dropping down onto the floor. It does not take that long to sharpen the edge of the axe head which will be the blade, and then the side that is the spike with the dry stone. The smell was always interesting as well, smelling like something burning, but not quite. After finishing with this step I move over to a trough and fill it with oil, putting it along the underside of the wheel, so that the wheel will move through it and wet it down with the oil. I sit back down and begin to work the peddles again, scraping the head of the axe back and forth over the hard stone covered in oil. THis would work the final edge onto the blade and would work the other end to a perfect spike.
(22:46:19 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I finish sharpening the axe and move on to the next step, where I would buff it, I first clean it off with a piece of rep cloth, testing the edge and the point of the axe, making sure that both sides were going to work well. They were perfect. I then sit down at another wheel, this one has leather wrapped around the stone, thousands of little pieces of leather. I get the wheel spinning just as I did before, and I then start to press the head of the axe carefully against the spinning leather, buffing the blade and making it gleam and shine, it looked brand new as I stepped away from the buffer, as it was brand new. I look the axe over and grin, just what I was looking for. I stand up and walk over to the work bench, packing up the few things I brought with me and then taking off the leather apron
(22:52:27 )
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Blacksmith of Minus
-[within a market shop]-
says to ALL: I begin to wipe myself down the best that I can, not wanting to ruin the tunic when I put it back on. The rep cloth that I use is covered in black soot by the time I finish. It was still so hot in the forge, that one would barely be able to breathe unless they were used to it. I take my tunic off the wall and put it back on after taking off the apron and hanging it up. I take my weapons harness down and set it on the table, switching out the scabbard on my right hip for a small leather sheath for the head of the axe, it would set down into it so that I could draw the axe easily if need be. I then slip the axe into the weapons harness before putting it on and buckling all the clasps. Finished I head out of the forge and into the relative cool of the evening.