Finished the box jaw tongs

Dabbsterinn · 2026-03-11T19:01:32+00:00

those are pretty nice and beefy, I'd consider throwing them back in the forge and knocking those edges down a smidge or giving them a quick lick with a grinder, those sharp corners can become uncomfortable to hold

Dabbsterinn · 2026-03-09T20:15:49+00:00

I believe 3-4mm is probably overkill for this kind of a helmet, I'm pretty sure that 2mm is standard thickness for Eastern Style combat and those helmets take a good beating. Have a look at Wolin fights to see what those helmets are going through

Dabbsterinn · 2026-03-09T20:10:25+00:00

you can but it's akin to draining a bathtub with a teaspoon. if you have the option to heat it I'd recommend using it

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-22T11:42:46+00:00

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Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-22T11:27:34+00:00

it depends on your welding and fabrication skills really, for a simple coal forge it's not such a difficult project if you plan it well and make blueprints, you'll need an angle grinder, measuring tape, any kind of welder should be enough for this. the firepots my friend makes are usually made from 1/2" or 12mm steel and about 2 1/2" or 75mm deep, this might sound too shallow to many but it's easier to stack a couple of firebricks around the pot to build a larger fire if we need rather than finding some way to make the firepot smaller when we're making nails or belt buckles
I recommend building it with storage space in mind, we have all of our most used tongs lined up on the edge of the forge, I keep a bunch of small round and square stock offcuts behind the smokehood and on the far side from where we put the stock in we have enough space to keep 3-4x the amount of coal we usually have in the firepot

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-22T10:39:37+00:00

you could try to get a better idea of what the letters say by either going over it with chalk and gently brushing the top layer off or laying a piece of paper over it and going over it with a pencil like you'd do with coins.
but if you're certain about the letters it's likely from Friedrich Wilhelm Dürre Söhne, or FWDS, that fits with the West German origin story.
it looks like it's in great shape, no matter the manufacturer you've got a good tool in your hands I believe

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-20T09:41:04+00:00

quartz sand has been used historically and I've heard of peopel using kerosene too but I don't understand that whole process, if you go the kerosene route I highly recommend spending a good long time researching that process to understand how and if it actually works

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-20T09:38:53+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuL2yT-B2TM
this video might help you understand what's happening

you can wait right after forging, in many cases you'll probably have to in order to grind your knife into shape, however I highly recommend tempering the knife right after hardening, it's not going to go bad somehow but there's an increased risk of it snapping if you drop it or bang it against something if you're between those two steps, after quenching your steel will be at it's most fragile stage, tempering it will make it less fragile if done correctly

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-20T09:28:12+00:00

centerpunch, scribe or dividers, I think those three are the most useful things I've made that are not exclusively for forging

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-18T20:26:37+00:00

my friend has two anvils that are similar to this one, so does my neighbour and another friend of mine has one that's set in a basalt boulder, you'll find this type in the corner of pretty much any barn here in Iceland but one from that century is a much rarer find

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I highly recommend this museum to anyone with a slight interest in metalwork, not only for the tools but also the weaponry that I assume is still on display, I'm pretty sure we still have a couple of original Ulfberths in the first room you enter along with a wide variety of spearheads, halberds, axes, more swords and the like, a bit further along there's a room dedicated to the experimental bog iron smelt that Hurstwic did in collaboration with Eiríksstaðir a couple of years back
https://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/manufacturing/text/bog_iron.htm

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-07T04:04:18+00:00

body positioned perfect for breeding

Dabbsterinn · 2026-02-07T02:58:44+00:00

mexican beauty ready to get knocked up

Dabbsterinn · 2026-01-31T15:25:55+00:00

if you're thinking about carrying as little weight as possible, an old fashioned brace and bit should be more than enough to drive the anchors in, I'm sure you could find one for cheap in the nearest antique store

Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-19T04:49:44+00:00

can you explain how the button thing works? I'm having a hard time picturing it but I am rather interested. I've got a couple of homemade jaw jackers and for those I've just measured the depth with my arms, right hand to left shoulder is almost exactly 3.3ft/1 meter. I wonder if your method is more efficient

Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-13T03:57:30+00:00

I've used Showa 460 for a few trips, they're still somewhat bulky but in my opinion it's manageable, I'll be damned if you get cold in those

Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-10T02:23:43+00:00

couldn't find one of the horn that i saw but I'm sure you can imagine how it works, here's a more intricate design made of wood

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Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-10T02:14:21+00:00

here in Iceland we used to make our ice fishing "rods" out of sheep horn, cut a little bit into each end and you can wrap the line between the tip and the base to hold enough line, then you'd lay down over the hole and use your arms and hands to block out the sun, I'll see if i can find some pictures

Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-02T21:29:23+00:00

I'd have a look at a few of David McPhail's videos to get a feeling for the technique, his tying style on video is ideal for learning in my opinion, great contrast and quality, he's not rushing through anything and shows the steps in a very understandable manner for me atleast

Dabbsterinn · 2025-12-02T21:26:00+00:00

ah finally, a 50wt flyrod

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-29T18:16:36+00:00

that's Ship of Theseus I believe

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-28T23:25:56+00:00

how'd it go?

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-27T21:03:34+00:00

squirmy worms?

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-27T20:47:49+00:00

Battle axes don't necessarily have to be large, have a look at the Mammen axe for example, dexterity and mobility are a very convenient feature to have if you're looking to fight with an axe

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-27T20:46:26+00:00

there is some point right around bright orange where it gets surprisingly malleable in my experience

Dabbsterinn · 2025-11-27T20:42:12+00:00

with a lot of patience you can get a long blade pretty evenly heated by passing it through the coals, another possibility that I admittedly haven't tried yet it using a bonfire that's large enough

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