Frequently Asked
Questions
Q: Do you do all your own work?
A: Yes. All works are hand forged by us in our own forge. We
hammer, bend and finish every piece.
Q: I can find a candlestick/firepoker/etc. cheaper at a Big box
store, Why should I pay you more?
A: There is a reason it's cheaper. The quality of our products
speak for themselves.
Q: What kind of metal is this?
A: Most of our work is done in mild steel. However some pieces
are worked in harder steels (strikers for example). Also some of
our candlesticks use sheet metal for the candle cups.
Q: Is that Wrought Iron?
A: In the US there is very little new wrought iron available.
Most pieces you see labeled in the mega-stores are really mild
steel. The word wrought means worked.. so this would be Iron that
was smelted and hammered and hammered and hammered until it was
in a workable form. This labor intensive process does make a hard
piece of iron but it is no match for the strength of steel.
Besides, in this age it's cheaper to make steel.
Q: Will this rust?
A: I've always said that steel is simply rust in a solid
state. I take great care to keep these works in good (read as:
rust free) condition. Depending on the piece, I use wax, oil or
petroleum based sealents to keep the metal away from the
elements, so the bottom line is no.
Q: What kind of forge do you use?
A: I have two forges. I started on a two burner propane forge
and still use this when working on smaller pieces. Today I mostly
use a coal forge. The coal forge is great. I do not know the
exact history of it as it came out of an estate sale. However, it
appears to be from the early 1900's but still has a lot of life
in it.
Q: How much fuel do you use?
A: That really depends on what I'm doing. Forge welding takes
more heat (and more fuel) than finishing does. On an active day I
can burn upwards of twenty pounds of coal. The Propane forge runs
one speed (loud) and will burn up a 20pound tank (your basic
bar-b-que grill tank) of propane in about ten hours.
Q: How hot is that fire?
A: My forges can run between 2000 F and 10000 F.
Q: What kind of tools do you use?
A: Besides the two forges, I use several different hammers,
pliers and tongs. My favorite hand tool has got to be a little
ladle I made. It was the first tool I created for the shop and I
still use it to pour flux on hot metal for forge welding. On the
power tool (insert grunts here) side of things, I love my
reciprocating saw. Funny story, My wife and I were working on our
Vardo and needed a better way to cut some thick metal on the
trailer. So we went off to the local home improvement store and
made a bee-line for the powered destruction tools. I knew what I
needed and I just knew Barbara would not want to pay as much as
it was going to be. So I poked around and found a small
reciprocating saw on sale. I was trying to convince myself that
this basement model would work when I heard Barbara call out,
"Honey? Wouldn't you rather buy this more expensive one? It has
bigger amps.." I turned to see my wife holding a top of the line
saw. As I made my way over to her I noticed that every guy in the
place had turned to stare at her in awe. Happy marriages are made
this way.
Q: How big is your anvil?
A: In blacksmithing, size does matter. My primary anvil is an
168 pound forging anvil. I also have a secondary 55 pound bench
anvil I use for those tiny pieces.
Q: Will you teach me to do blacksmithing? / Can I be your
apprentice?
A: I've tried to stay away from gaining employees simply as a
business decision. (I have enough IRS paperwork to go through
with just me!) Also, the system of/for apprenticeships passed
into the history books a while back, so if you are looking for
one- be careful most of the protections are not in place anymore.
If you're really determined, I do need helpers sometimes so drop
me an e-mail. I also
offer some Blacksmith
Classes for those of you who desire one-on-one
learning.
Q: Do you preform weddings?
A: Yes, I can preform them. Look here for more
information.
Q: I want you to speak/appear at my function or
school.
A: We love to talk about blacksmithing. Look here for more
information.
Q: I saw you in a kilt/hat/cloak that I -loved-.. where can I
buy one?
A: We make almost all of our own clothing for our demos and
shows. We do offer some of these items for sale, check out our
Clothing
Catalogue to see if we have what you want. If you don't see
what you want, e-mail us.
Q: I have a plan for a piece of metalwork, can you do
it?
A: That depends on what it is, but mostly- yes. Email or call us with the
measured drawing and we'll be happy to give you a quote.
Q: I have a piece of metalwork that I want copied, will you do
it?
A: We will not infringe on copyrights. However, we are usually
able to come up with something close.
Q: Why don't you do swords or armor?
A: When we started to sell in the S.C.A. we found that
everyone and their brother made swords and armor, we didn't want
to be part of the crowd so I focused on camp items and it
stuck.
Q: Where is your shop? I want to come visit/shop/etc.
A: While currently we do not have a "bricks and mortar" shop,
we are looking for property in the Maysville, Georgia area to
build a visitor firendly shop. However we do love having
visitors; yet as we work out of our home, they currently are only
allowed by appointment. Email us for
directions.
Q: Do you shoe horses?
A: Nope. While I can make horse shoes, I am just not crazy
enough to smack a horse with a hammer. *grins* If you need your
Horse Shod, you'll need to talk to a Farrier, we do have a few
good friends who preform this service, so ask if you're
looking.
Q: How do I ask a question?
A: Write me at geof@bentmetalforge.com. I'm
always happy to answer your questions.
All photos, graphics, scuplture, web pages and
descriptions are copyright
(©) Dr. Geof Franklin unless otherwise stated.
Please do not copy, use or link to our graphics or files
without permission, Thank you!
This web site is the official virtual store for the company of
Bent Metal Forge.
Both this web site and Bent Metal Forge are owned by Dr. Geof
Franklin who can be reached via : geof@bentmetalforge.com
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site please contact our webmaster via : webmaster@bentmetalforge.com
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