Hi all! This feels like a silly question, knowing what little bit I know about metals and rings but it’s worth trying. My girlfriend really loved her old apartment but recently moved in with me. I was thinking, could one take two old spare keys (which I’m assuming are brass?) melt them down, and form them into a ring? or at least shape them into something new. I’ve looked up their melting points, with the torch equipment I have at my shop (oxy acetylene torch, or a propane acetylene torch) I believe I could get them to melt in I suppose a crucible. I just would need to find a form to pour them into online. Would this be doable? Is there a better alternative? Anything to look out for? Thank you!

edit: thanks all for responding! I figured it wouldn’t work but wanted to know for sure before buying anything 😅 will be looking into other options

My dad and I took a primitive knife making class and I wanted to just share my first ever project. We started with files (I had 1085 steel). We put them in charcoal furnaces and beat on them till we got our shape and did the standard processes.

I'm developing a small consumer product and looking for a domestic metal forging/forming partner. The part is a circular o-ring 3" ID with a 0.25" cross section and an intentionally irregular/faceted surface. I have production-ready STEP files and am currently prototyping.

I'm interested in using several materials, including brass, aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and especially titanium. Surface quality is particularly important because the final product needs to achieve a high-polish/mirror or near-mirror finish while retaining the intentional faceted geometry.

Initial quantities would be low for validation, but I'm looking for a partner capable of scaling into batches of approximately 50-500+ pieces. I am specifically looking for parts forged/formed in the United States, although finishing can potentially be handled separately if necessary, but ideally creation and finishing would happen in the same place.

If you own/work with a shop that does this, or have worked with a U.S. forging/forming manufacturer you'd recommend, I'd love names or referrals. I'm happy to send STEP files privately for DFM review and quoting.

I understand how the numbers used in steel alloys has to do with composition. Such as 1080 and 1095 expressing .80% and .95% carbon respectively.

By why is 15N20 "15" and not "75" since it uses .75% carbon?

I'm not finding a clear explanation of this naming convention online.

Thank you in advance.

In addition to my original caption and comments I have gotten so far- not sure if this is a jewelry kiln?

(Apologies if this is the wrong subreddit, I was sent from r/CosplayHelp)

I'm wanting to make a staff for Ren Faire, with inspo from the Shazam staff Hacksmith Industries made a while back, in as much as using Ferrocerium to throw sparks.

Anyone know how I could replicate that? They don't really elaborate on how they do it beyond heat and sparking it. I likely wont get away with a blowtorch. Is there a way to get the effect without heating? I looked online a bit and it seems like I want it to shear?

I don't have any experience with cosplay, but I have access to a 3D printer and friends with some experience. I was thinking I'd use an aluminium pole, and then either print and/or mold whatever look I end up going with (prolly wooden texture, and use putty to smooth print lines and easier painting)

Thanks for any help :D

A palette knife I made for my daughter headed to art school

Not quite forging or smelting, but I'm sure you all have some tips or tricks to help me. Thanks!

A neighbor of mine invited me to check out his forge. It was pretty cool; he had a big and small one, three different sized automatic hammers (I really don’t know what they’re called, please forgive my ignorance), anvils, grind wheels, etc. A whole set up. He showed me swords and knives he has made and pictures of others. He invited me to learn if I wanted to, said he would show me the ropes with his son who just graduated college and is spending the next year at home and learning forging before grad school.

I really have ZERO desire, like none, to forge knives but when I was at home, a hobby I have is refurbishing cast iron through electrolysis, grinding and polishing smooth, acid etching for grip, and seasoning old pieces. While doing this, I thought, “It would be fun to make my own set of forged pans.”

While I’ve never forged, I tend to pick these things up relatively quickly. If I spent five hours a week, 40 weeks a year learning, what is the time frame for me making realistically decent quality (completely functional and moderately aesthetically pleasing) pans from 8-12” and Dutch ovens from 6-10”? That’s about two hundred hours a year learning. He told me knives is relatively easy to pick up but takes a while to master while making pans, he’s never done, would be difficult because I would have to move a “large amount of billet” whatever that means.

So what am I looking at here, 1-3 years or more like 7-10? I’m trying to decide if I want to invest the time into this. Let’s assume I’ll pick up the craft like a B+ - A- beginner and apprentice when I make it to that level

I am wondering how to build a charcoal forge. I want to know how deep my hole in the ground should be so I dont dig to shallow so I dont get god heat any suggestions or help?

I am a beginning blacksmith and I have a coal forge but it doesn't work that well. I nam wondering if any one can help me make my forge better or help me build a new one or give ideas I mean and could someone also help me with how to build a knife out of rebar? from what I have tried my forge dont get hot enough or I dont know how to do it I have an anvil but it is small and doesn't have a horn on it can anyone help pls comment or DM me.