[Vell's Metal Supplies]Of Hammer and Metal Part II

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 27th, 2019, 6:09 pm

55 Summer 519

Over the last few days work, the pile of finished iron posts for the fence had grown. Now it was a somewhat heaping mound, several of them separated out by the end posts which Vell had done himself. He had also done some long rails which were made to fit through the holes punched in the top and bottom of the length of iron.

“Now that we have the main bit done, its time to make the cross bits and to attach the vertical pieces. I' will need your help with that Crylon. And we will need to fasten it all together at the ends.”

The Isur nodded, looking over at the disparate piles. Grabbing one of the length of iron, Crylon held it up and worked to feed it through the posts one by one as Vell moved them into place.

One horizontal piece would feed through multiple of the vertical pieces. One, two, three, four, five, till only a short length of iron poked out of the end on each end. Then Crylon as directed took up a second one, and fed it through the bottom hole as Vell held it all in place.

Lastly for that bit, Vell had Crylon pick up the end posts and place them at each end of the length of metal. These had additional holes, so that once the cross piece was fed through a small bolt sort of metal piece could lock them in place momentarily at least. It would not hold forever, was not meant to, but kept it all in place while they worked. One, two, top and bottom, at each of the end posts, and the four bolt like cross pieces were fed through which held the entire assembly in place for the moment.

These holes were much smaller, and had been drilled, such that they did not move overly much and let the entire fence section be held in place all at once. Crylon put a small cap on each end of these four small pieces, more like a tiny vice which kept it from slipping out either way.

Once that was done Crylon and Vell worked together to lift the fence section up and bring it to the forge. One of the four points with the cross pieces was moved into position, and the vice grips removed from that one, the pin pulled free. It had served its purpose, to hold it all in place while they worked, and the other three would do its job until they finished heating and working the metal.

“Alright, we are gonna weld it into place. But first we have got to clean it. So take that brush, clean it good, and then we will heat the metal and make the weld.”

Crylon nodded, taking a small wire brush tool which had been laid nearby, and worked it along the join to be welded. First one side, then the other, taking care to move the metal as little as he could. Once it was clean Vell and Crylon lowered the joint into place within the fire of the forge, adding some pumping of the bellows to bring the flame up and the heat with it.

“Now we wait a bit, let it heat the joint. Then we weld it together, which is mind you more about getting them to touch with some light hammering, than about strength like with normal forging. So light alright? Light work. Give it a chime or two, till I tell you to help me bring the section to the anvil.”

Crylon nodded, taking the master smiths directions and considering each step in the work to come.

WC: 611

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 27th, 2019, 6:26 pm

As time passed, Crylon closely watched the metal being heated. He could slowly see the color changing, but being within the fire it was a bit hard to see what color it was exactly.

Vell meanwhile took a small tool which held a stiff length of wire, and waited awhile before using it. Crylon watched as he touched it to the metal being heated, before pulling it out again. Nothing seemed to happen, and so Vell waited another chime or two before trying again. Another chime, once more. This time though the wire being held by the grip did not just touch and come back, but touched and stuck. Apparently, Crylon reasoned, this had been what Vell had been waiting for.

For once that happened he pulled things into place and had Crylon help him move the fence section to the anvil.

While Crylon held it in place Vell struck with the hammer lightly a few times, getting the metal to stick into place properly for the weld. Then they brought it back to the forge, and he had Crylon brush the metal clean.

Taking the earlier tool to the somewhat cooled metal Crylon cleaned and scrubbed it with smooth washing motions, Crylon picturing someone scrubbing a pair of pants by rubbing a rock on it.

This time Vell took some sand from a bucket after Crylon was done cleaning it, and added it to the weld. Then they let the metal heat for another few chimes to get it back to the right temperature for welding, before pulling it out once more. Crylon, helping to handle the metal, moved it into place and watched as Vell hammered it lightly again.

Then they pulled it out again, and added it back to the fire. Crylon took the brush and cleaned it. They set it within the flames and let it heat. And then a few chimes later they pulled it out. This time they carefully, very carefully, moved the metal about so that the bottom was facing up, and they hammered the weld again.

Vell seeming satisfied, he had Crylon move to the side and set the piece aside.

“Alright, that weld is done, know we just need to let it cool. Once its done and fastened into place, we will do the other three one by one. But not till the first one is done, since we need it to hold the rest into place. That will hold it all together. Then once all the ends are done, we can weld together all the other length of vertical pieces, alright? But remember, do the ends first here, since that will hold it all together. You can hammer the next one alright? Lets get the second section of fence started, alright?”

Crylon nodded, moving with Vell and beginning to assemble the next fence section as they had the first. Vell lifting the pieces of vertical slats one by one, while Crylon fed the long horizontal piece through. Then the same with the bottom horizontal piece. And then with some more work Crylon and Vell added the two end caps, and feeding the bolt piece through each of the four holes used the small vices to hold the bolt into place.

It was all very straightforward, once one knew the proper order of things.

WC: 553

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 27th, 2019, 6:47 pm

The next fence section assembled and pinned into shape at the ends, Crylon and Vell moved to weld the fourth of the four corner pieces. As before they removed the tiny vices and bolt from one corner, and added it to the forge. Then Crylon brushed the weld clean, using the wire brush with a smooth cleaning motion.

Finally Crylon got to the new part, at least for him. Heating the metal, Crylon watched as Vell had before to see when it should be pulled out. It was his first weld, and he wanted to get it right. With Vell watching and directing he was not too worried, but he still wanted to do his best.

He waited till he felt the color was about right, and then took the metal tool holding the length of stiff wire. Then as he had seen Vell do he poked the metal of the weld. Nothing. Waiting another chime, poked. Nothing. Waited a chime again, poked it... And it did not come back, the metal sticking to the weld.

Pulling it all free and moving the fence section to the anvil, Crylon prepared to hammer the weld. Using the same light hammer blows he had seen Vell use, Crylon tried to force the metal together to make a weld. Tap, tip, tap, tock. A few light blows, not so much it distorted the metal, but enough to get it all joining together as Vell had done.

Moving the metal back over to the fire Crylon took the brush and cleaned it down, wiping with quick but even strokes. Then feeding it back into the forge he let the heat of the flames wash over it. Warm it, like a warm hug enveloping and invigorating it.

Then it was back to waiting, watching, listening. Crylon pumped the bellows a few times, added some wood to the forge, and then waited some more.

Then when he felt he had waited long enough, he began to poke it with the length of wire. Once it stuck it was the two of them pulling the fence section back out, and then setting it on the anvil. Using the hammer Crylon made some light blows, pushing the metal to touch and bond.

Now was the time where before they had turned the metal, to work it from the other side. Carefully Crylon and Vell did so... Only for the metal to pop free as soon as they began turning. The other three points pinned into place kept the overall structure in place, but the weld had broken.

It was his first weld, but still he had hoped he had done better than that, at least well enough to be able to gently turn the metal over without it breaking. Letting out a sigh, Vell motioned for them to continue to the fire.

“Well, it is your first one. I will do this one, you can try again later. Watch me do a few more welds, before though alright? You will get it, it just takes time.”

WC: 508

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 27th, 2019, 7:09 pm

His first weld having failed, Crylon and Vell brought the metal back to forge so that Vell could try the next one. Crylon cleaned it, Vell watched it and tested it for the right heat, and then once it was ready had it brought back to the anvil.

The problem was, Crylon was not sure what he had failed to do. Something, but what. He watched Vell's actions, his hammering and such on the metal placed on the anvil, but he seemed to be missing what was being done differently. Perhaps once he had practiced more, he would understand what the difference once.

But for now he did not understand the welding, and or what he had done differently so that his weld had failed so easily.

The first work done they brought the metal back to the forge, and the process began again. And again.

Cleaning the metal with the wire brush. Pumping the bellows again to bring the fire back up to heat. Adding some more fuel, so that it was not all burned through, both things he did every so often as the fire was burning. And then waiting as Vell held the tool with the wire and tested the welds heat. Once it was ready and the wire stuck Crylon and Vell pulled it out, and brought it to the anvil. Then Vell hammered lightly, pushing and welding the metal together in a hug of iron on iron. But unlike with a hug, once bonded right, they did not come undone. Unlike his...

The second attempt done, Crylon and Vell waited a chime, and then slowly turned the metal over. This time the weld on the section of fence held, and they added it back to the forge. Brushing the metal. Waiting as the metal was heated.

He did not mind the similarity, the repetition, such was his work as a smith. Doing the same or similar things over and over, occasionally finding better ways but generally doing the same steps over and over on repeat. Since they were generally making numerous instances of one thing, they had to redo the same thing on new bits of metal. Such was their task. Only a few small bits diverging, like stone posts along a long and unwinding road without any other markers. The road in this case being the path they took to work the metal.

Pulling the heated metal back out, Vell had tested it while he was lost in thought, they brought it back to the anvil and then Crylon held it in place as Vell hammered the metal.

Satisfied with the hold, Crylon and Vell lifted the length of fence with one of the four corners welded, and set it off to the side. In that time the first sections weld had been given time to cool, and so they picked up that section again at Vell's direction and brought it to the forge. Unfastening the tiny vices and metal rod bolt they brought it in once Crylon had used the wire brush to clean it. The second corner went much like the first, as Vell slowly hammered it into place so that each bit of the metal would bond and hold to another. Then they went on to the third and finally fourth corners, waiting for all four to cool before working the other slats into a weld.

WC: 565

by **Crylon Stonecraft** on July 27th, 2019, 7:21 pm

The four corners of the first section done, Crylon and Vell began work on a third section, giving the second section more time to cool. It was as much assembly, constructing the fence, as it was blacksmithing. The two skills working in unison, hand in hand, just as Vell and Crylon worked together.

By the time they had finished that section and its initial corner the second had cooled, and so they repeated the earlier process by one by one welding the other three corners of the second section.

Fire, anvil, fire, anvil, brush and hammers. It all melded into one long strip of work, repeated over and over. It was not until that second section was being set aside, all four sides with three fresh welds cooling, that they returned to the first section of fence.

“Alright, so now we will be working on many more spots. Each of the points were the cross piece feeds through the vertical, we will need to weld it in place. Otherwise once it is all assembled, the pieces will not hold into place on the fence. So we need to be extra careful now to make sure before we weld each of the more center pieces are positioned right, alright?”

Crylon nodded once more, getting the gist of the common before turning back to the task at hand.

Pulling up the fence, Crylon and Vell brought the center piece closest to one end cap, and moved one of the points where the cross piece fed through to be cleaned and heated in the fire. Already Crylons designers mind was considering better ways to make a fence. He supposed it was a trade off between simplicity and security. One could do the ends differently, rather than welding each piece instead using actual bolts or things to cap them in place, perhaps welding those? But then there was the chance people would undo these fastenings, and since it lacked a weld just pulling things apart and getting through the fence.

And that was after all the purpose of the fence, security. So perhaps it was better to take the extra time and effort and do it that way? But perhaps something that fastened it in place which was not so easy to undo? A partial weld or a weld and a fasten working together, such that it was easier than welding the entire piece of metal but still had a weld which was not so easy to undo. Melting and welding the bolts or end caps with the strip of iron within holding it in place, rather than pulling it and the caps off?

Crylon was not sure, but he was sure there were other ways for such things to be done. As they heated the metal of the joint Crylon watched, waiting for the entitre cross section to heat. And then once it was, moving it to the anvil to be hammered.

This, he reasoned, would be so much faster and more efficient if only a part of it was being welded, the part that held it together and in place, rather than the entire thing.

As they worked their way through the welds one by one, working top then bottom, top then bottom, from one side of the fence section to the other, Crylon let his hands focus on his repeated work while his mind wandered and picked things apart and focused on a better way to do things.

WC: 577

Plotnotes · by **Calla Davin** on September 8th, 2019, 5:18 pm

Special Delivery!

Crylon :

Additional Comments: Congratulations on competent level blacksmithing! It's been nice going along for the ride on that, so keep up the good work! Please message me if you have any questions about your grade, and don't forget to edit your post in the grade request thread.

Skills	XP
Blacksmithing	2
Construction	2
Planning	1

Solo [Vell's Metal Supplies]Of Hammer and Metal Part II