A large number of items used in daily life require metalmetalmetal parts, which are forged by the manufacturer. Traditional metalmetalmetal forgingforgingforging was a labor intensive process in which the piece was formed by hand to meet the needs of the project. Modern metalworking facilities have a variety of types of equipment to use in the forgingforgingforging process, and there are four common mechanized metalworking techniques: drop forgingforgingforging, press forgingforgingforging, roll forgingforgingforging, and cold forgingforgingforging.

Open forgingforgingforging is what comes to mind when most people think of forgingforgingforging. It involves heating metalmetalmetal to a workable temperature and working with it directly on the anvil, hammering it into shape using various tools. This requires a high degree of technical skill and strength. Open forgingforgingforging is still used to manufacture fine art pieces, horse shoes, and customized metalmetalmetal components.

Drop forgingforgingforging is a technique for forcing metalmetalmetal into a die by striking it with a hammer. This has been around for centuries, with blacksmiths making dies, heating the metalmetalmetal, and then pounding the metalmetalmetal into the die, creating the desired shape. Mechanized hammers are used in manufacturing facilities to keep the production line quickly moving, and some plants use a set of two dies which are hammered together, forcing extra metalmetalmetal out the sides of the die while forming the molded shape. Drop forgingforgingforging is often used for
http://www.wisegeek.com/what -are-different-metal-forging-t echniques.htm

Answered by Nishu's , an ibibo Master, at 4:14 PM on October 19, 2008

Hi,
A forge is the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith. A forge is sometimes referred to as a smithy.

The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals. The forge heats the workpiece to a malleable temperature or to the point where work hardening no longer occurs. The workpiece is transported to and from the forge using tongs. The tongs are also used to hold the workpiece on the smithy's anvil while the smith works it with a hammer. Finally the workpiece is transported to the slack tub, which rapidly cools the workpiece in a large body of water. The slack tub also provides water to control the fire in the forge

Types of forges

[edit] Coal/coke/charcoal forge

Standard coal forgeA forge which typically uses bituminous coal, industrial coke or charcoal as the fuel to heat metal. The designs of these forges have varied over time, but whether the fuel is coal, coke or charcoal the basic design has remained the same.

A forge of this type is essentially a hearth or fireplace designed to allow a fire to be controlled such that metal introduced to the fire may be brought to a malleable state or to bring about other metallurgical effects (hardening, annealing, and drawing temper as examples). The forge fire in this type of forge is controlled in three ways: 1) amount of air, 2) volume of fuel, and 3) shape of the fuel/fire.

Over thousands of years of forging, these devices have evolved in one form or another as the essential features of this type of forge:

Tuyere -- a pipe through which air can be forced into the fire
Bellows or blower -- a means for forcing air into the tuyere
Firepot or hearth -- a place where the burning fuel can be contained over or against the tuyere opening.
During operation, fuel is placed in or on the hearth and ignited. A source of moving air, such as a fan or bellows, introduces additional air into the fire through the tuyere. With additional air, the fire consumes more fuel and burns hotter.


A typical Scottish smithy at Auchentiber, North Ayrshire, Scotland.A blacksmith balances the fuel and air in the fire to suit particular kinds of work. Often this involves adjusting and maintaining the shape of the fire.

In a typical, but by no means universal, coal forge, a firepot will be centered in a flat hearth. The tuyere will enter the firepot at the bottom. In operation, the hot core of the fire will be a ball of burning coke in and above the firepot. The heart of the fire will be surrounded by a layer of hot but not burning coke. Around the unburnt coke will be a transitional layer of coal being transformed into coke by the heat of the fire. Surrounding all is a ring or horseshoe-shaped layer of raw coal, usually kept damp and tightly packed to maintain the shape of the fire's heart and to keep the coal from burning directly so that it "cooks" into coke first.

If a larger fire is necessary, the smith increases the air flowing into the fire as well as feeding and deepening the coke heart. The smith can also adjust the length and width of the fire in such a forge to accommodate different shapes of work.

The major variation from the forge and fire just described is a 'back draft' where there is no fire pot, and the tuyere enters the hearth horizontally from the back wall.

Coke and charcoal may be burned in the same forges that use coal, but since there is no need to convert the raw fuel at the heart of the fire (as with coal), the fire is handled differently.

Individual smiths and specialized applications have fostered development of a variety of forges of this type, from the coal forge described above, to simpler constructions amounting to a hole in the ground with a pipe leading into it.


[edit] Gas forge
A forge typically uses propane or natural gas as the fuel. One common, efficient design uses a cylindrical forge ch

Answered by BAGYALAKSHMI , an ibibo Advisor, at 12:21 PM on October 18, 2008

Forging, process of shaping iron and other malleable metals by hammering or pressing them after making them plastic by application of heat. Forging techniques are useful in the working of metal because the metal can be given the desired form, and the process improves the structure of the metal, particularly by refining the grain size of the metal. Forged metal is stronger and more ductile than cast metal and exhibits greater resistance to fatigue and impact.

Sometimes called smithing, or blacksmithing, hand forging is the simplest form of forging and it is one of the methods by which metal was first worked. The metal to be forged is first heated to red heat in the fire of a forge, and then is beaten into shape on a metal anvil with sledges or hammers. The forge consists of an open hearth, made of some durable, refractory substance such as firebrick, which is provided with a number of air openings, or tuyeres, through which air is forced by a bellows or blower fan. Charcoal, coke, and coal are used as fuels in the forge. Hammers and other tools are employed by the blacksmith in the various forging operations.

In general, six basic types of forging exist: upsetting, or decreasing the length and increasing the diameter of the metal; swaging, decreasing the diameter of the metal; bending; welding, joining two pieces of metal together by semifusion; punching, the forming of small openings in the metal; and cutting out, the forming of large holes in the metal.

A piece of metal, called the work, is upset when it is struck along the longest dimension (for example, the end of a rod or bar), which shortens and thickens it. Swaging is accomplished by hammering the metal stock while it is held on the anvil within any one of various concave tools called swages. Bending is accomplished either by hammering the work around a form or by leveraging it against a supporting fulcrum. In forge welding of iron, a flux such as borax is first applied to the heated metal to remove any oxides from the surfaces of the two pieces, and the pieces are then joined by hammering them together at high temperature; a welded joint of this kind, when properly made, is entirely homogeneous and is as strong, that is, uniform, as the parent metal. To punch small holes, the work is supported on a ring-shaped piece of metal atop the anvil, and a punch of the proper shape is driven through the work by hammer blows. Larger holes are cut out, and portions of the work are cut off with heavy, sharp chisels similar to cold chisels used to cut cold metal. Combinations of several of these operations can produce forgings of a wide variety of shapes

Answered by Gyan Singh , an ibibo Master, at 7:31 AM on October 18, 2008

A large number of items used in daily life require metal parts, which are forged by the manufacturer. Traditional metal forging was a labor intensive process in which the piece was formed by hand to meet the needs of the project. Modern metalworking facilities have a variety of types of equipment to use in the forging process, and there are four common mechanized metalworking techniques: drop forging, press forging, roll forging, and cold forging.

Open forging is what comes to mind when most people think of forging. It involves heating metal to a workable temperature and working with it directly on the anvil, hammering it into shape using various tools. This requires a high degree of technical skill and strength. Open forging is still used to manufacture fine art pieces, horse shoes, and customized metal components.

Drop forging is a technique for forcing metal into a die by striking it with a hammer. This has been around for centuries, with blacksmiths making dies, heating the metal, and then pounding the metal into the die, creating the desired shape. Mechanized hammers are used in manufacturing facilities to keep the production line quickly moving, and some plants use a set of two dies which are hammered together, forcing extra metal out the sides of the die while forming the molded shape. Drop forging is often used for automobile components.

Press forging uses pressure to force metal into a die. Usually this involves putting a piece of heated metal into a fixed die and then slowly compressing it from above with the other half of the die. The metal will slowly deform into the shape of the die, and then will resolve into the desired shape. Press forging is commonly used for tools.

Roll forging is accomplished by compressing a piece of heated metal between two rollers. The rollers have a die embedded in them, and as they compress the metal, they will force it to conform to the die. Roll forging is a popular forging technique because it can be made continuous with the use of multiple rollers and dies. This is a type of draw forging, because the piece is slowly drawn out into the needed shape.

Cold forging is used for smaller objects like screws and metal wire. When cold forging, cold metal is extruded through a die to form a particular shape such as a threaded screw. If a head is needed, another part of the machine can be used to create it. Cold forging can be done cheaply and in high volume, and is the favored method for producing fasteners such as bolts, screws, and nails.

Forging is preferred to simply cutting metal to shape it for a number of reasons. The first is that forging improves the strength of the metal by aligning the grain along the lines of potential stress. In other words, a forged hammer is better equipped to handle pressure and pounding than one simply carved out of a base metal. The second is that forging is high economical: no part of the metal is wasted during the process, and unused portions can be remelted for use in other pieces.

Visit the source site:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what -are-different-metal-forging-techni ques.htm

Answered by Deepak , an ibibo Master, at 7:06 AM on October 18, 2008

Traditional Japanese Forging Techniques



Although various types of steel, iron, or other materials may be used in the forging of Japanese swords, there are a few dominant techniques used for sword creation that have been passed down for generations. It is the personality of the craftsman forging the weapon, however, which is of specific importance in the tradition of Japanese smithing. As traditional forging techniques eschew the use of modern factory machinery, it can be stated with accuracy that no two authentic Japanese swords are exactly alike. Therefore, where it is often said that the soul of the warrior is encompassed within his blade it can likewise be stated that the spirit of the maker resides there as well.



Years of experience are required for a master Japanese swordsmith to become expert at his craft. It is only through the repetition of forging numerous blades that one can learn what steel/material to use, how long to heat/cool the blade, how to fold the steel, how long to hammer the blade, and so on. Timing and a keen sense of the nature of the metal itself help distinguish a master�s blade from a run of the mill, factory-produced sword.



Many modern smiths employ a method of repeatedly heating, folding and hammering steel for their blades. The makers at Dynasty Forge, for instance, use this process to remove any impurities from the metal of the sword and to highlight the Hada (grain patterning on the blade). Smiths from the Imperial Forge also employ this process with their Imperial Folded Sword collection to eliminate imperfections in the blade while assuring maximum power and flexibility.



Another distinctive technique for the forging of Japanese swords is a process called differential quenching. Clay is used on the back of the sword during the cooling process, causing it to have a softer edge than the blade. This pulls the blade upward, providing the distinctive curved shape of the Katana. Some sword manufacturers, like Dynasty Forge, cover the majority of the blade (for some of their sword lines) in clay during the heating process to focus the force of the fire on the very edge of the sword to produce maximum sharpness. Last Legend also uses clay to create hamon lines on their blades for pattern distinction and aesthetic purposes.



Sword construction can also involve using multiple layers of different types of steel/metal in the forging process. Cold Steel swords, for instance, use three layers of steel in their “San Mai III” blades to allow for maximum flexibility in outer layers (to help keep blade from shattering when struck) while providing for maximum strength at the blade's core. Thaitsuki Nihonto also combines soft iron and steel by hammering them into one piece, again allowing for pliability and strength.



Tradition holds that a famous Japanese swordsmith created this traditional forging process (folding, using multiple layers, using clay for differential tempering) after his daimyo (feudal lord) lost a battle using swords he had designed without these traits. The smith realized that he needed to create a blade that was both flexible (to sustain sharp blows of the enemy and remain pliable) and strong. Up until that point in history, swords were largely comprised in a traditional heat tempering method employing only one type of steel/metal. This typically meant swords were both unwieldy (very heavy) or quick to shatter. However, after the master smith created this new brand of sword his Lord won his next and many future battles. It was this smith who realized that combining a softer iron/metal (for durability/lack of shattering) with a harder iron/metal (for cutting power/strength) would provide a weapon worthy of a Samurai.

Source:
http://www.swo rdsoftheeast.com/index.asp?PageActi on=Custom&ID=17

Answered by Mohd Saqib , an ibibo Master, at 12:25 AM on October 18, 2008

A large number of items used in daily life require metal parts, which are forged by the manufacturer. Traditional metal forging was a labor intensive process in which the piece was formed by hand to meet the needs of the project. Modern metalworking facilities have a variety of types of equipment to use in the forging process, and there are four common mechanized metalworking techniques: drop forging, press forging, roll forging, and cold forging.

Open forging is what comes to mind when most people think of forging. It involves heating metal to a workable temperature and working with it directly on the anvil, hammering it into shape using various tools. This requires a high degree of technical skill and strength. Open forging is still used to manufacture fine art pieces, horse shoes, and customized metal components.

Drop forging is a technique for forcing metal into a die by striking it with a hammer. This has been around for centuries, with blacksmiths making dies, heating the metal, and then pounding the metal into the die, creating the desired shape. Mechanized hammers are used in manufacturing facilities to keep the production line quickly moving, and some plants use a set of two dies which are hammered together, forcing extra metal out the sides of the die while forming the molded shape. Drop forging is often used for automobile components.

Press forging uses pressure to force metal into a die. Usually this involves putting a piece of heated metal into a fixed die and then slowly compressing it from above with the other half of the die. The metal will slowly deform into the shape of the die, and then will resolve into the desired shape. Press forging is commonly used for tools.

Answered by Comp Geek , an ibibo Citizen, at 11:48 PM on October 17, 2008