Now let's fast-forward to a slight trim around profiling,and quite a bit more forging,but eventually,here's the shape As-forged:
https://imgur.com/HvqEWRT
Two things kinda pertinent about this phot
ne,that fissure running along above the lug.
That is a de-lamination of WI along it's slag-laden layering.I allowed some careless,too-low Temp forging to take place,and the non-homogenious material came unglued.
This is what Stohler had to deal with;except not through carelessness on his part,but just that what he had to work with was some temperamental stuff,hard to predict,too mush Sulphur,too much Phosphorous,slags of many kinds...
And the second curious thing is the color of oxidation.Low-C steel gets much redder than more common alloys of today,it's not just the photo.
Pure-iron Co. in England actually advertises their stuff by using photos of people's palms after touching that stuff
Pure(-er,i.e. more carbon-less Fe is also more Conductive;as in you use tongs for what otherwise you could hold on to,quite a different creature).
Al in all,i like it,but it blindsided me in being That old and "authentic" and all that,and i'm not sure i treated it right.
Was running low on charcoal,and all the company,and the possibility of flooding in the back of the brain...Excuses,otherwise
So i'll have to poke around these welds with the grinder,before going further.
But it was a blast playing with it,that's fer sure.