Blacksmithing and Cutlery by Gérard HEUTTE Home Index A..Z Map About... Contact Links Bibliography Events Achievements Beginners Practical Metallurgy Workshop Cutlery Forge For Sale

Safety rules General safety rules The accidents do not arrive only to the others. Take your responsibilities! Have within range an emergency case and a water can in your workshop. Do not leave useless things lying around: Electric wire, tools, raw materials, combustible, chemicals. Attention with the imponderable ones: Spectators, childrens or animals! Concentrate on what you make. If not, better is worth to stop and start again the following day. Tools use For blacksmithing or cutlery, it is frequent to use powerful and potentially very dangerous electric tools! First of all, learn how to be use correctly the tools! In this nonrestrictive list, you can place: - Cutting Tools. Do not cut towards yourself. If possible, use a support part for cutting. - Drilling machine. Fix the part to be drilled in a vice or with clamps, do not approach the hand of the drill. - Angle grinder. Fix the part to be grinded or cut in a vice, do not approach the hand of the disc, do not put down the angle grinder as long as the disc still turns. - Forge. Extinguish the fire after the forge work. Individual protection equipments For all your works, think of using suitable individual means of protection: - Safety glasses, for the forge with borax, the angle grinder, cutting, abrasion at high speed. - Ear-protection headset, for the forge, the use of the angle grinder. The helmets known as "electronic" are pure wonders; They cut the powerful noises while allowing the conversation with a third! - Nasal mask, for all works of abrasion. Attention however, to the adequacy between the kind of dust and the kind of the mask. - Apron of blacksmith, gloves and reinforced shoes (with the trousers passing over), for the forge with borax, the angle grinder, cuttings. - Thick cotton clothing. Better is worth to look like a disguised penguin than to finish at the hospital! For memory, the eyes, ears, fingers and other body parts are not replaceable. And do not forget: You are responsible for what you do!