Forging with Freddy

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Meet Forging Freddy. Freddy likes to create.

Freddy thinks making things is pretty great!

He forges tools and parts to build planes, trains, and cars that go fast.

Freddy likes to forge because forgings last and last.

Forging has many steps, from beginning to end.

Let’s learn how to forge with Freddy, our friend.

First you make a drawing of what you would like. It could be a tool, or a screw, or a gear for a bike.

Then get some metal nice and hot, like aluminum, brass or steel. Careful, careful not to touch – or you’ll let out a great big squeal!

Now we shape the metal with a forging hammer or press. This forms the metal with pressure and stress.

We shot blast the piece to make it nice and smooth. Then machine the part, to get every groove.

To make it even stronger, be sure to heat treat. After this step, it’s nearly complete.

The piece is inspected before it’s done. Isn’t forging so much fun?

Now it’s time to ship the forging. Make sure there is no delay! Box it, label it and send it on it’s way!

Do you know what Freddy made? Here’s a hint, you might find it in your work bench …

Our friend Freddy made a wrench!

My Forging Glossary Aluminum: A light silvery-gray metal. Example: A pop can. Brass: A reddish-yellow colored metal. Example: A trumpet. Forge: One of the oldest known metalworking processes. Forging is a manufacturing process where metal is pressed, pounded or squeezed under great pressure into high strength parts known as forgings. The process is normally (but not always) performed hot by preheating the metal to a desired temperature before it is worked. It is important to note that the forging process is entirely different from the casting (or foundry) process, as metal used to make forged parts is never melted and poured (as in the casting process). Forgings: An object made through the forge manufacturing process. The forging process can create parts that are stronger than those manufactured by any other metalworking process. This is why forgings are almost always used where reliability and human safety are critical. They can be things like hand tools or they can be used as parts contained inside assembled items such as airplanes, automobiles, tractors, ships, oil drilling equipment, engines, missiles and all kinds of equipment - to name a few.

Forging Hammer: A heavy hammer for forging pieces that is worked by machinery. A hammer hits the work piece repeatedly to shape it. Heat Treat: A sequence of controlled heating and cooling operations applied to a solid metal to get desired properties. Forging Press: A machine that slowly applies pressure to metal between two dies until a piece gets squeezed into a new shape. Inspection: A process used to measure, test, examine, and gauge the features of a product. Shot Blast: A process of cleaning forgings with high air pressure or force at the surface of the forgings. Steel: A hard, strong, gray or bluish-gray metal. Example: A ship or almost anything requiring strength!

This book was written to share the exciting process of forging and manufacturing with children. Keep an eye out for additional books from FIA and FIERF including Forging with Freddy: Safety First .

This book was made possible with the support of

For more information on the FIERF Forging Foundation visit www.fierf.org or contact foundation@forging.org. For information on the Forging Industry Association visit www.forging.org or contact info@forging.org.