I Forge Iron
Blacksmith and Metalworking Forum
Aspery class next week
This is a discussion on Aspery class next week within the Blacksmithin' forums, part of the Blacksmithing category; I have to admit. I used my bottle opener this past weekend....
| |||||||
| Register | FAQ | Calendar | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
05-28-2008, 09:34 AM
| |||
| |||
Futher talking about having the light come on: Think about what the iron is doing. When you're drawing out the taper. Square, Octagon, round, what is happening to the metal? Why do you need to first make it square to draw it out. How will working it on the horn effect it? These are some of the concepts Mark is trying to get across. Think about the fish lips that happen when you're drawing out, what's happening and how can you change that so fish lips don't happen? Mark talked about on the four factors affecting the penetation of your hammer blows. When you made the Wizard head bottle opener, you didn't just learn to make it, you were introduced to a host of concepts and skills. Besides thinking about what the iron is doing under your hammer, you also learned to think about tool making. tool usage, the math needed to compute how much iron is needed to make something. Whether he said it or not, you were introduce to design concepts. I know some folks just see a book about a bunch of cool projects when they read "Mastering the Fundamentals", but there is so much more. It's like peeling an onion, each layer revels another layer If course, I could be suffering from one of the many blows to my head I've taken over the years. Gerald  |
|
05-28-2008, 06:20 PM
| ||||
| ||||
| Quote:
  I'm not sure if Mark thought I was doing OK or I was hopeless. I would see him with other students giving instruction. But every time he came by my station he would say something like "Looks good" or "Looks like a forge weld to me." He did comment on my elbow moving out away from my body when I swung the hammer. I'm not much of a wordsmith so a report on the class will have to come from Jimbob or some of the others in the class...maybe some will sign up here and add to the forum. All I know is I had a blast and learned a lot. |
|
05-28-2008, 09:42 PM
| |||
| |||
|
The elbow problem is something most of us do. Mark gave me the same advise and I've been working hard to correct my swing. Think about the biomechanics of the whole thing. If your elbow comes out, two things are happening: 1. you're wasting effort, because swinging the arm out, doesn't increase the force of the blow. 2. You're putting a lot of strain on both your shoulder and elbow. Just swing your arm up and down as if you were swinging a hammer. Let your elbow come out and look at what's happening. The force is no longer directed in a straight line and the elbow is at a harsh angle. Remember the elbow only goes up and down, so with the elbow out, as you finish the swing the elbow is straightened, but the force is against the inside of your elbow. When the hammer goes back up, the force is against the outside. Plus, you've putting a lot of strain on the rotor cuff. Something I know a lot about, having trashed my right rotor cuff back in my paratrooper days. The pain will start sooner or later and then you can wear one of those cool arm bands. Sorry if this sounds like a lecture, just wanted to pass on the knowledge. As for how good you might be, don't worry, Mark could teach a pig to smith :-) |
|
05-28-2008, 10:19 PM
| |||
| |||
|
Oh! and just what is wrong with your smithing. The stuff looks fine, especially the rose Gerald |
|
05-29-2008, 08:57 PM
| |||
| |||
| You can see the difference
Hello Kevin, You can see the difference in your work from the first project (the chisel) to the last projects (the tongs and the rose). Hats off to you! Enjoy your blacksmithing, cheers, Mark |
Linear Mode
