43 replies to this topic

[youngdylan]

This is a situation I get into all too often. The lady of the house want's one style, the "master" of the house wants something different, I want to go as left field as possible, architects always seem to have another worldly take but I generally respect/ value their input.

I'm not all together happy with the design but I guess the punching may interest someone. The slots are to fit 75 x 10 (3"x 3/8"), they're punched through 30 x 60 edge on (1 1/4" x 2 1/2"). I wanted to carry the lower uprights all the way into the top section and do some clever profiling/ forging on them. Mrs customer insisted on organic "stuff" (yawn) but Mr customer wanted something chunky that he felt was "masculine" ...... did I hear somebody say compromised design?

From memory the gate was about 5.5m long, weighs 3/4 Tonne and was built in a workshop 6m x 6m (20"x20")

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[JNewman]

Very nice. I will have to make a bed like that.

[beth]

now thats interesting - why cant chunky and masculine be organic too? does organic have to be "feminine" then? am intrigued

[Timothy Miller]

I love it when the forge work is in your face like that. When there is no other possible way to do it.

[Mainely,Bob]

Nice compromise on the gate design.I take it they were both happy.
How`d you like working with that rail system as opposed to a swinging gate?

I am just amazed at the work you turn out in that small shop.

What`s with the treadle on the leg vise in the shop pic?

[youngdylan]

JNewman, on 14 March 2010 - 09:46 AM, said:

Very nice. I will have to make a bed like that.

[monstermetal]

Mainely,Bob, on 14 March 2010 - 10:21 AM, said:

What`s with the treadle on the leg vise in the shop pic?

I was thinking the same thing....



And I gotta buck everyone else... I like the gate, I think its a nice compromise....But Im with you (I think) I can see that something with more meat to it would have made more of an impact. I like big, heavy gates.. and with the heavy stone architecture... Massive would have been my choice... I know how it is to try and please everyone and it looks good... Its a great design...

[youngdylan]

beth, on 14 March 2010 - 10:14 AM, said:

now thats interesting - why cant chunky and masculine be organic too? does organic have to be "feminine" then? am intrigued

Beth

Definitely not my opinion, these were the customers and they pay my wages!!!

I must admit to being bored of doing organic or curvilinear flowing work(hence the yawn). I've done a lot of that in the past and used to like it. Last time I checked I was still a boy Customers can be a bit like sheep in that they "don't know what they want but they'll know it when they see it" .Boy do I hate hearing that. It had got to the stage were I was simply repeating or modifying previous work in my portfolio. Trying to break out of that rut as much as I can these days.

[Danger Dillon]

There is some serious drifting going on! You use you fly press? Some heavy duty work, very creative.

[youngdylan]

Mainely,Bob, on 14 March 2010 - 10:21 AM, said:

Nice compromise on the gate design.I take it they were both happy.
How`d you like working with that rail system as opposed to a swinging gate?

I am just amazed at the work you turn out in that small shop.

What`s with the treadle on the leg vise in the shop pic?

I was going to give you three guess's but I'm far too grown up for that!

It sorta of clamps the jaws together when you stand on the treadle. Means you've both hand free when grinding small stuff and you don't have to keep putting the grinder down to get the stuff out of the vise when doing a large batch of widgets.

I did think of rigging an air clamp up on the bench but the trouble is when you're doing a big run of work it's easy to "zone out" and end up getting "out of synch". It would only be a matter of time before I clamped up a finger or two.

[youngdylan]

Danger Dillon, on 14 March 2010 - 11:02 AM, said:

There is some serious drifting going on! You use you fly press? Some heavy duty work, very creative.

Home brewed H frame electrohydraulic press with H13 punch/drift.

It seems to me that Tonnage is important but the speed of the pump is just as important. It's only a 15Tonne ram but its backed up by a power pack running an 8hp motor. That thing MOVES, even under pressure. I kinda think it's important not let the work around the punch cool down too much as a high tonnage low speed ram would do.

When I've got my mojo going I can punch and drift those slots out in one heat. Alignment is a whole different issue

The flypress and tooling is just to straighten out the bar cos it's inevitably all wibbley wobbley after punching. A lot of what I learned about big boy/girl punching came from a conversation with a wonderfully talented English "smith": Alan Evans. To describe him as a "blacksmith" is an insult because he's so much more than that.

Any guys and gals into the aesthetics of big boy/girl punchingshould check out his site .....no copying now

http://www.alanrober...co.uk/page2.htm

[youngdylan]

monstermetal, on 14 March 2010 - 11:01 AM, said:

I was thinking the same thing....



And I gotta buck everyone else... I like the gate, I think its a nice compromise....But Im with you (I think) I can see that something with more meat to it would have made more of an impact. I like big, heavy gates.. and with the heavy stone architecture... Massive would have been my choice... I know how it is to try and please everyone and it looks good... Its a great design...

yeah, i'm with you on that because of the scale of the opening and the stone architecture but they pay my wages.

What I don't liike is that it's two gates in one.

Hey, I'm in touch with my femine side and can do delicate too

http://www.verdigris...r%20feature.htm

[monstermetal]

youngdylan, on 14 March 2010 - 11:22 AM, said:

Home brewed H frame electrohydraulic press with H13 punch/drift.

It seems to me that Tonnage is important but the speed of the pump is just as important. It's only a 15Tonne ram but its backed up by a power pack running an 8hp motor. That thing MOVES, even under pressure. I kinda think it's important not let the work around the punch cool down too much as a high tonnage low speed ram would do.

When I've got my mojo going I can punch and drift those slots out in one heat. Alignment is a whole different issue

The flypress and tooling is just to straighten out the bar cos it's inevitably all wibbley wobbley after punching. A lot of what I learned about big boy/girl punching came from a conversation with a wonderfully talented English "smith": Alan Evans. To describe him as a "blacksmith" is an insult because he's so much more than that.

Any guys and gals into the aesthetics of big boy/girl punchingshould check out his site .....no copying now

http://www.alanrober...co.uk/page2.htm

I have drooled over Alan's stuff many many times.... The massive scale and style gives me goosebumps.. He is pretty much who I want to be when I grow up....

[youngdylan]

monstermetal, on 14 March 2010 - 11:28 AM, said:

I have drooled over Alan's stuff many many times.... The massive scale and style gives me goosebumps.. He is pretty much who I want to be when I grow up....

Ditto

Besides being good with the big stuff he's very creative/ ingenious and very helpful to boot. Truth be told I haven't met an English smith who isn't helpful, I'm sure they exist. You know all about "helpful master blacksmiths" dont you Larry

It's beeb a while since I trawled round his site, I think it's a bit out date. Shame really because he did some amazing heavy duty yet delicate gates about 4/5 years ago, wonderfully inspiring they are. There was an artical in the BABA mag a few years ago. They're definitely not the sort of gate you make if getting rich is excessively important.

[Danger Dillon]

Oops, I went and did it again, bought the 80 ton screw that was for sale, it seems southshore got the 100. I am hoping to do some large drifting on the unit, do you think the speed and power will be enough to be DANGEROUS.

[youngdylan]

Danger Dillon, on 14 March 2010 - 12:41 PM, said:

Oops, I went and did it again, bought the 80 ton screw that was for sale, it seems southshore got the 100. I am hoping to do some large drifting on the unit, do you think the speed and power will be enough to be DANGEROUS.

You Xxxxxxxx

I keep casually looking for something of that size "just in case" but I guess I should really get out of my dolls house workshop first. Not too sure how common they are this side of the pond. I've got two manual flypresses, a 6 deep throat and a 5 "bar press". Theres something about screwpresses that fascinate me. I've got the 2 flypresses, a 15T and a 30T electrohydraulic press but I could still find a use for friction screw. I want one. I want one I want one (said to the sound of stamping feet)

[Danger Dillon]

I had an englishman working for me recently, this guy can make poo into gold, real craftsman, I really wish I had the training this guy ran through, anyways I was just running through some of the words he used when referring to me and I cant seem to come up with that B****** word? Balocks maybe?

[Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver]

Totally cool YD, you da man!

[youngdylan]

Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver, on 14 March 2010 - 02:28 PM, said:

Totally cool YD, you da man!

That's two compliments from you, you feeling alright?

Actually you once called Brianbrazealblacksmith da man. Now he IS da man


...... oh yeah and all, umbrage was my word!!!!

[David Browne]

YD, awesome. Thanks for posting this. There is no substitute for power.

I feel your design pain when you have clients that cannot agree totally. I think you did a fantastic job of walking the tightrope. I have found it is usually safer to lean toward the female's opinion as they usually get what they want, and they usually have a major influence over where and if the money gets spent. As Danger mentioned earlier, his master is his wife...9 times out of 10 this is the case.

I like Alan's work a lot. Thanks for the link. I am also a BIG fan of Chris Brammall.
-DB