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I Forge Iron

Grasshoppers anyone?


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Slow day at the craft sale, only thing that moved was one small copper rose in trade for a visit to the hairstylist for the wife. But did have a request for a grasshopper for one ladies grandkid. Guess his nickname is grasshopper :) Anyways my google fu is coming up with absolutely everything but what I'm looking for. So who has a few pics of something they may have done to get my brain rolling in the right directions. Thinking maybe 3-5" in length. Can be real robust to something delicate, she's not picky. I'm thinking take a piece of 3/4sq and make a body up. forge the rear legs separate weld them on and split a small piece of strapping to make the front legs, texture up some wings and weld it all together with the wire feed. Anything I might be missing here? I know I have seen fabricated ones with nuts for feet and on the ends on the antenna but I no even finding that at the moment. ( having complained....)

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I do a lot of scrap art but a grasshopper is one thing I haven't done. I should make it a priority. There are plenty of scrap objects that would lend themselves to a suitable design. The patterned end of a kitchen knife would be a good starting point for the abdomen. Or, as you suggest, shape it out of 3/4 round bar. Very small reo bar makes nice legs with the ends flattened and textured in the forge. For wings I would go for old knife blades perhaps. If you use stainless, be careful of the fumes. Nasty.
I'll post a pic here if I make one soon.

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I make these cricket/grasshoppers from old forks. I don't have a good pic of one of mine, but the first pic is from the interwebs and gives you the general idea.

The second pic (the one with the flower) is a pic of one I gave my wife.

They are fairly easy to make, and are quite popular!

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I make these cricket/grasshoppers from old forks. I don't have a good pic of one of mine, but the first pic is from the interwebs and gives you the general idea.

The second pic (the one with the flower) is a pic of one I gave my wife.

They are fairly easy to make, and are quite popular!

 

 I like those!

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Ausfire's 'shifty lizard' was the first concept that leapt to my mind, using a small wrench for the body and the business end already has the droopy face for a grasshopper. I thought I had seen a grasshopper come up in that thread but I guess I was imagining things :p

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Well I tried one.  Don't know if I am entirely happy with it.  But it's pretty close.    Thinking the legs should be further forward and the wings just don't feel quite right. If it wasn't for the long rear legs I could have a nice flying carpenter ant  :)    Slightly flattened RR spike made for a pretty good body though.  So what does everyone think...

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Michael: I think it looks just fine. You are thinking much along the same lines as I was. Yesterday I shaped a railway spike in the forge for the body and made some wings from flat bar and rear legs from 1/2 square bar. The little fron legs I made from 1/4 threaded rod flattened for the feet.
All was going quite well as I welded on the front legs. I was bending the legs with the oxy torch when I got careless and burned my hand with the oxy. Spent the rest of the afternoon with ice water and painkillers. Oxy is savage.
Anyway, I hope to get back to it later today (wearing gloves) and I'll post the result. Very similar to yours.

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OK, here's my first shot at a grasshopper. Started with a railway spike with the 'ears' flattened in the forge and drawn out a bit.
Made the upper back legs from square bar and welded on some light rebar. The wings were made as for leaves in the forge. Front legs were short threaded rods (very rusted) and the antennae were 3 inch nails.
This is mostly forge work, but I'm going to make one out of junk soon. An old stilson wrench would be a good starting point.
Anyway here 'tis:
Didn't happen - see next posting....

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Thanks. I would like to find a better way of making the spiny section of the back legs. Can't find a suitable piece of junk steel.

However, I have found a nice old rusty stilson wrench that will make a good grasshopper body. I'll scrounge around for some more likely pieces today and make a junk hopper. Watch this space...

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So, here's the junk version of a grasshopper. It's actually more like a plague locust. I was going to use a shifter like the 'shifty lizards' but the head was too upright. A stilson wrench was better as the head is more robust and the

teeth' look down. I started with the wrench and didn't alter it at all, except to weld on the eyes and two nails for the feelers.

The rear legs are sections from the middle of old spanners (I like to keep the maker's writing) and the other legs are small threaded rod bars. I was going to find something for wings but I'm happy with it as it is.

Here's a picture:

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That looks sharp.  not all hopper have long wings many just have short stubbs.  so the back of the wrench adjustment works perfect for that.  All in all a very nice job. Guess I'll have to find some time to keep up with the 'Jones'     :)

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