ornametalsmith

also heard it called "piping"....

Had quite a few over the years..........first few that come to mind........... Two light fixtures.........that "look" like a childs hand holding a deer antler with bulb on top. They requested a "right and a left" hand. Then there was the "Electric Pineapple".......lol....... I kid you not. I'd forgotten about the crucifixion spikes until I read Clinton's post........ I had a request from someone to make 24 of them as "period correct" as I could. They were going to be Easter Gifts. She did some research.....told me the size......and that they needed to be forged from wrought iron. I only had some 2" sq. solid (w.i.)........so.......told them that it was available from England, but gonna be pricey. Much to my surprise.....the lady had a relative in England.......and she ordered a 20' piece of 1/2" sq.................the bar was $175........and so was the shipping.....she paid $350 JUST to get the 1/2" w.i. to FL............DOH!!!!!! some expensive NAILS, IMO.

Yup..........what HE said : :ph34r:

I played with this a few years ago. Didn't follow the D. Reid tech properly but it still worked. I just used two crucibles, with a kaowool "gasket", and melted some aluminum. On a similar note, I've recently been using a "microwave kiln" to melt/fuse glass. If you google that you'll find lots of info,fwiw.

here's a few I've made. An older(center) one and two new ones.

some like'em HOT..... "Doc.......it REALLY hurts when I kiss my tongs"..........reply......"Don't DO THAT" ;) hope ya heal fast.

I've been given a few things over the years........But the very FIRST... and one of the more memorable.......was a small French patterned hammer..........from Bill Gichner, when I was first starting out in my blacksmithing career.

I always enjoy seeing this THREAD .......POP up. This made me laugh out loud........ "Take the FEar out of forging.... Exploring the other metals on the periodic table" VERY catchy!!! AND.....something to "think about"........I use aluminum(6061-6063) when teaching beginners the BASICS of blacksmithing(forging). USUALLY only for the first hour or so....then ON TO HOT STEEL....:) There are a limits to what you can do......(i.e. it's harder to "upset" aluminum cold.....no where near as easy or dramatic as with hot steel.) But drawing, fullering, cutting, punching, twists and bends are no prob. .....I've also suggested aluminum to beginners that want to keep practicing forging while they are waiting to buy/build a forge. All that is needed is a hammer, ASO and some 6000 series aluminum. Cold forging aluminum takes the HEAT out of the equation, extends the "forging time" and enables them to concentrate on developing good hammer control. Much easier to develop "muscle memory" when you can swing the hammer 40-50 times..........or til you wear out.....instead of the normal beginner experience with hot steel.......which goes something like this.....they pull it OUT.....admire it GLOWING (that HEAT can be a lil distracting to the PYRO in all of us).....then once they realize that they are losing heat FAST....they try to get it on the anvil as fast as possible and start forging. IN the beginning they are lucky to get in....10-20 blows before it's time to put it back in the forge. Because we're ALL told that we'll " go to hell for hammering cold metal".......beginners usually need to be "coaxed" into stopping when the metal gets to dull red. :) look forward to following this thread........again. happy hammering.. ps......I've got a few vids on YouTube that show "cold forging aluminum".........fwiw.

just another 2 cents ............... vinegar works to remove rust.............. then I'd wire brush em.

Fold Forming is one of my favorite processes. From small to large elements can be made SUPER fast. Here's a video I just posted on YouTube of the Making of a Large Fold Formed Spiral, for a sculpture I'm working on. Let's see if I can EMBED the video here..... happy hammering........... :)

LOL......rust helps too........ :rolleyes:

Larry, My heart goes out to you and your family. Keeping you all in my thoughts. bill

that's one of the coolest parts. I've shown a short piece of it(wire brushed and waxed) to guys that work with rebar ALL DAY.........they didn't recognize it and couldn't wipe the grin off after I told em......

makes great decorative twisted elements,IMO.

great topic............. I'll throw in a story that HELPED me find my way to sharing/teaching. Sharing GUARANTEES the future of the trade. A. Pendry tells a story of the old days when he met S. Schwarzer.......and started teaching him the bladesmithing "secrets". LOL..........Al said he got a LOT of grief from the so called "good ol boys of the trade"........asking HOW could he just GIVE all that hard earned INFO to some "up and comer".......? ........ Alfred replied with .........and I paraphrase.... "as I see it...........when I meet someone with that much Fire in his belly to learn something I know...........it's simple ..........do I want to be the guy that WOULDN'T help or give him the info........OR.......would I rather be the guy that offered up the help?.......Either way.......that person is GONNA get the info. " anyway.............that statement HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD for me.......and it's been how I justify GIVIN it ALL AWAY........to anyone that shows an interest.