Grundsau

I have found the best way to judge the potential of an event is to be part of it at least once.
If it doesn't pan out then scratch that event for next season.
After you start doing shows you will get a feel for the events that advertise and/or have good followings.

If I am demo'ing I refuse to pay any fees except to one non-profit that I've been with for 16 years. Their fee, just instituted this year is $10.

This is the first year that I am paying fees over $50 to sell at a show.
The following are all selling venues for this season:
One 2 day event was $100 and I sold a bot over $1000 worth of merchandise.
The next one is a traditional Artisan show and is $150 for 6 hours. I've been trying to get access to this show for a long time and hope to do well.
Our county guild of craftsmen have a Christmas show coming up which is two days for $175.00.
They are jurying my work at the show for guild membership and I'm joining their group for the prestige.
That show should do well.

Some tin smith friends of ours (who are in the same guild) tell me the show fee should be no more than 10% of what you expect to make.

I can understand about not seeing a "project" come to fruition.
Not sure about posting prices on the forum so I sent you a PM.

Allen

Hey, I'm a rookie too! :P
The addition of the drip cups and that style candle looks great.
Had planned to make round drip cups but never got around to it.
My first attempt was similiar to hers and then I morphed it into what you saw on the video.
Did the same for her dinner bell except I use 3/8" square for the hanger.
Lorelei put together a nice book and I've got two copies.

Do you do craft/artisan shows? Both the bells and candleholders are sellers.

Allen

Those look very familiar. LOL
Nice job!

Cheftjcook, thanks.
That bread was from the Artisan bread in 5 Mins a day recipe.
Baked it in the dutch oven in the elctric oven. http://www.artisanbr...in-a-dutch-oven
My favorite rustic bread recipe is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU&feature=related
http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2006/11/jim_laheys_nokn.html

Thomas, I bet you were.
I started drooling as you described all that good food! :P

I've been demo'ing at Old Dry Road Farm http://www.dryroadfarm.net/ for 16 or so years and usually it's humid and quite warm.
Not this time.
We had a good crowd come out with the cool weather and I showed how to make strap hinge finials throughout the day.
Making hooks was getting old so figured I'd try something different.
Also gives me some good practice fullering with the edge of the anvil and hammer.

In past years I would demo dutch oven cooking and make PUD cake, a main meal and rustic bread.
Friends of ours have two daughters that are interested in dutchies and along with two of their friends, did the dutch oven demo this time.
They made up some great food!

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=416459
In the photo I was playing around with a spear point finial.





Next demo at the Hay Creek Apple Festival: http://www.haycreek.org/festivals.htm

When shaping lengths of round stock with a power hammer, how do you keep the far end from sagging?
Do you place a tool rest on the back side of the hammer.
Haven't worked any long pieces yet but I plan to.

Thanks for being willing to help.
No pictures yet and it is a straight run with closed wooden steps.

I planned to get photos, measurements and angle sometime next month.
She is about 45mins from me and won't be down that way again for a bit.

I'm not in the league of many of you folks on here and was always afraid of being asked to take on something like this because of my lack of experience.
While at a social event recently, the homeowner asked me to create a hand rail for an interior stairway from the first floor down to a rec room.
The customer knows me and wants something simple and not too ornate.
She also knows I have some other projects going on and is not in a hurry, so that should allow some time to start learning and making a mock-up.

Two thirds of the stairs are in open space at the bottom.
Was thinking of using an angled support with decorative fastening end to go down over, and attach to the side of the stair stringer.
Since strength is in the angles, that should work.

She also wants a clear sealer on the metal and I thought about permalac.
Is that a good choice?
I'm trying to figure out an appropriate type of cap rail material and whether it will be flat or round stock.
Would also like to incorporate some slitting and drifting of some of the materials too.

It's intimidating but I'm excited to give this a try. And I need the work.

Thank you!
Awesome work!

Ironsmith, good point. It could get bolted on.

John B, that did the trick.

Tim, I saw that recently. Impressive! But I need something simple this time around.

Here is a similar setup:

I'd like to make an adjustable fuller for up to 3 or 4" stock that fits in the hardie hole.
Would you make any changes to this list?

A 1/2" thick plate for a base.
2 pieces of upright 1/4 x 1" x 1" angle iron that gets welded to the base.
A piece of 1/2" x 3" x 4" that acts as the bottom fuller. It is also welded to the base and in between the two pieces of angle.

The top fuller section is 1/2" x 3 x 5 and has a hole drilled in the top corner.
The two angles will also have holes drilled at different heights for the top fuller to be adjustable.
Maybe a heavy clevis pin could be used for quick adjustments.

I've seen this style before but can't find it.

Forgot to add email: jjanofsky@co.gloucester.nj.us

Received this in an email yesterday.
We can't go that weekend and told Jennifer I'd post it here.

Hello!

I am the curator at the Whitall House is National Park, New Jersey. We are about 15 minutes south of the Ben Franklin Bridge. On October 21 we will be hosting our Colonial Field Day. We are looking for someone to perform a blacksmith demonstration. If you are interested, please drop me a line and we can discuss in more detail.

Thanks!

Jennifer Janofsky, Ph.D.
Curator, Whitall House and Red Bank Battlefield
Megan Giordano Fellow in Public History, Rowan University
(856) 251-6710

Hi a62rambler, I use 1/4" Rnd or Square mild steel for Pennsylvania Longrifle style locks and 5/16" Rnd or Square mild steel for my Brown Bess musket.
Haven't had any issues so far.

I file the blade down to fit each style lock and you can use the round end to chip an edge back on a dull flint.
Here is a shot of the 1/4".

I'm shocked!
He was a great guy and will be missed.

http://lammandwitman.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=1533472&fh_id=11666

Thanks for the heart tutorial you graciously shared back in 2010.
http://www.iforgeiro...valentines-day/
It must have taken some time to put together those stills plus the video and you did a great job with them.

Here is some of what I recently did for this craft show season.



Allen

What I was getting at is that your house seems to be a swarm magnet.
If it was my house, and if the property layout permits it, I'd try putting out a bait hive.
You would then know almost immediately that a swarm has moved in and wouldn't have to have chemicals pumped into the house all the time.
You aren't trying to capture one to keep but rather to kill it.

Forgot to add: our bees came from Wilbanks Apiaries in Georgia and have mated queens.


FordPrefect, is this the first time you are getting VSH bees?
I'm interested in how you make out.

Allen

David, we just picked up a package of bees from Keeny and Ziegler Apiaries yesterday.
They brought up about 500 packages from Georgia and may have some extras.
But you have to call asap or they will all be gone.

Keeney & Ziegler Apairies
9351 Old Rt #22
Bethel, PA19507
717.933.8565


Bentiorn, some folks put out bait hives which is a large deep super (the white box you see on a hive) with some frames in it and a few drops of lemongrass oil.

Since you get so many swarms, do you have a place to put one or two near your house?
Here is what ours looked like:



Here are some shots from yesterdays package bees pickup.
It was cool and rainy so I decided to place the entire package they came in into the bottom super so they wouldn't fly around so much in the rain.
There are two frames of capped honey and two foundationless frames in there.
The can of syrup that came with the package was placed up on two sticks for easier access.

I'm taking the box out later today and will place more foundationless frames in its place.

My friend was gracious enough to give us a free split.
It was made last Monday and we brought it home last night in my Trailblazer.
After re-orienting themselves to the new location they are bringing in pollen already.

Now It's a waiting game for them to make some emergency queen cells and looks like some may already be started.
Allen

I didn't have anything special to make with the WI.
Wasn't sure if I should advertise them on craigslist for the kind of person who might be doing a wagon restoration.
The wagon was a Merkel which is supposed to be related to the Grubers.

That could be alot of knife fittings... :)
Allen

Years ago we were given a hay wagon that was falling apart to use as a photo prop.
Due to extensive deterioration, I recently burned the wood to reclaim the metal.
Any suggestions on what to do with it?

The metal bands that were around the hubs would be great jigs for making trivets.

I'm looking forward to seeing your creation in action. :P

Allen

That looks like a great business opportunity for you. B)
I have the smithing magician and have wanted to work on some 2" and 3" which it won't do.
Kevin, maybe the press doesn't have the preciseness that the SM on steroids will have.

Allen