Don A

Beautiful texture on the petals. How did you do them? And I agree; the puched holes look good.

I have a Grizzly. Got it nearly new for $300 from Craigslist. It came with about $150 worth of belts and a $70 10" wheel thrown in. Great deal; good machine. The only modification I have made was to install a ceramic platten... well worth the effort. That said, a new Griz to your door will be $574 If I was in that range and couldn't sqeeze the extra for a KMG, I'd get a Coote and find a motor somewhere. If I could scrape up the big bucks (1k+), I'd definitely go KMG.

Come on guys... let's give him a hand! sorry... couldn't pass it up Very unique and well done.

Very nice work. Good job!

Speachless.... Fantastic work.

Very nice. I've never worked with silver, but have done some brass and copper. I really enjoy the "cold work" on occasion. With copper, I anneal with a MAPP torch and a quick water quench. Do you do the same with the silver? I've made several pieces for my wife. Lucky bloke who has a lady making stuff for him!

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to post some of your work. I have certainly learned a lot here. Good luck on your blades.

How do you normally "cool rapidly"? Nice piece, by the way.

I'd say your handle would split right at the "bolts" after a few good chops. But, you never know 'til you try. I've been forging for 10+ years and wouldn't get near a piece of 5160 of that size with a hand hammer. If you're just making a theatric piece or wall-hanger, I'd have it cut from plate. If you're serious about making real weapons or working tools, research the past 1000+ years of iron/steel axes and see what works. Here is a good place to begin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQaaS71yfvM

ENCO carries W-1 drill rod in about any diameter. I've had good luck with it. PM me if you need some good flint. I can hook you up.

Very nice. Neat & clean. Good job.

I use a side-blast charcoal forge at the Fort I volunteer at. I have configured it where the blast pipe comes it at the very bottom of the forge. I build the sides of the fire-pot out of fire brick so I can vary the size depending on the size of the work. If I'm making S-hooks from 1/4" stock, I only need a small fire, but if I am working with 1/2" or bigger, I can open it up for a larger fire. Regardless, I always try to keep at least 4" of fire UNDER the stock. A deep fire can take a gentle air blast and the heat is more even and efficient. Here is the basic fire pot / pan / whatever: And here it is in use: Hope this helps, Don

Good work all the way around. Do you use the decoys?

Seriously. And if anyone needs further motivation, check this out: http://www.flickr.co...N04/1967365392/

MONDAY: Just a quick job... needed to knock a little rust off an antique hammer head. Wire wheel on the old bench grinder. Mounted a little above waist-high. The poor wire wheel has seen better days. No need to bother with the safety glasses at arm's length; less than a 30 second job... zip, zip, zip... ouch! That was a close one. Just a little speck of dust I suppose. TUESDAY: My left eye is itching and my left sinus is giving me a fit. My eye feels OK open, but drives me crazy when it's closed. Very little sleep. WEDNESDAY: Get up with my left eye swelled shut. Once I get it open, it is extremely red. Probably pink-eye or something. Call in to work and go to the walk-in. Doc checks it and sees a small piece of metal in my cornea, about 3 o'clock to my pupil. Go across the highway to the eye doctor. Sit for an hour, get tiny piece of steel taken out and rust-ring removed (with a micro-burr on a small Dremel looking tool). Spend the rest of the day with an eye patch. I understand why Blackbeard and Rooster Cogburn were so mean. THURSDAY: Unpatched and hopefully wiser. Moral of the story: no job is too small for safety glasses. At worst, I could've lost my eye. At best, I lost 24 hours I'll never get back. Not preaching; just sharing my experience. Don

All points well taken. Thanks again. I've got some 5/8" hex that might look better and be stronger. Also, I'm not commited to the spear fineal, so something more blunt might be in order. Also, I am planning the "foot" to be a squared "h" shape so it can be pushed into the ground by boot power.

Sorry for the void in my description. It will probably be from 1/2" square stock. And by portable, I mean that it will only be about 3' tall and will have prongs that can be pushed into the ground. For those familiar with the various historic reenactments and trade fairs, picture the shingle hung in front of a vendor's tent. This one is for a lantern maker, so he wants the sign in the front and a latern hung from the back. Good suggestions all. I hadn't considered the half-lap. I'll keep you posted with what I come up with. I appreciate it.

I have been asked to make a portable sign hanger for a gentleman. Here is a rough, preliminary sketch of what I'm going for: What would be my best bet for joining the cross piece to the upright? Pierce the upright? Pierce the cross piece? Is there any way to maintain the stock dimension on either side of the joint? This is a new one on me. Thanks, Don

These are forged from W-1 drill rod and water quenched... Firesteels for striking flint and making fire. Not a documneted style, but too cool not to make.

Beautiful work. I'll try to make sure my wife doesn't see this!

For what silver is worth now, I'd hesitate to do anything that would result in waste. Perhaps save a bit for specific projects in mind later, but it has become too costly to play with. I'd sell the silver and buy some stuff I could really use.

Great broom Thomas. I definitely need to learn the proper way to tie one. Mine set me back $4.00... that's what I paid for a new, cheap WalMart kitchen broom that I took apart and used for the the straw. I tried to get some broom corn on short notice, but it didn't happen, so I had to go this route.

That is Class A work right there. Very nice.

Thank you all very much for the kind comments.

For the past several weeks I have hit you guys up for advice on elliptical bending jigs, heading rivets, etc. I have finally completed the commission that I have been working on. Here's some pics: Hearth Rack The tools: Shovel Tongs Poker Broom And here it is all together: This is undoubtedly the hardest job I have taken on to date. This is all hand work; no power hammer. Most of the frame is 1/2" x 1" and the lower cross-members are 1" square. I forged a decorative groove down the center of each piece, so every inch of it has been through the forge. More so than a power hammer, I found myself desperately needing a set-up table. I had to do all of my assembly on a thin sheet of steel over a piece of plywood with a couple 90º welder’s magnets. Bigger shop or not, I will soon have a steel table to work on. All the tools were from 7/16” stock, except the tongs. They were forged down from ½”. The shovel was done free-hand using a 4” Kelly-bar coupler as a second anvil (no swage). This was my first go at tying a broom (my profit margin would have taken a big hit if I had hired it done), but it looks alright… at least the customer thought so. I had to write this one off as a major training exercise to justify the time I put into it versus my quoted price. I am left with quite a pile of re-do’s in my scrap heap, but the experience and knowledge gained was worth it.