tzonoqua

Hello again, forget I said wax, I don't know why I said that, I was just brainstorming a silly idea! (hindsight: wax would be a nightmare to try to peel off if it's the wrong kind of wax and not thick enough)

I second masking tape - paper coverings-- something to brush on and peel off I just had an idea that maybe you could use latex? Never used it in that context before, but did some molds in college with it and I think it could work. Comes in a liquid and you paint it on then it sets... then peel it off. Or even wax? It depends how you "set" your stones/rocks. I always try to use thin stock that you can bend cold, that way you can coat/paint the metalwork, then set the stone/rock, then touch up with a fine brush any paintwork that has been disturbed.

Hello Kate, Love the Butterfly/Flower gateway that you posted. Always nice to have another girly smith on board!

Very cool! Wonderful design, love the colours. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Very nice, very precise, very masculine, almost Gieger-esque.

Hello A-Man! I been lurkin' around... I closed my workshop and taken a much needed break- been across the pond visiting with family (in States and Canada) but will be setting up a new workshop in the New Year... (Horray!) Anyway, the link I posted which I thought was self-explanitory but obviously wasn't, was a link to the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths bronze award which is the first award which denotes someone a "Master" -much better explanations provided in previous posts by John B and Mark Aspery.

Directory A Link to the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths site.

my view, not quite the himaylayas...

I like it and I like the setting too- especially since where I am its coverered in snow...! Is it made from tube?

Hi Dave, Welcome. That is a neat set up - similar to which I have experienced in India. (Although the Indians did it bare foot!!) Looks like you have a nice thing going. BTW, Your dog is lovely- I have a half lurcher too. Colleen

Gobae and Aeneas, was just reading through this thread and saw the comments about having to forge on knees vs. squatting position- I have experience working in India using an earth forge, very similar to that pictured. The Indians always worked in a squat position and were incredibly adept and nimble at forging in this manner. They could jump up and displayed amazing agility in this position.The anvil was sometimes raised and strikers would stand depending on the item being forged. If you look at societies (tribal) that live very close to nature, you find that many of them adopt this squatting position. If you watch babies and children, it is a natural way for the human body to move, we westerners tend to lose this way of using our bodies because we do things like sit in chairs, etc. I found it ridiculously difficult at first, but soon got used to it as the muscles/tendons in my legs stretched. Ancient Celtic society and these blacksmiths in Rajasthan may be very different in culture and very far away from each other in geographical distance, and I am also no expert but the similarities struck me when I read your posts. Oh, and regards to using cloth for a sun shade, you can buy flame retardant sprays to treat the cloth (I used to use a product called Flamebar on canvases I painted with good results) - Colleen

Hello, Although I have not used a Telwin Mig, I have used a Telwin Inverter Arc welder for a year and a half, and love it. It's a portable "handbag" sized welder and totally suits my needs. Never had a problem with it. (Touch wood) Telwin may not be very common in the USA, but more common in Europe as I believe it is an Italian company but I am sure it all gets made in China- (doesn't everything??) a Telwin Mig may or may not suit your needs, probably depends (like anything) on what you will use it for and how much you will use it.

As always Adrian, a standard to aspire to.

Hello Devon Blacksmith, I have PM'd you.

So, is anything going on in the month of November in Southern Ontario-? (I am returning to the home country for a wee visit, I'll be in the Niagara Region.) ps. ertwdan, I love that proverb! -Colleen

I have been of the view for a while that I just didn't have the time to make tongs, I would rather spend my time/energy working on either my art or commission work. So I have bought tongs along the way and often been disappointed with the performance of them, which usually means discovering that they are far too heavy to be useable for me. I have made a couple pairs of simple tongs in the past, but since then never really challenged myself. After reading this thread last week, and all of the arguments for and against, I decided to "put my money where my mouth was" so to speak. I decided to make a set of tongs to hold the flat discs that I make flowers from (I make an awful lot of flowers) with long reins to avoid the dragons breath. You know what, It only took me about 30 mins, and I was fairly satisfied with the result. Next time I would alter them a wee bit, but it just goes to show that sometimes we get stuck in a way of thinking... but this is why I love this site. -Colleen