tzonoqua

Looks lovely Stephanie, I love the non ferrous as well!!! I started with non ferrous metals and moved over to the 'dark' side!! All that piercing, you must have patience!! I made some ornate butterflies at college and too spent hours carefully piercing them out- then my very kind tutor showed me the etching tanks, I have to say, I would second Ian's suggestion - acid etch, much less work!!! Some people just love piercing though... I recall a lady who pierces copper so that it looks like lace, incredible!!! Love to see more of your work!! :)

I am sure that is great advice, too, and I hope like you Jack, I am still swinging a hammer at 75 !!! :)

BillyO Certainly an interesting and worthy discussion. I have suffered from Carpal Tunnel, in my dominant hand, had the surgery a number of years ago which has sorted it. Currently suffer from stiffness in my hands, as there is arthritis in the family I've been working on a physical approach- ie. just getting fit, I go to the gym for an hour and half 6 days a week, mostly cardio and some light weights, and will be starting yoga soon. I have found that I get "twinges' in my hand when I have been hammering all day, I then stop. I am hoping i have a few years left in me until I go back to working soft, supple silver!! I get worried that a lot of these young ones are going to be doing their backs in early the way they forge!! I use a 3.5lb hammer for most work, and lighter ones for all the rest. Very rarely use something heavier than that. Am buying a power hammer in near future as well!! The industry could really use some bona fide research into techniques rather than relying on "he said she said"

Hi John, thanks for the detailed reply, I was being a little tongue in cheek with regards to entering the show!! :rolleyes: Anyway, I'm not really bothered about winning but getting more business would certainly be worth coming for. I'd have to raid a gallery to get some work to bring down for it. It all depends on whether I can convince the other half to go, I'll work on him in the next few days, except I have a feeling he's supposed to be off with marquee on Mon, kids will probably be easily convinced!! I take it you will be there? The set is now on it's way to Cumbria, in fact was supposed to be delivered today, but parcel force seem to have hiccuped a little and it has been delayed. So much for guaranteed 24 hr delivery!! Frosty, I wondered when I made it whether I should have used round stock for the tools as well, but I guess with the twists it adds a traditional look to it even though the stand is "curly whirly" Beth, I regret not buying one of his full size besom brooms, but I'm going to visit him again and get some more little ones made up. He gave my daughter a little one to play with after I told him all about how she's into harry potter and regularly dresses as a witch (cape, black tutu and hat) around the house!!!

Thanks all. Aengus, you will have known about a besom broom but just not realized it as it's the kind of broom witches ride on!!! The tongs were a bit of a challenge, and took a good few hours to make as it has been a while since I've made some but I'm pleased with the result, although they are quite substantial and need two hands to operate, but my customer wanted something big and chunky but yet still organic looking to go with the old cottage that the newlyweds are moving into.

Thanks JK, Thanks John. This set was a commission and has gone off to it's new owner already. I thought also that these things had to be entered ages ago and I've missed the entry? the link is http://www.blacksmithscompetition.co.uk/ you missed out the S :) I have some other stuff I could bring down though if it isn't too late... I always see the winners of these things, though, John, and with competitors like Mick Maxen there isn't really a point for me entering!! :wacko:

Hi All, Been a while since I posted anything. Just got back from Canada and had this job to do once I got back. Its a fire companion set with acorn ends which is a commission for a very nice returning client of mine, it will be a wedding gift. The stand is adorned with oak leaves. Was a learning experience for me to make the acorn formers, as I've never made formers like that before. Not sure I got it completely right, but it did the job. I reused some hardy and top tools that I never used and had doubles of. Next time I will definitley make a spring swage. Bit silly trying to manage a top tool, a hammer all the while doing a yoga like balancing act with the stock end. Makes for interesting positions while forging and probably as good as pilates for my core muscles anyway!!! Also been a while since I've made any tongs. I lost track of the hours in it, I think about 20 or so. Tools made from 12mm square, stand is made from 12mm round. One of the oak leaves is carved with the names, a little heart and the date of their wedding. Broom is a traditionally made besom broom (birch) made by a local broom squire, who is one of only 3 left in England. Finished with black wax. Critique welcome.

Hey Curly, that looks like a cute little anvil, I am sure it will clean up fine and be of good use to you! Glad to see you've got one now! Where did you end up getting the steel from in the end?

Very interesting!! Thanks, I love those microscopic images!

Thanks for that link. That will come in very useful!

That looks fantastic! How have you done the acorns? They look great!!

Hi Neil, that's bad luck for me, I'm actually in the area at the moment but I'll be flying out April 18th. I was in the falls earlier today seeing friends, I was looking at the really awful ironwork that is around the falls (we went hiking in the glen and whirlpool). Shameful really!!!

DK, I don't have a power hammer, everything I do is done with my poor little tired hands!!! You can tell, as well, because the scale of my work is small comparitively and I use smaller stock sizes than someone who has a power hammer, thinner sheet and thinner bar- I use between 1.5mm to 2.5mm sheet and 6mm to 12mm bar stock for the most part. Saying that, I am saving up for one and to be honest think it's tricky to actually make a living doing this without one, which is probably why if you've reached a level then you move on up and acquire one as it's really the only way apart from hiring a striker to move metal as quick! I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule. I know it's possible to create beautiful work without one, but if I had one I know I'd use heavier stock as I love the look of really "squished" metal, I think it would open up all sorts of creative possibilities. There is a lot of interesting work being produced on hydraulic presses at the moment as well that looks really tasty!! :) I think you can easily move on from "steak flippers, hooks, cut crosses, fire place tools, candle holders, bottle openers, horseshoe hearts etc." without a power hammer, just have to think outside the box section... :P

I have a 504lbs 4.5cwt as my main anvil but a very close second that sits adjacent to it is a 112 lb (1cwt), that has nice crisp edges. I use the edges on the smaller one, but I like having a large face to work on for my main one especially when I am working on larger sculptural shapes, (big leaves etc) I also like having the two sizes of horn to work from. Why do I have those sizes? Because when I was looking to buy an anvil, the 4.5cwt was the first one that I went to see, and a while after that the farmer where my workshop was offered the smaller one to me at a price I couldn't refuse! :)

Here are some pics of my one of my swage blocks. I bought it in Scotland about 4 years ago. The Smith who sold it to me suggested it was a wheelright's block, I don't know if that was it's intended purpose, but I have since found out it was made by the Carron Company in Stirlingshire, Scotland. I bought it for the bargain sum of £50, also bought a standard swage block for the same price, plus a bunch of other treasures (4.5cwt anvil, lots of tooling, tongs, welder, powered hacksaw etc) but this swage block is immensely useful to me with it's curves and dishing depressions. It even has a former for a ladel or spoon. On it's longest side it's about 60cm long (2 feet) not sure how much it weighs but it's heavy and to lift it or turn it I need to put a long bar in one of the holes for leverage!!

Wow, Dave, the outdoor forging space looks awesome! You are very lucky to have so much space to play with!!

After working in a shop with a very powerful wirewheel/pedestal grinder, I decided when I moved into my own shop that I would get one of those little piddly not very powerful ones...Now I don't get the "quills" sticking out of the front of my leather apron like I did with the powerful one!! It doesn't snatch so much, only if I'm silly and put things in at the wrong angle, and if it does it stops or slows right down. I like that feature, probably burn out the motor quicker, but it's one tool where I feel that the cheaper and flimsier the better!! :)

Wow, I'm really surprised that they are made that way too, but I am also surprised that there are not more failures like this seen about! (or maybe I just never noticed.) Unlucky.

Look forward to that!!

Kurgan, a cruck frame smithy would be lovely though!!!! Did you ever watch the Grand Designs woodland house episode?? Amazing!!!

Just remembered- our neighbour when we lived in Scotland put in new drainage round their house, what they did was same as what your Dad suggested, and then covered with "sharp" gravel. I remember a discussion about it being "sharp", as apparently it doesn't settle and "sink" as quickly as rounded gravel?? Again, I have no idea of this, but I know that there are similar qualities between building sand and "sharp" sand so it made sense to me!!

Hi Kurgan, I'm no building expert, and I'm sure you'll get more advice about laying the shingle, but I can say that the woodworker who rents the other end of the barn from me, he had no flooring- and with this recent rain we've had, his floor was completely sodden- we have clay underneath as well. Don't know if where you are is prone to standing water? Anyway, he was having his floor concreted, but the grounds person doing the work advised to dig out drainage channels first around the building, might be an idea? His shop isn't that big and didn't even take a whole day to dig it out and dig channels with a digger. I wouldn't fancy digging it out by hand!! He then put down a layer of hardcore before concreting. I would think also if you put down shingle then you'd need a membrane under it? Obviously I am just making suggestions and I could be way off (I'm no expert!) but I thought I'd mention it. Good luck with it!

That's lovely Neil!! I did a stained glass course a long time ago when I used to live in Niagara Falls, but we used the "tiffany" method, not lead came. It is also a very tricky medium!!!

Great piece!!! Well done!!

I was quite hoping DanP that you offer your perspective as I think it would be informed and interesting!! This subject can no doubt be debated til the embers die... but now I I think Basher has said it in a most eloquent manner. Stephen, "The lyf so short, the craft so long to learn" is a quote from the poet Geoffrey Chaucer... it's a quote I refer to often!!! poetry and blacksmithing, seems they go hand in hand.