Randy

Well, I made up some skull punches and gave this thing a try. Looks like I need to work on my proportions. This one is from 1-1/2" round stock. All hand work took about 1-1/2 hours. Next one will be done in the press to see the time savings.

Well, my shop isn't as bad as this one! Everything does have it's place but in the middle of a job things get moved around quite a bit. Once the job is finished everything goes back into it's place so I don't spend time trying to find it again. It's bad enough during a job when the shop gnomes take something and don't put it back for a while so I don't want to add to their mischief.

Naaa. That's Peanut.

I do my collars the same way as John does except I just use the post vise open to fit the opening required. I have a bunch of mandrels of different combinations and sizes depending on the job I was doing. The mandrel is also used to figure the length of the stock for the collar. Roll the mandrel over the stock once for each side and then add twice the thickness of the collar material and cut off. Adjust if required. The COSIra books show this method with out the vise in their Wrought Ironwork book which you can get free on line.

There's exceptions to most everything and it was a good excuse! The photos I found from then didn't help.

Beth, Jeff Dunham is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian and Achmed the Dead Terrorist is one of his characters. He had numerous shows on tv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhVpoRaTdj0

When I started in the '70's I had a beard no mustache as it was the time of the bicentennial. It was the Colonial look? Since about the '80 I've been clean shaven, but now with a ponytale.

George E. Ohr was one of the best potters, ever! Way ahead of his time. He said he was so good because he was a blacksmith first and had the strong forearm muscles required to control spinning clay. He was also an eccentric. At one point he had a 3 foot long handlebar mustache. He liked to do camera stunts and one well known one was to comb his hair and beard like it was blowing in the wind. I know, I digress. But he was a smith at one time... :D

So far all of the scrap or drops I've had have been forgable. What I've used is harder than stainless under the hammer and when it cools down you'll know when to stop hammering as the hammer literally bounces off of the metal. In teaching a class in non ferrous metals a student asked me if I'd ever burned titanium. I said no, I try not to burn anything, Ten minutes later he came running over with this burning orb in the end of his tongs. It was just glowing white hot like the end of a welding rod when welding. It was so bright you needed welding goggles to look at it. Plus it stayed like that for what seemed a long time. Weird!

BTW, if you can't find companies near you that work in titanium where you can get scrap pieces to forge there's a website that sells smaller pieces in bar, plate and tubing, www.TitaniumJoe.com

Well, it's that time again. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. May you be bad enough that your stocking is full of coal and your anvil face is never rusty for want of a job. Thank you all for your friendship, help and encouragement. I've attached a few photos in keeping with the season and our mission.

Keep the Sparks A'Flying! as you have fun!

Randy McDaniel

I got 8 hard years in my first firebox and tuyere of this design. At that point the sides warped, not burned! Paint was still on the sides and it was only 1/4" plate! I remade the firebox from 3/8" this time and welded it to the old tuyere with klinker breaker and expect a lot of years from it. The angle of the sides and angle of the grate make all of the difference!

Maybe you need more air. Your firebox is fine, but we can't see how you are maintaining your fire. I mean how you're arranging your coa/coke. First off you don't heat a bar by putting it down into the firebox. If the bar is over your grate you are just throwing air at it not heat. The bar stays horizontal so that way you can slide it back and forth to get longer heats. That means the sides of your fire have to be built up. Like a small hill with the center burning. You should have burning coke under and over your bar that you are heating. That way you can control your heat and the length of it. This al take practice.

Harrold, thanks for the photos! They answer my questions. I now see how this works with the pedal pushing up the on/off lever. Hanging the torch on the forged hook puts it at the flame lighter. Got it! Thanks again!

Jesse, Keep the Sparks A'Flying! Looking forward to see what you create. This is truly a brotherhood/sisterhood.

Beth, here's an easy way to make a heart punch. Forge a square punch. Put it in a v-block, which you can make by hammering a piece of cold square stock into a hot block, and round off the top of the square punch with a hammer. Use a triangular or narrow file and file out a "v" in the center and then finish shaping to your desire. Filing works best. Heat treat it and there you have it.

There is a drawing here, just click under the "attached thumbmails".

"I'll Keel You!"

Care to show your process? They look great!

Ironwork Today 3: Inside and Out

by Jeffrey B. Snyder

ISBN: 9780764338762

Size: 11 x 8 1/2

256 pages

Currently available through Schiffer Books http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer//book_template.php?isbn=9780764338762 @ $50.00

Book Description

Over 450 vivid color photos provide a sweeping overview of the amazing range of iron artwork being created by 82 of today’s artist-blacksmiths. These works in metal are found in public spaces, offices, and homes. They vary in size from small, everyday objects to staggering public monuments. The pieces, discussed by the artists who made them, include sculpture, gates, railings, furniture, lighting fixtures, doors, locks, and much more. This book, the third in an ongoing series, has artwork arranged by the artist alphabetically, rather than in categories. This allows readers to see the full scope of each artist’s work together on adjoining pages. Here readers will find some artists whose work they have seen in other books in this series; others they are meeting for the first time. This book will be a prized reference guide and source of inspiration for homeowners, designers, artists, and blacksmiths as a fascinating snapshot of current trends in this dynamic, growing field of artistic endeavor.

Okay that's what they said about it. I just got my copy and I love what they've done this time. This is the latest in a series originally started by Dona Z. Meilach. The 2 previous books were organized by item: railings, gates, furniture, lighting, etc. This one is organized by artist. This allows you to see a body of work of one smith at a time and presents a better picture of their work as a whole. I was impressed with the variety and quality of work and photography. I was pleased to see the number of women smiths and how so many countries were represented. Each artist has their name along with their works and town, state and email address featured at the top of the first page of their work. Some pages only have one photo so that detail is clearly shown. I also enjoy the artists' statements and information about the work next to each photo. Though not a how-to book there is a lot to be learned here. As this only came out 2 weeks ago only Schiffer has the book now, but once distribution has kicked in it will be available at most dealers.

If you enjoyed the previous two books or just want to see how this craft has grown in skill and design this is a must have for your collection.

Harold,

I have a gas saver that I use to turn off the torch so I don't have to readjust it when it lights, but at times the treadle torch would be handy.The drawing helps, but how about some photos to show how it works? Thanks!

Randy

They make presses that work horizontally just for such an operation. Perfect every time!

Be thankful you have the means to get it at all. Careful, that's a lot of power there!

He is definitely skilled at working cold metal and designing the same.All the theatrics in the world won't make any one better at forging. It will just take time to understand and get good at pushing hot metal around. None of us learns this in a year or two. I started in the 70's and I'm still learning. Always will.

Mr Googly Eyes looks like Jeff Dunham's Achmed the Dead Terrorist! Great job. Looks like I need to make some more tools and give it a shot!

Here you can see it done. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_uO7PU8l8Y&feature=g-upl&context=G2a47eb0AUAAAAAAADAA

You'll see that it's harder than stainless so due to it's alloy find which heat it moves under the hammer best for you. Don't burn it as it glows like a welding rod welding. What are you making and what size do you have?

Here you go... I start the blank hot by hand hammer to make sure the piece is centered, take another heat and squish. Jobs this size is where I wish I had more tonnage. Remember that the tons of pressure is per square inch so the bigger the piece the less overall push you have.

Had a real unique request this weekend, but will have to wait to explain. Keeping someones' secret until the first of the year. It's amazing to me that when someone wants something different done people will just reject it or say it can't be done instead of trying to find a solution. More later.

Anyway, finally got the pictures of the dragonfly and shells. Would have liked the brazing on the wings to be better, but the rod is welding rod and real easy to melt before it would braze. The shells were laser cut out and then I had made top and bottom dies and used my 60 ton press to form them. They were wire wheeled and I tried coloring one with a torch. Then clear coat of laquer.