Randy

Attached is the link to the article I wrote a couple of years ago for ABANA's Hammer's Blow. Maybe it will answer some of the questions I've been getting about my press and show the versitility of a press besides just making knives.

http://www.abana.org/hbarchive/HB%20vol17.4/HB17_4McDaniel.pdf

Chuck, it's a double 6" cylinder with a 5 h.p. motor and a Northern Tool, 16 GPM, 2 stage, 1/2" shaft, 2,500 PSI / max 3,000 PSI which means the press is rated at 60 tons.

Hey, I'll take that as a compliment. I tried working with the tooling scattered all over the floor and I just had to make some tooling racks. What good is quick change tooling when it takes ten minutes to find the tool you need?

The tooling I use the most is the fuller flatter combo. This is used as a bottom or top only or as a both top and bottom depending on what I'm pushing. These are used for fullering/drawing out and flattening. It's a basic knifemakers tool, but is great in all applications. As far as the cutter is concerned, be sure that you have stops on either side so that the top plate doesn't push right down to the cutting edge. If it does it can shoot the piece you're cutting across the room at the tonnage of your press. Also use a good steel as the edge wants to fold over. Pictured is my old cutter. See how the side posts bowed and the cutter wore in the center. That was a straight blade.

In time you'll find more tools that you will need. I had a pile of them on the floor and finally built a couple racks for them so they are a quick access.

Hey, I know a teacher in Norh Pole, Ak. Sue Finsrud. I met her at J.C. Campbell when she was taking a broom making class. Small world.

Get that shop insulated and heated! ;-)

Good story, jake! Our fears, our lack of self esteem can really hold one back. After doing craft shows back in the '70's and '80's I really saw that it could be better to have someone else sell your work for you. And price it, too! Someone else wouldn't have the personal attachment that we have with our work, and is not looking for the approval, or afraid of the rejection. Guess that's why I like having some whimsical pieces to show. It's an icebreaker and gets the conversation started with smiling faces. Makes it easier for me to interact. Find something to laugh about and you'll do great, Jake! I know that telling you that you deserve it and you do great work doesn't out weigh what our subconsious is telling us, even if, and especially when it's true. Go for it any way!

Jake, does the form of the metal parts of the handle come from anything in particular? The forms seem familiar, like the zodiac signs. Is this supposed to represent anything in particular or just how the metal wanted to go? Often my mind plays tricks on me by putting shapes in my work that I don't recall yet may have seen in much earlier experiences. Your handle is sinuous and has such life to it. Being around nature the iron will grow by feeding it fire and coaxing it with hammer and anvil, as it came from the ground and coming to life is just what it wants to do. Looking forward to seeing the form of the finished wood and the union of parts.

I'll have to do some digging to find those balcony pics. That was about 20 years ago.

zodiac.bmp

Jake, your handle is beautiful. By doing we learn. And you are really doing. Great job! Great pics, too. Can you see Russia from there? Had to ask. ;-)

Back to the production work...I took this shot years ago when I finally finished all those scrolls for that 80' balcony. A reminder NOT to do that again and to choose more wisely what I do. It's titled, "buried in my work", literally. I have it in my shop so I don't forget.

Congratulations on getting laid off. What an opportunity. You know the old adage, when one door closes another one opens. Looks like you're already taking advantage of it. Last time I was laid off I made it a goal to create a lot of tooling and a tooling rack for the forging press. It gave me time, with some pay, to get a lot accomplished. Good luck on your new goals in life!

Wow, Dave! Great to watch your growth. You're doing great! Thanks for sharing your progress and process. We're so lucky to be living in this age where we can communicate and learn so much almost instantly. Compared to the old days anyway.

Only thing I can add to this is for a drift or punch lube one of the best things I've found is simply coal dust. I tried the other lubes in press work and the coal dust just works better. Plus it's right there if you're using a coal forge. The other thing I was taught is that any top tools, your handled tools that are struck by a hammer should not be wedged. Simply spread out the end of the handle so the tool doesn't fly off, but no wedges. The wedges will send the shock of the hammer blow right up it into your hand and can even split the handle.

Keep up the great work and reports!

Production in quantities. There are those that are masters of hammering out the same piece over and over. I knew one guy who made thousands of wall hooks. That was about all. And he was happy doing it. That would drive me buggie. Thene there are thhose who do thousands of fence or railing banisters. Not my forte either. Find what you are good at and then set your limits. If you are good at mass production, then good for you. If not, then find where you stop. I had a similar job as you Jake in doing 80 forged scroll pickets for a rialing. With a back angle. I hated it! Took two months to do and I fought it every step of the way. I've had other jobs that were higher quantities but not as complex a piece and they just flew and I had fun doing them. We all have our skills and limitations. Either find them or learn new ways to make the parts.

Jake, did you ever punch holes in the WI before splitting? The old way was to punch a hole at either end of a slot before slitting. That will push the grain around the punch and then you have less chance of the slit tearing. You must have some well refined WI as much of what I've worked with would have just split up the piece in what you have achieved.

Don't know about looking for mom or dad, but we are family. Okay, let's all sing along now...

Thanks for the kind words. I used to hear all of the nay sayers and others making this craft sound mysterious and complicated. Still do on occasion. That used to be the way shops protected their business. But today we can focus on this being a series of steps to learn no matter if it's hammering, forge welding or heat treating. Once we learn the basics then we can really explore how it all works and the extremes of what it allows us to do with it. It's amazing! One never stops learning. Always something else to explore. And really that's what's it all about. Learn, explore, share. Very spiritual.

Here's a piece of titanium that I hand forged many years ago. Even with the hand hammer notice the surface texture. If you can zoom into where the twist tore you can even see a fiber texture in it. Unique stuff! The color was done with a torch, similar to tempering colors, but they are more resistant to wearing off plus there are more colors than other metals have. Like greens.

Hello, Sam! How are you doing? I'm a bit south of there, just west of Reading and available this weekend. Let me know.

In Kutztown there's Ernie Frederick. Up in years and a master of jigs. Don't know how he's doing lately.

Well, I had a list of why you should go and then saw it was the end of September, beginning of October. Too late for this year. Keep up with the CBA group as it will pay you in the contacts that you mke and the things that you learn.

Great area! Are you going to the CBA Octoberfest at Cazadero? You're luck to have so many great smiths around you!

Let's see if I can answer it all in order, Beth:

Yup, a tire is a tyre or visa versa. No, last photo is steel. I don't know if I have a good shot of the titanium forged texture. Might have to get one for you all. It's harder than stainless to forge, but I like the texture and when people pick it up they can't believe that it's lighter than steel. Just a different material to forge. It's a more generic hand, but used mine as a model for proportion, detail, lines, cracks, etc. I'm also using the hand to push around a piece of stock, like squeezing clay. I have two videos on youtube of how the press works and doing some squishing. Yes, I wrote and illustrated, "A Blacksmithing Primer". How special if you do indeed have it. Another connection.

A friend of mine just sent me this: http://by160w.bay160...=0&n=1802023383

This guy is an artist! I like how he uses old tools to create the figures, too.

I think what has been interesting in this thread is that tho we're discussing forging hot metal and the lessons learned in doing so we have moved into how it affects us, not only in creating it but also in observing it. I believe at this point we're talking about art. It moves us and becomes apart of us. Years ago we had a meeting sponsored by ABANA on ironwork and art. It was held at Penland in North Carolina. Quite the amazing get together as it wasn't a how-to but our relationship with it. I never saw so many grown men cry, as when you ask about ones art you ask about ones self, and that is very touching. It gives the child in us permission to play and touch upon the joys and sorrows of our lives.

I didn't intentionally start out on this journey towards art. I started doing colonial reproduction ironwork back during the bicentennial. Then I took a workshop in animal heads and natural forms with Ivan Bailey. It's all took off in a different direction ever since. But with out learning the basics of hammering and design of the colonial items I wouldn't have been able to grow into what I'm doing now. I sure didn't have any artistic talent before. The press I have is a double cylinder 60 ton and it gives me the squish I've been looking for. I'd love to find some 3" round or square wrought iron to push around as the pure iron I've done is just sweet! Beth, the tire tracks are on a piece of wagon tire that's flattened out. So one of my punnies, a tire on a tire. Old school run over by new school. One of my road kill series. The textures that I'm creating are just another way to accentuate the movement of the work. I love texture! That's one of the reasons that I like titanium. It gets a texture that no other metal achieves. Like elephant skin.

Anyway, Jake you definitely has the mindset to move into some real artistic works. You're already feeling it with whay you're doing now. I bet it will come in time if you allow your self to go that way.

Beth, good to hear your input. What kind of work am I doing? I've been trying to focus on the forging press and do some real squishing. I love to get pieces that look like I've had my hands, literally in it. Like clay. Also whimsical pieces, some punny. Puns worked into what they are. A play on words. That's my goal and passion, but meanwhile I do what comes in. From restoration to contemporary. Steel, bronze and titanium. Letter openers to entranceways. Best thing is to check out my website listed below. I also love teaching forging and have been around this country and recently even to Newfoundland to do a workshop in tool making. Even in my workshops I trying to impress on the students how hot metal works like clay.

I love seeing what Jake is doing and his progress. His mind set is very valuable. At times I wish I could start over, but the mind has already been twisted. So move on and enjoy what comes next.

Also keep in mind the working triangle for your floor layout. Fewest steps between forge, anvil and post vise with room to swing what ever you think will be your longest piece of stock.

That's an oldie but a goodie. I bought that one back in the '70's. Now I'm making my own using my 60 ton hydraulic forging press.

It looks real good, but keep in mind that as shown it's a one sided sign. Can't read it from the back. So what's your solution for that? Different bracket and the sign mounted against a wall instead of out from it?

There are all kinds of wacky copper alloys out there. A company near here speciallizes in copper alloys. One is an iron-copper. One of the hardest to work coppers I ever dealt with.

I hate clay! Doesn't take vey long and it crumbles in your fire and is just a mess. The sink sides may be a bit thin for this work, too. I you thought about using a brake drum or building a forge from steel plate?

The things that made the most difference in my work at the anvil I learned from Frank Turley. First was to stand up, not lean over when hammering. The biggest thing was learning all of the basic hammer blows instead of just hammering away. This spead up my work process tremendously! Thanks, Frank!!!

Here, here, to you both! Or is it Hear, hear? Our crazy language!

I enjoyed watching Chris work and in learning the background on the pieces that Chris made. The Mansects were mostly his daughters at various stages of their lives. The pieces show such attitute of the creatures that they truly come to life. He was a true artist. He was a real down to earth guy that could converse with all walks of life and he had lots of friends, tho he was mostly alone in the middle of a city. One would think that his education and skill would allow him to be a great success, but his own beliefs held him back to the point that he was quite poor when he died. He did have success for a period of time. He has some wonderful grilles and gates and sculpture in Philly and his Mansects became very popular. But then collectors started buying them as an investment and Chris didn't like that. He wanted a personal connection with his work and he decided he would rather not sell his work if he couldn't have people that appreciated and understood his works. If he had only taken control of his business I'm sure he would have been very weathy. Sad, but as much as this bothers me I believe it's a lesson for us all. Be thankful for the opportunities that we get and use them to grow in all of our lives.

I've seldom had the time to just try new items as you do, Jake, but have grown by taken jobs to learn and live from. I've had students say that they wouldn't take a job because they had never made such an item. I say that I take the job to learn how to make it. I'm paid to learn. I think the tough part is when you are making a living from this craft that whatever I design I'm always looking at the dollar signs. I know how to price it but how and where will it sell? They say do what you love and the dollars will flow, but for me that's tough when making a living gets in the way. Though this has been a good way to learn the craft it has been a hard way for me to specialize in something. To get known for doing something. To have a reputation in a particular design or something where clients keep coming to you. Do you know what I mean? To have the opportunity to play more without the other pressures would be great!