CurlyGeorge

OK Thomas. I finally had the chance to forge another letter opener from the wrought iron and I etched it, including the handle. I like it. I etched it for two hours. Then, after neutralizing and wiping dry, I oiled it down with mineral oil. Then wiped off the oil. Here's a few pics of how it turned out. I had trouble keeping the glare down. And YES Stan, I did have my hat on!! :ph34r: :lol:

Mark, that is great!! I love to see folks taking the time to teach a young person about smithing. I only wish someone had taken the time to teach me, when I was young. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your new "student". :)

I didn't treat the leather on the belt with anything. But it will tend to stretch, after awhile. Just snug it up with new holes and you're ready to go again. Good luck. They really are a neat set up. :)

I have refurbed a couple of these type forges and used leather for the belts. I used safety wire (bailing wire) to make the connection. Works great. You may have to adjust the belt to tighten it up after some use. :)

Yeah. What that guy said!!! :blink:

Thanks for sharing this with us, Michael. It looks like a great display and a lot of great looking work. :)

I had thought about that, Thomas. This one had a flaw (I screwed up) so I just painted it. But the next one that I do, I will etch the whole thing. We'll see how that works. Thanks for your thought on that. :)

"Consultation Fee"??!!!! I thought that you were giving me info out of the kindness of your heart. :ph34r: LOL. Thanks for the technical assistance, Brother. :) And thanks for the comments, Bigfoot and Frosty.

I was playing around, today, and decided to use some of the wrought iron that I have for a project. This started out as 1" X 1" wrought iron bar. After I forged it out and cleaned up the blade with a sanding disc, I mixed 50/50 muriatic acid and water in a quart jar and soaked just the blade portion for one hour. I wasn't sure if that would be long enough. But it turned out OK. after nuetralizing the acid in baking soda and water then washing in clean water, I let it dry and sprayed the blade with clear coat. It had started to rust in just about 20 minutes, before I sprayed it. :) Sorry for the glare on the blade. These are the best of about six pics that I took. Let me know what you think.

WOW!! Those pieces look great, Randy. Thanks for sharing the process. I may have to get a press, someday. :)

Good luck, Larry. Looks like a good start. Enjoy retirement. :)

Now that is cool. Just don't get to tipping the bubbly and use the wrong anvil. :)

Thank God you're OK, Dan. Was wondering about you. Glad to here that you weathered the storm. We got 3" of rain, so far, here in my town. Nothing, compared to what you folks got. Glad you're back on line, my friend. :)

I certainly would not try to duct tape the back of the belt and expect to not get my fingers torn up, or worse, when it lets go again. The cost of a new belt is a lot cheaper than a trip to the hospital. :)

When I use bees wax, I get the metal hot enough to catch the wax on fire. It will carbon up and turn black, but won't be sticky. Hope that helps. :)

Hi Rob. Welcome to IFI. We have a few other members from way up north on here, too. Frosty and K. Bryan Morgan and Jake are all up your way. You'll have to do a search of members to locate them and find the specific locations of each. You will enjoy this site. It has an amazing wealth of info for all the way from beginner to tips for the more experienced smiths. I look forward to seeing your posts. Don't forget pics. We like pics. :)

OK, Let's see if I can get some of these pics to load in here.


Back row L to R: R Thibeau, Aaron Cergol, Dusty Dog, Steve McCarthy, Bigfoot Nampa, David Gaddis, Stan, Curly George, Iron Bud, Brian Pierson
Front: Ed Soule, Unforgiven, Ford Perfect



Ford Perfect (Michael) Richard (RT) and Iron Bud (Jamie) havin' a little fun. :wacko:


Bigfoot Nampa shaving some wooden handles.


Some mysterious "Interior Decorator" paid Stan a visit. Wonder who that was!! B)


RT saw smoke coming from Ford perfect's leg. Hot scale will do that. :o


Aaron made a real nice axe head and punched/slit the eye/ One of many projects from the weekend.


Ed Soule wanted some help with a split cross from 1" square stock. So he and I worked together on it and got it made, with guidance from RT. :ph34r:


"I need another beer!!" Grumpy looking ole fart. :rolleyes:


Dave Gaddis just couldn't handle all the excitement. Had to take a break. :D


Michael working on the 100 lb Little Giant.


Blake and Dave taking a break.


Food!!! Stand back and nobody will get hurt!! :ph34r:

CHOW TIME!!




Stan and Clara held a raffle of several items that were donated to help with expenses. And the winner is............... :P


Don't remember who all of the winners were. But the tension was wild!! :D
Bigfoot's wife Linda drew the tickets, while Stan's Daughter Susan held the jug.
Everyone had a really GREAT time. Lots of stories (lies) were told and a lot of friendships made and renewed. Thank you Stan and Clara for being such gracious hosts. Can't wait for next year. :D

Jeremy, I think that we counted 13, all together. Sure missed you being there, my friend. :)

Hey Bill. It was GREAT meeting you and Michael and seeing Aaron again. I'm sure glad you guys were able to make it down, as were the other guys. I'll get my pics down loaded from the phone a camera and posted soon. Take care. :)

We don't mean to confuse anyone. But the hot cut will work a lot better if it has a carbon cutting edge. I have tried a mild steel hot cut, and yes it would cut. But after just a few cuts, it needs the cutting edge redressed because it is getting dinged up, even though I was cutting hot mild steel. I have several other hardy tools that are mild steel and they work fine. But with the sharp edge on the hot cut, you will do better if the cutting edge is carbon. My 2 cents. :)

I used some 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" mild steel and added a piece of leaf spring on the cutting edge to make a really nice cut off hardy. It worked very well and the cutting edge stays sharp. :)

You got too many danged hills to land any plane......at least on it's wheels. :o :ph34r:

Thanks for that info, Rich. I am NOT a blade smith, but would like to learn more about them and maybe make a few to add to my table at demos. :)

Darn it, Eric. I was hoping that you'd be able to make it up, at least for one day. We get together every year, so maybe next year. And, I'm sure that if you had a Saturday, or something, later on that you could make it, Stan would be glad to see you. He's always ready to meet other smiths. :)

Rambler, make the trip. It will be worth your time. It always is. We have a lot of fun, but I always learn something, too. :)