FireCat

So I am asking for thoughts/opinions/experience. I was thinking of making some damascus out of old farriers rasps. I am wondering because of the texture of them if they would lend to a different looking damascus.? Has anybody tried this before? If you have what were your results ?

That is awesome...!!! Great work.

hey there is a great place in Vista... It is at the Antique Steam and Gas Engine Museum. They have a huge full working blacksmith shop and the teach all kinds of classes from basic blacksmithing up to advanced blacksmithing. A few of the instructors are, Ken Rose, Dave Carroll, and Dave Vogel. I have taken a few classes there and the also have a "open forge" times when you can just show up and use the shop. Dont know were you are located at but it is worth the drive.They have a web site ... www.agsem.com, check it out they have all the info on there about the classes and how to sign up for them. Another resource you might want to check out is the California Blacksmith Association. It is a great group that can provide you with lots of good information and the also host several events during the year. Hope this helps and good luck.

O,K so here it is.. i took a old pick up tail gate.. made a couple brackets for the bottom to pivot on kinda like what would have been on the truck but with some flat plate so it could be anchored to a wall. Then a couple brackets to attach the arms to mount to. Now when i want a bench i just fold down the tailgate for a easy bench.. when i am done i just "close" the tailgate.. Its against the wall and out of the way...

wow.. very nice work....forge work like that inspires me to get my butt back at it ....

Wow.. i like it..i am going to have to try that deal with the sand....The cat in the Hat huh.... Hhhmmmmm .. can you forge green eggs and ham sam i am.? LOL... again nice work.

Maybe your pesky neighbor would prefer if you took up e new hobbie instead......maybe nude sunbathing in the back yard...?

Hey forgot to add this to the last post...if you are looking for jack-hammer bits try your local equipment rental yard..i worked at one years ago and we use to just throw the old hammer bits in the trash...ya never know what else ya might find in there dumpsters...

I drove around and found 2 metal fabrication shops that let me do a little "dumpster diving" at the end of there work week and take what ever i want out of the bins for free......i also was fortunate to make freinds with a railroad track maintnence crew boss........i give him some beer time to time and he gives me boxes of RR spikes, peices of track, bolts of diffrent sizes and lengths, and other little goodies. Then there my other 2 freinds that are farriers...they leave boxes of used horse shoes in my drive way........

Well i hope i am posting this in the right are. I am working on making some roses. I have made them out of steel and copper in the past, but i am thinking of trying to use brass. Has anybody tried/done this before..? If so do i need to aneal the brass first like ya do with copper..? What kind of colors do you get with the brass. ? Any info would be appreciated..thanx

Thats great to see other people investing in younger generations. My son is 9 {almost ten } and he runs my tractor. is learning to do some blacksmithing with me and some mig welding.. His grandfather taught him to read a tape measure, tear down and rebuild a lawn mower engine and some basic framing and plumbing skills. My son can also saddle his own horse and work cattle with me and he is learning to rope. I only wish more parents/people would teach kids more of these types of things...so much is being lost on kids now days that just want to sit and play video games all day...

Amazing work..! ! ! ! ! I must say as a new wanna-be smith it is work like that, that inspires us new guys to not give up and keep practicing.. thanks for sharing the pics with us and keep up the incredible work.

I feel that the imperfections are part of what makes smithing so much diffrent than some store bought mass produced item that anybody can purchase. If you had your choice of having the same exact peice of art be it made of wood, metal, a painting that somebody else has, or you could have something that was unique,, one of a kind hand made no two items being the same....now you have something special. When somebody can look a something that was hand made and see the time,, energy,, and thought that go's into a peice i feel they appriciate it more. Remember we are all critics of ourselves...but it is that critisism that strives us to try to do better and inspires us to keep re-inventing ourselves as smiths and artists and to try new things and to challenge ourself to be better.......just my 2 cents.

WOW very nice work.......the dog doesnt look like he is going to be trying to break out any time soon..!

To all that have given advice i thank you.....i got back in the forge today and made a couple steak turners for a freind of mine. I started thinking of other things i want to try while working at the forge..I will press on and keep coming back to iforge for advice and inspiration. again thank you to all of you.

Ok so the last couple times i have been at the forge i have been getting frustrated and cant figure out what i want to make...gotten to the point were i am getting really ticked off to put it nicely...been looking at other projects people have done and trying to get ideas, but have had no luck...has anybody had this prob..? any ides ..? thought maybe i just need to take a brake from it for a little bit....any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated...

Dont worry ......could be worse ya could be here in california were if your not making tofu or something politicaly correct/enviromentaly safe/child freindly/ethinically diverse..well then there not intrested.............

Canada huh....? i would have geussed that ya got a sneak peak of heaven..!!!!!!!! why cant i find any sales like that around here....?

Most of the times you can find them next to old tracks...mind you that picking this up in some areas is considered stealing.......my advice is find out were any old/abandoned track lines are..or find a track crew and ask if they have any to spare. I have done this a few times, keep in mind i tell tem what i am going to do with them and have made a point of having a few other items i have made with me to show/trade for them..BBQ steak turners make a great item to trade it seems. I happened to luck out and have another dad in my sons cub scouts that is a foreman on a track repair crew and gets me spike,plates and peices of track on a regular basis. Also if you do find a track crew ask them if they have a scrap bin/pile localy that you can look thru..you would be amazed at the goodies i have found.....happy hunting and good luck.

I have a freind that works for the railroad and he gets me all the spikes, plates, track..etc i want..BUT he said if you get caught taking stuff buy the tracks then it is considered stealing...my advice...make freinds with somebody that runs a track repair crew...! ! ! ! !

Nice work..How long did it take..?

Looks like ya got your work cut out for ya....Do you make new bits ?..are they old ones that just need sharpening..? do you have to temper them..?

I might give the layout dye a try.. I think i might still have some red and i know i have a few bottles of blue still around..I sighned up for a class on metal patinas....3 hour class.

I have made a couple branding iron's for my own cattle and a few freinds. All our brands are registered..and everybody i know that brands there cattle has theres registered. Cow boss i worked for said that if anybody put the ranch's brand on any of are personel belongings that he would consider them to be a donation from us to the ranch. Dont use somebody elses brand without permission..if you do make sure its only for decoration purposes....I know i wouldnt be to happy to see somebody i dont know putting my brand on there stuff. In old west times if you got caught putting your brand on somebody elses cattle, it was grounds to be shot on sight { that was considered a form of cattle rustling }. Now days ya probaley wouldnt get shot..but might have to get a few teeth fixed.

I dont know of any web sites for that info..you can go to the local building code/enforcement office and should be able to find out any rules as far as building code rules for setting up a shop.