JimsShip

You should definitely line it. I used a sand /cement mixture recommended to me by "Old N Rusty" thats held up well so far. Mix 3 parts sand to 1 part portland cement (not concrete mix) and mix it until moist. Shape as needed.

Old N Rusty suggested this formula to me, and it's worked fine. Mix 3 parts sand to 1 part portland cement (not concrete mix ) mix it to just moist, and mold it to the shape you want.

The clay idea is very helpful. I use my son's Playdough, but after forming it to resemble my stock piece, I refrigerate it a bit to give it some stiffness. Nice job on the first cross! (and sorry about your friend)

I've heard the thumb debate before, but never the horn one, i'd assume a left handed person would have it one way and a rightie the other. I think i have mine pointed to my left as i work, but i've never really thought about it being right or wrong, just comfortable.

One mistake I still find myself doing is forgetting to put down the tool i'm using when my piece is in the fire. I constantly find myself still holding the hammer while cranking the blower. :wacko:

I'm heading to San Diego in November, i may have to check it out!

That is indeed something to be proud of. I want one too.

Looks like I may have to take a trip back and take a better look! :)

I work out of my garage/storgae area and have to drag out everything each time I want some forge time.

Stewart, were you in my neck of the woods? I talked to a guy selling something like that for about the same price, and held back because I didn't have room for it. (Or cash on hand for that matter) If you didn't get it, I may have to repay him a visit. :)

Pug- it goes together just as shown (Imagine the bottle overlapping the holder image) The top loop (at the 2" mark) needs to be thin enough to pass through the neck of the bottle, the second loop (at 9") fits where the bottleneck tapers (to hold the bottle) The bend at the 13 and 14" mark is what thew me off, i thought it was to hold the weight of the bottle, but apparently it's just to center the candle base which is the bottom swirl at 17". The bottom loop is purely decrorative which is cool because you can hang anything you want from it. (Although I do like the leaf!) The wall mount hook is also nice, but i like the idea of using an open hook at the top so you can hang some of these from tree branches. I need to start drinking to get some bottles for practice! :rolleyes:

Is the cut clean and even using these methods as opposed to a glass cutter scoring? I want to use this idea using the champagne bottle from a friends wedding and will only get one shot at getting it right! I am thinking these would be cool on a smaller beer bottle scale for porch or camp lighting as well.

Thank you so much for posting this! That looks awesome, I can't wait to try it out. I love these ideas that reclaim old items and make them new and interesting.

Thank you! I'll have to give it a try and see how it goes. Much appreciated.

Yeah, someone last night thought so as well and I did, in fact, already search the threads and have gone through all the blueprints in the section prior to asking here. I even asked about it a few times during the actual chat, but got no response. This was a last ditch attempt to find out how to do it before trying it blind.

Just a question- A few pics were posted on the Tuesday night tutorial, including a few of a bottle being cut using a hot ring to make some sort of candle holder. How is this done? Does anyone have a pic or two of the finished item? I'd love to see it, I need to make a wedding present and that looks like fun.

I've always loved Buster Keaton. I haven't seen that one in years!

(And if so, can you send or post a picture of the balance point? I've never forged a pin!)

Ric- Nice table (it must weigh a ton!) I also love the dinner bell! I've never seen one like that. Great idea, Can I use it? :)

I'm with Beth on that point, how do you use this for a spiral?

Ok, then here's the question. Does anything you put on your house (or garage in my case) become an instant lightning rod? I was given a copper weathervane as a gift when we bought our house and tossed it up there without ever thinking about it. Is one metal less tempting for a lightning strike than others? In the olden days (20 years ago) every house had some sort of antenna (aluminum I think) to grab whatever tv signal they could. Some were quite elaborate, but I don't recall any being hit by lightning even though they were mounted at the highest point on the rooftops. Just wondering.

nice that the wire and stake are still there, that's half the battle! Just a thought, the rod looks simple enough, but what about a weathervane? Doesn't have to me too elaborate, just a directional arrow to keep it interesting. (You don't even need the N,S,E or W! Most people know which direction they're standing anyway!)

I have been looking for an anvil or bench cone to use when making small rings, scrolls and stuff. I just got 2 window weights from a friend that I think could work for my needs, but I need a way to shape them. Any suggestions?

I think it looks perfectly balanced with the tendril at the top tying it all together. It's fantastic. I can never get things so symmetrical. That's one of the reasons I hate doing hearts, I can never get the sides even enough to look right (In my eye) I also have trouble doing a piece twice. I can make a nice item and be quite happy with it, and then try it again only to have it drive me nuts. How long have you been smithing? To say i'm impressed is an understatement.

Wow, that really is beautiful Beth. Did you make changes from the first post of this? (I recall something about a small dog sneaking out!)