JimsShip

Ausfire, if you Google "rebar squirrel cookers" and you'll get some great images on how it's done! Nice job Don! :)

I think the real question is the quality of his final work. A person with years of blacksmithing experience and all the tools in the world, can still be matched by a newbie kid with a hammer and a rock if the skill is there. Learning blacksmithing is easy. I know how to taper, upset, heat, cut and shape metal. I know how to build a forge and manage a fire. (I'll never know everything, and i'm always learning new tricks along the way!) But knowing how something is done and doing it are two different things entirely. You could go to a class, or watch a video (Bob Ross for example) on painting, and someone out there will have the skill to create a perfect landscape, while the others work (like mine) may look like a bad LSD trip. Putting your knowledge to the test and making something worthy of comparison to others here is the real challenge! Also- is this person claiming to create a katana equal to or in a style of traditional masters, or is he making a do it yourself zombie apocalypse go-to weapon?

I think I like the bolt and thread showing as well. It adds a bit more detail (The circle bolt and the hex nut) As far as clock face ideas, if you really wanted to go steampunk, you could have a small motor to run the hands of the clock, and another to run some simple gears to show movement. I did this once for a skeleton clock Halloween display, the gears don't really have to do anything, most people have no idea how a clock works, it's just cool to see all the action!

Here's an awesome chart shared with me to help you figure out what your scrap may be made of. I have mine laminated and hanging in the garage!

My first thought was steampunk style clock frame, but I like the table idea.

Hope you staked your claim, there are jumpers everywhere! :ph34r:

I asked about this before (I don't know where the thread is now) and was given some helpful advice. (One member used Johnsons floor wax) I always thought having a sticky with everyones different way to finish their projects (along with pics of the finished results) would be an awesome, easy refrence for newbies like me instead of searching hundreds of threads. Anyone? :rolleyes:

I generally use the only cross peen hammer I have (probably around 2#) or some some smaller ball peens for texturing. If it doesn't seem to be making enough progress, I hit harder! I would have told him if he'd like to pass along a better one, i'd be happy to take advantage of it!

That looks great! I like that you kept the wood natural too. So many people rush to paint everything!

Wow, I didn't even see this jab until I my search for firebrick sizes led me back here! It's not my computer settings wise guy, but the filters at the hospital where I work that's blocking me. :) So, since i'm here- firebrick for a small forge, is the standard replacement bricks for a wood stove (4 1/2" X 9" X 1 1/4" ) enough for the floor and doors?

It's not all that crazy actually, i've read about people scrapping all the piping in their houses for drug money, nails were just more valued then. Think about it, if you have a barn or dwelling that's going to be taken down anyway, you'd be able to salvage the nails to reuse and maybe save a few bucks on the replacement structure without having to pull each nail out. What's the broken anvil story?

Hello there Mr. Smith. If you take a moment and read the "sticky" on getting started, you will find most questions have been answered for you right there! Having an open air shop is not a problem unless you leave all your equipment out in the rain. (I drag all my stuff out and tuck it back into my garage when I forge.) As far as the anvil, you can use any hard surface, a rock, an upended railroad tie, or any other hard surface you can think of. as long as the metal is hot and soft, it will yeild to the blow of the hammer. Quenching-, well that's a bit more complicated and has also been covered to some extent. Use the search bar, and you'll find all sorts of answers! Have fun! How do you use wood for an anvil? please explain

LDW- What do you use to make the mouths? I was thinking I could make a punch tool using a piece of black iron pipe cut down in half about an inch so it's a semi cirlcle on the end, and then shape it like your dogs mouth, but maybe i'm overthinking things here.

That's awesome! It looks like LDW does his mouths a bit differently...

I have developed trigger finger in both hands (middle finger) but sadly i haven't been at the forge in months. :( It's usually worse in the morning but loosens up as the day goes by.

I third the dog head tutorial request! Awesome work!

Wayne, do you have any pics of the forge build you described on your site?

Thanks for the clarification, that is definately one for the "To Do" book. I haven't made a flint striker yet, but I love the dual purpose of this idea!

Nick, does the bottom part of the clip thread through a hole to match the top, or id the a C shape I can't see. I seriously have no idea how you could possibly thread the round stock through a hole and then forge it flat to match the top so exactly. That's excellent.

I use the name "Acorn Anviling" for my forge so my touchmark is a simple acorn. ("Anviling" was what my then 4 year old called my hammering) I also got mine from CMT, and they were great. (kayak, I had the same response when asking for the iforgeiron discount, but I agree they are awesome)

Those are great! A great keepsake for what i'm sure will be a memory for both of you! Ausfire, someone shared this blueprint with me once, and it was so awesome I saved it. Please allow me to pass the secret along to you! (Credit to the original author!) Friederick Cross blueprint.pdf

I love this! Thanks for sharing!

See? That was easy. These guys know everything. I thought it may be hollow for air, but it didn't make sense it would be in the pot and not under it. (I thought it was thrown together wrong!) Still a nice find.

Hey Wogg- Welcome abaord! If you put your location down, you may find you have a blacksmith nearby! That forge is a beauty, and it is a coal forge. I've never seen the item by the tuyere (center of the pot) but i'm fairly new here as well. Is the handle hollow? Maybe some sort of clinker breaker? Hard to think thats what it is though since it would either be under the refractory or right in the fire... Looking at the indentation, that bump looks like almost a stop for the handle. I can't wait to see what the pros here come up with!

The spikes are very thick, it would really damage and dry out a roast. My first thought was it would hammer into wood or ice to haul it by the u shaped handle (I assumed there would be a rope through it or something) but as was mentioned above it doesn't have any adjustability, it looks like it can only be locked with the pin at that one setting. Maybe to clamp on deer legs for hanging and butchering?