JimsShip

I love the nail header, did you make it?

Those sound awesome Frosty! Great idea!

The next question is usually "What do you make?" to which I always reply "A lot of smoke, ash and noise mostly!" :rolleyes:

I'm not skilled or practiced enough to get the perfect circle you get (I haven't even tried for the biased edge yet!), so I think the open ended style (Like Senft had in Post #20) works better for me. Thanks for the measurements though, they'll help a lot! One more question for the thread- what size letter stamps do you use? Where did you get them? Any need to know tricks on using them?

This has been discussed in length before somewhere in these threads, but I always tell people who ask if I'm a Blacksmith, that "I blacksmith as a hobby". This allows me to retain the title (Which I do enjoy and am proud of!), while letting them know I that I do other things besides smithing for a living.

"Crenelations"! I knew there must be a name for those ridges but never knew it. That's awesome, i'm going to try and use it in conversation today! Black frog, the top opener on your last pic has an awesone ridge along the outer side of the loop, how did you get that? I've seen jigs that bend on thebias, but if that were the case, and you bent a square bar, you would have 2 ends at the handle, but that opener looks like it was a bar you drifted to get the loop. How did you actually do it? I like the diagram. If I see it right, you think about 3/4 from the tab grab on the cap surface is right?

I like the butter knife keychains, are they hollow at the top (where the key ring is), or do you close and/or seal them somehow?

ausfire,those would make some nice candle bases! All you need to do is rivet on candle cups on the top of those clips! :)

Pics don't display for me, just little red x's. :(

Poor little anvil... It's not easy being green...

Running the blower is serious business!

If this was used as a border for say, a table, would you have to file or smooth the finished cut to make it less likely to cut or catch?

I have to try and keep telling myself that it doesn't have to be exactly symmetrical and if a customer wants everything exactly the same they'd buy a mass produced item. Small flaws show it's handmade, which is probably a cop out, but i've worked MANY a project to death trying to get it "perfect"

Abeaty he's adorable! We had raccons in our yard as a kid, and my father knew a vet who gave them rabies shots. If you're keeping him around you may want to see about getting one for him, it may save your friendship should authorities stop by, A lot of counties frown on wildlife pets. (I also had a few squirrels too, they were awesome pets!)

CSI- "magnify the blade of grass 647th from the right wheel, there's a single twiddle bug egg. Twiddle bugs only lay in Southern climates in early Summer, so given the rate of foliage growth this must have been taken in Tennessee sometime on May 12th" If you do use the treadle, I would try and set it so you didn't have to sit at each heat. That would tired me out.

My first tongs were a pair of lock jaw pliers! (I still kinda like them better than the one I forged!) Welcome aboard BTW!

If you have a Dremel, try and get a bit small enough to deepen the slot. Another old trick is to get a rubber band. Place it over the screw, and push down really hard while twisting left, the rubber sometimes helps keep a grip on it. (It would have to be dry and oil free though!)

Not to detract from Frosty's much deserved love fest, but what would you guys charge for a demo? Seems like it would have to be an all day thing, especially with the lenghth of these lists, do you have a set day fee, plus whatever you sell? Who covers insurance?

Ok, now thats 2 stories in 2 threads that I need more info on. Frosty, please PM me with details of both the tree and your first hand experience with fire control! :) For a guy so sheltered in the artic, you have to be one of the most vivid personalities on this forum!

I'm an old time Shorpy fan! I love seeing history as it was- kids working jobs some adults wouldn't do today, people happy with what they have, enduring struggles and hardships with a do what it takes attitude that seems lost today.

Here's a link to the rain cap Frosty is talking about. I made a dragon head (Poorly done i'll admit, I was new to all this!) to bolt onto the counter weight to keep it closed. It was handy just to hit it with the coal rake to dump it! As far as the blower goes, You have to open it up and see what's going on in there. It may be rusted or if your lucky, just jammed up with rocks or old nests or something. Open it very slowly and carefully and take some pics along the way so you know how to put it back together! Good Luck!

That's awesome! I wish i could find a shop like that. All my house had when we moved in were dust bunnies. How does the lock/screw work? I like that idea, very sneaky!

I make these cricket/grasshoppers from old forks. I don't have a good pic of one of mine, but the first pic is from the interwebs and gives you the general idea. The second pic (the one with the flower) is a pic of one I gave my wife. They are fairly easy to make, and are quite popular!

Micheal, I remember that tool holder on your fireplace from when you first made it, do you have that pic of it by itself?

Actually this thread has become a whirl of unrecognizable facts and methods. I still don't understand what the difference is between taking 2 pieces (like a branch to a tree) and welding them, and folding over a rod and welding it. It's still 2 pieces of metal, scarfed (If you notch at the fold) and welded. There will still be a "V" at the end of the welds right? I get the feeling this has been 11 pages of looking at the same result from 2 different methods. VIDEOS ARE NEEDED!