tkunkel

4elements: Nice project and humor associated with finishing it! Your coloring of leaves and flowers.....was that done with colored Renaissance wax? Also reminds me of baked on enamel coating.....Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. I don't have any experience with Flitz and will have to try it.

Grumpybiker, nice sequence of photos with your opener. Nice work! I've never done wooden handles like those and others I have seen here but definitely inspiring! What are you using for the finish on the wood and metal? Looks acrylic spray paint to me. Thanks for posting. Tom

Nice work, Aus. Very lifelike, too lifelike for my wife I think!;) She would not want this anywhere inside or outside of our house. We don't have cobras but we get the occasional rattlesnake...

Das, good work with the tentacles! I like how they are bent/twisted and joined to the body. I would put this project in the win column, no failure here. What you learned on this one with let you win bigger next time!:) Keep letting the creativity flow. The oobala looks interesting and look forward to its completion. Tom

JHCC, nice letter opener! I want to try that style of handle. Thanks also for the photo of the tinsnips turned into scrolling tongs. Marc1, Enjoying the gate! Nice work!

Wherever this project ended up, I'm sure the owner should be quite pleased! Thanks for sharing!

Ausfire, Whooooo knew you would get tired of owls? Nice work as always! Tom

JHCC, do you have a picture of tin snips forged into scrolling tongs? intriguing idea! Tom

Al, Awesome build! Lots more patience than myself but fun to see what time, patience, and skill can do. I understand that sometimes the build can be as much or more fun than the use. Good humor on the part of JHCC and yourself on the "horrible precedent"! Tom

Nice clean work!

Olydemon, Thanks for the video. Educational and entertaining......another project to put into the "give it a try" file! Tom

Good morning edennis, I guess it depends how bad you want a LG and how often they are up for sale in your area;). I bought one about 5 years ago that came up in an estate sale and was the closest one I had seen advertised in my area, about an hour drive away. It ran well and I was glad I got it. Spent $2000 for it and then about another couple hundred in rental, gas, beer for helper and other people and their borrowed equipment. Lost it in a fire that went through our area a couple years back.......saved the remnants for a possible retirement project......ended up buying a small hydraulic press from Coal Ironworks and am enjoying using that equipment. Quieter for my wife and the neighbors, but still wouldn't mind getting another LG if it became available..... There are lots of good resources to rebuild/refine the working LG that you have. I got another set of dies from LG, along with a new spring, plus good info from Sid at that time. Had a tuneup book that is available, and watched a number of videos/youtubes. Good luck ! Tom

Olydemon, Nice work with your Damascus opener! Skulls and tentacle are pretty neat also. Could you explain how you did the texturing on the tentacle? Thanks for sharing. Tom

Nicely done, Ausfire. I especially like the way you have set the eyes tilted to one side. Gives lots of character. Another nice creation!

My understanding is the owner is getting some shoulder surgery and will be out of commission for a while till he heals up. He makes nice tongs. Have three pair of his.

Good creative use of the forks. Lots of choices of how to use it. Good job! How do you lay it down and pick it up again? Not sure if I could do that without some help or lift........

Ausfire, nice collection! Especially like the little backscratcher hand on the left! I've made mostly hook style bottle openers, along with a few churchkey style openers. I haven't done the long drawn out items like the fork and poker. Another time......;)

Ausfire, definitely awesome! Now I could have nightmares:) Nice work!

Nice project. Well thought out and put together. Need to copy this and put in project file!

Very nice work! These knots and the dog collar on the other thread get my imagination going!

Daswulf, I put my hands together to applaud your work! Good luck at Freaky Fair!

I have enjoyed reading and seeing everyone's projects for a while. Thanks for all the information and inspiration. I figured I should put up a few photos also. I have played around making various bottle openers and votive candle holders. Working with metal has been like opening a door and finding 10 more doors in front of me.......kind of hard to focus at times and be disciplined but so fun to experiment!

Ausfire, Nice collection of scrap art and also love the vehicles in the back! The Holden looks awesome, also!

Good luck at your craft fair! It is hard to give an appraisal of pricing without seeing pictures of your pieces and the amount of detail and quality you have included. What kind of pricing have you seen at similar craft fairs in your area? How much are your trying to earn per hour for your work? I have learned a lot at farmers markets/craft fairs.......mostly patience;) Hang in there. get your finals finished before posting pics and let us know how you and your sister do at the craft fair. Tom