Neil Blythin

Hmm, I'm a bit skeptical about the 'thousands of years' rumour that often gets spread around when discussing cordwood construction.  I've done quite a bit of research, and most of those claims are anecdotal.  

 

Cordwood buildings certainly goes back to the mod-1800's in North America, having a few different waves of popularity in the 1890's, during the great depression, immediately post-war, and another resurgence in the 1970's.

 

The earlier buildings were often clad in something (a coat of lime mortar, or clapboards); although many were left with the log ends exposed - and seem to handle the weather just fine.  Exposed logs tend to act in much the same manner as brick; they get wet, but can breathe, and so they dry out.

 

As far as fire risk goes, I'm in the process of planning my own timber-frame and cordwood smithy (hence the research I've done on it); and am not personally worried about it.  The materials are fairly dense, and should be no more prone to burn than a stick framed building clad in plywood - which many people are using.  Again, because the end grain is exposed, the wood doesn't get that dry.  If one were *really* that concerned about it, treat the inside surface of the walls with a borax solution.  

 

As has been mentioned, not too many smiths have stories of their anvil stump bursting into flame.

 

Oh, and ThomasPowers - you are correct in it being a more labor intensive building method (cross cutting all that wood); but it utilizes cheaper materials.  There were times (i.e. during the depression), when labor was more readily available than money or materials.  One guy, building his own house, could go through an already logged area and scavenge undersized or overly crooked trees that the loggers left behind.  If you're broke, but have time on your hands....

 

Gromgor: if you haven't already read it, I suggest laying your hands on a copy of "Cordwood Building - The State of the Art" by Rob Roy (ISBN: 978-0-86571-475-5).  It's an excellent reference.  The few people I found that had actually built any cordwood buildings, all pointed me towards that book.

 

Cheers,

Neil

Forging
by John Jernberg
Published on 1918

... In the tail there is a square hole and a circular hole. The former is called the "hardie hole", the latter the "spud hole".

This is an American book, published in Chicago.

Hey Folks,

 

So, I was wondering how many of you have forged things on a very small scale, or 'miniature'; and if you can give any tips, tricks, etc.

 

I have a couple of different projects I've tried, and am getting frustrated by it.

 

The issue, is not having any good way to handle the very small parts while they're hot.  I've tried a set of very long handled needle nose pliers, but the pieces move around too much.  I also have long handled vise grips, but if they're tight enough to hold securely, then the teeth mar the parts.

 

I need a long handle, because the heat / flame on my gas forge comes well out from the door.  Parts sit on a firebrick that forms the floor of the forge, and I can't get my hand any closer than about 6" from that brick.

 

I've seen some great photos on this site, particularly amongst the knifemakers, of some very fine, small sized work.  So how do you actually do it?  How do you effectively handle very small pieces?

 

Cheers,

Neil

I agree that tank / cylinder issues are the biggest consideration.  

 

I have my small gas forge set up in an unheated garage.  If its cold out, I can always turn up the pressure (temperature) on the forge a little.  But I run into issues with my propane tanks frosting up in the colder weather.  I'm using 40 lb tanks - which are just fine most of the year.  They only frost up when its at or below freezing outside.

Movie people do some very odd things...

We have an early 17th century's soon near by, that operates as a house museum. The curator told me that they rented the site out to a film crew once. They had the house emptied out, and built a fake White House 'Oval Office' set inside it. It was all fake backdrops - none of the original building was visible on film.

There was no reason whatsoever why they (the film crew) needed to rent this historic building - everything they did could have been more easily accomplished in a studio.

...hand held garden hoes, garden dibber, garden line (for sowing straight rows)...

Do you happen to have any photos of these items?  I belong to our local horticultural society, and am trying to think of gardening-related things I can make and donate as door prizes for our monthly meetings.

 

Cheers,

Neil

Very interesting.

Dan P.: I have a quick question for you re: working in London...
For anyone wanting to set-up shop in the city, would it make a difference if you were a member of the Worshipful Company? This is entirely for my own curiosity, as I'm interested in the history behind such organizations.

My understanding behind the history of the companies, were that their members were freemen who had been granted 'Freedom of the City' - essentially free-reign to carry out business in your profession or trade. Could a member, if doing business within the city, essentially tell their complaining neighbors to get bent? And does zoning still play into it?

Again, sorry if this is off topic. I know this is specific to London - and is just for my own curiosity. I find modern hold-overs of medieval laws to be fascinating.

Cheers,
Neil

My main anvil is a 250# Peter Wright.  I also have a 100# Brooks, which I really enjoy working on, but I keep it as a portable.

For those of you who got dumped on by heavy snow - who may not be accustomed to such large accumulations, take it very easy shovelling.  That's a classic scenario for heart attacks!

 

What kind of tree was it? Are there any good anvil stumps hiding in that tree trunk?

I haven't emptied my slack tub in a while... But I was making some tools over the weekend, and pulled out a large pail of oil I have for quenching.

The pail has a lid, that wasn't on tightly. The oil was cloudy when cold - but turned clear as I warmed it up. Once clear enough to see, I found 4 drowned mice at the bottom!

Those little buggers can find their way into anything!

There is an old adage:
"Happy wife = Happy life"

... I wouldn't push your luck. So long as you keep the rust off it, that anvil will quite happily wait somewhere safe for you, until such time as you have that office to display it in.

Rare indeed is the spouse who appreciates (or tolerates) having tools or industrial equipment prominently displayed in the family / living spaces of their home.

I actually didn't take a picture of that first ring I made ... It was a one-off for a friend, and I didn't plan on making any more. If I end up doing more for her friends, I'll be sure to take some pics.

There are a few similar that people have for sale on Etsy and the like. It was a fairly simple ring. The head of the nail was bent over slightly against the nail's shaft (so that it was flat/smooth against the finger), with the pointy end in a bit of a small scroll - also to keep it out of the way for safety & comfort.

I made it from stainless. Left the outside of the ring with a black oxide finish. The inside surface I polished up with some emery cloth - again for comfort.

A friend of mine recently asked me if I could make a 'nail ring'. She had seen one, and liked the idea. So, I pounded out a nail (similar in shape to a horse shoe nail) which I then made into a ring. Another friend was once a hobbiest jeweller, so I had access to a ring mandrel to make sizing it a bit more accurate.

Suddenly, a whole bunch of people that have seen it, want one.

What I didn't realize, was that these things are at the height of fashion right now.

Apparently, Cartier made them (in gold) back in the 1970's, and re-launched the line last year; adding a bracelet to the collection too. A gold Cartier nail bracelet, with diamonds, will run you $34,000! And IMHO, I think theirs are ugly too, as they look Iike a wire nail... Nowhere near as cool looking as a wrought nail.

Google up Cartier "Juste un Clou" (just a nail). I was shocked by 1) how stupid (and uncomfortable) these wire nail style rings look; and 2) how much the fashion / jewellery community were/are raving about them.

I'd be very interested in seeing a couple of pages worth of entries, if sending / posting some scans or photos wouldn't be too inconvenient.   I've been researching my family tree, and know that there were a number of smiths in my family during that period (and earlier), working in rural North Wales (Flintshire).  I'd assume the types of work would be the same in all rural areas at the time.

 

Cheers,

Neil

Coconut, walnut and peanut all smell pretty good to me... Peanut is the easiest of those to find.

Its still early days/years for me, as I've only been doing this for a couple of years.  But there were multiple things that led me to smithing...

 

1. I've always enjoyed working with my hands, and building things.  I've done woodworking since receiving a basic tool kit for Christmas when I was 8 years old - and have been doing that ever since.

 

2. Years ago, I did a bunch of research on my family tree.  Looking at census records, I found patterns - my ancestors having done a few different occupations.  One of those, was blacksmithing (along with farming, coal mining and ship building).  Many generations of my family, on various 'branches' of my tree, did this as an occupation.  I filed that little tidbit of information away at the back of my brain, and sort of forgot about it.

 

3. Working for the past 15+ years sitting at a computer, doing office work.  Those years were split at two companies, both of which went out of business (due to recessions, etc.) leading to being laid-off twice.  Every last but of work I ever did for those two companies, over all those years, has been destroyed when the businesses closed.  Every report, every document has been shredded and every electronic file deleted.  There is absolutely no physical evidence of my 'life's work' to date.

 

Disillusioned by my experiences in the corporate world, I decided to look for some form of work that I would find more personally rewarding... That in itself was a long and winding road.  Starting a second career in your late 30's isn't an easy decision to make.

 

4. My wife & I went visiting a friend / work acquaintance of hers one day.  He has a son who is a blacksmith.  I mentioned that I had an interest in smithing (thinking back to that family tree research), and he asked if we would like to go see his son's shop.  The answer was "absolutely!" .... and so, I met and was given a tour of John Newman's shop in Hamilton.  That visit is what really started the wheels in motion.  

 

A year later, I could no longer resist it, and took an intro course with David Robertson.  It's been an all-consuming hobby ever since.  I am now attempting to incorporate that all-consuming hobby into my work.  If not as a full-time smith (which I understand is a long shot) - then some form of work which will involve smithing at some level.

 

So, it's not a simple or linear path that led me to this ... and I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else but me.  But there it is.

I usually don't share my work on here, as the things I'm currently making aren't worth 'writing home about', as they say. But I just finished a small project that I'm quite pleased with...

My first attempt at stained glass:


I'm planning on building a small timber-frame building this summer as a dedicated 'smithy' (and to turn my garage back into a garage). This window will go in one of the gable ends.

I'd never tried my hand at glazing before. It was frustrating at times, but was fun overall - and quite rewarding.

Thank you all again - looks like I've got some reading to do!

I didn't think I was one until five years into my apprenticeship, when HE said I was one........................

Is that you in the photo Stuart? (The younger one - I assume the gentleman drinking was the fellow you apprenticed under)... If so, you are the spitting image of someone I know. I'm talking identical-twin or doppelgänger level of similarity. Scary!

Hmm, I'd forgotten about this thread.  Thought it was an interesting read last time.

 

I believe it to be more of a litmus test sort of a thing...

 

If you can go into the shop of a known, reputable, full-time working blacksmith; walk up to him/her, look him/her in the eye and with a straight face, confidently say "I'm a blacksmith too"... then by all means, call yourself one.  If you would be embarrassed to proclaim yourself to be a blacksmith to that person, then don't call yourself one to anyone else.

 

Personally, I'm not quite there yet.  I say that I do a bit of blacksmithing, or that I'm currently studying/learning blacksmithing.  When I do decide that I'm ready to call myself a "blacksmith" - then I'd be willing to say it to anyone.

Looks fantastic!  Can you provide any info on that building?  You don't see too many stone blacksmiths shops around here... What is the age of it, what was it originally and when did you turn it into a smithy?

Now that looks fantastic!  Well done.

Thanks very much for the info folks!

I've recently been reading up a bit on wheel making - and am thinking about giving it a try. Just wondering if there are any wheelwrights amongst the forum membership?

I'm looking for recommendations on good reference material on the subject (books, websites, associations, etc.). I'm also wondering if that trade has any specialized tools; and if there are smithing books on making those tools?

Any info is greatly appreciated!

Cheers,
Neil