HandsomeRyan

Awesome. So simple while maintaining functionality. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for keeping the pics and suggestions flowing. I have the gas manifold all assembled and I'm working on the burners. I guess I need to start sourcing some fire brick soon. I'll be sure and post pictures of whatever I come up with.

Looks great. I like the cart it is sitting on too.

Thanks for all the great responses. After checking several local hardware stores and Tractor Supply I was disappointing to find pretty much nothing usable. They all stopped carrying the handles because you can buy the whole hammer for $12-$15 so no one wanted just handles anymore. I think I'll order some from HouseHandle and see how that goes.

I'm just getting started with collecting the stuff I need to pretend to be a blacksmith. I picked up 5 hammers yesterday at a local estate sale. None of them is anything special but they were $1 each so how could I not buy them?! All of them need new handles and a couple of them could use a little minor cleanup on the striking faces but overall I think they'll be a nice addition to my collection of junky old tools. I figure they can either be used as hammers or as a starting point to reshape them into something else. 4 of them are various sized sledge type hammers and one is a straight pein. [The pipe cutter and pipe threading stuff with a basket of usable dies was from the same seller. I only paid $20 for everything in the picture!] My question is about finding replacement handles... I'm not sure I've ever re-handled a hammer before. I've replaced a few ax handles and I just went to the local hardware store and picked up a handle. I think I'm okay on the "how to install the handle" side of things but I'm unsure where to get the handles other than walking into my local Ace Hardware or Tractor Supply and seeing what they have on the shelf. I found a couple things on ebay and Amazon that looked like they would work but I'm a little nervous to buy sight unseen without someone else's recommendation. Where do you buy handles for hammers? I probably lack the woodworking skill to make my own so I'd prefer to start with ready made handles and simply tweak them as needed. Any advice is appreciated.

Amazing work.

Beautiful work.

Thanks for all the pictures and insight. I haven't forgotten this thread but I've been on away on a trip and just got back. I'm getting some great ideas and I'll certainly get some pictures and post them once I get something knocked together. This forum is so helpful and friendly so thanks all.

I used the search function and did some browsing here but I couldn't find a specific thread that dealt with pictures and thoughts relating to where and how to mount a gas forge to a base or stand. If this has already been discussed and I missed the thread I apologize for the repost. I have started collecting parts to build two burners but before I can decide the exact specifications of the forge they will attach to I feel like I need to have a plan for what/how the forge will be mounted. In my research on what others are doing, I've come across everything from people who just set their forges on the ground to some very nice steel framed stands that included tool racks, bottle mounts and wheels for easier transportation. I have a welder and adequate fabrication skills to build something I just don't know exactly what I want or will need. Here are links to a few examples of mounting methods I've come across. This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything I looked at: Homemade wooden rolling stand: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tacoma-cartoonist/181855745/ Workbench mounted: http://www.bohlfamily.com/Metal_Shop.html Short legs on forge, sitting on the ground: http://www.fergusonsculpture.com/tools.html Another member here's post mounted mini forge: http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/image/32838-mini-gas-forge/ A fairly basic welded steel stand (and some very sketchy propane hose routing!): http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FQ0POB_euvI/TWQLL2cfyHI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/0ZuAS-Dfbzk/s1600/gas+forge+distance.JPG Folding stand for farriers: http://www.centaurforge.com/NC-Folding-Forge-Stand/productinfo/0215/ A nicely built compact welded steel stand on wheels: http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=2554 Another steel stand with a grinder mounted as well: http://ronreil.abana.org/stand.jpg Very clean and simple homemade steel cart: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bentwright/4898141545/ Commercially made farriers forge cart: http://www.somersongforge.com/forge_carts.html • What do you have your forge mounted on? Pics are most helpful but descriptions are good too. • Are you happy with your mount and if not, what would you do differently if you were starting from scratch? FWIW: My forge will be a two burner unit probably using an LP tank as a shell or at least comparable in size/shape to that. I want it to be portable in the sense that I can use it on the driveway or inside the workshop. Other than that I'm not sure what factors play into how I should mount my forge?

The glass thing is a wasp trap. As someone else already mentioned, you put sugar water in the lower inside lip of the things and plug the top hole with a cork. The wasps fly up though the hole in the bottom but can't get back out and drown. Then you can pour everything out using the hole at the top. Cool stuff. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Very nice. I love pictures like this where you see each step without actually seeing all the hard work that occurred in between. You make it look so easy. :)

Amazing work.

When we went to the salvage place the original idea had been to use stone such as marble or granite for the top and I'm not even sure that a lower shelf was ever discussed. The place carries a wide variety of stone slabs but most of it is broken/remnants and would have needed to be re-cut and polished to make them work. I don't have to tools to cut stone like that and I think having it re-cut professionally would have been a budget buster for this project so we opted for the wood instead. Personally I like the wood. Both from the fabricator standpoint of it being easier to cut to size and router the edges for a cleaner finish but also I just like the look of wood and steel together. With the rather simple construction of the steel frame, he can always have stone cut to size at a later date and just drop it in place if he decides it needs an upgrade. I even teased him about making some plywood cutouts the size of each shelf that could be done with a tile mosaic or something. He could have a half dozen of them and rotate them seasonally. A Christmas tree for December, red and pink hearts for February, shamrocks for March. I was a little concerned that without some other bracing the table would lack strength from side to side (a problem the maker of the table in the link I posted solved with the large X across the back) but after I got it together it feels more than sturdy enough for its intended use. I wouldn't stack a dozen cinder blocks on the top of it but it holds a little flower arrangement, a purse, and a little basket to throw their key in just fine. As far as cost goes, I think I spent about $65 total on materials. It took about 6 hours broken down over the course of a few days. I think I could make a second one much more quickly but I had to do a lot of figuring out how to hold pieces in place and checking and double checking to make sure my jigs were square on this first one. If I were selling a table like this, I think I would probably ask something like $300 and be willing to negotiate to closer to $250 to make a sale. At that price I'd oil finish the wood myself and possibly use a color other than black on the frame. Once I get my forge going and learn proper scrolling and other more decorative steel work, I think I could spice up this basic design to put it closer to the $400-$500 mark. Some of that has to do with this area though. My day job is in Rockville, MD very close to a town called Potomac, MD. The average home selling price in Potomac last year was >$1million and there are plenty of homes there well into the tens of millions (in the 12th richest county in the country I believe). To me, $500 is more than one decimal place away from being an impulse purchase but there is a whole population of people here who have that kind of money falling out of their pockets and getting lost between the sofa cushions. As Kevin mentioned, the hard part is finding buyers who have that kind of coin without selling your soul to a gallery or broker who wants to take 50-60% off the top. Thanks again for all the kind words and advice from everyone.

Thank you everyone for the positive words. Flat black (at my brothers request). I guess it is a nice go-with-anything color and it can always be changed later if he changes his mind.

Sorry to flood the que with threads about stuff I've made but I'm excited to share and learn from other people who understand the unique challenges of working with metal. Up to this point I'm completely self taught in both welding and cutting/shaping steel. I am enrolled in a blacksmithing class set for October and I would dearly love to go back and take a formal welding class to learn how wrong my technique probably is but for now I am just excited to produce anything worth sharing. My younger brother just moved into a new condo with his longtime girlfriend. He mentioned he wanted a table for his front entry hallway to leave keys and stuff on so they'd always be near the door. He needed something long and skinny so it wouldn't take up too much space. After a trip to a local building materials salvage place we found a beautiful 8' x 1' piece of 1.5" thick oak butcher block. The edges of the butcher block were softened with a 1/4" round-over bit on the router top and bottom. I left the wood raw but encouraged my brother to either stain it or at minimum treat it with oil to protect the surface. The frame I made is pretty simple but I took the time to do it right. 3/4" angle supports each shelf and the legs are 3/4" square tube. I welded and ground everything flush so there are no visible seams when the wood shelves are in place. The X's on each side are 1/2" solid square stock. I wanted to keep the design simple because I wanted it to work with whatever other furniture they own. The final touch was adding adjustable leveling legs (taken from an old desk they were throwing away at my office) to allow the table to sit flat even on an uneven tile floor. Not the most amazing piece of metal furniture but it is solid and works well in their space. After my aunt visited my brother's new place she sent me a link to a very similar (and in my opinion, not as nice) table with a very similar design being sold for $679 @ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/08/02/garden/20120802-SHOPPING.html?ref=garden#8 . I'm not sure how many they sell at that price but If I could find buyers for tables like this at half that price I'd probably make another. The original was a gift so no money was exchanged. The frame after some welding. The table tops being test fit and waiting for final cleanup and paint. Oddly I can not find the picture I have of the finished table in place at his house but it looks just like the picture above only the frame is flat black. Comments, critiques, and criticisms welcome.

Thanks for all the positive feedback. My mom loves it. In these pics I had sandblasted it and I offered to paint or clear coat it but my mom and I reached the consensus that allowing it to rust would make it look more natural in the garden. I can't find pictures right now but I also made a set of hose guides for my mom's garden as well. For those who aren't gardeners, hose guides are stakes that you put in the garden so when you drag your hose around it keeps the hose off your flowers. If I find some pics I'll add them here as well. The guides were made of 3/8" round stock bent using my harbor freight compact bender. Being a professional horticulturist by trade and an avid gardener by hobby I think I gravitate toward garden themed stuff to roll several of my hobbies in together.

This was a project I made for my mom for her birthday last year. It has a certain folk-art quality to it. The whole thing is made of rebar and remesh so I guess if she doesn't want to display it in the garden she can use it to reinforce a sidewalk. On with the pictures:

I'd be flattered if this gets shared with others who might appreciate it.

This is a wine bottle torch holder that I made for some friends (who's initials are H and M of course) who were just married. It is all 3/8" round and 1/2" square bar stock and the bends were done using a harbor freight compact bender (I don't have a forge or proper anvil yet to make the bends that way). Overall I'm quite happy with how it turned out. The bottle will be filled with lamp oil or citronella tiki torch oil. The wick is a 1/2" fiberglass tiki torch wick and it is held into the neck of the bottle using a 1/2" x 3/8" copper pipe fitting which has a small hole drilled at the shoulder and a piece of 12ga. solid copper wire is run through the center to hold the wick in place and wrapped around the outside to keep the wick/fitting from falling into the bottle. On with the pictures! Completed torch ready to be gifted. It is rattle-can painted with a "hammered" finish paint. This shot shows the torch before final cleanup and paint being tested. It was a little windy but the torch seems to work well. Water is put in the bottom of the bottle and the oil is floated on top to avoid needing as much of the expensive lamp oil. This picture shows how the bottle is actually retained in the holder. The J shape will work on any conventional wine bottle because they all have a dimple in the bottom that it hooks into. Did quite a bit of cleanup with a flap disc and hand files between when this was taken and the paint job. Finally, to really make this gift special beyond just making the present I wrote a letter to go with it to tie the gift to the event. below is that letter:

Beautiful work. I love the way you went with a natural spacing like you'd see on a real spiders web rather than measuring everything to be identically spaced and perfectly symmetrical. Somewhere on my list of projects to make is a welded spider web panel with the words "Some Pig" woven into the web. The reference should be familiar to anyone who grew up in the USA but since I know the OP is Canadian and we have other members here from all over the world I'll clarify by saying it comes from a very popular 1950's children's book called Charlotte's Web where a spider saves a pig from the slaughter house by writing things in her web including most famously the phrase "Some Pig".

Howdy, I'm very new to the blacksmithing scene as well but it appears we're neighbors as I live in Mount Airy on the I-70 corridor about half way between B-more and Fredneck. I'm lacking in tools currently but I'm looking at finding and purchasing an anvil as soon as funds allow and I'm working on researching and collecting materials for building a hobby sized propane forge. I currently do some non-blacksmithing metal work (see my intro thread for pics). I'm signed up to take the Blacksmithing class taught at the Carroll County Farm Museum in October. It is less than $200 and it meets all 5 Wednesday nights in October. I can find a link if you need one or there is a link from the Central MD Blacksmiths website. Glad to know I'm not the only new guy in the area. Good luck with your smithing progress and I hope we will see each other around.

Thanks for the invite. I'll try to check that out.

Howdy, I'm a new/aspiring blacksmith from central MD (in the sticks between Baltimore and Fredrick). I already do a bit of "cold" metal work but I am taking a blacksmithing class in October and working on acquiring the tools to start doing things the proper way with a forge and anvil. I'm not sure what you'd want to know about me? I'm 27, I live with my wife of 5 years. No kids or pets. I have an insanely wide variety of interests and hobbies. When I say variety I mean it- bee keeping, fiberglass/composites fabrication, sewing, small engine and automotive repair, gardening, food preservation, a little bit of wood working, bicycling, just to name a few. I am a professional horticulturist by trade and I manage a research greenhouse and plant transformation lab. Outside of work I enjoy playing in my backyard workshop. Mostly I make what could best be described as "functional art" pieces for myself or my family and friends. I am hoping to get the equipment to do proper blacksmithing and maybe sell some of my work to help defray the cost of the hobby. Anything else you want to know, just ask. Below are some pictures of a few of the [pre-blacksmithing] metal art projects I have made. This is a wine bottle oil lamp/torch that I am making as a wedding present for two friends who are getting married. I don't have a current pic but it has since been cleaned up and painted. No idea why the little end of the & looks like it is bent at a weird angle, it looks fine IRL. This is a front hall table I made for my brother and his girlfriend for their new condo. The base is 3/4" square tube with 3/4" angle supports for both shelves. The X's are 1/2" solid bar. The wood is 1.5" thick hard oak butcher block I got from a local building salvage place for not a lot of money. The table weighs a ton and is very sturdy. This is a prototype for a wine chiller/glasses spike for, well, getting drunk in the back yard. It works well and other than the loops I bent to retain the ceramic ice bucket not being terribly attractive I am very happy with how it came out. After I get a forge I plan to re-do them with some scroll work or something else more decorative. [i didn't make the chairs]