HWooldridge

I'm green with "acorn envy"...bet it weighs close to 1000 lbs. Good find!

Thanks, Strine. I did find a picture of what I am looking for in Don Plummer's book, Colonial Wrought Iron, on page 90, item 2-16. The upside double "C" has this detail - but it now that I look at it, seems more like a club than a clover. In studying this, I may be using the wrong stock. Please look at the photo if anyone has access to the book and let me know what you think.

I am working on a new design for a stand (fireplace tools, candles, etc.) and I am trying to develop a three leaf clover to put at the end of two branching bars. I have seen these in Yellin's work and they are fairly common in quartrefoils but I am having trouble with getting the forging correct. I started with 1/4x1/2 flat and welded a short section, then fullered in two spots to get the material blocked out but it just smashes out and loses the detail when I flatten it. I have been successful making the cutest little figure "8"'s you ever saw and believe I have to get three spheres formed before I can flatten into the clover shape but how to do that is beyond me right now as I type this. Any guidance is appreciated - thanks, Hollis

I'll share something that I discovered accidentally about fluxing. I make items in production so will usually do stages for different parts before the final step. One item I make gets a piece of 3/8 square forge welded to a piece of 3/4 square. I swage the 3/4 down to about 5/8, scarf and put aside. I then upset the 3/8 and scarf. At this point, I take all the pieces and use the MIG to tack them together in the proper orientation so I don't have to chase the pieces around. This is not a seam but just a button on the side to hold the parts - the lips are left open to close during the forge weld.

I usually have the gas forge running but do my forge welding with coal. One day, it was getting late and I did not feel like doing the welding so I heated a dozen of these "assemblies" in the gas forge and applied flux, then set them aside. I always use EZ Weld or Sure Weld. Something distracted me the next day and the next also, so it was at least a week before I got back to that job. I didn't know if the flux was any good but it appeared the same as always, sort of a black glass, so I built a fire and went to welding. My coal is dirty so I consistently get about 7-8 forge welds before having to clean clinker but this time, I was able to push it to 10 before I missed a weld. I think this was due to no time spent fluxing (yes, I know some time was spent in the gas forge so not much was really saved).

The interesting thing to me is that the flux coating worked just fine a week after application and didn't take on moisture or flake off. Don't know if this helps anyone with their daily life but thought I'd share the observation.

A lot of violent sparking and/or bubbling is too hot - whether on high carbon or mild steel. Sounds like the first one burnt up to some degree but the other was right on the money. I don't weld much high carbon but do a lot of forge welding on mild steel and like to get where the fire is just barely throwing small sparks from the steel. A cascade of fireworks means I burned it.

As a general rule on welding, cold shuts usually won't work themselves out later. Therefore, if you only got one end of it welded properly on the first heat, it may never close on subsequent tries. This can be due to burning, excess slag, etc. I watched a guy welding cable damascus at a demo and he got a spot on one end that would not weld for love nor money. He wound up welding behind the trouble area and then cutting it off on the hardy. The knife finished up just fine but he commented that he'd seen the problem before and removing the bad material was the only way he knew to fix it.

Here's my funny story about stereotypes. I was demoing during a folk festival and forging some 1/4 square about 12" long with the heat only at the tip. A father came up with his son and silently watched as I made a long J-hook. Bear in mind that I had switched to tongs to hold the piece after the first heat but the dad whispered to his son that 'his hands must have very thick skin to withstand the heat'. I said nothing and the son walked away while the dad continued to observe for a while. After a bit, he piped up and remarked again that my hands must be immune to the heat - like a chef's fingers. I replied that my hands are actually quite sensitive to temperature and my wife could tolerate hotter temps (like dish water) much better than I could - but he was not convinced...

My hands wear well and don't blister plus I can ignore quite a bit of impact but cannot tolerate hot or cold extremes. We make sausage every year and my wife has to mix the meat because the cold just kills my hands. Hurts so bad it almost brings tears to my eyes. :cry:

An older firepot is usually corroded to the point the ash dump leaks enough that the gases can get out or at least minimize the bang plus an electric blower also seems to overcome this tendency. One other thing is that some types of coal are worse than others. I had some Alabama coal that was really great stuff but had a lot of volatiles - it was good for at least one blast per week.

I have not seen it but been told that a bellows can take in enough to actually blow it completely apart.

It is a wettable powder so you can apply it with a pump-up hand sprayer. There are four dissolvable packets in a single foil wrapper and they recommend 1-2 packets per gallon of water with coverage of 1-5 gallons over 800-1600 square feet.

I use 1 packet in 1 gallon - that does the whole outside of my house and the immediate area. You may want to treat the infestation and then spray a 5-10 foot barrier around it. Use a coarse spray and keep the tank somewhat agitated or the stuff settles out after an hour or two.

I sprayed the first time and some of our local gecko lizards ran through it with no ill consequences but the wasp nests were dead within 15 minutes. They think it's rain and don't attack or leave the nest. I had a big kill on pill bugs immediately but saw no dead scorpions so I thought the stuff had failed, but dead scorpions started showing up a couple days later - it took longer and they were just as dead. Unfortunately, it does not discriminate and kills the harmless/helpful bugs also. I apply every 60 days in the hot season but lay off in winter.

IMHO, the BEST stuff on the market is called Demon WP (wettable powder). I have an applicator's license and can get really potent stuff but I always use Demon around the house and anyone can buy it. It is natural and can be used in the house and around pet areas, but it zaps all bugs for about 2 months before needing reapplication. We had the world's worst scorpion infestation three years ago and this stuff was the only thing that worked - and it also kills fleas...

Don't be ashamed of a good find! I got a 5" for $15 at a swap meet. The guy didn't want to load it back in his truck and came down off the asking price of $25. It was complete so I mounted it.

Looks like a stone cutting hammer. The flutes may be to lighten it while retaining the length.

Motor brush or sand blast the pitting and you may be able to read it.

Agreed, Ten Hammers...craftsmen and quite a few athletes have motion habits while working (anybody remember the baseball pitcher, Luis Tiant, and his windup?)

It's part of the rhythm and music of working at the anvil.

Try taking a piece of square, heat, then gently knock down all corners with the hammer and finally planish the flat surfaces at a red heat. When you are done, it should still be close to original size but the corners are gone and the flats have light texture. After removing the loose scale, take some 220-320 grit cloth and scrub the piece using your fingers to hold the paper (not a block). The high spots will shine and the low ones will remain dark. Makes for an interesting finish and it looks hand wrought (which it is... :wink: )

Remembered another one today: Some time ago, I engraved a 10 inch rule on the front side of the anvil in 1/2" increments. Very handy for hot work when you need a quick measurement. The lines were carefully marked with a cold chisel and the numbers stamped so it's there forever.

Are you trying to be extremely precise in the final measurement of the forged piece - i.e., do you envision a 1/2 swage to produce an exact .500 plus or minus .005? It can be done but I'm not sure you need or want that.

I will describe how I make top and bottom swages for round stock to produce something pretty close to size - others will chime in. Take two blocks, clamp a business card between them and drill with the desired size (I'll use 1/2" in this example). Afterwards, the halves will be about .020 under because of the card but now you need to take a die grinder and greatly relieve the edges of the hole. If this is not done, you will get a lot of pinched material and cold shuts. Only about 20% of each side of the hole channel does the work (top and bottom) - the rest is removed. When done, the hole will be oval, maybe 3/4" wide. This will forge to a size that can be threaded with a 1/2" die. I have never needed anything closer but if you do, then I would make a set of "kiss blocks" to get to final size. These have a "U" bottom and either no top (power hammer die is the top piece) or a spring loaded flat top. You start on the large side and then grind off the 'legs' of the U until you get to the right size. The piece is rolled between the flat surfaces and "kissed" as it's turned.

Square can also be done - it's a set of V-blocks and the corners need to be relieved like the round. I would do rectangles with kiss blocks.

On making square into round and vice versa, I start with the next 1/8" size larger but do the calculation for a specific size if you need it exact. For example, 5/8" round is .31 in cross section, 1/2" square is .25.

I hope you have a power hammer... :shock:

A tap now and again does no harm - just don't stand there whaling away with no hot metal between hammer and anvil. In addition, a bounce every 4 or 5 times is wasting a stroke and some of the heat if you are really trying move metal.

I have a rhythm that hits the work every blow while a good heat exists, then I bounce the hammer sometimes when I am using finish blows. Sort of like 'thinking in motion'.

If you do take up knitting, I'd like first dibs on your anvil... :wink:

The HC or WC ones are good for stamps, fullers, butchers and other set tools. Make several pair of tongs that hold the shank perpendicular and you will have easily exchanged set tool "handles".

Archie,

Go to the Blueprint section - http://www.iforgeiron.com/blueprints.htm

and look at B-0215. I built it out of junkyard parts.

Was working in the shop today and came up with some more:

Scroll tongs - I can't live without them. Made mine from coil spring stock at least 20 years ago and they have done thousands of tasks.

Rivet sets - Good support when you don't want a flat head on a factory rivet.

I have a welding helper that is a piece of half inch plate, 10x6, welded to a square shank that can be clamped in a vise. It has a "dead-nuts" 90 degree corner and multiple lines scribed across the face and at common angles (30, 45, 60) so I can set up little pieces and weld them quickly.

Chisel and drift sets in standard sizes - Two tools that allow splitting the stock with the proper chisel then drifting the hole to be slightly oversize when cold so a piece of hot rolled stock will pass thru.

#7 Whitney punch - makes life simple when punching holes for rivets because the punches are 1/64 over nominal size.

Tell you what, Richard, Miss July was already there but she was managing another booth - ooooh my goodness...the obvious thing was that ALL the guys were stopping to talk to her, whether they had wives on their arms or not. I heard her say she was single and worked out of her house - my mind went in a thousand different directions before exploding :lol:

Thanks for all the responses. Chuck, I think you nailed something on the table settings. The walkway route I am on curves to the left and I am in the bend so anyone coming down the path gets steered away from me. The lady next to me sells tie-died shirts but she is three feet further out because of the path and lots of folks stop at her place. Funny that you mentioned the hat, I was bareheaded Saturday and wore a cap on Sunday. I'll wear my straw next month.

In addition, all my stuff is flat on the table except the plant holders and fireplace tools so they have to walk up to see anything. Several of the vendors have stuff hanging on portable walls so folks see the product at 30-40 feet. I am in the process of building some displays.

Glenn, I have stuff from $5 (S-hooks) up to $300 (fireplace sets). Almost everything is $50 or below.

The shows I am used to are the indoor type where everyone has two tables set in a line and the aisles are 10-12 feet wide. I have several relatively unique crosses that stop people and those are always in front. This outdoor show is less organized and laid out over 2 acres so it sprawls - I need to just figure out how to stop them long enough to look.

Well, I'm going to stick it out thru the fall and see if things improve. The other vendors stay there for a reason and there is little turnover, which is the reason for the long wait to get a spot. I may raise my prices - especially for the holiday season. I've done better at other shows and this one surprised me since it was the worst 'people to money' ratio I've ever seen.

Daryl, I believe those numbers because they match what I observed. For example, all vendors use 10x10 EZ-UP tents - Saturday morning, I had mine set to the lowest setting and no one stopped between 10 and noon. I noticed the other tents were higher so I set the legs up to the tallest setting - people started slowing down and occasionally stopping. After I made the sign and put it in on Sunday, folks started stopping to talk and finger the merchandise.

I actually think the high traffic may work against me because they are moving so quickly. It's a double-edged sword... :?

Went to a craft show this weekend and had some really lousy results that I wanted to share. This place is a tourist trap and draws hordes of people - on a good weekend maybe 3-5K over two days. There are about 80 vendors with just 4-5 that sell anything remotely related to iron and I am the only person who forges or uses natural finishes. It's also a pretty classy show that requires the vendors to make all of their own wares - no cheap imported stuff and there is a waiting list to get in. Most of the vendors are long time participants who have been there 5 or more years. I went for the first time in June and made over two hundred bucks, which I didn't think was too bad since I had no prior exposure there. All of my stuff is within the normal price ranges for this type of show - in fact, I may be a bit on the low side compared to some items.

Well, boys and girls, on this fine weekend, I sold a grand total of one item for $10!!! - with about $3,000 of inventory sitting on my tables. Most of the other vendors were complaining about low sales but I think I must have set a record. I was positioned between two popular vendors so customer traffic was outstanding but I could not get anyone to stop or even slow down on Saturday. That night, I made a quick but neat sign and hung it at eye level on Sunday. Voila, much more traffic stopped and I gave away about 75 biz cards but no cash exchange. Lots of folks said the stuff was "BEYOOTIFUL BEYOND BELEEF!", then winked and said they were thinking about Christmas before asking if I'm there next month. Of course, I said "yes" and off they went.

Anyone had a similar experience? Anyone have any suggestions (besides telling me my stuff is crap... :oops: ). Should I just bite the $100 a month booth fee and hope the fall is better? Decisions, decisions... :roll: