billyO

RE: Frosty - My good friend who's been a smith for almost as long as I've been alive showed me the risk of drilling while holding the object in his hand. He was drilling instead of hot punching holes in his bottle openers using a 3/8" bit when the bit caught, and before he knew what happened, his hand was pulled around so hard he broke not only a finger but snapped the bit in 2. RE: mike-hr - The same smith told me a similar story of smashing a pop can (or maybe it was beer), under his 250# Chambersburg that exploded and imbedded a 2" piece of the can into one of the walls of his shop. Imagine if a body had been in the way.

Last year I thought I was finished up for the day and shut down the gas on the forge but kept the blower on like I normally do for a few minutes to try to avoid the residual heat from the forge heating up my ribbon burner too much. A minute or so went by and I realized I forgot to do something needing heat, so I turned on the propane again, figuring that the residual heat would light it immediately, as I had done this once or twice before, in addition to seeing other smiths do this on occasion. Unfortunately, in this case, it seems that keeping the blower on DID cool the burner enough so that the propane didn't ignite immediately and after a moment or two, I heard a "boom" as the forge finally built up enough propane to get the part of the forge that was still hot enough to ignite the propane. Blew the damper off my blower and a load in my pants (almost). Fortunately I was on the other end of the shop and didn't see the fireworks.

Frosty - As a former fly fisherman 'purist' I feel the need to clear up some confusion. That's not a bobber, it's called a "strike indicator".

Hello all. I was part of a crew that used a shop cart with a hydraulic lift to move approx 90 pounds of wrought iron at a welding heat across a shop.

Joel - I've got over 20 years of PT with 12+ specializing in orthopedics and shoulders are one of my favorite body parts to work on. Injuries are hopefully getting less common. How many years have you been smithing without pain? That old adage:"no pain no gain" is a bunch of hogwash. Pain is your body's way of telling you you're doing something wrong. If you can't figure out the problem yourself, talk to your local expert on muscles, joints and biomechanics and have them watch what you do, especially what movements/positions cause pain. One of the first things my buddy says when someone first enters his shop is a phrase I've adopted: "Remember, pain is optional here. Hurting yourself is NOT a requirement for Blacksmithing!" PS - Don't forget that Ice is a great way to reduce acute inflammation.

As the local physiotherapist/blacksmith I'd agree with swedefiddle and turbo7. If you were local I'd say let me take a look at it, and that would involve me running your shoulder through 12+/- tests in addition to poking on the tender points and checking range of motion and strength. I'd also look at your shoulder blade and postural habits. Talk to your local physio....

Cheap???? In my kitchen, they'd be priceless (seeing as how I heat and cook on a wood stove during the non-summer months)... Nicely done.

One of the best jobs I ever had (from 12yrs old to 22) was a caddy at the local private golf club in the 'burbs of Chicago. Back in the 80's if you were a good caddy and consistent, by the time I was 15 I could make $80-100 in an 8 hour day, or $40-50 for 4-5 hours.

Hydraulic forging press

Thanks Dave. That's the plan, sealed it last night with beeswax. If I'm remembering correctly, Bob Ross (another great artist for all you youngsters, check him out on youtube) would have called this "a happy little accident".

Hello all. Still playing with animal heads... Last night I was working on another husky and realized I didn't have the right sized eye punch, so I threw the head in the vice and took my grinder with a wire wheel on it to clean off the scale. As I was working (and paying attention) I noticed these heat colors emerge so I quickly dunked it in water to hold the colors and think I may call it quits here even though this is technically unfinished... My brother has worked at the University of Michigan for the past 20+ years so this may end up being a Christmas/B-day present....

Well done Joe! Thanks for sharing.

Better make more of those letter keychains, I bet they go fast. You probably get a really good price for the cost in time and material...May take that idea and run with it my way....

As one who had recent experience with their first public smithing at the state fair 2 years ago, I can say yes. But, that shows that you care about doing a good job, so you will do a good job. Have fun, enjoy the experience, and good luck with the sales!

Perhaps we should change the title of this thread to "guillotine punch...and other ramblings" Damion, although I agree about language being an organic entity that does change over time, there's a time for creativity (ie Shakespeare) and a time for clear, concise and accurate terminology (ie, strike when I nod my head). I'm sure you've heard the saying: "Do what I mean, not what I say." That's a lot easier if you say what you mean.... I (like many in supervisory positions), have to deal with examples like this on a daily basis in my paying profession. We've all hear the phrase, "No pain, no gain" that comes from the bodybuilding and exercising world. That's not true when it comes to rehab, and I have to explain this to my patients on an almost daily basis. So yes, what you say and how you say it does matter. (Also, my Mother was an English/grammar teacher in elementary school when I was growing up, so that may influence my bias....)

Am I missing something, being obtuse, or both? Looks like a chisel set up to me.....

I tried something similar a couple of years ago, only I was going for a slitting chisel, not a punch. Keeping things aligned was a problem, but you may be more skilled at tool making and get closer tolerances than I did. A lesson I've learned over the past few years of smithing is that if a tool works, it's probably already out there, especially true if it works better than what we already use. Remember, many smiths work alone these days, and most of the tools we use are basically the same as they were 400 years ago. I'd suggest spending time learning how to use the tools you have as opposed to spending time trying to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak. As far as holding the work, most of us hold the work using a hold-down (as already mentioned) or hold the cold end of the stock between the legs. One thing I learned by watching Mark Aspery this weekend was a benefit of having a leather apron (beyond protecting your privates), is that the downward force of the apron on the free end of the stock can help to hold the work steady. I don't have an apron currently, and have noticed that when I hold a piece between my legs, I have to squeeze my thighs together so tight that it puts my legs in an awkward position. I'm going to actively look for an apron now...

Thanks Damion. I'd recommend picking up one of Darryl's DVDs if you're interested in doing animal heads. He does a great job of explaining how to set up the material and what to pay attention to. Here's a couple of more pics, I ground off and redid the nose of the one on the 1" bar. Getting closer still....

Funny you mentioned Darryl, Michael. I stopped by his shop this morning (I realize how lucky I am to live only a couple of miles down the road from him) and bought a copy of his Lynx head DVD and modified it a bit and this is what I came up with this afternoon. I messed up the muzzles a bit (started to rush and also realized I don't have adequate lighting in my shop), but learned a lot about setting up the material and massing out the steel. The JarJar Binks example was an attempt to use the technique I was taught for rams head. This was a completely different method. I think I'm getting closer

Exactly. Scale will leave pockmarks in your work as you hammer the scale into the soft, hot metal.

Ouch!!! jm that hurt!! (as I slink away into the corner to sulk...)

Hello all. Like the topic states, I'm once again looking for suggestions. Believe it or not, I was going for a Siberian Husky but obviously didn't mass it out properly and I found that out pretty quickly in the process. Instead of throwing it in the scrap pile at that point, I decided to go ahead and finish the head to see how it would come out. So what animal does it look like and what should I do with it? My friendly neighborhood S.O.B. (Sole Occupation Blacksmith) suggested a fireplace poker, but I already have enough of those. It's currently sitting on the end of ~2 feet of 3/4" stock. Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the reply, jm. That's what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure.

Hello all. I hope that the fall weather is treating y'all better than me. My question for those with more experience: About 2 weeks ago I prepared a 12" long billet of 11 layers of alternating 15N20 and 1095, welded a handle on and put 3 wire wraps around it, Unfortunately, before welding it, I realized I didn't have enough propane, and then fall happened here in the foothills of Mt Rainier and I haven't been able to work in the shop since then. Do I need to worry about any rust affecting the first weld seeing as it's been sitting in my shop for a couple of weeks or should I just go ahead and heat, flux and weld as normal? Thank you in advance.

Couldn't have said it any better, Dave.