Old South Creations

My first hook kinda sucked too but at the same time I was proud that I FINALLY gave it a try. I think hooks are an excellent beginner project...there are so many different types and they're all functional...even if a little ugly Keep at it!

Neat...I like the design

very cool! :)

Nicely done! I really like the way you did the base on your great grandmother's memrial piece and I love the sunflowers!

I like your design. I have mine on wooden anvil stands. I have a Fisher with hardly any ring at all but a Trenton that rings like crazy! I love the sound but after a few hundred hammer licks my ears have had enough! I assume a sand base would deaden the ring considerably. My ears and my neighbors would appreciate that :)

Beautiful work!

I actually do a little of "all of the above". I prefer no gloves. I tend to burn my hand less often without gloves because I'm more careful and more aware of the heat

so, when making a blade, is it cheating to start with stock that's roughly the length, width, and thickness of your final product? I'm making a sword as a prop for an Easter program at church and I'm not terribly concerned about it holding an edge, etc (since I'm going to go out of my way to smooth the edges anyway to make it as safe as possible) I'm just curious if this is condidered "cheating"? I'm gonna do it anyway! :D

So, I was forging yesterday and, as I often do (when I have a glove on), quickly raked a couple of coals over my metal with my hand. I stepped back and allowed the metal to heat and then smelled something sweet, a little like the smell of hay. Then a started feeling a slight "sting". Ooops, I have set my shirt sleeve and glove on fire! Ruined my glove and shirt but just a pea size burn on the palm of my my hand...no big deal, I've certainly burned myself worse in my lifetime. But, could have been a lot worse. I was surprised at how rapidly the fire spread before I ever realized it. I think this is a good opportunity to share some tales of carelessness...funny & frightening. It's good to remember that it's easy to get hurt if we're not careful.

Thanks for all of the nice comments. I'm definately going to make more that I will actually use. I think it was very good practice. First time I punched a hole rather than drill it, first time I used a rivet (actually it was a bolt but I used it as if it were a "real" rivet), and first time concentrating on making 2 identical objects...definately not time wasted! :)

wow, that's awesome! nice job

I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago about making my first set of tongs. I wanted a pair of tongs to use in a junk art sculpture but didn't want to sacrifice an old pair...so I made my own. Since they didn't need to be functional I made them light weight. Well, I made them too light weight! So I made another pair...actually two. I hate to do it but I'm still going to sacrifice them for my "art" project. The stock for the large pair was 3/4" x 5/16" and the small pair began life as a horseshoe. I had requests to post pics of what "beginner" tongs look like. They're not pretty but they are functional. I'll post pics of my "junk sculpture" when it's completed.

Nice sign! Thanks for sharing. I like the old school look. I've been neglecting my woodworking as well. I would love to see the finished product.

Sorry guys, no pics. Like I said in the original post, their functionality was not important so I made them much lighter weight than I would have if I was going to actually use them (I used 3/8" round stock). I wanted a pair of "blacksmith tongs" to use in a junk art project. They are going to be the leg of a man made from junk (wrenches, shovel head, nut's & bolts, etc). They're pretty cruddy BUT I did learn from making them. This was the first time I punched and drifted a hole rather than just drilling and it was also the first time I attempted to use a rivet. I'll post a pic of the finished product when I'm done.

I wanted to use a pair of blacksmith tongs in a "junk art" project and rather than ruin an old pair I thought it was about time I tried to make a pair myself. They're pretty cruddy (that's why there's no picture) and they're pretty light weight (because functionality didn't matter) but I learned a lot from my experiment. Maybe next time they'll be "keepers"! )

Nice work. I'm jealous...I've been away from my forge since Christmas...I gotta get back at it!

Wow, that's really nice. I would like to make a wine rack with a similar design (wood top w/ "butterfly scrolls" on the sides)

Nice work. I especially like the door handle!

wow...awesome job! I love the design and colors

Very cool...I love your designs

Awesome job! My wife has been wanting me to make her a jewelry holder of some type. I'm not going to show her this one because I can't replicate that! What a great big brother you are.

Great job...definately not for the scrap pile!

Nice work!