Paddy

Hello, Very sorry indeed to hear your daughter lost her horse. Having lost 2 horse's this week. One of my customer's paso rescue, and a friend of my wife's quarter horse barrel horse, both thru colic. I made this heart from the fire to give to the owner, 'R'. I'd like to do another for the little fella (paso) too - his life was much harder, although, he enjoyed a great period of free life with lot's of healthy buddies, sadly his past neglect caught up with him (not his feet). Rose from Fire. Regards, Paddy Falvey AFA CF

Hello, Being a working farrier and blacksmith. Horseshoes today are made from mainly 4 types of material ;- 1) Mild steel, standard keg shoes, most common. Only gets bright if its polished up / hammer finished or buffed up with a wheel, or sometimes get a glaze from the factory in the processing, depends what brand they are. 2) Aluminum (various grades T6 6061, or sturdier or softer stuff), common to racehorses mainly, but popular in mainstream hunter/jumpers, NB shoes,some western stuff. Then there are all the therapeutic cut shoes. 3) Titanium, were for awhile, popular - these would be shiny finish and very light. They are as hard as anything, and they 'sting' feet, the strength of the material is quite uncomfortable for a horse. Maybe these are the shiny shoes you have. If so, recycle them and get some money, as I doubt many farriers would use them. 4) Plastic shoes - no comment. Cheers, Paddy Falvey AFA CF paddysforge.com

Trez, Got a local job for you that is out of my scale and in your realm of thought / expertise. A souflett holder. Please can you email me paddysforge@yahoo.com Best Regards, Paddy Falvey

Thanks Guys, I will go for quick, simple and easy - fireweld the ends and twist them up. I like the jigs though and will modify a bracket I have for that if I can find the lump of metal. Trez many thnaks for the offer mate. I'd really like to come over to see your forge, my number is on my website - paddysforge.com. I'll be forging tomorrow and will have an item or two made up. Will post photots. Thanks, Paddy

Dear All, I have an interesting pot rack to make. 5' by 2', suspended from a high ceiling above a central kitchen worktop area. I'm trying out some simple twists to make the the kind of chain links from the ceiling to the potrack and the customers eyes lit up whe I said a triple twist for one of the double eye links that will go from 4 of the suspended arms that go from an eye bolt from celing to pot rack - pure ruin when simple would probably have done - but simple I ain't. I'm thinking about 12" links. I said (quite ridiculously) i would try a triple twist, from 1/4" round stock. I have made a sample item - simply cold hammerred a 1/4", 25" rod to a circle, welded it, to form a circle, put in the gas forge and squashed it together, and then took another heat and put a simple twist from on eye to the the other eye - nice but not really enough for my effort - too simple. looked OK, the heats could have ot a better even twist though. I want to do a triple twist. i.e. put another rod in and twist it into place, probably mousetail ends for this rod. Problem is I only have 2 hands, a leg vise and a few pairs of tongs to do it. I'm not much a metal twist weaving genius. Has anybody any tips on how to handle this process?. Many thanks, Paddy Falvey CF paddysforge.com

A western horseshoe door hook and a hand towel holder. Customer wanted cowboy theme. Paddy Falvey CF paddysforge.com

I went to HCT UK ( to take the pre-farriers blacksmith course) a few years ago. Look at the diploma course, 2 years for Blacksmithing. This was seemingly the most practical based approach to getting practical skills for smithing up to a level where you can make something really saleable. Its a great place to learn blacksmithing in a beautiful area of the UK. The course members and tutors were a great bunch of friendly people. The skills there to be learnt are exceptional. The 2nd year students were making their first gates and their own pieces, having done basic forging skills in year 1. Good luck and Work Hard wherever you end up Paddy Falvey CF (AFA)

Beautiful wing Would make a lovely key ring. Paddy

Some more photos of the flowers. The flowers don't look too bright from that angle I certainly agree. The calla has a tip turned over at the top, and when I painted it, I thought, yep that wasn't too clever. The gerbera flower is necked at that angle, as they do in real life, but they always look plastic and yep, it is on the list of improvements also.... The leaf curve was very basic. The 2 leaves at the bottom need expanding skyward by a factor of two and half probably. Where's my baseball bat?. I'm making another one for the in-laws as an advert. The other negative "anomolie" in the market, apart from ;- baseball bats, postal regs, mass produced crap, ;- are the rules and regulations of housing committees. I have a brother in law who wants a hand forged stand, but is not allowed. He has a mundane wooden thing that costs $115 every 2 yrs or so, for the lawn maintanance to come around and paint. Cheers, Paddy paddsyforge.com

Good Morning, Well, made the mail box stand. Learnt how awkward 109" of 5/8" square is to forge in a 12'x15' shed!. Going by this example I'd make another one a bit differently. I chalked out my plan and the size of stock made it very awkward to get it to the table to match it up, so the scroll was a bit free-hand. Eejit moment!. Should've been fire welding, yes. My poor excuse - Most bits of metal I get to work alot are about 10" to 16" so this was entirely new learning curve. The obvious problems not being considered first. I got the gas torch out and fiddled and ended up with this. Next time, I'd start with a shorter piece of stock for getting a much better scroll, then make 2 separate upright curves with maybe flat stock forged to a leaf spike, some multiple rivets to the scroll. Or use some pipes filled with sand and go for a lighter weight bulkier item. It may get me demolishing it well before the scrawny little college kid gets to it with a baseball bat. The wife has decided she likes it though. Paddy Falvey paddysforge.com

Dear All, Has anybody made an interesting post for the mail box?. Couldn't find any interesting blacksmith made designs on the internet and wondered why not. Tomorrow and maybe a day or two, I'm planning to make one. With maybe a weathervane type attachment, we'll see. Something groovy. I went on the US postal website for the regulation heights and it says pretty much the post can be anything you like, as long as its a certain height above the road and nothing out infront when the door's closed. Theres plenty of novelty boxes out there it seems, Some look OK, Some are crazy, thats good to see. It's screaming out for some blackmsith ingenuity, and some concrete ofcourse so nobody walks off with it!!. I'd be keen to see what people think. An ideal project. Cheers, Paddy paddysforge.com

Hey there, I went to Hereford for a year and did the pre-farriers NVQ level 2 forging certificate. Just wish i could go and do more there as it was an amazing place. The farrier / blacksmithing teaching was quite brilliant and alot of fun. Frank, the hardies and dies you mentioned may be swedge and fullering bottom tools for flat bar stock to be fullered / creased for improving traction. Tool and fullered shoes. The grooves in the leg vise for a farrier?, maybe could be used to pull over a source for a clip or set a tight angle for a heel calk, but that tool would not exist way back when as techniques were more traditional, you just don;t see that. It would be very handy for turning rod at tight angles for straw roof pegs, instead of opneing and shutting a leg vise. Bolts Wes, yes ofcourse. Those nippers look really good. Especially when the horse decides to stand on the air pipe and that goes pop and then you get to go airborne for a while. I just can't see them replacing a pair of GE's somehow?. They look really cack handed and heavy, you just can't see well to nip carefully. For cattle oh yes. Cheers, paddy

G Lilley, Yes sir, its a cliff carroll 125lb. When i bought it I didn't like it much, although it looked the part. It rang alot, then i put magnets on it, then a rubber mat underneath, now I have the chain aswell and its shut the hell up. Maybe the stump and a concrete floor are issues. Its a really good anvil and for the money the emerson would be a little better. But theres no cams (use rarely) or clip horn on those. It does make you work more than a decent 300lb+ anvil. I had one for use a while back and it was reclaimed sadly. I ground the top surface of the bick only very slightly to get my magic lines running neatly, it works better for me to shape shoes now, as I can turn my hold and apply open of close angles and retain lines much better. The stump was bought for putting it in my truck, but now I have a lighter 75lb for just shaping that works well on a lighter metal stand I was given. cheers, Paddy

Cheers Guys, Hello Wes!. thanks Phil for the photo advice. I think I'm takign 5mb photos and I put them to a large email resize and it was 33-38kb, bit too big, so went to the small email instead. I will use 3mb setting on camera next time and hopefully get bigger small photos. Really good info on the use of ali or zinc. Got some of that. I can easily make something there. John B = great stuff. I'm going to make a better one next week and will take some more photos. Without a rock also. Like the base design, simple and neat. That rock was shameless expense on my part - $15 for a pumice rock!. thanks, paddy

Dear All, I made a version 1 Sundial. Based on blackmsiths journal #164 plan as a guide to rough dimensions, I then found some pictures on the internet of 2 master blacksmiths making a sundial at a blacksmiths get together. (Aspery & Legge, 2001) Anyway, armed with some know-how and a few pictures I made version 1 of a sundial just to get an idea of what the process is about. I made a 2/3 circle form from some 21 1/2" of 2" by 3/8 bent over the horn, welded a piece of angle iron to fix into leg vise. Ideally a piece of 12 or 15" steel pipe would be a better form, couldn't find any. Round was about 5 1/2" radius. I wanted to use brass but couldn't find any around, the steel bar would have been better maybe, but I had some 3/8" copper bar and thought it would look pretty. Punched the 14 spaces and 6am to 6pm, with a little to spare (1/2' each end). I know copper and iron don't mix, so I painted the item with hammerite and put a brass washer inside the holders. It'll do for a bit (maybe?). My weather vane isn't reacting and thats been there nearly 3 years. Forged out the arms first, then the body, next time i will cut out the edges a little, the forging on my own was serious. I don't own a hammer drill so it was either a lump of wood or this pumice stone to put it in. Welded on a few spikes and drilled holes with a piece of 1/4" round hammered at the end to a chisel. stuc some steadying pieces on it. Setup. Gnomon and 12 o'clock, point to true north (magentic depreciation) is 4.4 degrees out here (minus), and a 23 degree angle from vertical. It was spot on. I adjusted the position slightly to my watch and the sun. Overall, I need a greater degree of accuracy and finish. I'm waiting for some Jax blackening fluid to improve the finish maybe. Hammerite black is not ideal. Has anybody else made one or has tips or ideas for better design?. I found that they can get plenty technical, few actual examples of simple forgeable examples, except cast versions and a few super level blacksmith ones out there that are way beyond my ingenewity. I thought just go and make one and see if it works to understand the principles. It broke the ice on what I thought would be somewhat complicated instrument. My technical brother in law said how hard is it?, just put a stick in the ground?. Can't see how that will make a garden feature somehow.... Thanks, Paddy

I saw that spider again today, it's now living in the plastic sheet that I put over my gas bottles to keep a few drips off. It was moving around looking menacing. I really don't want to find out what it is. it isn't a brown recluse or a black widow thats the main thing. Glad to see loads of wildlife gets a look in. cheers, paddy

Dear All, I was moving my gas bottles around yesterday and apart from the large number of toads I have running around my forge, I saw this ugly looking lady offering security to my oxygen bottle. What interesting wildlife is crawling, running or flying around your forge?. Cheers, Paddy

Hello Everybody, Firstly, sorry about the photo delay, I was under horses Tuesday, I got the photos at my forge wednesday, posted them last night, then this morning I checked and saw the file sizes were too large, so here it is!!!. If you can't read the text I put on the, its was that I used 3" of 1 1/2" round 1040, as thats all my local Alro had of out of spec stock. The 1045 they did not stock regularly, so I guessed this stock would be better than mild steel. They had 2 sizes of round in, the 1 1/2" I used for the flatter, they had 2 1/2 also, so I can make a larger flatter if need or maybe a swedge bottom tool for tool and fullering. BUT the 2/1/2" round had a chrome coating - would this be any issue???? in my forge, not sure what chrome gives off. I had grand ideas of flattening out one end alot to make a squared or rounded flatter wider than the round stock itself, but due to me being on my own with just a hammer and anvil, I instead just squared up the hammer side and gave the flatter side a few decent wacks, and then rounded it up using a rasp. The handle I reworked out yesterday as it was looking a bit wonky. Basically its a hammer that I'm able to place over work and get a better flat, but for my purposes for shoe making it works a treat. The guides for the twist handle were just ground out with a 4 inch hand grinder. The tool works very well. It was a very easy project to do, and cost alot less than buying a proper one, and it does the same job. I also attach a copy of my 'Rose from the Fire", as a polite sorry about the photo delay. This was a carriage hind right shoe I made a few months ago, swelled medial heel, bevelled and widened lateral heel, nails - e-head 6, plain stamp, toe clip and slight rolled toe, made from 14" of 1" by 3/8" bar stock. The rose was 3 layers, the copper backing a piece from another project I did. Gott a go and make a sundial. Will send photos when i've done version 1. Thanks everybody for your generous support in making th item, Paddy Falvey

Dear All, The finished flatter - functional Herewith the pictures. I was working yesterday. I went in to my forge and looked at it again, thought I should rework the handle. Anyways, here it is. A simple flatter. Nothing too complicated, and easy to make. I got the 1040 from excess stock at Alro. They had 1 1/2 " round, and also piles of 2 1/2" round in 1040. Looking at the 2 1/2" I think I will be making some bottom swage tools for the hardie hole. I flattened out a pair of shoes today, and was very impressed with the tool. It works just fine, and using it was very much a pleasure. Thanks everybody for your generous support. Paddy Falvey paddysforge.com

Pictures - I will be back in my forge Tuesday. Will get a picture up. Am away at horse event this weekend.

Gentlemen, I made the flatter. Got some 1040, they didn't have 1045 (alro), some 1 1/2" round, they has 2 1.2 round also - good for bottom tools ????.. I put the round in the fcoke orge, picked it up, hit it a few times. Came to conclusion to square one end quickly (after 3 upsets), and it drew out beautifully. Hardened (flat end quench) and tempered (hammer end to blue temper then dip) . Bit of grinder work to lay in the handle guides. 1/4" round stock handle twisted nicely. And the end produt is defintley useable. Cost $3 for the 1040 (2 3/4" of round 1 1/2"), Job done. Basic but functional. Many thanks, Paddy Falvey paddysforge.com

Mr Thibeau, Many thanks for your advice. Your flatters look very nice. Mine will be somewhat basic functional as you say. Which will do. I'll do a wire handle one aswell. Thnaks paddy

Many thanks everybody. 1045 it is. And I'll try to stamp a hole, Should be a bit more easy than my slit punch, as I'm on my own. Marauding Scrap man came round today and I obtained a 3/4 full sheet of 1/8" diamond pattern for $20. His antequated beatun up van is definitely something off Mad Max!. I'll ask about old axles next time I see him. He has access to many a pile of cheap gold. Wesley - Am doing fine. I've got a website paddysforge.com. Drop me an email. Got a handful customers on the horses also, not quite the 100 yet!. Cheers, paddy