BackyardBlacksmithin

Here are my last two tries at the horseheads. Getting better but still got a ways to go...

I like the stump stand but my only concern would be room for my feet, I was checking it yesterday and I thing with a stump design I would be constantly kicking the darn thing.... So kind of leaning towards a 3 leg steel stand, now just a matter of how to build one that is easily moved

awesome thanks for the links. The anvil stand I have is the one that was with my anvil when I got it and the more I learn about anvil stands the more im seeing how underbuilt mine is.... just a simple 4 leg design out of 1 1/2x1 1/2x1/4 angle. Total weight is very very light compared to what Im seeing being used everywhere else. So now to start from scratch and think up a new stand design. Stump, 4x4's bolted together or a new steel one, no idea which to do right now. All I know is it HAS to be mobile, I have to move it in and out of my garage everytime I want to use it.

Stephen: I was just looking at your anvil stand with the casters and hinge, I like that idea do you have any more pics of it? Does it sit like it is in the picture while you using it?

well seeing as im 27 with no kids the teenager thing might not work as well, unless maybe I called the neighbor kids over to help. haha. But I might have to look into that cart idea, just leave the anvil and stand on it while its in the garage and just take it down when Im using it.

Ha ya I got those wheels from the local scrap yard, and no my neighbors trash cans all have their own wheels... I have tried using a hand truck to no avail, the way the stand is angled it just wants to slip and fall off... id like to find a way to make something that could just slip under it and move it that way and then remove it when its where I need it

Just finished my new tool/welder/cutoff saw cart and thought I would share. I have a very small work area and EVERYTHING has to be mobile so I have been needing one of these for a while now. And ps if anybody has figured how to make a 150 lb anvil mobile please let me know..... holy cow.... Anyways here are a few pics

Eddie: Sorry kinda got side tracked and forgot I told you I would take a picture of the hammer I used, well here it is...

Brian, I have made 6 or so of the horse heads and there starting to look alright but I gotta say I love the 3-D horse heads you made. Any chance on a tutorial on how to make those? Or maybe a few step by step pictures to see what the steps are. Thanks!

And that brings up yet another question, how different is copper to work with vs steel. I like the look of copper but I have never dealt with itin terms of forging or brazing. Can a standard brazing rod work to braze it to a mild steel rose stem? I have the oxy/acet welding torch and proper tips to do it, Im just lacking the experience....  Also where do you all get your copper from?

awesome thanks for the link, I think that sounds like a much better option....

Great ideas by all of you, thank you. And another question for all of you, I've been buying the rose blanks from blacksmith depot or pieh co tool, is there any way to get them cheaper? how hard is it to make them? I have a cutting torch with some really small cutting tips. Do you think that would work if I just bought some thin guage steel plate?

Great thanks for all the ideas, Im going to try some of them this weekend and see how it goes...

Hello, so I made my first rose a few days ago and ran into a bit of a problem. I was using 1/4 in round for the stem and the holes in the rose blanks were also 1/4 in. I needed some kind of shoulder the blanks would rest on and rivet the top over them so I just upsetted a bit of the bar about an inch from the end. This worked ok but I ended up torch brazing the bottom piece onto the bar just to secure it better. Is there any other way of doing this? What is everyone else doing on their flowers?

I can try to get a picture tomorrow and post it of the face of the hammer if that would work. The one thing I found out was when you think you have hit the piece enough with the texturing hammer, your about halfway done.... I really had to work it over good with the hammer to get that effect. Also make sure the steel is at a good forging temp. Thats why I used the lighter hammer, I could hit it repeatedly and not really move much material, just leave the texture on the surface.

I took a cheap little 7 oz ball pien hammer and took a cutoff wheel with a real thin disk and cut grooves in the face of the hammer.

Hello, just finished these two and figured I would toss it up here and get some input/critique. This was my first rose and my second cross that I have made.

Thanks I might have to try that. The other thing I was thinking is doing a 4 bar bundle of 1/4 in round bar and twisting it up and bend the ends down to form the handle.

Thanks I will remember that, Im not down there very often but sounds like a good excuse to maybe take a trip on the motorcycle somewhere that direction.

Thank you, I would love to meet some other smiths around here. I would love to even trade some manual labor for lessons or something like that.

Mostly home decor stuff. A lot of stuff with horseshoes too, here is my shop page  https://www.etsy.com/shop/BackyardBlacksmithin

As for market? Heck whoever appreciates what it takes to make things by hand and is willing to pay the extra for a true made in USA local product. I sell a lot of stuff just word of mouth here locally but I have done pretty good on etsy in the last few months too.

So where do I need to put my location in? I will add it to my profile but other than that just search albany OR?

Hello everyone, Ive been on the forum for a while trying my best to soak up some of the seemingly endless amount of information. This has got to be the greatest resource I know of for blacksmithing/bladesmithing. I thought I would throw in a picture of my smithy, everything has to be mobile and is stored in a little shed. annoying but it works actually quite well. Ive been selling quite a bit of stuff on ETSY and Im steadily growing my skills and tools to allow me to do more. The propane forge and forge cart I built from scratch, and the anvil stand for the smaller anvil I also built. I live in the middle of town and thankfully have some understanding neighbors that dont seem to mind the noise...