David Browne

I heard that Danger! I'm not keen on swinging ANY sledge "all day". Best to leave that to the young bucks and the power hammers. ;)

The small gate is now complete. The larger thicker-walled side post took care of the sag/deflection issues we were having. I've also included some photos of the "klunk-lock" mechanism in open and closed position. For the handles and the counter-weights, I used discarded cutout plugs from my waterjet cutter. Whenever he cleans out the bed of his large machines there is always a huge pile of wet sand and slugs that he lets me sort through for usable discs ranging from 1/4" thick up to several inches thick in various diameters and alloys. A five gallon bucket lasts me forever and the rest he recycles. The handle plugs were 1 1/2 x 3 forged down on the power hammer to soften and bulge the sides. I finished getting the rust patina on the gates this weekend and will install the pair early this week (in plenty of time before my client's party next weekend). I'll try and get photos after installation (with permission), so you can see them in context. -DB

So, the USPS lady comes to the shop today carrying something heavy and says "what IS this thing?" I look at her and say "if I had to guess, I'd say it was a sledge hammer...but I didn't order one". It turns out my buddy Brent Bailey sent a surprise package to the shop. 13 lbs (including the handle). One crowned face and one flat. -DB

Mike, I'm currently running a nylon backed leather belt with GREAT results on my 100 Bradley compact. Prior to this, I was having horrible chirping and control problems using one of the rubber impregnated cloth belts. As Nazelhammer mentioned earlier, it makes a difference in the pulley type you are using. I am running an aluminum motor pulley and the chirping would get much worse as the pulley heated up. On long forging days the pulley would get hot enough to melt some of the rubber in the belt causing more grabbing and chirping. I think it may have been a thread on this or one of the other forums that directed me to the Baltimore belt Co where a very knowledgeable salesperson steered me to the nylon/leather belt. The hammer now runs like a dream and no more screeching/chirping/grabbing or over heated pulleys.

Us California boys have been put on notice! Great story, and glad to hear the folks at Giant Stadium would go the extra mile to buy American. You shouldn't be surprised. Your work is top notch and you present yourself well. It also sounds like you went the extra mile to make sure that they got exactly what they wanted. Hopefully that contact will turn into more work for you in the future. I maintain a list of Architects that I enjoy working with. Every 4 months, I mail them a hand written postcard inviting them to take a look at the new work on my website. I've gotten a lot of repeat business this way just by reminding them that I'm still here. It's always good to ask the buyers how they found us. This knowledge helps us to be more proactive about finding THEM. -DB

Sometimes, fancy is doing exactly what is called for. Those look fancy to me. Wherever you hang your hat...that's your hook! BTW, how does a smith from Texas get a hook gig in SF? You must have a really good marketing department. ;)

Rory, Really nice piece. Well conceived and executed. Exactly what that space needed. Thank you for detailing the process with fantastic photos and great detailed info. Your posts are interesting, informative, and help to motivate everyone to raise their game on many levels. Can't wait for the next one. -DB

Simple. Bradley really got it right with those rubber bumpers. No metal springs to fatigue, break, and go flying. Those dies look huge, what are the dimensions?

Oh, you're right! Now I feel much better.:unsure:

Grant (Zappa), I'm finding it increasingly difficult to take you seriously with that sarcastic one brow smirk and all the mustache twirling....

"Traditional industrial" I like it. Now I've got some additional work to do on the smaller gate. Sorry, no photos yet...It is mounted on a free-standing post that I am unable to tie into the wall. The small gate is pretty heavy as well. When we mounted it in the shop the post deflected 3/8" from the weight of the gate. The post was 2 x 2 x 1/4 (I tried to get away with what I had in the rack). I'm going to go with 3 x 3 x3/8" and I'm thinking about either using a gusset made out of the leg-less angle as a stiffener...or welding the post to the floor mounting plate with some built in deflection to compensate.... -DB

Thanks Fe-wood. Point taken- I have been to Bodie... :)

I agree, this site is really a time suck. I spent most of the morning reading and posting, and here I am again at 10:45 pm going at it again. I blame Naked Grant Zappa...but now that I am armed with all this new knowledge, I'll be so much more productive if I ever put down this computer and make it back into the shop. -DB

As much as I like to forge, I actually never saw this project as a forging job. Although the front and back are different, they still need to relate to each other. I specifically wanted to use heavy angle because: 1) It gave me a nice 2" wide flat surface to hang the panels from (and hide some welds behind). 2) Even with one leg cut short, it still has plenty of strength in three dimensions 3) With the leg cut off, it looks unique and skeletal, but still has the industrial feel of a traditional structural, which to me seemed consistent with the overall vision. Also, this was always intended to be a naturally rusted piece hence the cor-ten. It would seem a shame to put effort into forging, only to have it covered over with heavy rust...

YD, awesome. Thanks for posting this. There is no substitute for power. I feel your design pain when you have clients that cannot agree totally. I think you did a fantastic job of walking the tightrope. I have found it is usually safer to lean toward the female's opinion as they usually get what they want, and they usually have a major influence over where and if the money gets spent. As Danger mentioned earlier, his master is his wife...9 times out of 10 this is the case. I like Alan's work a lot. Thanks for the link. I am also a BIG fan of Chris Brammall. -DB

Thank you for everyone's comments and interest. I appreciate the feedback. Michael, I'm glad you said skeletal. Perfect. I should explain a bit more...the back of the gate does look very different than the front, by design. The entire gate while maintaining an overall organic/industrial feel, was meant to look a bit reptilian (scales) from the front, while showing off the structure from the rear. Skin on the front, bones in the back, if you will. The reason I cut the leg off the angle on the frame was to make it look, well...a little less like plain old angle, and a little more like a skeleton. The gate hinges on pins at the top and bottom of the fixed side panel (bronze bushings). I'm working out a very simple latch system that uses an offset round counterweight that pushes a sliding bolt that will go "klunk" when it's opened, and "klunk" when it's locked (think eccentric on a mechanical power hammer). I'll get you a picture when I get it worked out. Cor-ten was chosen for this project as the gate will be allowed to rust naturally. Prior to installation, I'm planning to have the entire piece pickled in an acid bath to remove all the mill scale to help speed up the rusting process. The gates are in close proximity to the ocean, so it shouldn't take long to get a nice deep brown rusty patina on everything. Here's a peek under the hood (view from the back)... -DB

Nice work Larry. That is an impressive installation.

correct, they were all bandsaw cut.

Forgemaster, to say that is a well equipped shop would be a gross understatement. Wow. Thanks for the photos. Now, I need to get back to work to make more money to buy more tools... -DB

Bryce, I got a chuckle out of this before I read your second post. I'm thinking to myself- if this guy thinks this is a sheet metal job, I'm scared to think what he considers to be heavy plate! FYI, the frame is 3/8" x 2 x 2 angle with one leg cut off. The panels are all 1/4" plate. The whole mess weighs several hundred lbs. DB

Southshore, that press brake is a 200-ton machine. I sure wish I had that bad boy at my shop. The guys at that forming outfit have been great in helping me out when I needed extra oomph. My tendency is to always design to the limits of my own capabilities. Keeps me on my toes!

Thanks Grant. I don't make any apologies for not forging and I agree with you- call it what you will, it's all just working with metal to me. I appreciate the design process and welcome the opportunity to solve problems. I use what I have, I outsource when it makes sense, and I learn all that I can to get things done. I love to make things, and in some ironic twist, people pay me to do this. ;)

Sorry, I've been absent for a couple weeks. I've been working on a pair of gates for a client, which I agreed to have completed for his 60th birthday party (mar 27). All cor-ten steel (A588) angle and plate. I've included photos of the largest of the two (it is nearly complete). Not much forging here, but there are a few hot-set rivets and some hydraulic cold-forming. ;)

I was thinking about the style of this piece. Hard to define in a good way. I think it must be a Dillon original.

Nice work Mike. I like a lot. Graceful and substantial. I like what you did with the cutouts. Nice touch. What is the thickness on those plate panels? -DB