David Browne

Ah, c'mon Mike, You only asked what the parent material was... Upset the round bar on end into a 1/2" thick round "puck". This bulges and softens the sides, Turn the puck on edge and Fuller in a smithin magician or spring fuller under the hammer from both sides to isolate the 4 petals. Flatten under the power hammer. Use a big bob to dimple three of the petals (the fourth becomes the stem). One last flatten under the power hammer...Lather, rinse, repeat. -DB

Dave Mudge out of Louisiana inflated a fish and made a really cool lamp out of it on one of the old Modern Masters TV episodes. Come to think of it now, Modern Masters is where I first saw a young Danger Dillon working a 50lb little giant and a hossfeld bender...Good times! -DB

Mike, thanks for posting the pictures. That is a really clean implementation. Stuff like that really sucks up time in the shop for me. I'm not always the brightest bulb in the string when it comes to working out those types of details. I design and redesign and agonize based on all sorts of doomsday scenarios...If I was more scientific and less artistic, I could just trust the math. :huh:

Michael, Since you mentioned "clover detail"...Strange side story here. When initially speaking with this client about the design for the railing, she gave me complete freedom to design anything that I thought would be appropriate within a framework of the California Spanish style. Her only specific requests were the sweeping curve at the Newell post, and that she would really like the rail to be side mounted. I started playing around with shapes for the side mounts and came up with what I referred to as a clover motif. I liked it, so I made a small railing sample and presented it. She pulled me aside and asked me why I chose a clover detail. At this point, I was kind of nervous. I said, I'm not sure why, it just seemed to fit with the house, and I liked it... As it turns out, clovers are very special to her, and the clover as a symbol reminds her of happy times spent as a child with her mother and her grandmother searching for four leaf clovers on their property in Nebraska. Needless to say, the clover motif made it into the front gate and the window grill as well. OK, back to your question...parent material. I forged all the clovers separately and then welded them into the pickets. Each clover started off as 1 1/2" round bar about 2" long. Can you guess how I did it? -DB

This railing is part of the same job from late 2009 as the gate I posted earlier.

Mike- Nice bird! Heavy things have such a cool, slow, solid, powerful flow of movement to them...I would also like to see a shot of the bearing system you devised. -DB

Well, it's been raining for a week. That NEVER happens here. I feel like I'm in Larry and NakedAnvil's state of Washington. On Monday I had 20" of water trying to make its way into the front door of the shop (some did). I now have sandbags stacked two feet high at all entrances to the shop. The storm is supposed to break tonight. That's good, cause I really need to get back to work. In the meantime, I thought I would post a couple projects from late last year that haven't made it to the website yet.

Billy, I love your shop. That is some serious history you have there. Really nice that you are keeping it going. I've always told myself, it is never about the building, or even the tools that you have (or don't have). It is about always doing the best work that you can with the tools that you have at any given time.

Sorry Larry, I couldn't resist. I'm anxious to see some of the hydraulics in place when you get further along.

Dave, Nice job bringing that hammer back! It's a beauty. -DB

Larry, Very cool project. Apparently bending tables in the pacific northwest are not required to undergo steroid testing (anyone can plainly see that your herky bending table is obviously on the juice). If Mark McGwire and Sanford and Son had a baby, it would be this bending table... -DB

Beautiful shop Michael. I also recognize the years of hard work that goes into paying for something like that. Well done. Now how about a shot with all the stuff... -DB

This is so much better than reality TV...

Beth, Dave, Rileyrock, Thomas and everyone, thanks for the welcome. Paul, thank you, but believe me, I don't have this backwards. It seems the more I learn, the more this craft humbles a person. I learn from everybody. I am astounded by the amount of talent and knowledge assembled in this forum. It seems there is no problem that can't be solved. My ultimate goal is to come across a problem so complex, yet so subtle that it will even stump the "old Curmudgeon" up north (Grant). -DB

dsopac, PM sent.

Jason, I'm lucky, my wife does all the photography for the business. She is currently using a Canon 40D. She has several lenses for it including a wide angle, but the shot above was taken with the standard lens that came with the camera. I have an ancient Canon G2 that I personally use for job sites and shop progress photos. -Dave

Thanks Mark! I appreciate the info. -DB

Dave, Yup, it's a Bradley upright compact (100# model)

244# Serial No. A4461

I was unable to locate a rawhide pulley for my hammer so I had an aluminum pully made for it. Seems to work fine, but i don't have anything to compare it to. I gotta think leather would take up quicker...

Shoe-horned into about 1500 SF of commercial industrial space.

Ahhhh, the 70's...Foghat, ZZ Top and Yater Swage Blocks. The picassa pictures came through fine. Nice score on the Yater blocks and a cool glimpse of how simple things used to be.

Old motor = ready-made jackshaft. Great tip "Elder" Grant. This would have really come in handy when I was repowering my Bradley. Why is it that the obvious always has a way of eluding me...

It looks pretty clean from the photo. My first anvil was a 146 lb Peter Wright in about the same condition. I paid $325 for it. I could have waited for a better deal, but I couldn't wait to get started smithing. If you can get it for $250, great! If you can afford to pay $300 for it, a couple years down the road it won't really matter...

Thanks Michael. The Bradley has been a great hammer for me. Although I must admit, seeing these big hammers that you and several others are using has ignited my tool envy. My bank account could be in serious trouble... The fire screen is silicon bronze (655 series).