OUTBACK FORGE

Well been awhile since Ive been on here so thought I would post up a project or two. Sorry to hear about Toby Hickman as I have meet him a few times up at Fritz Hagists Octoberfest a few times. Was able to cook with him up there and shoot the you know what with him. Great Smith and great friend.He will be remembered and never forgotten. Well back to me posting my couple of handle projects for a plow disk cooking platter's.

Very well made and thought out. Great detail in the Calla Lilly and the base using metal rivets.

Here is my LMF anvil that my grand parents help buy for me at a CBA conference. It is numbered 015. It is a 175 lb. I mounted it on a Doug Fir timber from when I used to work at the sawmill. Then added my own tool holders to it. Also used our lumber banding tool to keep it together.

Here is my Outback Forge shop for the time being. Since I live in Sunny California its mostly sunny so no need for a roof yet except for an occasional rain then I bring out the canopy.

Thanx Frosty. Ya been in and out of RC for about 20 yrs. Just got back into it pretty heavy with the new Lipo batteries and the Scale rigs. Lot of fun and cheaper than are quads were. We sold them and replaced them with RC rigs for the whole family. The Forging hobby has been since my sophmore year in highschool when I met Tom Dudkowski up at the college when I started taking college courses in welding. He was an awesome guy and we spent a lot of time together at his shop in Janesville,Ca. He had a awesome old school shop setup. I belonged to CBA for about 5 years then when I moved to Lincoln,Ca for a full time job I had about a 10 year lapse in no forging or metal work. Real bummer and I forgot how much fun it was and all the friends I made during that time. Loved being able to meet Master Blacksmith's like E.A. Chase, Dorothy Stiegler,Toby Hickman,Tom Joyce when I went to Frank Turley's smith school, and many other's. Here is one of the Belt Buckle's from E.A. Chase that I won in Iron in the hat years ago at Fritz's Oktoberfest. Also a couple pics of a rose that I made this weekend out of Stainless Steel. Just the petals are SS. I will be sand blasting them when I get to work to make them shinier so you can aactually tell that they are SS. Just throwing in a cutout I did as well for the Grandparents for there yard that I cut out of SS with the plasma cutter. If I need to post that some where else I can.

Thanx Frosty. Here is a couple pics of today forging

It was great. There was 5 of us and as are leaving project on the last week we made him a sign that said Old Fossil Forge. The letters were all forged from scratch and the cicle was done the same way. It was around $1500 for the month 5 days a week and that was back in 1994. Galen

Thanx Guy's I am in Redwood Valley,Ca. Glad to find a forum on Smithing. I will have to keep the Weaverville hammer in in mind. Thanx Steve. I just got into Volunteer fire fighting here in Redwood Valley as well so I can put out any fires a may start. HAHA. Lots of great things to be had and to enjoy in smithing so it will be fun for me to be back into it. Outback Forge em--grb700@ymail.com

Here is a few pics of my Gas Forge and projects.

Galen Base Redwood Valley,Ca Basic Blacksmithing ie, Metal Roses, BBQ tools, fire place sets, rose arbors, candle holders, Trinkets. From a friend, mentor and Former Master Blacksmith 1992 Anvil from Grand Father Portable Champion Blower Tom Dudkowski was the man for helping me get started and getting me to Frank Turley's Blacksmithing school Fritz Hagist's Oktoberfest 1994 Plasma Cutter HAHA. I love my LMF anvil that my grandparents bought me. My first Brand new 175 lb. Anvil. Never stop learning and asking questions. Never stop practicing either. Keep in touch with your fellow Blacksmith's as life is short. Live hard Smith harder and tell stories of the times you have had and of the lives you have touched. I have seen a lot of amazing people as E.A. Chase and his breath taking Lamps, Tom Joyce when I was in New Mexico with Frank Turley, Toby Hickman and his famous 3 egg omelet's at Oktoberfest, John Mclellan and his Japanese Damascus swords, Dorothy Stiegler as she helped me improve my rose making, Kirk McNiel and hammering on the spring anvil at Oktoberfest after a few beer's, Erin Simmons and owning one of his magnificent hammers. This is just to name a few that i have had the pleasure to meet and enjoy their knowledge.

Well just joined as of tonight as I was looking for some info on a Friend that I learned Blacksmithing from. His name was Tom Dudkowski. I found out about a year ago that he had passed. I was devastated that I had not kept in contact after he had moved up to Oregon to help take care of his mom. I had moved away from Susanville where I had met Tom and his Family. It was where I grew up and went to school. Tom was by far one of the best Guys to work with and learn from. I was about 16 when I met Tom when I started taking college coarses in welding. I was going to his house on the weekends learning Blacksmithing and to techniques of metal work. He got me interested in signing up with CBA and then went to most of the conferences with him and my grandparents. Then he had mentioned to me about jumping up to the next level and study under a Master Blacksmith. That is how I got to meet Frank Turley in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I went there and spent a month studying under Frank. What a great school and great Blacksmith. Tom was my inspiration in studying metal and the art of it. My down side was moving away from Susanville and getting away from Blacksmithing. Well now where I am at I am able to get my shop back together again and start back up Forging some metal. I built my own Gas Forge from Plans I got from Tom, accumulated numerous tongs and tooling. My grandparents helped buy me a 175 lb LMF anvil. Have a small 4" blacksmith vise and a small portable Coal Forge with a hand crank blower attached to it. So this is just a start for me here and hope to chat with a few of ya and will get some pics posted up later of my metal work and shop. Galen