nelson

John, Excuseme if I appear to be ignorant about damascus welding, I am in fact. The question is: when will you know the billet reaches weld heat inside the SS pipe? Guess SS gat to be very red hot so the inside piece is about that huh... Nelson.

Finnr, Thanks for the video, I couldn`t explain the process so well! I myself would have liked seeing this video to save a bit time and pipe from going into the scrap pile. You know, the hard part is not the bamboo, not the rust look, but to get a deep eaten up pattern. The picture doesn`t show the beauty of what nature did by itself. I tried to take a pic right from top but the light reflection and my poor photo taking abilities didn`t help. LOL. nelson.

Chad, as you may know, the process of bamboo is not difficult at all. What I`ve found out is that given the same variables, namely pipe, heat source, same device to fuller, etc, if you put to guys to make bamboo canes, they will come out different and depending on how much attention you pay to details, the outcome will show the quality and refinement of your work. Well, isn`t that how it goes for anything else? Don`t mean to bragg about anything, but for those younger guys who are starting, that may be a little advise to benefit from. THANKS. Nelson.

Hi Alwin, Few finishes compete for that organic natural look, with rust contrasting with polished portions of metal. And what about having differents elements like bottle racks, tables, and "grape vine" gates and windows in a cellar or a restaurant just to mention some. It got to be a trip! Thanks Alwin. Nelson.

Hey Dodge nice rustic gate. The most interesting thing about this table is the deep (bet.1-2 mm) irregular concave depressions caused by long exposure outdoors. Once ground and polished the rust cavities just look gorgeous according to people that see it. One thing I`d like trying is to use a strong acid after randomly protecting portions of metal till the acid eats to desired depth, then just follow the rest... Thanks. nelson.

Frosty, That`s a real good idea. Nonetheless, the problem I had making this table was warpping due to the heat as I layed beads with arc weld to give it that texture you see on the thickness of the table. I had to clamp,suplement and heat many times to straigthen it. Big pain in the ..., and all that extra work must have accounted for 25% of the total time. After all the darn thing still ended up a bit warpped on top as one may notice lengthwise. Oh well, a bummer but I discovered how to avoid that problem: don`t do that kind of texturing LOL. Nelson.

Frosty, I wish I could do what nature does so beautifully. There`s got to be a way that may come close by using acids, and protecting partially the steel to get irregular depressions in the metal here and there huh. Thanks . nelson.

Alwin, Not to be redundant, but believe me it`s beautiful. Congratulations! Nelson.

Alwin I don`t mean to be the party pooper here you know, but I`m curious about the grape vine term because I never saw grape clusters like those. I guess my comment probably is more scientific (as a Viticulture major) than artistic. On the other hand, that`s art and one may name it at will, right. What about Wild Vine, as there are similar species with berry clusters like those? No offense ok, and let me tell you that your Grape Vine is gorgeous regardless of anything, and I love it ! nelson.

Thanks Element, ChrisB, and Chadj. Actually my guess is it weighs about 80 lbs, and it`s true we don`t move it around too often.Nelson.

Hi Don, The straps or braces, are just 1/2"x1/8" steel plate heated and wrapped around legs, just as you would if you were actually tying real bamboo with strips of leather or even flat vines as in a native way so to speak. Those straps and the legs to the top, all have plenty welding that you won`t see. The rustic and and organic look is my favorite. Nelson.

This a steel table I made recently, the top was made of a 7 mm thick steel plate that had been laying around for over 15 years, so the rust nibbled in a nice pattern that appeared as I ground and polished the surface... Nelson.

Hi Paul, Although I`ve never done any forged bowls, it sounds very atractive trying,..some day. My closest guess is that it requires a lot of skill and hammering to achieve such nice bowls. Just curiosity about this last bowl you posted, how long did it take to complete it? My ignorant guess: 6 days ?? Thanks for bowling tips too. Nelson.

Jeff, I was not interested in any plans or specific measurements at all. My interest is more focused on understanding basic principles at work for a reasonably well designed JYH. I have some plans with measurements and enough close ups of many home made power hammers. Since I`ve only had experience with hand hammers, little tips like the ones you give here as other bits collected from other people, are of great help and sure feel confortable enough to make my own. Following exact directions is sort of boring to me, and I prefer to incorporate my own ideas to achieve what best fits my needs, after all is like having to make your own pants, nobody better than you knows where`s too tight and how they feel on you. That "whip action" concept (which I completely ignored up to now) makes so much sense. Namely one could talk about a motor-off stroke and a mottor-on stroke, the latter being longer due to the spring inertia generated at the power source... gee I don`t know if that made sense, but I sure know what you mean. I`m ready to jump into this trial/error thing. Thanks so much Jeff. Nelson.

Hi Jeff, Your power hammer making looks very good. My elbow has been telling me lately I`d better get some kind of mechanical hammer. So after doing some research it seemed appropiate to ask experienced guys about a few details, before I start making my own. Right up you say:"I could load the shaft if needed." Does that mean you could change to a larger bolted steel block as shown on your pic? And if so, what about the working height, would you adjust that then? I understand the 10 bolts clamping what it seems to be a two-part ram guide, but the portion of the ram guide facing outwards shows two bolts or nuts, is that plate holding some brass or something for friction against the ram? And last, what is that chain gear for located left of the power shaft? Jeff, sorry for asking so many questions, don`t mean to highjack your tech, just have a big tangle of information in my head and need a bit of help to say the least! This would be the FIRST power hammer I ever get to work with, so I`m very excited about rigging up something that`ll work well. For what I can see, your hammer would give about 4-5 stroke/second if the motor turns at 1750 rpm??? Jeff it may sound off the wall but I thought about adding a second pulley on the power shaft, so I could have a slow option for more delicate work. What do you think about this wacky idea? Thanks so much for any input, and any help from other people, will be appreciated too. nelson.

Hi Paul, Your bowl is simply gorgeous! Excuse my ignorance, but what do you do to keep the wooden forming block from catching on fire with the red hot steel you beat on it? Incidentally, you`re probably the right blacksmith to ask this question: could a cooking pot be forged the same way, and would the mild steel used be appropiate for cooking, say once the pot`s been cured? Any input will be appreciated. Nelson.

:confused:Sorry, this is another double post of mine and I don`t seem to be able to delete them. Can anybody tell me how to do it? Thanks. Nelson.

Howdy Bentiron1946, Oldie is suppossed to be a pretty old horse, and as will happen to all of us some day, we will probably need a pair of wheels to move about, and they too may end up wearing out or breaking off as it happened to Oldie`s right leg wheel...Thanks. nelson.

Tery, until now I`ve working with basic tools and equipment like arc welding and O/A torch, so it seems other easier-to-work-with materials like cement and wood, have filled a void left by lack of a gas forge and a power hammer. At the time I`m studying how to make a propane forge and a JYH, wich should become a big asset to my low tech shop.In the mean time I may work a little longer with mix media which I love anyway. Thanks. nelson.

Yes Frosty, it`s magic you don`t turn into a snow man in those freezing temperatures. In regards to editing my profile, I finally did it. When it comes to computer stuff and since I`m self taught on that too, I`m a real nerd! Anyhow, my parents migrated from Spain to Venezuela-South-America in 1958, where we were born. Lived in Spain a few years,and nearly seven in California-US, where attended college. Great learning experience in the broadest sense. Family affairs for the most part pulled me back to these lands where I live now. Here frosty temps are between 80`s -100`s all year round depending on what part of the country and season. At times it feels like one`s gonna melt. The weather has been crazy here too, even got hail a few years back at 250 mt altitud. In the tropics is like your getting to 80 degrees now in February in Alaska, or something like that. You know when I see those documentals of Alaska in National Geographic, they just blow my mind. The wilderness with those magnificent grizzly bears... anyone coming near your backyard? Hope not, hear they`re a little rough to say the least. The city I live is about 500 miles from the Amazone bordering Brazil, and where La Gran Sabana ( Amazonian Great Plains) unfolds some amazing sites too. As I get a chance, I`d post some interesting pics. When the ac temp in our home gets to 23 celsius, about 40 farenheit I guess, my wife tells me to turn the thing up `cause it`s too cold, LOL. I tell her she ain`t seen cold yet, as some people get to many degrees below zero in the north. As I lived in Spain and US, sure know what it feels like to have one`s nose,ears, fingers, and toes, not to mention other body parts, in pain and as if they were about to fall off! When I get money I`d like to travel, but I`m not sure it`ll be in the winter time Frosty, so I could help you fork out some hay, or take some blows at the anvil in summer though. Anyway, thanks for your hospitality, and you know there`s a place for you here too. Our house is very country looking, and my shop is a low tech open shed under two big trees. You may flip over and laugh when I post some pics... Keep yourself warm. nelson.

Hi Brian, Here you go again! Surely many people appreciate your creativity and generosity. and I believe you could write a book on tutorials. Today I was showing my wife the humming bird you forged in one hour time. When I get my propane forge going I`ll give it a try and sure would be glad to get something close even if it takes me whole day or more, LOL. Thanks for sharing so much experience. Nelson.

This is Oldie (Caballo Viejo, old horse in Spanish), made of cement, mild steel and wood that came from an almost completely rotten log, that after cleaning to sound wood, carving, sanding and staining turned into a nice base. Made in 2008. Measurements :59 x 52 x 27 cms.

Jedsdad05, Adam end Fe-wood: thanks for all your kind comments. As a newbie, it`ll take me some time to check everyone`s work and comment as appropiate, but I`m doing so, not only on this Metal Sculpture and Carvings section, as all parts are of some interest, and there`s something to learn from everyone! Fe-Wood, this was the first time I attempted that sort of technique, and as I`m self taught for the most part, there`s a lot of draw-and-erase sort of approach, so the second time around it would take me about one month and a half to have the piece complete. It took 2 months, I know it`s an awful long time, but I have to admit that building up the surface to desire shape getting that sort of texture is just not economically recomended. Well, art is that way too often, and the profit is not always proportionate to the effort, but what the heck, we keep on doing it... lol.nelson.

Sorry guys this replaces a double post as I unsuccessfully tried to delete it. Nelson.

Hi Brian, As a newbie to this site, and newbie to forging so to speak,I`m sure many like me appreciate your excellent tutorials. That`s very generous from your part, and in regards to the humming bird and the octo, man they`re great ! Congratulations. Nelson.