Gergely

Not only telling but when I'm in the mood may try to show them. I wish I could find a better way to secure my anvil that way

Ordered 5kg of 300x8mm nails. I have had some difficulties on the "what to do while at a fair" topic so this is a big help from you, Aus! Thanks again for the idea! I intend to tell people this is coming from OZ. Bests: Gergely

Thank you again, Guys! Your help is very very much appriciated! John, your suggestion about the one hour sketches has come right in time. I've successfully buried myself in detailed drawing of the railing while I only wanted to know the number of welding points. And of course without the exact dimensions it's not so fun to draw in scale. So let's jump forward. As much as I can see it now I want to make the 6 m long railing from 4 pieces of 1,5 m sections. Its design goes something like this in the picture: Although this is a fence and no staircase railing, but the main concept is the same. I have to solve the questions -how to break it into four sections? and -which is better for the arch joining: punching holes like in the picture or take the arch a bit out of plane without joining them together? I made a rough but detailed price list for the materials of the railing. It shows that my original guesstimate price is clearly low. The material costs are above the half of the total, and even if there is not a single hammer blow on the whole work it is not gonna be decent price at the end. It looks like there will be at least 240 weld in the whole structure. I have to think about this more... Thank you all for your valuable contributions! Bests: Gergely

I can't find words to describe how thankful I am for these great inputs from all of you! I did hope for some answers but this flood of very useful thoughts... I can't really say anything else but: THANK YOU so much! I try to do the main thinking through and basic math during the weekend. I keep you posted how it goes, if you don't mind. For now I must head back to bed because I'm only sleepwalking right now Bests: Gergely

For a while now I have tried to make my own by blacksmithing and metalwork. I can't say I've done it very dandy but indeed I've learned a lot, and slowly commmisions have started pouring in. I don't worry because I did know that it was going to be a slow process and I can see it changing right now. The reason I'm writing of is the frightening feeling I've felt since two days before, when I was asked to give a calculation plan for the almost complete ironwork of a small hotel. They gave me the design instructions, but I can offer them a plain/simple version and a fancier version. I couldn't get the actual calculations done yet but it seems it's gonna be one big chunk of bacon. The job consists of making 6m of staircase railings, and wrought iron framing for 10 beds, 16 nightstands and 8 tables. Also 8 big candle holders and one blackboard holder to make. Starting time will be in April (not totally sure yet) and possible deadline will be in 4 months. I haven't done any of those earlier. Although I have the necessary basic skills. It requires some but not major investments in the workshop. And mostly it requires way more discipline and perseverance in my work moral for achieving faster workspeed. The biggest problem is to understand: am I capable of doing such thing. - If they give the green light and I can do all the stuff well, it means I'm in the business on a whole new level. But if I'm failing that takes me down pretty ugly. Other problem is that back in a while I was offered a job of my old workplace. I said yes with one exception: I submit a tender for financing my blacksmithing/ironworking business - if it is successful and I get money to go on with my business then I won't go back to my old job. There is no word about the tender and the old/new job starts in April. If my tender looses I can't really go on with my business (unless I am doing this big comission) so I need the old/new job. One thing is sure: I have to think through and plan everything considering this commission. NOt only that can be the way to give a suitable price but also to think trough the technology of making these things step-by-step. Hopefully doing so will show the weak points of my skills and let me find the difficulties to solve. Thank you for reading this all. I really don't want anyone to solve my problems but if you have some comments to share please do so. It helped me already to write these things out of my mind and have some sort of path to start on. Bests: Gergely

Nice!! Very well done and I'm really happy to see you got to green-button day Happy smashing! Gergely

Link doesn't work for me g

Allright, you got me. Let's see what you are capable of Am rooting for you. One technical thing: please do something with the camera or the picture that it won't be a vertical slice only. Bests and keep posting! Gergely PS: It took me a while to realize that I understand your Swedish (well, not actually but bits and pieces) because it's the Finnish-Swedish dialect. Was fun to hear.

Hi Valdemar and welcome! You've shown us some serious work and beautiful pictures. Thank you and keep them coming! Greatings from the Carpathian Basin ! Gergely

Hi HH, I'm sorry to hear those were rebars, they looked so nice... I'm sure though you will find there some good forging material. Around here fork lift tines are the stuff that yard people don't like to sell, only when those are broken (the tines). Happy diggin', have fun! PS: One hint: I found thick walled square tubes are rare to find and very useful when you want to develop your workshop.

I can't say this is the best wood chopping tool I've ever seen but hands down I like it bigtime! Post apocalypse was my first thought, too... I'm sure this was real fun to make! Good job. Bests: Gergely

For me sitting is killing bad when this sort happens. (BTW a couple months ago I had the exact same accident you described.) Sauna is one thing that remedies all muscle spasm pain. Resting and clever moving also works for me. By clever moving I mean softly and slowly moving the parts in pain - as stretching it a bit, but stretch is really an ouchful word in this case Take care, Aus, take it slow... Bests: Gergely

That's a good one for a T-shirt, Thomas! With some visual add, as an anvil. I know I'd buy that T-shirt

Very cool design, Aus, consider it stolen if you don't mind Also good to hear about the international cooperation of the IFI blacksmiths. Bests: Gergely

Hi, and welcome HardHead! Aren't scrapyards the best?! I could fill a truck in a place like the one you pictured If I were you and the yard people let you buy stuff, I'd pick 3 pieces of those reddish stock marked on the picture. It looks like it's not too thick for hand forging. It also looks to be in 6m long sections which may mean it's likely some simple structural steel (= easy to forge). It's painted which means it's not rusted to death (although rust IS our good friend, as it means no poisonous surface). You have to remove the paint, do it with caution. Having ~18 meters of that stock enables you to practice basic forging techniques and make some stuff out of it. If you can find some 8-12mm square stock that's gonna be good, too. For starter tool steel I'd buy some new stock. 18-20 mm dia round 4140 (= 42CrMo4, 1.7225, SCM440H) will serve you good for all hand tools. Have fun! Oh, just one more word: Srapyard rule nr1: If you haven't took it you won't find it anymore. Best wishes: Gergely

That was a very kind and useful answer, Alan. Thank you for your time to write it. Bests: Gergely

Congrats on the extraorinarily executed job! Read through the whole thread and it's very informative. I'm really happy to see your process towards your goal. Hopefully everything goes all right and shortly we can see the mounted hammer in work. Bests and keep on! Gergely

Cool work! I like the the flower the best! g

Wow, Thomas, that's a mighty great idea! I have to look up whether they sell those soft bricks around here. I could imagine some copper work in the nastiest days of the winter. Bests: Gergely

Nice stuff, thanks for vid, James! It looks like an old Ajax type but with very cool modifications. That slip-in die changing is the coolest of all. Also it's very elegant and pretty, not as stubby as the Ajaxes. To the home-built PH thing: I was considering and also started to build a hammer. (Actually one like Stormcrow has ) But facing the many many problems I jumped right in when I saw a PH for sale in the next town. As I calculated afterwards I even got it cheaper then a home-built. - And I think this model Tubbe has is way more difficult to build than James's. Don't know your background, only sharing what I think. Bests: Gergely

This topic went quite dead after my last post so I try to revive it mainly out of guilt These are my newest keyrings. Inspired by Colleen Du Pon's ammonites but rethinking the concept from my repurposing view. (So maybe: remmonites) Made of some copying machine parts. As supplying these parts was short I made the one in the right from some long (150mm / 6") self tapping screws, it's also scrap material. Thanks for watching: Gergely

Hi and thanks for all the input! Yesterday I experimented with some spring steel. Was shaping an L from a 4"x3"x7/8" piece. While forming the stem it twisted real nice. I saw it coming just couldn't get any better control, also the shortness of the workpiece made hard to see good alignment. From the same reason the opposite angle correction wasn't possible. Still managed to get it right as I had plenty of mass to deal with: simply forged in the twisted corner lines, and re-established the square cross section. I was pretty happy until I totally messed up punching a hole in it I thought I report in. (Also found a tap wrench like the one in the middle of Alan's picture.) Bests to all: Gergely

Just found Claudio Bottero's FB page. There is some advanced bowl making stuff around dec.8-9. Worth to look at his other works, too. Merry Christmas! Gergely

Hey Guys, Let me join to the dishing fun! I really like what you do and read/looked it with much amusement! On the other hand I like it hot So these babies here are made of a bit thicker plate (5mm stainless and 6mm mild) under power hammer with bearing ball tools. The candleholders are right out of the fire - sorry for the clumsy picture. You can see the texture better here: Bests wishes to all: Gergely

Oh my !! That looks nasty!