beth

hi karen thanks for the reply i will def look up on brians posts sure their will be more diamonds !! wot i meant about the lessons was a live blueprints thing i keep seeing mentioned - its probably really obvious to everyone else but i dont know wot it is! the reason i thought it might be late night or early (too early!) for me is only coz im in uk.. i can do late night ( at huge cost;)) less so early morn.. ps do you do any forgework yourself??

brian your calm confidence is something i aspire to - thanks for the posts. you are not only a gifted blacksmith but also a natural at explaining - i will watch out for more lessons ! what are the lessons that people are reffering to ? are they something that i could look at in uk or would it be in the middle of the night?

lovely lovely pictures and instructions too - thanks for being generous enough to share your skills - you make it look so simple:) the pictures make a huge difference to understanding the techniques, thanks again. lucky you karen - the rings are so pretty!

what a lovely idea for your friends - id be so chuffed to get a handmade present - they all look great. congratulations for you wedding hope its a good day and the start of a great life together:)

hi there ratel - i like both ideas but i reckon maybe the five one more becasue its very unusual and personal - which like you say is a good talking point. the rivermead idea is very nice but you risk being confused with other folksy sounding forges? The 5squared name is definately not what youd expect a forge to be called, which could be a refreshing change..:)

well said ted - the personal touch is much appreciated - if i am refered to an old thread i understand the reason, but it can make you feel like your questions are not very relevent - when actually anyones questions are very relevent to them! Mostly every response on here is personal and tailor made for the level of the question which is the only way to respond in my opinion, and shows a friendly generous open mind:)

love it wagon master! :)

i have the same issue - have you tried John N on the forum? helpful anyang uk dealer...

thankyou brian - thats very straightforward now ive been told! very nice tool:)

great work - you obviously have a lot of confidence!

the courses you have over there are so much more frequent and varied than what we can get in uk..! sounds fascinating. Hate to sound stupid but i dont actually know what that great looking tool is used for - was hoping someone would explain in their post but im just going to have to ask! someone please put me out of my misery...:)

looks wicked uncle cliff - love how youve made it up nice not just bodged it! its going to be a pleasure to use!

thanks a lot brian what beautifully clear instructions - and good ideas. its easy to forget (i imagine!) that beginners need really simple clear instructions in order to gain anything from the more experienced smiths on IFI - i really value those kind of lessons thankyou! great clear pics too!

interested to see the feathers - likin' the table too:)

i didnt realise you could tumble metal things! scuse my ignorance but is this process for getting it polished ? would love to see some pics of the pieces when they have been tumbled and would they have differnt quality to pieces polished in other ways? thanks! :)

i agree with mark - its tricky but you should be charging for your time in the same way and along the same lines initially as any skilled self employed person in your area - your time spent with a client or even the time you spend thinking about/planning the job (which actually there is no limit to) should be paid for in your quote. i find the whole thing very difficult as someone starting out. Your hourly rate should not even be in the same conversation as somebody who is not self employed! good luck!:)

i once had a ceramic chip forge but i couldnt get on with it at all - just couldnt seem to get it hot enough - it had a firebrick/fireclay kind of base with air from beneath and 5 or 6 inches of chips. maybe the pieces i was trying to heat were too heavy for it? i dunno. got rid anyway - my little gas forge heats up really quick too like thomas just said. does your chip forge sound different to mine bquinner? im intrigued coz mine should have been fine - it was used in a shcool...

john i personally really like how few rivets there are in your bowl it looks so beautiful and calm - many more would really change it. like bentiron said tho, it never harms to experiment. really love the bowl!

hi there loki - i reckon you'll find stacks of help on here- loads of knowledge on all that cutting stuff! not from me sadly - im an artist - but its all so interesting i read it anyway! good luck with whatever you try, beth

love your gate artemis! ive a long way to go:)

im with avadon - it would make a brill little side blast forge - and if it doesnt no probs - leave it lying about as suggested till something else strikes you. wouldnt throw it out tho! maybe some outdoor cooking use?? brazier? camping oven? fire bowl?

yeah i got mine up to date its best if your always cutting yourself ( i am annoyingly) doesnt it help for dog bites too or maybe i imagined that... not an everyday hazard for a blacksmith anyway...:)

frosty is right - less than perfect often is perfect - its a sweetie - hope you find its friend!

that sounds very fast to me - but i have tiny experience with power hammer work - how many leaves are in the forge at once ? id like to see pic of forge too.. the leaves look fantastic they look soft

the machines sound great brad - i never even heard of them so any pics info is fabulous cheers!