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Another order for Brisbane, Alexandr! Well done! I like the pipe idea for the candle holder too. (I wonder if you can pronounce 'Brisbane' properly. Our friends in the U.S. seem to have problems with that!)

Yeah, ragdolls like the creature comforts. Ours likes to sleep a lot.

Those Burman (?) cats look a bit nervous there, Mr Bean.

That is going to look fantastic, Das. The stem needs a bit of work yet, but don't fret over it.

Beautifully forged hinges there, Ted. We haven't seen any business card holders on here for a while. I made these two over the last couple of days. Had a new idea for the base instead of folding a lip on a piece of flat steel as I've done before. The bases on these are the eye ends of motor leaf springs. The curl of the eye holds the cards snuggly in place. Texas longhorn designs are popular here. Some I burnish and others I leave bright. Don't look closely at the welding - I do not profess to be a welder. The longhorns are forged from 8mm x 19mm mild bar.

Nice post, John. I think we can all think back to our early efforts and identify with the points you raised there. Nothing much to add, but I have seen more than one beginner who likes to hammer hard on the anvil with his head hovering directly above the workpiece. Maybe they just like to get a good look at what they're doing, but a missed hit or a slip with the steel can produce a savage rebound. Busted noses and black eyes are not part of the fun. Might be OK on a soggy cast iron ASO, but a lively anvil can really cause you some grief.

Nice that you saved Oliver, Grumpy. get a load of those massive paws! My wife thinks he's just beautiful. Sad for you, Billy, with the loss of Ziggy. All of us who have lost a faithful companion know what it's like. No shame in grieving, mate.

Alex, those snowfalls and icicles hanging from the roof make for stunning, most scenic photography, but I don't think I would like the clean up. I guess it all turns to mush when it thaws out. And you're right, at least we don't have to heat the house. The rain is warm. The sad thing is that while we are deluged with rain, just a couple of hundred kilometres west, the farmers and graziers are in severe drought. What a pity we can't even things out. With the rain falling, it's not too hot around the forge, which is a bonus at Christmas time. Our visitor numbers are down though. People down south get frightened when there is a sniff of a cyclone up here.

A 'light frost' alexander?? I like that. Stormy, at times cyclonic weather here. Nearby town had 680mm of rain overnight. That's life in the tropics. Even the birds are looking for shelter:

Something old - something new. Perhaps you will post a picture of the restored piece. BTW, hope you've got a good grip on that angle grinder! . Even with a side handle those things have a mind of their own at times.

Yep, that's a neat job too. Why are the guides that hold the dies offset from the hardy piece? Wouldn't it be an easier weld to attach them directly to the inch by inch? I must be missing something there. And yes, I can see that a bottom plate is redundant.

Yes, an old thread but interesting. I reckon the ice anvil idea would be a hit. How hard would it be to 3D print some plastic moulds in the shape of an anvil? Now there's a challenge for my work colleague Brasso and his 3D machine. Watch this space!

Ham and turkey may not have been to his liking! It has been hot lately though and there are lots of insects around. These gliders are nocturnal and perhaps he was partial to a mantis or a moth attracted to the lights to complement the usual diet of blossom, sap etc.

Not actually in the shop, but this little sugar glider came in through an open window in the house last night. Notice the folds of skin which allow it to glide. Beautiful creature.

Reeltree, that is about the neatest, compact guillotine I have seen. Are the pieces holding the dies sections of heavy gauge RHS tubing? And the steel into the hardy hole is solid or tubular? Neat welds and grey primer - really cool. More for the inspirations file.

I'm getting better with the wrought … still not good at drawing a sharp point without filing. I do like the satin textured finish that it has. Someone said that it's easier to fire weld than mild steel, so that's another thing to try. I have a few bars that would make interesting fire pokers if I can forge weld the business end.

Welcome, ADHD. That is a great shop set up you have there. Looking forward to seeing your work.

OK, back to the original post … I have been playing around with a few more of those cast bed bits. Got quite a few now. I'm thinking I might polish up a piece of timber and mount them for a hook rack. Here's how they turned out. Some better than others, but at least they were saved from the scrap. Unique anyway.

Some wonderful work over the last few posts. Inspirational! Ben, those hammers are exceptional. How lucky are you to have your own personal engraver on hand to put the finishing touches to your work! I have just been doing the same old fire pokers, bottle openers, toast forks, cobras, keyrings and endless bull and ram head designs. That's what the tourists like and they do sell well. After today's demo, I decided to try a couple of those knots in 6mm round, after seeing the ones posted here. I messed the first one up (left) but it still made an interesting shape so I kept it. The other three in the picture worked better. Interesting to see the difference in texture between the old wrought iron and the mild. Looking forward to a day off the forge on Christmas Day .. back again on Boxing Day. (Our first grandson was born last week and we are off to Townsville for Christmas Day) Hope everyone on here has a safe and happy Christmas.

Beautiful knife! Seems to me there is as much craftmanship in the handle as in forging the blade. One complements the other nicely. Great job anyway.

Magnificent fire set, Alexandr. And good to hear it's coming to Australia!

Thomas Powers wrote in another thread: Picking pieces of steel out of your flesh is not one of my "favorite things" though it does rank higher than peeling once molten plastic from your burns. I can attest to that. I shovelled a scoop of charcoal onto the forge a couple of days ago and in it there was a scrap of woven plastic from the charcoal bag. I put the shovel down and then, without thinking, flicked the scrap of plastic off the forge. It had already started to melt and stuck to my finger. That is a real wake-up call. And it still seems to burn under the quench. Hammer hand, too. Yep, molten plastic - treat with caution!

Sorry to her of your loss Irondragon. Things like that leave you with a hollow feeling. Some people are just a waste of perfectly good oxygen. Maybe a big dog will protect you against further loss. We have a great watch dog. She would sit there and watch anyone take what they want.

OK, Brasso, you've seen John's pics. Let's have some of those blade guards!!

Thanks John and TP. I don't do much commission work … these pokers go straight into the shop and they seem to sell well regardless of the alignment of the working end. I think as a general rule, I will make them like the one in the photo, as a small rotation of the wrist either way makes them function well.