ausfire

A bit sore in the hammer elbow today, so the demo was limited to light stuff. Made a few knot keyholders. The copper one was a bit of a challenge. It likes to melt and is fragile when tightening the knot. Got there on the second try. Also made a wall hook from an old piano pedal. It could sit nicely with the treble clef hooks that musical people like.

Joey, the information came from Slag, not me. Mr Slag, I don't think you will be censured for your comments. They are pertinent to the topic of treating Blacksmith's Elbow, as per the original post. And it is certainly something many of us are interested in. I had two very heavy work days last weekend (our annual Pioneer Days) with demos all day. Had to pull up at one stage with right elbow pain. A day off today has helped.

Yes, riverbank clay will do the job. Here is Australia we like to use termite mound. very similar consistency to clay when wet. Your English is excellent. Even a little American influence there?

I guess she was dwarfed by the mass of that croc!

Wow, with neighbours that close, how will you limit anvil noise??

That's a nice antique. I haven't seen a blower like that before. I'm not sure about how it's used and will stand corrected, but if it were mine I would probably build up the tray with clay, sloping down to the level of the grate. I couldn't see an ash dump there anywhere but guess that underneath the tray is some way of releasing ash build up. Anyway, just fire it up and see how it goes. Bonne chance!

Quote: DMSO :This is a schedule 6 poison according to the Australian Government Poisons Manual, and as such not allowed to be recommended for internal or external use in humans or animals. This is not a schedule 2 therapeutic good. There's always someone who will spoil things!

Autumn weather here now. Cooling a little after a hot and humid wet season. This year we had a reasonable wet, with severe flooding in Townsville. Skies are crystal clear tonight for the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Worth getting up at 3am for.

Yeah, Mike, she's good with the chooks and guinea fowl, but let a rabbit or bandicoot show up and it's game on. We have a few acres for her to run around and find things to herd up. She's as fast as a kangaroo too.

No way am I going to put pink pool noodles on my vice! I can just imagine the comments. Hasn't been much of a problem for me - maybe two blood blister bites a few years ago. Pain teaches you not to go there again. Just be aware the vice handle is out to getcha.

Our collie, Penny, is usually not far away from the smithy while I'm working there. With that much fur, she's wise enough to keep a safe distance from sparks!

Thanks Ben. She's not a Sheltie, but I think she would get along well with yours. Mine is a Collie Rough. They used to call them Scotch Collies. Anyway, just like the one(s) that played Lassie in the movies. I'll find a better pic for the Blacksmith Pets section.

Hope you get some Spring soon. You've had a tough winter.

Ha ha. That's good. Sort of thing I would expect from an Australian!! Except we would call it a dunny, not a bathroom. I shudder to think what the resident IFI punsters will do with this one.

Thanks for suggestions. Shabumi, I think the truck liner might be a bit gooey … it's the intricacies of the work you really want to keep. Waxing or masking the eyes could work well. Irondragon, I researched Ballistol and found it is available in Australia (even close by in Cairns). It's advertised mainly as a lubricant and to protect gun metal, so it may be a good choice. Perhaps I'll get some and try it out. I have a few rifle barrels that could do with some treatment anyway. At $50 for a spray can it isn't cheap, but after all the hours I've put into that croc, I want it to have a good finish. Thanks.

Ted, I showed the door knocker to my wife and she said she would love to have that on the door. I would pinch your idea, but I know I couldn't make a beautifully machined anvil top like that. It's gone into my inspirations file anyway. Lovely work, sir.

Thanks Andrew. Orrcon (Townsville) told me that 6mm square was not produced in Australia at all, and it was not marketable enough for them to import it. I was hoping to find somewhere that had old stocks. Yeah, freight from Adelaide to Cairns would be a bit much. What company do you buy from?

Das, I have given the finish some thought. At the moment it is just wire-cupped brushed, with some of the highlight areas buffed. I'm thinking a coat of Rustmasters, maybe sprayed on to get into all the uneven surfaces and textures. I could use a couple of spray cans of Rust-o-leum, but it doesn't seem to apply as thickly as the other stuff, and doesn't do as well outdoors. So I will probably go with the heavier Rustmasters. I would like to keep the shine in the ball bearing eyes though. Coating them dulls the shine. I'll post another pic when he's coated, and perhaps in another pose rather than on saw horses. And Irondragon, in a real croc situation I would be with you up that tree. In recent years, the ban on croc hunting here has led to a great increase in numbers and size of crocs. No one wants to swim in our northern coastal rivers and beaches any more, and for good reason. Australia is well known for all our dangerous animals, but there are really only two that will go out of their way to hunt you down and kill you … sharks and crocodiles. Easy solution … just stay out of the water.

Ha Ha. Thank you for the comments. I would have liked a photo of him in a natural setting, near a creek or emerging from a swamp with a wallaby in his mouth, but as you can see, moving this thing poses problems. Yes, Das, the jaws are suspension control arms from a Holden. I have tried to keep the scrap pieces recognisable as much as possible, as it makes it interesting to look over it and identify the parts. I like things with writing on them - the rail clips on the front feet for example (BHP steel Made in Australia) and the old spanner with For Water Pump Nuts Only cast on the handle. Also found an old cast plate off an offset printing machine with the London address on it. Things like that add to the unique nature of the piece. The chains made a good knobbly back, but as Das will know, welding chain is a real pain. Often you don't get a good earth between links. Our mechanic at work said I should have put red bulbs for the eyes.

Yes, interesting things crocodile toes. I didn't realise until I checked the anatomy that there are five toes up front and only four on the back. Not that you would want to get too close to the real thing.

This one won't be for sale, Mike. I'll exhibit him at our local show in July and then find a home for him with last year's scorpion at my workplace for tourists to look at.

OK, so Stanley is finished. I call him Stanley because he has a Stanley spanner piece attached to each side. Pics start from the basic form onto which the pieces were added, welding from the back where possible. The thing is pretty heavy - only guessing but a 200lb spring scale bottomed out with just his front feet off the ground. I would estimate about 400 lb maybe. And 3.2 metres nose to tail. He is in better proportion than some of the pics would indicate. I finished up cutting and shutting the tail section to lose about 300mm there to maintain proportion. Anyway, here's the project … last pic shows approval by the family dog.

Finished welding the feet for my scrap crocodile yesterday and they are now attached to the body and crocky is just about done. Pics posted in Metal sculpture forum. Here are the feet. Toes finished in the forge.

Here's a pair of very quick bottle openers from scrap. The sort of thing you do at the end of a demo when you have a few spare moments and the forge is cooling down. One is a recycled 25mm offset spanner. This meant the head had to be slightly offset, too. The other is a pretty robust opener made form a spring shackle. Easy and quick, but they still seem to sell. Cheaply of course.

Yes, that's the way I have always done them. The thing is - with a domed punch to make the eye, it is very easy for the second punch to slip off the domed surface. You don't want cross-eyed ram. I get most of them right, but just thought there may be an easier way. Recently with rams I have given them a slotted pupil and that's easier, but with longhorn bulls they still need a round eye spot.