SpankySmith

Beautiful work!

I’ll give you a CASE of beer for it, you’ll make a huge profit!

I’ve used salt, vinegar, peroxide mix quite a bit, cheap and simple. Recently though I’ve been experimenting with light spray of peroxide, followed by literally salting the work (using a salt shaker), then spraying peroxide again. Works great. Thanks for the video, I love seeing real time rust, people don’t believe me when I swear I can make things rust instantly!

Really like that. Simple and functional.

Wow, if only you knew someone who types over 120wpm and owes you a huge favor.....

Many, many years ago when I was but a young lass, I worked for a man who decided to move a huge printing press by himself - didn't want to spend the money to hire someone to do it. I will never forget standing near the press when one of his half-baked measures gave way and this multi-ton printing press lurched to one side - MY SIDE! I came within a few inches of meeting my maker under the edge of that press. It takes but a second, one slip of a rigging, one bump, one miscalculation. Hire a professional.

Just stunning. And I agree with Viking, it makes my head hurt to think about the How of it.

I am now deeply, passionately in love with the power hammer! I want one!

AL!!!! OMG, you guys are going to town on that! You still frighten me....a staggering work. Wow. Just...wow.

Aus, you gotta quit posting pictures of your scrap pile, it makes me INSANELY jealous every time I see it. I want it ALL!!!

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I'd THOUGHT to post it here first, but I've been out of IFI pocket for a while with school. Honestly, I'm not sure any real design changes would have been tolerated by the organization's director - she had a vision from the start of what she wanted this to look like, and she acquiesced on some small things (like the finish, wax instead of her original rust idea), but stayed on point on her bigger picture. I think I could have sold her on the swirled trunk drawing JHCC posted, though. I tried hard to sell her on metal leaves, but she said she had literally been dreaming of the wooden pieces from the first. To be further honest, I just could NOT "see" the wood leaves workiing - at ALL - until they went up on the wall. Then it was like, "Oh...okay....now I see." It worked. Lesson learned. It was a fun experience for this novice, thank you all for your too-kind remarks. This was the first BIG project I've done for someone - maybe the LAST!! I'm gettin' old, I'm thinking more metal/scrap art is in my future. Welding is easier on the old body than hammerin'. Al, who opened up his shop and gave of his expertise for this, has had to call it quits after 30 years of hammer swinging because of the wear and tear. I've already got a bad shoulder and neck, will be sticking to the kinder/gentler kinds of blacksmithing and metal art projects, I think.

I had to buy some recently at a nearby supplier, it ran $25 for 40 feet of 1/2" round.

By the way, a little funny: the design/shape of the free-floating branches came straight from the organization's director - she wanted an elongated, stylized "s" sort of thing. All through the forging Al and I kept seeing them laying on the ground and we'd think "Snakes!!" Cuz that's what they looked like! Install day, we got the first few up on the wall, the director walks in, glances up at the wall and immediately yells, "Snakes!!"

Agreed. This organization offers professional counseling regardless of the ability of the client to pay, which is practically unheard of and so needed. Incredibly rewarding to be even a small part of their work. If you need the help of a therapist but can't afford it, there have to be resources out there.

AH, GOOD idea there, I wasn't even able to envision how to do such a thing, but I can see it in your sketch, easily. Where were you three weeks ago?!?!

Men......always debating whether or not size matters! (sorry, lol, as one of the few females here I couldn't resist!)

Thanks, JHCC. If I were a better blacksmith, I would have done the trunk "twisted" somehow, with it having a more twisted-root kind of look, but I'm just not capable of that level of smithing. Baby steps. There are lots of talented blacksmiths in this area who could have done that - though probably none who work for free! LOL!

I had a local charity that I've supported over the years approach me about doing a "Donor Tree" for them, based on a design they "sort of" had conceived. It would stretch across an entire wall, with plans to have it continue stretching across nearby walls as time and need required. I agreed to do the work pro bono, with them just reimbursing me for materials, because I REALLY support the work they do, providing much-needed mental health services in the community. They asked me about this a year or so ago, and then waited for me to finish grad school before I could tackle it. Well, this summer was it. When Al Stephens - well know to IFI'ers here - first taught me in an "intro" class a couple years ago, I was immediately struck by the amazing generosity of blacksmiths. Every single smith I encountered was always anxious to share their insight, their tips, and their time. I'm a TOTAL amateur, and I hadn't picked up a hammer in two years while I was in school, but when I approached Al about using his power hammer to do some tapering of ends for this project, he offered me not only a quick lesson in how to use that beast (I'd never even stepped up to one before), but he opened up his entire shop for the project! I would STILL be pounding away at my backyard anvil if he hadn't been so generous. We finished up the steel work in 5 very hot sessions, in 100+ Alabama heat. Let me be quick to reiterate here: I am a rank amateur. This is NOT a complex piece by any means, and someone who knows what they're doing could have done much better with it, but the client was over-the-top happy with it and has already asked for more of the free-floating "branch" pieces to continue the spread into other rooms. I learned SOOOO much from Al doing this project - he shared so much insight with this often stubborn, bull-headed student who seems to learn best by screwing up first! The organization is named "The Vine," thus the John 15 quote at the bottom right. The trunk of the tree/vine sits on a piece of chair rail in the organization's main office. Probably can't see it in the photos, but there is a single plate installed at the top of the trunk, which will be a "backplate" for a "Foundation Donor" engraved plate, and below that will go another engraved plate listing all the BIG donors to the organization. Each piece of metal is tree-bark textured, applied at the power hammer with some tooling Al had. Each leaf was cut out by the organization's staff, from oak branches, diagonal slices which were hot glued to the wall. Each leaf will then get an oval, engraved plate with donor names. There are nearly 200 leaves installed on the wall right now, with more to come (we ran out on install day!) The beauty of the branches being free-floating was that they provided a LOT of flexibility - on install day the director largely took over placing the branches where she wanted them, and it ended up taking on a life of it's own, even apart from the original design. That's it. Al encouraged me to post this here, but remember I'm a lowly post-grad student who can barely forge a bottle opener! For my troubles on this project I got a 10" burn on my forearm, which is ALSO textured like each of the steel pieces! GAH! A lasting reminder. All the props here go to Al - without his generosity it'd be next YEAR before I could have completed and posted this.

Hey Brazo, I'm largely offline, finishing up school, but just happened to visit the board for a minute today and saw this question. There's a steel supplier over in Athens, google "Limestone Steel." Also, if you haven't already, be sure to visit the Athens Forge, you can google that group too, very active, great group of smiths in north Alabama.

Okay, sorry Thomas, but this one wins! OMG - I almost spit out my coffee on that one!

Hey, if you had only offered to write my 200-page thesis FOR me, Al, I would have been back at it sooner! But noooooooooo. LOL! Glad to hear from you again! I will send you an invite just so you can share my good news with the Athens Council! Assuming I make it through the defense process. Gulp. Forging for 8 hours on a 100-degree Alabama summer is going to seem child's play next to a committee of four Phd's asking about Martin Luther's life!

Okay, I am sooooo using that joke at my thesis defense!! Thanks, Thomas. Ya know, in researching Luther I discovered he had QUITE a sense of humor. I like his statement that “some people need a fig leaf on their mouths!”

Hi guys, just poking my head in to say howdy! Disappeared on you for a couple years while I stopped my world for grad school. Submitted my last thesis chapter this week, paper on Martin Luther, so I’m in a slight lull while I wait for a committee of four people to tear the paper apart, tell me exactly how it xxxxx, etc. Anywho, haven’t picked up a hammer at all while in school, but after I walk across that stage in May I have a “donor tree” project waiting on me for a local non profit. So hopefully back in the swing of things soon. Just wanted to say hi, miss your ugly mugs/avatars and miss blacksmithing!

Hmmmm, IronWolf, now you have me wondering if my forge opening is big enough for a text book.... maybe if I kinda' bend it it'll fit? I think that might be more cathartic than hitting metal!

Mostly had to do with who was in charge at the time! BTW Glenn, thanks for the reminder - being who I am I would hit the anvil full charge when I can get back to it, and then pay for it the next day or so. You're so right, the mind remembers, the body (especially at my age!) requires an easing in period. Thanks!