Double Y

I saw a Craigslist add for a roller last week. It was powered and seemed like a nice smaller roller. As soon as I inquired about the roller, it was pulled down. However, the guy sent me a message he had another roller. He said it was an older manual one. I couldn't make it over until yesterday and found this gem. This Barth says its capacity is 16 gauge and is built like a tank. The piece I rolled is 10 gauge and was just a test piece. This will be a dang handy addition to the shop.

I had to travel to Fargo ND in the past few weeks. There is a Northern Hydraulic's store in Fargo. Like many of you I get their catalog and have been slightly shocked at some of their prices. If you have an ABANA membership the discount prices at Grainger are usually much lower. Anyway, in my cruise around the store I found this lovely 100# hunk of cast for the bargain basement price of $399.99! Hurry before they are all gone! Merry Christmas. John

I built the frame obviously first. I suspended the frame off my layout table by the corners and worked the screen down. I used spring clamps to hold the screen in place and then started tack welding. It went pretty smooth with just a bit of massaging needed in the corners. Thanks, John

This is a custom Fire Pit Screen for a family who's last name is Ford. The concrete pit was poured and I had to make a lip for the screen to rest on. I worked a piece of 3/4 x 3/4 angle iron the hard way to be inside the pit. The dome is made from 1/4 x 2 flat. The pit has a diameter of 36 1/4. There are doors on each side that are latched with magnets. The Ford logo on top has a bearing to allow it to swivel. The leaves are all hand forged, but I mig welded them together and to the frame. I shot the works with stove black rattle can paint. They just need a roaring fire to test it out. Thanks for looking, John

It is just a backyard fence. No pool or anything to keep people out of. So no need for code enforcement....thankfully!

Howdy. This is a project I wrapped up Sunday. 300 feet of custom fence. 2" posts 2" top rail 1/2" pickets The rings were purchased and made from 1/2" tube Second top rail and bottom rail - prepunched channel 1 1/2" x 1/2" pickets 6" on center All welding done with my Miller Passport. The gate inserts are custom, of course. The front yard is designed to resemble Red Lodge Mountain Ski Area's logo and the back yard is designed to resemble the Crazy Mountains in south central Montana. All the inserts hand cut. The compound slopes required some math. This is replacing vinyl fence which was destroyed in a hail storm this spring. The clients were very pleased and are telling their friends! That is the best advertising. John

I received word the coat rack sold very well. He received $550 for the rack. He also got a blue ribbon. The Judge didn't like the screws that were used to attach the rack to the piece of wood. I guess we could have forged the heads of some lags square...but the ones I have are all galvanized coated and I WILL NOT use them in the forge. Oh well Brent was happy with the project and it sold well. I think I may have to raise my prices if that is what those are going for! HAHA

First off, I am by no means a blacksmith instructor. A co-workers younger brother needed to complete a 4H project for the fair next week. He had built a metal table last year that would have taken a 10 ton crane to move. She suggested he come spend a few hours in my shop and build something. This is what we came up with for "Wood and Steel Construction" The bar stock is 1 1/2" x 3/8" x 24" The hooks were made from 1/2" round I had him do all the work by hand - no use of the power hammer. Slitting the fish tails took some time! Brent was a fun kid to have in the shop. We now wait so see how he does in the fair!

It took a VERY long time for the customer to pick up the sign...even though the subdivision is about a mile from my shop/house! The posts are huge old power poles. They are cedar and the top pole is 12 foot long and about 24 inches in diameter. The two uprights are about 18 inch in diameter. I cut the mortise and tenon joints for the frame with a chain saw. We had to put in a few shims last night, but it went in pretty well overall. This weekend is the Big Sky State Games and runners will be up and down our road. The customer wanted the sign up before all the runners go by. It is also the weekend for a motorcycle rally in Red Lodge. Our road is one of the main routes out of Billings for bikers. The sign should get a lot of attention. I also picked up the Bergin's sign from the powder coater yesterday. This sign is 5 foot wide and 4 foot tall.

I received another order for dice. These are the same stainless 1 1/4 square stock. The "1" is a company logo for Creative Broadcasting Services Incorporated.

This really didn't "follow" me home as much as it arrived under it's own power! I have been helping a couple friends move into their new home. They had this vice laying under a bench in the barn and not being used. They had noticed the ones I have in my shop and knew I could put it to good use! They dropped this by last week while I was out on the lake. Perfect!

Wow Jim...that deserves it's own post with details on usage! I like that very much. Details Please!!

Excellent. That fits perfectly with the landscaping.

Thanks for the reply's. For the safety patrol, I understand your concern...but you would have to have a HUGE mouth to choke on an inch and a quarter (1 1/4") square! I don't know if I could even get it in my mouth. Now chipping your teeth and/or breaking the glass is a much more real and present danger, particularly after a few trial runs! It is the novelty that is at issue here. They may never be used to cool a drink, but they could be used for that purpose if you wished. And as a custom order, I follow the lead of the customer. I held the cube by the corners with 5/8" round tongs and held on the diamond under the power hammer to break the corners. To forge the pips/dimples I clamped a piece of angle to cap the anvil and hold out over the step. One clamp held the angle to the heal and a second made a pocket around the step. This way the cube could not dance out. However, that did not keep the G from slipping from my fingers and hurtling across the shop into a corner. I had to shut down and dig the corner out...which in my shop is a holding area for smaller drops. I haven't moved that pile in a long while! I may have to do some spring cleaning in the near future. After that mishap I held the stamp in a set of wold jaw tongs to limit my feverish cleaning! Thanks, John

These are 1 1/4 square stainless steel dice. I forged the corners back and forged in the dimples...I imagine there is a word for the wee little holes in a dice, but I am going with dimple! Instead of the single dimple for the 1, I put a brand. These are a gift from a co-worker of mine to her boyfriend. Obviously the brand is the boyfriends. These are intended to be used in the place of ice cubes to chill adult beverages. The thought is these will not melt and dilute the beverage. These will be stored in the freezer until use. I have suggested they slide these into the glass first...don't drop them into the bottom of the glass, or the beverage will be on the floor with all the broken glass! Thoughts? Thanks for looking, John

Thanks - I use 10 gauge for my signs which is a full 1/8 inch

The design is drawn free hand onto the metal. I use pictures as a guide and have found similar work to use as a guide, but draw and then cut my work out freehand so they are not copies. It is heavy, but only about what a 4x8 foot sheet of 10 gauge weighs. So about 200 pounds. JL

It is a hand held plasma - just not computer controlled. No it is not my first rodeo at running a plasma torch! I build a great deal of signs and art using the plasma torch. Also so this pertains to forging, I forged the rings at the top of the sign from 1/2 inch round with a hammer and mandrel. Gotta have a small touch of blacksmithing in all my work.

This is a sign I finished last night. The sign is 4 x 8 feet. The sign is all hand cut. I use a Miller Spectrum 375. I don't have a plasma table. This is powder coated. The top is hammered black, the back ground of the wording is copper and the letters are brushed nickle. The whole work was clear coated over the color. The letters were a bear to cut. The words are on both sides of the sign. All the letters are held out from the background an inch. I used 1/2 square as the hold outs. Each was drilled and tapped for 1/4 x 20 set screws. All the set screws are stainless so there should be no worry of rust and staining. I am also going to build the frame for hanging the sign, but out of logs. The owner and I are going to pick out some large logs to use as the frame. That is ahead in the coming weeks. Thanks for looking, John

My client called last week to say he would be in town for a few days following The Russell auction in Great Falls. The spend their summers in Montana and their winters in New York. I delivered the fossil stand yesterday and the client likes it. Those who thought the fossil was an ammonite are correct. The client has been a great one for me. They are collectors on Montana history artifacts and my next job for them will be displays for tintypes and old photos. Supper small and delicate items that need to be displayed to show both sides. That will be an interesting project! John

Beauty! Nice job. I feel for you on the reversed panel. I think we have all been there.

Marring the drum isn't an issue, it is in pretty rough shape to begin with. Also, the teacher is planning on cutting a hole in the side between two of the ribs to put in a flower pot. The kids will be doing artwork on the skins as well, so it won't function as a drum for much longer. Thanks for the comments. JL

I re-drifted the holes after I bent the arch. It worked pretty well over all

Thanks Nuge - I never get enough ski talk. We had another powder day Saturday. The purple Rossi's were my first set. I bought them in a pawn shop and skied them for years, but had trouble in the bumps. Turns out they are downhill race skies designed to go straight and fast! Oh well a dumb kid made it work. Bridger is ok - not a great deal of lift accessed vertical there. Big Sky/Moonlight are HUGE, but you have to deal with snooty people with loads of cash and no manners. We ski Red Lodge Mountain, good vertical, okay to marginal snow on some years, laid back local vibe and blue Montana skies. This year they are crushing the snow totals and I have enjoyed more powder than I can remember. I have wiped out the rescue missions and thrift shops around here looking for old skis to build chairs. Fun projects and comfortable too. Ski Talk...brought to you by Double Y (John) and Nuge (Jamie)!