IanR

Thanks Fe-Wood I was looking at some books the other day on his web site and I think they would be good purchases. Cheers, Ian Ross

Thanks for the link Dale, good to see its getting coverage,we just need sponsors for the stainless trunk and branches an welding consumables. I don't have any contacts but I'll ask at the steel suppliers I'm going to in Sydney on Saturday. Cheers, Ian Ross

Thanks very much for your comments guys, I will put them to use when I make my next pair. I see you have a new avatar Frosty, I will miss your relaxed pose.:)

Great work Strine and Quang0 and thanks for your words of encouragement, there is certainly some talented people out there , and its great to see the CFA guys getting in it. I'm going to Sydney on Saturday and hope to get some stainless while the wifes at uni. It would be good to try some different leaves and maybe some gumnuts.

Made my first pair of tongs today. I'm happy with the length, feel and mechanics of them, but I didn't upset the area where the rivet is and there is too much flex because the steel is too thin. What is the best way to upset rod 3" or so from the end? I will be making another pair of scroll tongs and hopefully many other types, but I will keep these as a reminder of my first attempt.

G'Day double_edge2 welcome aboard;)

If you head over to the The Tree Project you will see in the gallery a leaf made yesterday by Victorian country fireman Cliff Overton, who is new to blacksmithing. I would like to congratulate Cliff on his fine effort and welcome him to the world of blacksmithing;)

Just came across this thread, great setup you have there element, real picture postcard stuff, we don't get snow like that where we are in Oz. I have my anvil horn facing away from the forge so as to not jab my leg. I too have a brake drum as a fire pot, it is off a truck and is about 4 1/2" deep. It works well, but because there is no clinker breaker it can be a bit of a chore too get clinker out. Tom, your setup is coming along nicely, can't be too far off completion. your super sucker looks great, I can see where they get their name from, if yours is anything like elements you'll be laughing. I too learnt about wearing long sleeves using a mig to repair an old ornate carriage. There was lots of fiddly bits that had to be held and my left arm above the glove got badly burnt.

Wish I had a buddy with a farm:D

Neat work, looks good. I hope the maker of the quilt didn't mind you putting a coal shovel on it

Here are my finished leaves,boy stainless is hard work, I'm sure my right arm is larger than it used to be and I found my anvil, which normally stays put, was creeping across the floor with my heavy blows . But it sure was a great experience and such a worthy cause. Beth, if you go back a few posts in this thread you will find a link to the Tree Project web site with all the details. Ian

Welcome Mike, thats a fascinating branch of blacksmithing your into. It's fun making contemporary items but it must be great making working items from the past. Ian

No problems here, I should have another image tomorrow of 6 completed leaves I will be sending by the post on Monday

Well done, I like that!

G'Day Jack, good to have you on board. There's plenty of info here for beginners and you don't have to spend a fortune to start tinkering while you save up for the good gear.

My prayers are with you mate. What a low act, I hope you make a full recovery and the the law catches up with this goose.

All the best for tomorrow Dale, it doesn't sound like it's going to good day for the people of Victoria. It's hard to believe the fires are still burning there, keep safe mate. That snow sure is a strange concept. Ian Ross

Birthdays always have a habit of falling on a work day. Happy Birthday Tom, started my 5th decade last year.

The "Mentalist" just started here in Oz, I haven't watched it yet, but I'll check it out. I noticed on the show "Life" the lead actor has a nice set of gates at the front entrance to his house.

Welcome to the site Mick, sorry to hear your stuck in Queensland and that you haven't been paid. Good to hear though that your property and your missus are ok, great neighbours you have there and your better half, not an easy job fighting fires. There is no shortage of ideas and tips on this site,hope you get a chance to get stuck in when you get home. Cheers Ian

Some people have negative comments about brake drum forges but mine works just fine. I used a large brake drum from a truck which is nice and deep and after experimenting with many air sources a friend gave me a centrifugal fan from a disused promotional balloon. The piping is made from 50mm square tubing and feeds the forge trough a 50mm grid of holes drilled in a 10mm thick plate which is screwed to the base of the drum. This gives a good blast enough to easily turn 20mm square bar to a sparkler.The only drawback is there is no work area to rake out clinker and introduce new coke from the side. I will be addressing this issue soon by building a steel frame bench with a top made from 20mm cement fibre sheeting covered with a layer of fire bricks. The drum will be positioned to sit level with the top of the fire bricks

Here are a couple of leaves I have just finished.I couldn't source any stainless rod so I used 5/8" stainless threaded rod and ended up with a bonus, the remnants of the thread formed veins in the leaf (is there a patent on this?). :rolleyes:

I was going to work on something else this weekend, but I think I will practice making leaves. What a great project, thanks to Salty and ABA(Vic) for getting the ball rolling. Sad to see the toll has risen, the authorities warned that it would grow, but it doesn't make it any easier for the people involved.

My thoughts and prayers are with any IFI members and indeed anyone who has been affected by the fires in Victoria. This is Australia's biggest natural disaster and most people here are feeling pretty numb at the moment, the media has been showing some distressing images of the damage the fires have done to property and peoples lives and it's hard to fathom the terror these people must have gone through. But Ozzies are are are amazing lot, with people already planning to rebuild, a big thank you goes out to the courages firefighters, the Red Cross, all the many volunteers and the generosity of the public with many Ozzies digging deep to give money, clothing and food. Thanks also to the members from overseas who have posted messages of support.

If you don't want to buy a whole trailer load there is a firewood seller in Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands who sells coke by the bag. Last time I bought some it was About $16 a 30Kg bag It's a smaller size coke suitable for forging.