jlpservicesinc

title says it all.. made from Audi car spring.. 

10 hours ago, aessinus said:

Awesome work.  All done at a demo?  Don't get nervous around crowds apparently.. Kudos for that

I don't even see the crowd's..  to busy working...

Kind of feels like a fish in a fish bowl..

10 hours ago, TwistedCustoms said:

Very cool, I would love to have that one sitting on my shave-horse. I have bow staves that need thinning and no time to play with archery till January but the sight of that knife warms my soul.

Love bow making... website? Pictures?

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

That's a nice looking draw knife JP. How's it work?

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks..  Works great..  will shave so fine and smooth it makes snow flakes..

57 minutes ago, FlyingXS said:

Wow you have put a lot of thought and effort into this.   As a transportable smithy it looks fantastic. For use in demo situations I have a few concerns.

Isn't the audiences view limited and obstructed? Yes they can see your working in there but not really see what/how your working?

it would be more difficult for the audience to be engaged as there is physical barriers closing you off from them.  Being on the ground in front with a simple rope barrier has an appeal and less of a psychological effect than walls even partially open.  I mention this as I used to design and build trade show/exhibition stands for a living and may have a different perspective.

Thanks,

Ah, you certainly are in tune with audience flow..   The total idea is to limit people going where they are not supposed to..  

When I demo I build or make the same exact stuff I would make in the shop.. If you have ever cut a bar or had a hammer head fly off or any thing at all or a piece of welding flux head into the crowd.. You will see why.. 

The trailer was actually designed more to be freindly to me as well as the audience..  After doing this for over 30 years you start to understand how and why certain things happen..  One of them is heat exhaustion, another is breathing soot, cinder and dust and smoke when it's 90F+ on the demo days..  The trailer is designed so I can control how the wind approaches the forge and stack and is the reason the stack has a large shape at the bottom.. 

When I designed it I made the side walls at the spectator side the correct height to catch 90%+ of the weld flux and scale at or around eye ball height for children since the splatter heads out at a descending arc from the anvil face..  As you know the people watching are more likely to be hit with hot slag or flux than the smith is.. Last demo some was watching the smith next door and the smith was doing some welding.. the guy was maybe 10ft from the smith when the smith hit the hot metal the guy jumped back and started rubbing his eye.. YUP..he got slagged.. Could have been very serious.. 

I don't want people right on top of me.. I actually put the display table about 10ft from the trailer and then put ropes up to keep people back.. 

So, the design has a lot to do with how to protect the on lookers first and foremost but also how to make me the most comfortable.. 

As for being able to see..  The only areas I care they see are the immediate work area and this was taken into consideration when designing the doors..  There is a perfect view of the anvil and forge and vise when both doors are open.. If its windy I can close all side doors but the main viewing door and this totally controls the wind and still allows full view of the anvil and big vise if standing in front..  I'll post video of the view into the trailer at some point.. 

If you look at the first full side picture you can see the top of the anvil, the vises, work bench, blower and forge..  If you are one of those equipment junkies who revels at the equipment than it wouldn't be your gig.. But it makes for conversation as I'm always happy to have someone comer around and inside to look..    Just not while I'm hammering unless they are a striker, helper or in full PPG.. 

It's pretty amazing..

So here we are getting things moved along.. Funny now looking at it but there is 2.5 months of 10+ hrs a day up to Aug 23 which was a half a day, the day of the fair demo.. 

20160818_185451.mp4

the pictures moved out of order.. So they are out of sequence.. But you guys will get the picture..

Sorry I have been lax on getting back to here.. I've been struggling with drawer making for the work bench and it takes 16 pieces of metal to make one drawer not including 2 runners.. 

Anyhow, I got 2 done as of today and have 4 more to make.. Here are a few teasers till it's completed.. 

I have engineered, designed, cut and fabricated every piece of this thing..  It took on a life of it's own but is the ultimate demo trailer.. 

Not sure how many I can add at once but here you go.. 

The roof vents open. the blower is mounted to the work bench and is height adjustable. 

The edging for the work bench is removable so I can pass steel out the back side of the trailer instead of towards the audience.. 

The anvil stand passes through the floor and rests solidly on the ground.. 

23 minutes ago, TwistedCustoms said:

Very nice work. How did you make the ferrules?

Thanks, forge welded flat stock..  by the time the ferrules were in process I had all ready been demoing for a few days and it was pretty hot all days.. This was day 3 of the show so instead of making them thinner which is what I would have preferred.  I used the stock at standard size.. which is either 3/16" or 1/8" an were shrunk onto the handles.. 

the thicker ferrules actually works well as that is where the thumbs sit so offers just a little extra purchase when really pulling hard... 

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Madam or Ms. your preference please? A ladysmith's work explains a lot. I love seeing women in the shop there is a whole different aesthetic that's a refreshing change and appealing. I wish there were more ladysmiths posting here.

Oh, do you have a preferred web-handle or nick or do WE get to come up with one for you?

No, I didn't assume Frosty it was a given being a Frost. My folks told me to get used to being called Jack so a very brief period when I started 1st. grade I did. Then I found out who Jack Frost is and didn't want any association with the trickster so I choose Frosty instead. Funny thing there were some guys I knew all through school that in college still insisted I'm Jack. Funny how some things just stick in a person's brain.

Oh, I CAN be looooong winded but I try to be entertaining about it.

Frosty The Lucky.

Forging queen works.. Just kidding.   Jennifer works or JP. or Ms JP.. ..  

" Frosty".  I like it..    Not sure what people would want to call me..  Never had a nick name.. If anything they would call me stubborn.. LOL>. 

Thanks.. 

Thank you..  I do make sets..  This was actually a little smaller design in a toasting fork.. The fillets are usually a little larger.. 

Your welcome and it's Madam, or Ms..   Thank you very much.. 

Just a finial/decoration.  but it also adds strength to the junction of the shaft to tines. 

I forged this up as a demo at one of the event's I was doing..  No electric power was used in the making of this..  The pear wood handles were cut with another draw knife.. 

Blade is 5160..  It was forged to this exact shape and  hot rasped to remove the scale..  it was draw filed with a bastard file and then finished with sand paper on a flat file.. 

The handles once joined with the blade were heated in a vat of linseed oil and bees wax and allowed to bubble off for a short time.. 

Suffolk latch.. 2 wrought iron bolts welded together.. 

Here is a 2 tine roasting fork.. Made from 1/4 X 1" Just a touch of whitesmithing and then hand wire brushed.. No finish.. 

21 hours ago, Steamboat said:

Thanks for the extra info. It seems to correlate quite well with what I've found out so far about the house and hardware. I might be going up to the house tomorrow or the next day. I'll try to remember to take a photo or two of some hardware. Also, thanks for the offer for help. When I get to that point I may take you up on it.

One of the big blacksmithing projects for the house should be the hardware and accessories for the kitchen fireplace with its beehive oven, which needs to be totally reconstructed, since it had fallen down before we got the house, and the previous owner had apparently sold off the bricks, so I'm keeping my eye out for a pretty good size pile of matching old-pattern bricks. We've repaired the other four fireplaces using authentic (well, slightly modified perhaps) lime-putty mortar and matching bricks, with some help from a couple of the top fireplace restoration people in New England. I learned a lot by working alongside them as time permitted and picking their brains with tons of questions. There's still a huge amount of interior work left to be done, although most of the foundation, exterior, and structural work is behind us.

Steamboat

That is wonderful.. If I can be of help let me know.. 

4 hours ago, Steamboat said:

Thanks for the photos and suggestions.

I'm not sure how many Norfolk latches I need to make...maybe about six or seven. The escutcheon plates on mine are simpler than the ones in your photos...basically rectangles with semi-circles punched out of each corner. They have shallow countersinks for the screws and staked-in hinge plates for the swivel lift. The hand grasps look very much like the ones in your photos, although proportionally not quite as bulbous in the center. Most of the lifts have a saucered thumb press and curved ends, but a few have straight ends. Mot of the mounting screws have blunt ends, no taper, and have thin, hand-cut slots, and the heads and threads vary just slightly in diameter and pitch between screws. All of the bars are plain except a few that have a button grasp, and all have escutcheon plates. The staples vary, some with and some without escutcheons. The catches also vary, some braced and some not. There are also a few latches with a somewhat different escutcheon design, but otherwise similar. One door had a Norfolk latch with a cast-iron escutcheon, but that could have been added later, and of course, a few of the abovementioned parts may be later replacements. I'd send a photo or two, but I'm not at that location at present.

The house needs a number of other hardware items as well. For example, it will need a fair amount of fireplace hardware. There are currently four working fireplaces, and the kitchen fireplace and associated beehive oven remain to be reconstructed. I have a few original pieces of hardware, such as a crane, a couple of andirons, and pieces of a trammel, but there's a lot left to reproduce. The list goes on...

What kind of finish treatment are you giving the latches? Beeswax, perhaps?

Steamboat

These latches were all cut by hand..Once I made one, I used this to mark out and cut the next one.. If I were making 6 or more I'd spend the time making the dies as it would be a huge time savings.. (Less time more money per hour) I made spring swages for the handle shapes (which were requested by the purchaser)...  I turned 2 different center sections on the lathe and let the customer choose..  I still have the 2 handle sections stashed.. also the upset boss where the rivet plate goes.. 

The screws must have been hand cut.. I love hand cut screws don't get to see many these days..  I almost bought a hand screw threader 30+ years ago but the price went to high at 40.00.. Wish I had bought it and just starved for the next week.. 

Not sure if you know or even care but the straight ones were earlier and the curved handles later on interior door hardware..   The straight thumbers on latches were so, dresses wouldn't get caught as the women folk walked through the door..  As time went on the handles took on a more curved shape eventually turning into cast iron copies of hand forged items.. 

anyhow, sounds like you have lots of variety and time frames as they were upgraded/installed.. I'd love to hear if there are old nail holes under the latches there or where these were new doors when they installed the latches.. 

Colonial hardware was my Niche for years.. So if you run into problems pm me..  Love to see how your work comes out.. 

The coating was a linseed oil. bee's wax mix applied hot.. 

13 hours ago, Steamboat said:

Very nice work on the Suffolk latch! I eventually hope to make some Norfolk latches and other hardware items to replace some missing pieces in our Federal Period cape.

Steamboat

Thanks..  Norfolk latches offer a hole different approach to latch making as the process turned to hand made automation vs hand made.. 

If you have a lot to make, making the cutting dies will speed up the process as will making a spring swage for the handles.. 

14 hours ago, VaughnT said:

We need to see more of this.  

Okay, A few more.. 

I have hammers weighing from just a few Oz's to 10lbs for one hand use..   As I have gotten older the ability to use a large hammer proficiently and effectively has dwindled some..  Swinging the 6lbs ain't what it used to be.. 

So for general forging work I use 3 hammers.. 3lbs, 4 lbs and a 6lbs..  I have learned that  effectively transmitting hammer force through the center of the bar to be the most prudent. part and this dictates which size hammer for the right size stock at the correct temperature..  If you are forging a rod and it hollows at the end. its because of hammer size, temperature and technique.. 

Also as you forge more you will find you can move larger sections of metal faster with being less tired as you are forging the material vs just beating it.. 

And you will start to recognize which hammer for which kind of work.. 

for heavy hammers I like a heavy handle and as the hammer weight goes down so does the neck of the hammer.. 

I used to be a long handle person and if the hammer is light enough the long handle give it more speed which imparts a more piercing blow which basically does the same as a larger hammer moving slower..  

Personally I just can't hammer as fast as I used to as well.. So, just enjoy and as things (muscle memory, what you are seeing, and eye hand coordination) get better so will your hammering.. 

Oh, one other point.. A solidly mounted anvil  is the most important part, as you can lose as much as 70% of the force to floor spring or bounce and this will make you think you need a bigger hammer.. 

Work smarter not harder..  

Thanks..

Making Hardware can be tons of fun and create excellent skill sets as it can really show just how far you can push metal around with just hammer and anvil..

Can't wait to see your project...

Just a latch I threw together for a customer. 

Arrow pattern with spear accent..  
on back group with pigtail finial on bar. 

Screws reshaped to look like rose head nails.. 

Sorry about the turned pictures..  Not that savvy with how to edit or rotate pictures here.. 

2 hours ago, ecforge said:

My 448lb Hay Budden. It is a beautiful anvil. Face is spotless clean, but markings around waist show that it has had done lots of work. Very nice tool....

That is a sweet looking HB.

What size is the hardy hole?  I love the mounting system also.. Nicely thought out..

Been at this a long time.. This is my 4th trailer setup in 30 years.. I hope it will be the last I will build..  

Took and old horse trailer and made it a full 8ft wide and 8ft tall inside and 10ft long inside.  it is still a work in progress as I had to have it done for a demo day so was only able to get it done enough to use.. Will finish it this week or the next.. 

The anvil will be on a stand that rests solidly on the ground and will winch up for transport.. Currently using the stand from my other trailer which is light pipe bolted to the underframe.. STill to much bounce.. 

It has awnings on all 4 sides with 2 on each side, 1 in the front to let bar stock to pass through and the back will have 1 large one on the top. All these to control cross flowing winds, will have a roof much like a sugar shack with windows so they can be opened for ventilation.. Undecided if I should put clear glass or not as the sun shining in when it's 90F out is a big problem.. 

Yesterday was it's first voyage and it passed with flying colors.. Out in the middle of a field 85F and it was or felt like it was 10F cooler inside..  White color to reflect as much sun as possible but also to brighten the inside with reflected light.. 

Has jacks' at all four corners..