SFC Snuffy

BenW, that looks like a great start to a chess set!

Thanks, all, for the kind words. The conference is over, so there'll be no classes in the near future. That was my first time swinging a hammer since March 2020. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to forging soon-ish.

Thanks! Did I mention this was my first-ever forge weld? The instructor started the class by going through all the procedures and elements and how they relate to a smith's basic skills, then said "We'll start with the forge weld!" We all kind of looked dumb and shuffled our feet, with each of us thinking we were in over our head. With help from the instructor, though, all of us stuck our weld on the first try.

Took an "intermediate" blacksmithing class at last weekend's Blacksmiths' Association of Missouri (BAM) 29th Annual Ozark Conference in Sedalia, MO. This candlestick was the result, and while there are things I might have done differently, and others that I would have spent more time on if I weren't in a classroom setting... I'm generally happy with it, particularly for never having made anything like it before.

Wizardry and black magic. Many thanks for the video, sir!

Beautiful work, sir. Well done!

The Center for Metal Arts in Johnstown, Pennsylvania has an internship, which might interest you. The internship competition closes January 15th, so don't wait too long to apply.

Thanks! That means a lot coming from you folks.

Here's the taper on that 3/4" bar. I decided to put it on the diagonal just to make it more interesting. The fuller's a little ragged, but it will clean up with a file I'm sure.

I stopped by the local steel supplier for some pieces to finish up a project. I got some 3/4" square HR to be the upright portion of a stand for fireplace tools and put a nice taper on the end at the forge (pics to follow tomorrow, hopefully) and a piece of 1.5" square bar that will become the base. A friend at work is going to split both ends of it for me with his bandsaw and drill a 3/4" hole in it. I should have a little of that 3/4" bar left over... think I could drift that round hole square? Or would I be better off with filing it to shape?

Can one "acquire" surplus manhole covers? They don't really wear out, do they?

That's a fantastic story, sir. Thanks for sharing!

Slanwar, I'm not native to Missouri but I understand hickory to be plentiful around here. The sawmill where I bought my 4x4s offers white oak, red oak, walnut, pecan, hickory, and ash, all custom cut. They also buy standing timber.

Made some more progress on the stand for my swage block. I wish now I had done some things differently, but overall I'm happy with the results. It's all glued together and bolted, but I need to fabricate and install the retaining brackets on the corners, paint the bottom with exterior latex, and treat the top & sides with deck sealant. So little time.

I made some progress on my swage block stand, though I ran out of time. I'll have to try to finish it next week. I ran the rough-sawn 4x4s through the jointer to get a good fit-up and started boring holes. The plan is to run 1/2" all-thread through the blocks in both directions to help hold everything together.