easilyconfused

:o Youzas! I wouldn't want to be under that when it lets go! It must weigh a bit. Good job on it though.

It's nice to see people who don't look at Genetic Modifications as a wholly evil monster (It's amazing how many of them congregate in a Vet college). In some instances, it is just speeding up evolution by giving the plants the resistance instead of them developing it through successive generations. (I'm done my rant. Please don't start arguing, I know that GMO's can be bad too). I heard on the news the other day that they are undergoing research for GMO peanuts too. Something about improving the nutritional content in some lines and the oil for refinery purposes in other lines or peanuts. I may have misheard and I would look up some links but I'm on dial-up on the farm and can only open one page at a time it seems.

As my friend said, people want symmetry. This was after my dad pointed out on the wreath we made out of barbed wire and lariats, that the bow was not hanging directly below the loop for hanging it. Ironically, when we were making it, my friend glued the bow off center because she prefers off-symmetry, or unsymmetrical which ever is the real word. I admit, I'm one of the worst offenders for wanting a "smoother" finish, because I feel that hammer marks in a piece shows not poorer quality, just that it is unfinished. I do leave them if it looks good in the piece though. Just in case people misconstrued my rant, I'm not bad mouthing rougher pieces, and your shoe is one of those that looks good with the hammer marks, I'm just posting my views on rough finishes and why I "selectively" use them, and by selectively, I mean when I don't decide I've had enough and don't want to screw the piece up anymore

Started young, eh Irnsrgn? :)

Archie, do you just burn the corn as is, or is there a special treatment you have to go through? I use charcoal I've made, but I have a steady supply of wood on the farm and a wood burning stove to use. I just pull the embers out of the stove and smother them in a metal barrel with a airtight lid. The only problem I've had is when I miss a nail and I'm trying to weld. Otherwise it burns clean and the only problem I've had is that I go through softwood charcoal faster than hardwood, but I've successfully welded with both types.

I usually use charcoal but when I use coal, I've noticed that when you let off the air, the clinker will generally darken faster than the coke or coal. And it looks sharper while the coke looks more like clouds.

Thanks for the information. I figured that it would have to be worked cold but I was hoping that they would have been made to handle some heat. Good to know that a candle will break them. Wonder if it is because of the age and weathering creating cracks, or is the glass itself a problem? @Tenhammers: If I'm thinking correctly, then I use a thimble for a makeshift mandrel too. Mine is still on the wooden axle solid so I can clamp it in the vice. One of these days I'll rig up a stand for it.

I noticed in the gallery that some people have made candle holder out of the glass insulator cups that you find on powerpoles. I'm planning on trying to make some and wasn't sure how they closed the metal around the insulator cups. I'm afraid that if I do it cold it will shatter. On the other hand, will the hot metal melt the cups?

:confused: Do you mean hitting it in successive spots along the scroll? One tip I got told and works for me is to try to avoid hitting the same spot twice in succession. This prevents flattening in one spot. I've also found that using relatively quicker taps in successtion prevents flattening too. Like Strine said, practice is important. Scrolls require a feel for how the metal moves unlike any other project I've attempted. I have yet to be able to reproduce a scroll without a jig or more time than I have to spend.

I don't know about your area chaos, but around here in saskatchewan, every farm has at least 10 pair of those wrenchs kicking around in their sheds collecting dust. Most farm auctions throw them into the $2 bucket or random junk that nobody would buy. Just figured I'd let you know because I've had flea market experts try to tell me they are a rare antique item and fleece me out of $10 for one.

I like the guilotine idea. It's so simple it's elegant...and one of those idea's you don't realize are so simple until you see them pointed out.

That's the way it seems to be lately Apprenticeman, too many people are letting their views and OPINIONS get in the way of open knowledge transfer and learning.

One thing I've found that works well for me in the forge and anything else, is to take a step back. Instead of beating your head on the same project, do something quick and easy that works on your basics. Not only will you maybe notice something that wrong with your basic skills, but by actually completing a project, even if it is easy, will breath new life into you. From hockey, to roping, to forging, I've been taught the same thing. When the advanced stuff isn't working, it's usually because of something that you've forgotten in the basics.

well that's a coincidence I didn't see coming! I thought about it maybe being a smith somebody would know but never thought it might happen.

Found this video today, yes I should be studying but... It's a 10 minute documentary about blacksmithing's improtance in the past and where it goes from here. Not to ruffle any feathers but I find it kind of funny and ironic about Bush's innogural speech podium. Video

Came across this video. I can't tell if its charcoal or coal he has in it but it is a really simple and neat design. Gets the creative juices flowing for those building a forge and makes you look at simpiler instead of getting bogged down in trying to be complex. Video

For me it's a mixture too. Depending on the day, I may just go and pound iron for the sake of pounding iron. Most of the time though, it is the creation. Pushing the limits of my imagination. The finished product is nice but I usually start with an idea for something and never really finishing it because something new piques my intrest. The only things I've finished, other than tools, are things that my friends say they want. If they didn't want it, it would still be sitting on my workbench until I think of something else to do with them. I guess you could say that the end product just gets going. Once the idea is there, I'm about the process and art.

Good work, just don't be surprised if you lend the punch out and have it go "missing" like my chisels seem to do on the farm, followed quickly by getting asked to make another for a neighbor.

All I have to say is oh my. What an idiot. I'm not too familiar with e-bay, but I read some of his buyer's comments and you would think that they would at least write something new when they add his positive comments to hide the actual negative ones.

My 2 cents would be advertising. Having the meeting/hammer-in at the same time every time is good for those who know when it is, but then you run into the problem of having the same people there. To get new people into it, you need to remember the best advertising tool there is, word of mouth. If you are at a demo and there are some new voluteers, or somebody comes by that is intersted, tell them about the upcoming meeting. It doesn't cost you anything and the odds are, tell enough people about it and some will come out of intrest.

That does sound like a good BP. Especially since I'm a little confused about the orientation in the vice. ;)

Thanks for all the replys, and hopefully we can get some more disscussion. I know that some of my biggest thing is practice. I can pump out symmetrical s-hooks and little key ring hooks from nails I gather from my charcoal (too lazy to pull the nails from the boards around the farm so I use a magnet after instead). I've only made 2 other handels (in a different style) and they took me a week of all day forging and they still aren't too symetrical. However, I had never thought about trying to keep consistent working temperatures. It's so simple when it's pointed out to you but when you're in the heat of things, you don't think of it. That could be most of my problem with the bends at the end of the handle, now that I think on it. And if I can get pictures of them, I'll post them. They will just be the "simple" bean end handles.

Alan, the CO leakage may or may not be dangerous. However, is risking your life worth going to a store and getting a CO monitor. They are cheap and effective and IMO a sound investement for any forge because you never know.

Practice is key, but sometimes it's nice to get tips rather than finding them out from trial and error. That's how we progress any craft. If everyone was left to trial and error, we would all wind up doing similar things and making similar mistakes. By giving the up-and-commers tips on things you've learnt from trial and error, you give them a step up to get to your level faster so that the craft can move on to bigger and better things, IMHO.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to keep things symmetrical. For example, I'm currently making 4 handles to go on the new shed sliding doors. I seem to spend more time trying to make them symetrical than anything else. I have chalk marks all over my anvil for measurements, try and work on the same part on all 4 handles as close to the same time as possible but still have problems with symmetry. Any of the veteran smither's have any other tips they've picked up to share with the still learning? Thanks, Ryan