Junksmith

Interesting question. The photos are good but it's still pretty difficult to tell much without seeing it in person. I hope some of the more experienced smiths will chime in with regard to time period. It certainly looks old, but "aging" metal isn't that hard to do. I will say this:
1. It's definitely handmade. There are enough minor inconsistencies (not a bad thing) to support that.
2. It appears to be wrought iron as opposed to more modern steel so that adds weight to its potential age.
3. One or two of the welds look as though they may have been repaired by more modern equipment then hammered over. I'm thinking the ones on the 3-pronged fork that seem to overlap the surfaces where the scrolls join, but that may just be what we call a "cold shut" where a piece of metal gets folded over without actually merging with the metal underneath.
4. Any way you slice it, it's a very ornate piece and would have involved many hours in its construction. In short, I can't guarantee a date, but it's an amazing piece either way.
If you're collecting, it's a steal at the current bid.

Looks like some others beat me to the punch on the guild thing. Sorry guys - I type slow :P

Well hello and welcome aboard!

Let me first say Thank You for your wartime service and offer you my sympathies on your diagnosis. I'm no doctor, but I'd check with my physician to be sure that the physical demands of the work (lifting/hammering/standing) will not cause undue damage to those kidneys and worsen your condition. Most of us are hobbyists and work at our own pace anyway so take it slow.

In any case, I think you'll find iforgeiron to be the most valuable resource that a blacksmith at any level can have for advice and information. You can also join a local guild if there are any in your area. I'm not sure what part of Maryland you're in, but I know there is one in the Carroll County area and we are just founding one in Western Maryland in the Washington County area (where I live). We've only been at it a few months, but it's been nice to get together in person with others who share your interests. We all learn from each other that way and usually have a good time doing it.

Well, I've done enough rambling for the moment, but I'm sure others will have more to say. In the meantime, browse the site and take it all in. It will take a while!

How about a larger pipe over a smaller one that is stuck in the ground. That way when the punk clunks it it rotates.......


WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND in this case!

Very nice! They should sell well.

those are scribes for wood worker, I see the fellows in the timber framing shop next door using them a lot mark beams

Yes, English colonial :P

If you're ever in Virginia and have the chance to visit, it's well worth the trip. Some of the best colonial period blacksmiths in the country work in residence there and it's worth watching them in action even if they're only making a ladle.

I think that given the opportunity, I would have talked the ears off those smiths until they ejected me forcibly. Still, I got some good info and some words of encouragement. I also took a few pics along the way of items that might be worth trying to reproduce for craft fairs. Check 'em out.

Incredible... Really incredible.

I love making spike knives and I get $50 a piece on average for them. Not enough to justify getting busted for stealing them though. McMaster-Carr has them in 5-packs that run $7.38 per pack plus S/H. That works out to about $1.48 per spike and I figure that's affordable insurance. $48.52 over material cost is still a pretty good margin. Just save your receipts in case anybody comes asking.

Ok frosty I think there is a line in that song about wearing spenders and a bra LOL

Let's see... (and like Frosty said, not all are bad)
1. Is that coal?
2. What is that thing you are cranking?
3. How hot does it get? - Touch a red hot bar to your anvil stump. The instant flame has rounded many eyes and mouths.
4. Do you shoe horses? - Lots of us can make horseshoes, but for shoeing you need to know even more about horses than you do about shoes.
5. Do you make swords?
6. Aren't you hot? (summer version) or I'll bet you're keeping warm! (cold weather version) - Sure, but I'm a lot better off than my predecessors.

As for the dying art comments: That's right, but if we ever lose electricity I'll be reeeeeeeal popular all of a sudden. (even got quoted in the paper for that one)

Francis, I think that I might know what she was talking about. My wife brought home a can of black Rust-oleum Hammered paint, the other day, to paint a plant stand. It says "Unique Hammered Finish". The paint appears to vary in consistancy and gives some thick spots and some thinner spots. I hadn't seen it before.

Awesome! My daughter dropped my concertina a few years ago and dislocated the left hand reed box from the inside. That provides some handy insight if I ever get around to fixing it because I'm definitely going to have to go in through the bellows. It's a little intimidating though. I may just spend the $50 and take it to a pro repair guy in my town. Depends on how desperate I get to play it again.

Thank you Frank and Drewed. I figured it was something like that and the borax definitely sticks better when the metal is semi hot. Sounds like I need more practice! :P

I agree with you on this and add that the blower should be free standing so as avoid putting stress on this weak point or on any other part of the forge.

nice setup, simple and easy to use and move. the only thing I see as a possible problem is the height of the edge of the drum. maybe a thin plate cut out to sit on the top so it is closer to flat, but tat is my opinion. enjoy the new toy

Speaking of flux, I can't seem to get it in my head when to add it. When the metal is in the fire? If you do it before it goes in, it just falls off and I assume that after it's at weld heat it would be too late as the atmospheric contamination would already be occurring. Maybe pull out and flux before welding heat? I always seem to miss that part!

On a brighter note, people often ask if they can snap a picture of me working. I tell them "Go ahead, but watch your angle 'cause this anvil makes my butt look big"! That seems to draw a few smiles.

Beautiful. It will look good without without plants growing on it. Trellises should look good in the winter too!

I've had the good fortune not to hear anything like that to my face (so far), but I have heard the "I can get it at Wal-Mart for ten dollars" before. I just agree and tell them I can't compete with a Chinese factory that turns this stuff out all day. The price is what it is and I'll probably be out of stock at the end of the year just the same.

Modern leaf springs typically seem to be oil hardening steels, and some will even air harden a bit in thin sections. I have had only bad experiences quenching them in water, not that I've done it often. (Triple normalizing after forging and prior to hardening is good practice. It should not reduce grain size so much as to make something like 5160 require a water quench in order to harden.) Even if Ed has succeeded with water, I will stick with warm oil for modern leaf springs, unless I run across some that just refuse to harden in oil. (Antique, shear steel leaf springs may be a different matter.)

I agree, by the way: nice lookin' chisels.

Awesome chisels! One question on the tempering though. It has been my experience that leaf spring forgings crack if I try to quench them in water as opposed to, say, hot oil. Are you getting it red hot before the quench? Maybe the multiple normalizations have something to do with it? Just curious. At times like this I wish I more of a metallurgist.

put the marble in the diamond and into the fire ...watch it it will start to melt some what molten ...if you let it cool some then dunk in water it will crack for a different effect

Excellent tutorial Dave. I think a lot of us needed that procedure really spelled out. I know I did not too long ago. If I may suggest one more finishing technique to your repertoire, try using a hot cut or even an old hand axe to incise vertical cuts along the length of the cross. Repeated, random blows in one direction can give a nice rough-hewn wood texture without too much effort - and the brass brush really brings out the "grain". Here's a pic of one of mine for reference. Keep up the good work!