Junksmith

Yeah, it's just a RR spike. I threw it a few times and it absolutely devastated the old wooden door I was using for a target. However, the handle did begin to bend in that tapered area just under the head. If I get around to making another one with a metal handle, I won't be tapering it. It will need every bit of that 1/2" square on the handle to minimize the bending. Obviously steel isn't the best material for a handle for many reasons, but It will only straighten so many times before the inevitable break. But Ohhhhhhhhhhh the heft!

First show is 2 days away and I'm still scrambling - but I'll survive. Here is the last piece to come off the forge (and the welder) before the event. It's only 16" overall but it just emanates evil in person. I throws remarkably well too though I didn't design it that way, but I think it's more of a decoration than anything.

Well, I must say that this advice takes a load off. I have plenty of other preparations to worry about without that hassle. I'll let everybody know how it goes.
Thanks to all!

Setting up to take cc's for just one show isn't worth it unless it's a very high end and your confidence level that you will have significant sales is really up there.

While accepting cc's can bring in buyers who might not be willing to part with their cash, its not guaranteed. You want to have a known level of business to justify the fees and percentages you pay for the service.

Do a lot of research and make sure to shop around for a service provider - there's some good deals to be had but you can get into some high overhead agreements as well so choose carefully.

The processing service I use doesn't require a term commitment, their service is great and the percentage fee is reasonable.

Good luck, let us know how the show goes!

I am VERY tempted to take the advice of not accepting cards and seeing how it goes this time. For reference though, who is your service?

Does anybody take credit cards at shows? I am doing my first on on Sept. 12 and have had a h*** of a time finding a short-term account that I can use for a single show. Paypal has a fairly simple one but it doesn't seem to have a way to verify whether a card is valid on the spot. I am also looking at one through my local bank, but it requires a 2 year committment where I'd be paying $20 for every month that I don't use it.:mad:

I know that accepting cards can boost your business - particularly on high-dollar items - not that I have that many - but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it this time around or if I should wait until this show is over and see how it goes first.:confused:

If anyone has any experience with a situation like this, some input would be much-appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Great ideas guys! I'm going to Lowes tonight to get some pvc pipe & caps. My space is limited so I'm envisioning a setup like rlarkin's with a mesh basket that can be lifted out to retrieve smaller pieces. This will handle most of what I do. Gaylans idea will work well when I'm demoing at the show next month. I also use muratic acid on rare occasion but the fumes can be a killer. This will be a lot safer.
Thank you all!

Morning all!
Generally, when I finish a piece that is not going to be painted, I give it a run over a wire wheel to knock the worst of the scale off of it and give it a little shine before I give it an oil finish of some sort.

I know that the motorized wire brush wheel is inherently dangerous. I don't mind using it for simple shapes, but more complex ones - particularly ones with hooks - can get caught, flipped and shot out in the blink of an eye. Sure, I always wear eye protection - but that doesn't help when it smashes a finger as it did last night:o

Now the question. I have heard people mention pickling before to remove scale. I have a show coming up in September and so there is no time to build a tumbler. Is there a mix that will work relatively fast (a few days)? It doesn't have to do a perfect job. I've heard of using vinegar. Won't that go rancid in pretty short order? Any thoughts appreciated.

In the meantime I'll be nursing this finger so it doesn't interfere with production this weekend.

Thanks.

Evil... EVIL!!!!
I like it.

Woah! I was in Bethlehem in the Lehigh valley a few weeks ago. I was at some riverside "court" (I think it was built on the old Bethlehem Steel grounds) and as I entered I passed what appeared to be a blacksmith shop right next door! Was that you? There were several gas forges burning, but I was on my way to a restaurant there for my Brother's wedding rehearsal dinner and I couldn't stop. It was a tough call, but since I was my Brother's best man I opted to go to the dinner. Next time I go to visit him, I WILL find the place again.

I'm doing a demo next month where there's no electricity so I was "forced" to dig up a Champion 400 Crank Blower:D When I found out about the demo I called an old friend who had one sitting around and he let me have it for $40! Now I don't have to use electricity to belch coal smoke into the atmosphere! I am officially "green"!

They look good Mick. Is there any "rule" for hoof picks? Obviously they have to taper to a point somewhere along the line and be comfortable enough to use for picking foreign objects from a horse's hoof:rolleyes: Do they have or need a sharp edge or just a pointed hook? I have a few shoes lying around but I'm not much of a horse expert.

It is a beauty. I've made a couple like that out of aluminum but they didn't sound very nice. I really not sure that you can speed up the process. Flaring the bell is easy enough, but tapering the top end take lots of time. I have seen the bell shape forged separately (like a bowl) and welded to the flared pipe. That sounds like a complicated fitting though and your weld would need excellent penetration so it could be ground flush without gaps. I don't think that would save any time either. I suppose if you started out with the top end of a steel bottle (small oxygen bottle?) you would have the hardest part done to begin with.

When I make bells, I usually just weld a flat or cone-shaped piece onto the top of a pipe (flaring optional). Very rustic looking, but if you quench it in water right after the weld it rings nice.

You may get faster with practice, but ultimately I think something that beautiful just reflects the time that went into it.

The scrapyard on Eastern blvd. is one of Maryland Metals. That's where you go to sell scrap to them, but I'm pretty sure they won't let you pick through that one either. It must be a liability thing with all the heavy machinery running. Still, it pains me to see so much usable steel that could be had for 25 cents a pound!

It's an easy way to save yourself from a nasty disease. I always keep mine up to date - and daughter's too since she likes to experiment with my leftovers.

Thats some piece Joe, what yard let you trade scrap? Maryland Metals? BTW the I got the shop, bout 75% put together.

Actually it was a 2 part trade. I was just trying not to be too wordy (I generally fail). The metal was sold at Conservit (they won't sell to you) and then I bought more at MD metals. They sell new steel at the facility just off Burhans blvd and let you buy scrap from the yard there for 25 cents a pound. Their yard has a lot less scrap than Conservit these days but is still worth a gander. Their prices for square stock are competetive. One exception though. If you want quarter inch square bar they charge $12 or so for a 10 ft. piece. Foltz Manufacturing downtown charges just over $9. That stuff is handy especially for demos as it is just the right size for small hooks & keychains etc.

Glad to hear the shop is about finished. I'm in the neighborhood more ofthen than you think because my mother-in-law lives over your way so maybe I'll stop by soon and take a gander.

Thanks everybody! This gives me something to think about. Whether a forge or a swage or a bender I'm definitely not getting rid of it!

Good point Beth. I always get a little suspicious of a man with soft hands:o

Wen I meet a woman with firm hands, that tells me that she can appreciate the kind of work we do:cool:

Now THAT is handy. I do most of my coal forging on weekends, because most nights it isn't worth all the work and mess of getting the coal started before dark. It would be awesome to have a relatively quick starting forge to get things rolling.

So those are just ceramic chips in the bowl? What is the bowl made of?

Last week I took about a 1/2 ton of scrap steel to the local yard & traded it for about 40 pounds of usable steel. I couldn't bear to part with this piece though.

It is the gear housing from an old tractor-mounted auger. Initially I was thinking of a firepot for a new forge down the road. I could cut out that piece of internal structure. Still, that bowl shape doesn't have much of an internal taper and I'm just not sure if it would work - plus that hole in the side would need to be covered. Could air be pushed in from the side?

I'm beginning to think that this may be more trouble than it's worth. Still, I hate to just give it up without a fight. Does anybody have any ideas on what it could be used for?

Dimensions are about 10 inches in diameter, 5 inches high and the walls are maybe 3/8 inches thick. Cast iron/steel.

Thanks,
Joe

Yeah, you can get a fruit basket at the grocery store. Try getting a vise there!

It sure looks nice. I work outside too. I leave the mount outside and take the vise in when I'm done working. I wasn't sure whether it was necessary or not and didn't want to take any chances. Maybe I'll grease it up & see what happens. One fine day I'll have a little 3-sided pole barn and won't have to worry about these things so much!

Junksmith, not to poke you , but isn't electrolyte hydrochoric acid and water (distilled water) or do you use a different solution for electroplating? I keep thinking I want to get into etching and stuff, I just have no good place to store or dispose of acid....

I wish I knew for sure. That's the problem with remembering high school physics. It was 20 years ago and I wasn't taking notes:o

I get inspired by these ideas sometimes and just start spitting out more ideas. Once I settle down and start thinking things out I usually find that whatever I was thinking of was either unworkable or way too much trouble! Still, I do get some good ideas that way now and again so I keep it up. Any way you slice it, the poke was well deserved:D

Depending on the size of the hardy hole, I find that the shank of a railroad spike can be a handy hardy shank. It's often cheap (or free), strong, and you can cut it to whatever size you need.

I'm intrigued by the acid idea. Sometimes I use muratic acid to get into corners etc, but electrolysis sounds a lot easier and more thorough. I have enough projects for now, but maybe next year I'll give it a shot. I remember in high school physics we electroplated metal with a similar process - only with an electrolyte instead of acid! I wonder if a fully descaled piece could be plated with brass or something. Not for everyday stuff, but more artistic pieces. I just came into about 20 feet of 1/2" round brass rod too. Dag nabbit! You got me thinkin' now! I'm too easily distracted.

I have heard others on the forum discussing a smithy in terms of how it can affect your homeowners insurance. I think that your insurer would not look kindly upon one in your actual house. Obviously you don't have to tell them but it would be a real problem if you had a serious fire - maybe not even related to the forge - and find yourself disqualified from coverage. I know you hate to give up that extra 90 sq. ft. of floor space, but if I were you I would put it in an outbuilding as far away from the main house as possible.

My workshop is about 10x20 and it's packed with tools. All my forging goes on outside these days though due to the fact that the interior floors are wood and the shop is only about 8 feet from the house. Obviously rain is a problem so one of these days I'm going to build a small pole barn separate from everything. I live in hill country so I don't have zoning to contend with, but there's the small matter of resources! For now my forge and anvil live outside and I slide a caddy of forging tools and my vise out when I need them.

I wonder if you can circumvent the zoning committee with a small patio and a retractable awning outside a shed/shop door? At least you would be able to expand operations when the weather is decent - and a rolling tool caddy or 2 would make it easy to get your tools out fast. It's a little jury-rigged, but it's a thought.

Good luck!