Cannon Cocker

I made the first of four screw in anchors for the trampoline we bought the kids for Christmas. Here in South Dakota if you don't anchor down your trampoline the wind gives it to your neighbor......... Or Nebraska........

Chaos approves! 

Stopped by the steel warehouse today to get some angle iron for work. While I was there I noticed a huge pile of sucker rod. Picked up a 25 foot sick for 10 bucks. Not bad!

Now I'm gonna have to scour through ifi to learn how to hear test the tools I make out of it.

*heat treat

Auto correct makes me say things I didn't Nintendo!

Frosty:  I'm pretty sure you have a handy trick for just about everything don't ya!?

Sorry about your dog, but it's nice that you were able to get that headstone set. 

I really like the "prongs" on your log tongs. I think I'll steel that idea from you!  Those reverse twists on the handles look really clean too!

Good to know. One serious meat cleaver coming up!

Nice work cav

7 hours ago, Chris J Dixon said:

 Love that huge smile. Was it his first?

Yes it was.  What an amazing moment. He squeezed the round off, she hit the ground, I punched him in the shoulder, we both cried. 

Does it forge pretty well?  I'm curious because frosty said that it has carbide in it, and I've heard that you can't forge carbide.

Well I broke my 1/4 punch... Which made me set the brackets to the side for now. But I had a few other things needing my attention.  I assembled a set of box jaw tongs and a set of knife tongs that I had bought from Ken's custom iron quite a while ago. Then I started forging a couple of hunting knifes. The plain skinner is for my son, the one with the gut hook is for the rancher that let my son bag his first antelope on his property last fall.

Sorry for the picture being a little graphic, but I love the smile on my boys face in this picture!

Thanks frosty

As one of those beers that had been spoken of on this thread I get a lot of healthy therapy from all of my crafts. However smithing had been a huge blessing in the way it engages my brain. I love what the one gentleman said about it being "chess with a hammer"!

On a side note I work with veterans through a couple of amazing programs and would love to help anyone on this site, or any of your friends. I don't want to advertise on this thread, so if anyone is curious send me a pm.

I had a couple of cutting edges from a road grader follow me home a while ago. (sorry I didn't take pics of them) does anyone know what alloy they might be? Or have any fun suggestions of what a guy should do with them? I'm thinking a guy could make a mean meat cleaver out of them. 

 Irondragon Forge &Clay - You can cancel that 6 month reminder on your phone!  I made a swing arm Fuller and 1/4" hot punch. I still need to clean up the cutting end and bevel the struck end...... But I've been working since 2 AM so I'm calling it quits for the night!

Watch videos from John at Black Bear forge on YouTube. He has many videos on making the basic tools. Making your own will save you a ton of money. 

Swing by the mechanic shops in your town they all have bins or piles of used parts, spindles, springs, rods ect. Basically lots of used car parts waiting to start their new life under your hammer!

19 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

We'll remind you in 6 months.

Thanks I might need it!

No I don't, but I like to pretend I do sometimes!

I should have a 1/4 inch hot punch shouldn't I........ I guess I have another excuse to fire up the forge!

Thanks Anvil! I have two more in the works, but I broke my 1/4" drill bit so they will have to wait until I get to town again. 

I finally finished these shelf brackets my wife has been asking for for a while. It reminds me of a saying "if a man days he's going to do something he's going to do it.  There's no reason to remind him every six months!"

Amen Frosty and Irondragon Forge and Clay !!!!!!! I try to convince my wife of these truths but she doesn't buy it! 

MAN I wish our flee markets around here (western South Dakota) were the gold mines that so many of you guys enjoy!

Yes slitting chisel, as used for slitting or slicing metal.  I started making a "cook book holder opener" for my wife (I'll put it in critique my work when I finish it).  It has two longhorn steers and I used this to slit the 1/2 square stock.  I was able to slit 2" in only two heats.   

My sister bought me this Estwing chipping hammer for Christmas. The edge is really sharp and I hardly ever stick weld, and never at home so I decided to make a splitting chisel out of it. It worked awesome. 

They're only about 14 bucks on Amazon. I highly suggest this to anyone who does splitting. 

I drive a log truck for a living and the other day I found this little beauty hanging on the ticket box.

I'm going to re-handle it and probably put a rounding face on it. 

I finally got the bee's wax so I could season/finish the ram's head meat fork. I really like the way it turned out for it being my first figure sculpture of any kind. 

I also made a couple of what I'll call "skull hooks" for my European mounts.

I'm thinking about messing with the design of them and seeing if I can sell them to any of the skull cleaners /taxidermists in the area.