Cannon Cocker

I LOVE #3! Although I am relatively new to smithing I have been a craftsman in training since I was old enough to pick up a tool. I have learned and improved in every discipline I have attempted because of my love for and willingness to hear constructive criticism.

I made this self standing split cross for my mother in law. It's my first one. I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

I like that split basket twist Rojo. I almost did that too the steak fork I made earlier today but decided not to........ Now I'm wishing I did. Oh well, I guess that gives me an excuse to make another one!

I've been wanting to try a ram's head for a while so I have it a try today. It still needs wire brushed and treated. I'm pretty pleased with the results while knowing that there's a lot of room for improvement. If anyone has tips or suggestions for these I'd love to here them! This one decided to be a steak fork for the grill, but here soon I'll have a set of fire tools.

JHCC: Thank you for sharing that video. What an amazing old man!

Hey John, what is the purpose of a dog head hammer?

I like that little rose hair pin.

Thanks for the advice Glenn! I used 3/8 square bar so there was a lot of drawing out for the project. I was thinking that 1/4" would work better. I saw a similar design on the pinterest and it's keeper pin was probably 2" longer than mine. Way to long.......

I made this hair pin for mine seester. It's a bit heavy, but other than that I think it turned out well.

What a beautifully written obituary remembering the qualities of a man who's type the world needs more of!

I made this heart tonight. I also tried to do a scarf weld tonight. I don't think my forge gets quite hot enough.......

No makings that I can find

Thomas, the hinge plates are sheared on the back side and the rivets look to be poorly hammered. The nut for the jaws is a scrap piece from some kind of equipment. And the handle is just a rod of mild steel threaded with acorn nuts on the ends. All of this leads me to believe that it was put together with whatever a previous owner had on hand.

That does sound like a good day @BryanL I finally mounted my post vice last night. The hinge plate was made out of mild steel from a repair done sometime earlier in its life, so I welded that straight to the post. Now I can use the vice to make its own brackets for proper mounting. It also needs a new handle and spring...... The base is a feed wheel from a timber processor and weighs close to 100#

I know a guy who works in the maintenance shop for a railroad. I need to check with him and see if they have any floating around!

Beautiful work! Awesome attention to detail! I do agree with the need for black fasteners on the riser clips though....

You are right about that. He LOVES all furry little things. He and our cat go on walks together and snuggle up on the front stoop every morning. Yes they do. I don't really need a service dog for myself anymore, the good Lord has led me through the battle with PTSD pretty well. But I run a ministry organization that works primarily with disabled vets and Chaos is VERY helpful in the therapy process.

Chaos is NOT a rabbit killing machine. He'll take off after one, the rabbit gives him the split without his ever noticing it, after he finishes chasing the (at this point imaginary) rabbit he trots around the yard like a conquering hero.... It's a comic tragedy....

Spent the day making hooks to fill my first smiting order. The bottle openers were done yesterday

This is Chaos he's my service dog, but I think more than getting to fly with me he enjoys supervising my hobbies here at home.

Thanks Marc1. There are also quite a few shows here between now and Christmas so I'm hoping to get a bunch of stuff made soon. Not to mention gifts for my own family!

I made a bottle opener with a leaf finial then I took it and my two "pocket clip" bottle openers to a few stores. I found one store that bought them at $20 a piece and had an order placed for a couple more as well as a few hooks! This is my first smiting sale so I'm pretty excited about it!

I tried it..... It didn't work.....

I hammered out a couple of bottle openers. I put a little pocket clip on these ones so you can keep it handy when you're doing activities that require a little more than one refreshment. I also made my first double hook today. It didn't turn out to bad, but I'd like to do better on the geometry of the top hook in the future.

I understood why you were suggesting filing the holes with bolts. But thank you for clarifying anyway! I know that it is impossible to know the experience or knowledge base of many of us newer members and you are being responsible by "breaking out the crayons" and explaining the "what" and the "why". I've been a welder/fabricator/machinist for a number of years and have a good understanding of metal it's very nice to be able to combine my knowledge with the wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum. Thank you all!