MacLeod

Moved some tools in. Getting some steel hot after quite a few months and without banging my head made my day. Now having a large dram! Thanks man, I’m getting there! I’m knackered!

Man I wasn’t popular. It was ‘bath night’ in the village! I managed to lift the windows(second hand, swapped for a few tins of wd40) into place with ratchet straps and supporting them when taking up the slack. Sheets were from a demolished cowshed down south. Was sheeting into the dark to beat the weather. Ran out of timber so some pallet wood went in to strengthen the frame Stripped down and serviced what ‘followed me home’ over the last few months.

I’m almost there. Wind and water tight, well a couple of drips. Biggest spend was 20 5 by 2s, £550 I have no off cuts left! A lot of measuring! Everything else was bought at car boot sales, on line sites and bartered for with, well you know me, fireside sets Not sure what the current policy is on loads of photos, we didn’t used to like that because of varying internet speeds? Let me know if I should stop! Anyway, here’s how I started, I slightly fractured a water mains when clearing the site. Ducks were happy. Got down to the hard and got a few tonnes of 3 inch down spread and roughly level. Pulled some timber out of a skip then had to go to the mainland and track down cement Spent the big bucks on the timber

Happy new year everyone! Hope 2022 brings you all health and happiness! I've been busy building a new workshop, it's a bit embarrassing as it's mostly made from recycled materials but it means I won't be hitting my hammer on the roof and won't be setting myself on fire so often I got timber delivered for most of the frame and with the price of timber I was measuring 5 times before cutting and thinking about how to use the offcuts. I got corrugated iron sheets on the mainland I got a deal there but had to retrieve them from a demolished cowshed myself. Theres even some pallet wood in there too. The roof is on and its survived the first hebridean gale of the year. Had a late night last playing the pipes and drinking far too much whisky so today was mainly head scratching time. Just thought I would jump on here and wish you, my mentors and educators all the best. JHCC is still a machine I see and Thomas P is still going strong despite his health and frosty doesn't like cherry he hasn't tried the cherry brandy! Maybe I'll post some pictures in the workshop section and get some advice on layout, but the standard of shops that these guys are building is very high. Bliadhna mhath ur!

Oh Man, that’s a really beautiful building. Well done! The inside is just as impressive as the outside!

Good to know you’re human

Oh man, same here. Although being out in the sticks means life is fairly normal, the ‘non essential’ shops being closed and community gatherings not being on is a bit rubbish. I’m not going to blame getting the first jab on Thursday as the reason as I feel so fortunate to have got it.... (In the Scottish islands the demographics mean the larger older population were done first and quickly now the health board are charging through the 40+ Range) .... BUT I got this far on new tongs yesterday before I declared myself knackered and crawled into the house for a beer and to make involuntary noises when standing up, sitting down and making any small movement. I got no sympathy. Jonnytait must be a machine

There’s a bit of that but if you are going to get anywhere at all you need decent directions! Thanks. How was your meal out? I’m looking forward to a pint. I’m imagining something like the last scene of “Ice Cold in Alex”. I’m making tongs today, inspired by jonnytaits recent ones and just in case i accidentally include my go-to rebar ones in a photo and the (Thomas)Powers that be sees the state of them

Someone started a “100 animal heads” here some time ago, here’s my efforts tonight. Another blink in’ fireside set started alongside the first rams head I ever made. I turned that first one into a Chuck key for my angle grinder so I have to look at it most days. Looking at the books I reckon I’ve sold over 200 now and made over 300. Another 300 and I’ll be getting there Any improvements in aesthetics along the way are all due to the advice given on IFI

Great news about vaccinations going well. Enjoy your dinner Frosty. I think the use of cutlery in public will be something I’ll need to practice again. (Half joking)

Thanks, it was all one slab of oak. So two of the edges are natural. Just removed the bark. The strength in spring steel is ideal for that floating look and just drilled holes for sockets and used a wooden mallet to bang it all together. No glue, nails or screws. No IKEA on this island

Glad you got the jab yes, it’s raining! The horizontal kind. But the days are beginning to stretch and there’s a just hint of spring in the air!

Used coil spring steel to deepen the oak seat for this bench and to support the back. Surprisingly comfortable and stable; a fortunate accident rather than clever design.

Hi Thomas hope you’re well. Yes, it was for someones son who was moving out. I ended up making a few and some inoffensive ones

Childishly I agreed to make this one leading up to Christmas, in China it means good luck and Winston Churchill used the gesture for victory but sadly neither was the sentiment behind this one.

Ah thanks Pat. For some of the stuff I’m banging out just now it’s just brass brush then wax/polish. I’ve also experimented with wire wool to bring back out the brass brushing finish after BLO applied warm. Mostly tips pulled out of the Frosty store in this thread. I’m getting a lot happier with finishes now. If you give me another 20 years I’ll be more able to give an opinion on what’s best happy hammering!

I was waiting for that nice, I love the idea of using barbed wire JHCC, I crank about 3 or 4 of these out a week

you did. And Powers never lets one get by! thanks Steve! (You never know!) if I believed everything I read here I’d be outside howling at the moon doing some forge welding right now!

I just checked, I was sure you weren’t in Australia! What on earth is a Roo guard!?

Much the same as our common grazings. It’s not many drivers on the island that haven’t hit a sheep. It’s only a little fewer that haven’t popped the carcass into the boot(trunk)

"why rusty barbwire? well Thomas just so happens I’m removed old livestock fencing from my sisters house next week and putting up new. If I could prevent one metre of the barbed wire going into landfill I’d be happy. I look forward to seeing it

Thanks BsnNFrnt! You haven’t seen all the dragons that went before though! Thanks for the inspiration, im thinking I’m going to try a miniature claw hammer from coil spring that’ll avoid the difficultly of the drifts.

I want to see the barbed wire icicles!

Nice. Difficult? I’ve thought about making one for my cousin who is a carpenter. I didn’t get near my Christmas tree today a dragon to go behind a two bottle whisky display and the beginnings of a rams head door knocker. I had to make a new eye punch as it was heavier stock than the fire side tools I usually make. It got shorter with each test until I was happy with it

Sounds like a good thanksgiving then, glad you got to enjoy it with your family! All the best for the show pal hope you are having to make more sunflowers after it