Blacksmith58

Well Mr Dean, I'm about 90% Cajun (CoonAxx to those in the know) was Born and Raised in Port Arthur, Texas. Only reason I wasn't born in LA. is cause my Dad got a job in Texas. So a Texan I am. You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy! All of my kin folks are around Lafayette LA. I left PA TX in 1976 for the USAF at 18 years of age. I retired from the USAF in 1995. Started working for Deere & Company as their Blacksmith and been there ever since!

The way I learned to make collars was to measure and add all four sides together then add 2.5 times the thickness of the collar for the overall length of the collar. Next put opposit bevels on each end of the flat collar. Hammer, break or releave the edges that wil remain exposed or the out side of the collar. Chase or chissle a groove or grooves down the center of the collar for a decorative affect. Now you're ready to use the collaring Die. Make a die the same size as the piece you are colloring. Form the first bend of the Staple in the vise, place the forming die in the fold and fold the second leg of the staple. These two bends can be done cold but sometimes you'l get a crack form on the outside corner, sometime I have to use mild heat (red to mid orange) with a torch to keep from cracking. Now you have a proper fitting collar. When installing the colar, make sure you are on a solid surface (nice steel layout table or an anvil if you have a good way of supporting the rest of the project), with a torch, heat one side of the collar to a bright orange toward yellow. Start hammering on the side then work your way around the edge sharply bending the leg of the staple. repeat for the other leg of the staple and you will find the bevelled edges you started the collar off with will oveerlay each other for a nice closure. Quit hammering on the collar. Later after all of your installed collars had coold naturally, check them to see if they are tight. Tap of the work somewhere lightly. If you hear a buzing rattle sound, one or moore of your collars are lose. To tighten a loose collar, use a pair of vise grips and clamp across the opening side of the loose collar. Clamp it tight! Use a torch and heat the long flat sid of the collar (Top of the original Staple) the steel will expand, however the vise grip will prevent it from moving and forces the metal to Upset within itself and whne cooling it shrinks therefore tighteniong it self back up. Hear is a photo of a sample peice I made for customers and it shows several types of joints, collars, rivets scroll, etc. there are 21 different processes in this piece. Enjoy!

Just putting my two cents: They are both good work! Remember this it's the imperfections that make it perfect. If you revised the two photos and showed progression in skills, people would say, see, it got better with practice! When talking about perfect scrolls: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I had an old smith describe to me the perfect scroll has a turn and a half on it scroll. Any more and it too busy, any less and it's incomplete! I have found this to be a profound statement. Using this technique (1 1/2 turns) with a standard two sided taper, the negative space makes a really cool snub end illusion. All in all, your scroll work is really nice. Keep up the good work!

Here is a photo of the outside of the John Deere Historic Site Blacksmith Shop! And here is a photo of the Inside of the shop. It is a replica of John Deeres Original 1837 Shop!

Well, I finally got the chance and the time to get hooked up at this fourm. My name is Rick and I'm on a 12 step program for Blacksmiths. Don't know what step I'm on and I Don't care. I'm one of the Lucky one that has a full time job Blacksmithing. I'm the Resident Blacksmith at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, Illinois. I just got started here at this web site so I thought I jump ion with a big old Howdy! Glad to be here! Looking forward to so some good conversations and idea exchanges!