Mad Uncle Cliff

Tree Project update folks, Today saw around 20 or so smithies gather at 'the barn' for a branch forging session for the tree. Strine had us all organised into crews (well - press ganged is probably the more appropriate term)and we got to it, heating 10mm stainless steel bar stock and passing it through the power hammer to taper it off, before giving it a few good kinks to make it look 'twiggy'. By lunchtime we had close to the 200 twigs done that we needed, then it was time for a BBQ lunch (despite the rain) and refreshing ale. With all the 10mm and 25mm stock now forged, we will be moving the 50mm and 75mm stock for the major tree branches to another site with a much larger forge and power hammer. And we now have the trunk forge organised, imagine finding a place that can forge a single piece of 300mm dia stainless steel that is 3m long, well we found such a place in Australia and they are ready and willing to help. Wiser men than me will ensure this thread is updated with more news and some photos very soon. I will try to do my bit to let you all know what I know about the project as it progresses.

Shucks, and I thought my latest purchase, a 430 pound Peter Wright was a very big anvil! I look forward to more monster anvil pics.

Great find there Topher and I particularly like the laminated and routed timber stand. Might try that routing out idea for my next timber block. Cliff

Onya Strine! I totally agree - with a March 2011 tree planting in the wind, we could be looking at ABA (VIC) hosting blacksmiths from around the world for a major event. I am thinking: 1/. A big dinner event. 2/. Forge in days at the barn. 3/. Guided tours of blacksmith works in Melbourne area. 4/. Homestays hosted by Aussie blacksmiths. This would be great - happy to help out.

G'day all - I have not posted here for far too long, Might get Strine to fill you in on the latest expected completion month for the tree, as it looks like it may move off our intended target a wee bit. But having blacksmiths from around the world come to see it when it is up sounds like an idea for a special event. Meanwhile - we are having a branch making day at 'The Barn' (ABA VIC HQ) on Sunday 20th July. I reckon making branches is something a learner like me can manage okay, I mean - how hard is it to take a straight smooth rod of stainless steel and make it look all crooked and lumpy? Cheers, Cliff

Well - it has been a while since I posted, and I guess I have the same 'busy' excuses as most others do - life in general gets in the way, doesn't it? But anyway - here is my most recent anvil purchase, a 340lb Peter Wright, currently sitting in Adelaide and patiently waiting for me to drive over on the Queens Birthday long weekend and collect.

Hey fellas - you may want to see the photos (or you may not...) The Tree Project: News

Back home safely now and in the middle of moving house! Thanks guys for the amazing support over the demo, so many of the conference delegates finally GOT what the Tree Project was about when they saw the forging in action. Only thing I thought of after the demo, was we should have got one of those thermal imaging cameras that records and filmed a leaf being forged. I am sure many photos of the display and the demo will be on the Tree Project website soon, and appearing in The Drift magazine. Cheers, Cliff.

Okay, we have a 3.5m x 3.5m marquee for the day on the Wednesday. I will organise parking and power once I am there on the Monday. Doug and I will have some stainless stock with us for leaves, but like I said - a few in mild steel as demo's on the day won't hurt so if you want to bring some 10 or 12mm rod then do so. Doug can bring a leaf veining tool for a 1" hardy hole - will that fit one of the anvils? We will be travelling up with basic tools (hammer and tongs). Looking forward to it - drinks on me at the end of the day!:cool:

We work 10mm or 12mm stainless rod for leaves, and we have some 20mm x 3mm flat that we also work. I will pack a few lengths in my backpack, maybe some copper too. On the day - if you wanted to knock out some mild steel leaves purely for demo purposes and give them to the overseas visitors as a promotion of the project, that would be okay - it is more about awareness than leaf production. As for the date - Wednesday 23 September is 100% confirmed and we have a marquee set up otside the Gold Coast Conference Centre from 9am to 5pm. This may have been more of an open email for three, rather than a thread - but to anyone else in QLD, if you want to call by on the day and say hi you are MOST welcome!

Doug and I will be there, so we will have one smithie and one wannabe. Now I need to work out how much of my 23kg baggage limit can be clothes and how much can be tools and stock!

Thanks to both of you guys - between the two of you it looks like we will have a genuine leaf making demo for the Tree Project on the Gold Coast:)

Cliff here from Diamond Creek in Victoria, soon to be from Bundoora in Victoria and spitting distance from the ABA Barn! Meanwhile - I am looking for QLD Gold Coast smithies with portable gear to be part of a leaf making demo on the 23 September at the Gold Coast Convention Centre. Call me on 0448 324 309 or email me at c.overton@cfa.vic.gov.au if you can help out!

thanks for the offer double_edge2, we need to demo on site at the conference centre on the day so we are looking for smithies who can travel tothe site and bring a portable forge and anvil on a stand, so if you know anyone who can...

I saw the leaves from France the other day - magnificent! Now - please see my new post 'Calling all Queensland - Gold Coast blacksmiths WE NEED YOU! Yes - the Tree Project is coming to the Gold coast for three days and we need two portable forge and anvil set ups for a demo on Wednesday 23 September. So - please contact me via the post ASAP if you can help us out on the day!

The Tree Project is going to the Gold Coast! There is a conference at the Gold Coast Conference Centre from Tuesday 22 September to Thursday 24 Centre for the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Council (AFAC). AFAC have sponsored two Tree Project blacksmiths to come up to the conference, run a booth over three days, inform fire agencies about the project and what it gives to communities recovering from fire, and... Demo leaf making over one lunchtime of the conference. Now - whilst Doug (the leaf factory) and Cliff (ouch, I hit my thumb) do own anvils and forges, they are a wee bit too heavy to put on a plane from Melbourne. So - we need two portable forges, two anvils on stands, coke and accessories and two balcksmiths to join us for a leaf making demo, probably (to be confirmed) on Wednesday 23 September in the forecourt of the Gold Coast Convention Centre. This is your opportunity to become a key part of the Tree Project, meet a few of the organisers of the project and get a free lunch. Please contact Cliff Overton by email c.overton@cfa.vic.gov.au or by mobile phone 0448 324 309 ifyou can help out. Cheers,

Okay - using corn is new to me (but then I am a newby). So - do you use whole corn cobs with husk and all, or do you shuck the corn and burn the cobs:confused: Or - do you just burn corn kernals:confused: And, do you build a little wood fire first to then throw on the corn cobs:confused: And, do the cobs need to be completley dry first:confused: I would like to try this at some stage in my portable forge just for the heck of it!

News... I got the 2" gate valve today so I polished it up and installed it in the forge. Now the forge is at a better working (and cranking) height, and I have a perfect lever action ash dump - a simple flick of the big old lever and the valve opens to dump ash down the tube. For some reason the whole thing is now more stable and doesn't rock when you crank. Next outing is the town fair in September. The valve installed. Lever action close up, seems my forge is now called 'John'.

I got talking to a blacksmith in Echuca (Australia) today who showed me his italian hammers from a company called ind.i.a. No I did Google it and find a company with a load of smithy stuff, but not much on hammers. Does anyone know about italian blacksmith hammers and how to source them?

Hi Brian, The ash drop is 2" dia. inside the pipe, although the drop mechanism failed first time out (the threaded rod broke on the lever). So - I have removed the valve from the brass 'T' and kept the 'T' as the air receiver part. I have sourced an old 2" gate valve to now instal below the brass 'T' as the new dump, much more sturdy and it will raise the entire unit up the extra 4" it needs for ergonomic use. The ash gathers in a small pile under the disc, so it is hidden until pack up time (then I just need to sweep up). I had it running for six hours and it stayed clean and hot. I was working stainless steel 6mm and 10mm rod as well as 3mm x 20mm flat (for the Tree Project). The forge does rock around a bit as I turn the blower, so I plan to hang a quench bucket from the pole that then rests on the disc towards the front of the forge, so as to counter weight the blower. I may use an old brass fire extinguisher as the quench...

Well - it works! I took it out on site today and fired it up, got a good hot coke fire going in the pot and forged a couple of small pieces. The outer bowl does get hot and actually started to smoke for a few minutes, but I think that was the 'pot belly black' hi temp paint curing as the smoke stopped shortly after. Photos of it in operation soon.

Hi Tim, Thanks for the feedback. The coke pit is in fact a short section of thick walled tube, with a 6mm plate metal disc welded to it (courtesy of Quang0). This drops into place in the bowl, keeps all the heat off the bowl and makes the whole unit lighter to carry as it it not attached to any other part and can be lifted in and out. Also - the cut down drain grate drops down the tube and over the air inlet and the lever on the brass 'T' piece operates a flsp valve inside the 'T' taht dumps ash down the support tube and into a neat pile under the plough disc base. No visible mess!

Firstly WE WON THE AUCTION AND GOT THE HOUSE!!! This means I am now a five minute walk from the home of the A.B.A! Meanwhile - my nerves of steel at the auction deserted me once I got home, (read 'gibbering wreck') so to recover from the adrenalin rush of winning our new home I finished the portable forge. Paul had already done some great welding for me on Thursday night and taught me how to forge eyelets in rod and bend rod into a ring (well sort of 'ring-ish'). So all I had left to do was to apply a final coat of pot belly stove black and attach the blower. One completed forge. Detail, showing the coke pit (and almost circular forged tool rest). And by popular demand, the amazing Quang0's equally amazing gravity defying welds. The plan is to christen this forge at the 'forge in' weekend, making leaves on it for the Tree Project. I think that in making this forge modular by using stock plumbing parts to assemble it, I can also make an alternative 'workshop mount' that uses an electric fan, and fit the forge body to that when needed. Next project - steel tool holders on my anvil block.:)

More pics later today after a final coat of coal black. And then we can show the blacksmithing world the completed portable forge. (And the amazing gravity defying welding skills of the Quang0). But first I need to go and try to buy a house.:rolleyes:

Those leaves look great to me, all of mine look like a herd of wombats ran over them, so don't worry about trying to have a 'neat' looking leaf. Your leaves look very natural and I reckon they will compliment the other leaves on the tree quite nicely.