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

Eh what?,

Did I hear my name mentioned? News just to hand as Cliff alluded to is that the Tree maybe setback into 2011. One good thing is that it's a huge relief for me in that the talked about date was going to fall on my daughter's wedding? Ye Gods would that have put me in a predicament because there was no way I would not be a part of the Tree unveiling or planting. This is not a fabrication issue but an issue related to the Tree's final location. It's about land management more than anything else. It gives us a littkle breathing space. Anyway it maybe a good idea to put a circle around March for any intended trip.

Cliff makes a good point. If there is going to be a gathering of blacksmiths from around the world to attend the unveiling maybe the ABA(Vic) should think about throwing a chop on the barby and putting some tinnies on ice. It would be just fantastic to meet some of the blokes that have helped bring this Tree to fruition.

I shall watch this space and if there is some interest in catching a bird to Australia or indeed in hitting the road from some far flung locale in Oz we will get something going. Let's call it the Tree Project Debrief. Even if there's but only one visiting smith rest assured we will do our best to look after you.

Cheers

Strine

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:

what stock do you need ?

yeh....all we need now is a couple of blacksmiths and youre away!

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.

Cliff,

That's nicer than most of the rivet forges I have ever seen. I was wondering what you filled in around the coke pit with. Seems awful smooth and even, or is that just a plate welded to the pipe?

Best regards,
Tim

Oh, and congratulations on the house too.

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.:)

You'll have to post some more pics of it with a coat of paint and that gravity defying tool rest!

Hi all.

I've finally got it together this afternoon & started doing SS leaves.

Here's a picture of the first one. What I'd like to know is:
Is it good enough for the project?
It's definitely a leaf that's seen some life. However, I've been studying the leaves around here & not many of them are beautifully spear shaped & 'clean'.
I intend to get better at these, but can I get suggestions for how this leaf would be better please? Cleaner edges? Better central vein (If so, how do you vein please?)? Lateral veins? Different finish (I did a brushed finish to black heat, then water quenched this one)?
I think the next ones need to be thicker, as this one's possibly a bit thin to meet the specification.




I want to make sure any leaves I send aren't going to detract from everyone else's.
Thanks for taking a look.