Shainarue

That works! 

Welcome to the active membership. 

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment to learn with other smiths. Check out the BAM site, I think the next few meetings are only a few hours from your neck of the woods. There are quite a few members who get together outside of meetings just to forge together and gab. I'm in the KCMO area. 

Looking forward to seeing what you work on! 

Charlie LOVES chips. He hears that bag and comes running! The only way I can eat my own chips is to put a single chip nearby just for him. This time I intentionally set the empty bag down so he could lick up all the dust, lol

He's old and spoiled. 18yrs old on May 8th!

I had an absolute blast at my first ever blacksmithing conference. Long post ahead! 

I took part in a 1-day ABANA National Curriculum Level 1 class they offered on the Thursday before the conference officially started. It was led by instructor Bud Harvey and there were three other certified instructors also there to lend guidance and observe. There were only seven of us in class so we had a lot of individualized attention, which was great. We did most of the work in propane forges as that is what they keep in their mobile training station set up. However, when we got to the forge welding portion of class they pulled out a coal forge to increase the chance of success. I've used propane before in a few project classes I took a few years ago before I really got into blacksmithing as a main hobby, but this was my first time forging for real in an all-day situation using a propane forge and I gotta say, I really enjoyed the propane forge! I wouldn't mind having one of those to use in addition to my coal forge, lol!

My original plan going into this was that I would take the class on Thursday and then spend all day Friday watching demonstrations and checking out the tailgates and just getting a good feel all around for the conference because it was my first time. However, I really really really wanted to just keep on working on my projects and they told us on Thursday after class that they were leaving the coal forges available for us to use while they had a beginners class on Friday and Saturday using the propane forges. So with the exception of about half an hour at the beginning of the morning (where I checked out the tailgating and bought a few supplies from vendors that I knew I didn't want to miss out on) and about half an hour around lunch time on Friday I forged using the coal forge pretty much the entire day! 

I wandered over to check out the raffle items just before they closed everything down. I noticed there was also a sign up sheet for a forging contest that evening. One sheet for beginners and one sheet for intermediate. On a whim, completely out of my comfort zone but riding on a high from the last few days, I signed up for the beginners forging challenge. 

They held the contest after dinner. Contestants in the beginners group were a given a 6" length of 3/8" round bar. Our challenge was to draw it out square as long as possible, even throughout and no tapers. In 4 heats. There were 12 contestants and I came in 2nd! Unfortunately, in all the excitement I forgot to get my finished piece back from the judges so I don't know the exact measurements but I'm guessing it doubled at least. I received quite a few compliments on my technique and a few on my hammer grip and swing. 

On Saturday, I decided to leave all of my tools in the car so that I could really focus my time and attention on experiencing the conference in means OTHER THAN hammer in hand, lol

I immediately checked out the tailgating to see what was left and see if the price had gone down on anything or if more things had been added that I didn't notice on Friday. There were a few forges, but I decided I didn't really need another forge that my rivet forge was just fine... there were a few good sized blowers, but if I'm not getting another forge I don't really need another blower either, LOL and besides I have TwistedWillow for that, LOL!

I had picked up a pair of lightweight and springy Tom's Tongs on Friday but on Saturday I noticed a table of tongs handmade by somebody in our local blacksmithing group. This person is also at every meeting, so I've always had the opportunity to buy these tongs and I've never had the extra cash. Well I saved a lot of money just for this conference and I was not going to pass it up. I bought three pair of tongs from this guy and they are all made from mild steel so they can be reshaped to fit as needed if necessary.

Holland Anvil was there and they of course had all of their wares. But the one that got everyone excited were these little swage blocks that had slight imperfections so they were selling them for only $40! Of course, I ran over there and grabbed one for me before they ran out!

I also picked up a few tshirts. One for winter which has a cross stitch screenprint. And one that says "Get it hot. Hit it hard." which I found out was an innuendo when I showed my wife. I truly did not know that when I bought it and was mortified when she told me. It will be relegated to a forging shirt, lol

I had signed up to volunteer working in the art gallery for the 1:00 to 5:00 shift so I didn't spend too much more time perusing the tailgating section once I decided there wasn't much else I really needed. Instead, I went and checked out some of the demonstrators. They had three demonstrators. One was Lisa Elias, who did very delicate forms using mostly localized torch work and welding. She was making lamps and wall sconces during the demonstration. They were very beautiful and I really loved the look of it, but there really wasn't much technique to it that I needed to sit around and watch. So I went and checked out Glenn Horr, who was carving animal heads using an air hammer. That was exciting! I stayed over there for about an hour watching him and chatting it up with a few other people sitting nearby. The only demonstrator I did not go and check out was Nick Rossi. I had saved that one for last knowing that of everything, knives was the one that I had the least interest in. I'm sure future conferences will also have a knife demonstrator so I'm sure I'll eventually see one, LOL

When the demonstrators started putting up their things for the lunch break, I knew I only had about an hour left before I had to report in for my shift. I grabbed a quick lunch from the food truck then went back inside to peruse the tailgating again and make sure that there wasn't anything I really just had to have. I noticed an old forge next to the auction items so I went to check it out. It was a fixer upper Buffalo 0 from the 1800s complete with original belt driven blower. It was a silent auction and the high bid was $65 so I jotted my name down for $70. 

I also kept walking by this big fire pot that was being sold for, if I recall correctly, $150? With a note that any offers would be entertained. I also knew the guy that was sitting at the table, so I started talking to him about it. He said he would be there until after the banquet. So I decided to test fate, and see if it was still there after I finished my shift at the art gallery. Well, as I'm walking away Bud Harvey comes up and says, "I saw you were looking at that fire pot. Are you thinking you want one?" and I told him yes, that I was considering it. He asked me to follow him. He proceeded to lead me to his car and show me the fire pot that he had gotten a great deal on that same day. And then he wanted to pass that deal on to me. So a very long story coming to an end, lol, I came home with a big fire pot that I bought from Bud Harvey for only $40! Now I just need to make the table and stand to go with it, and buy (and possibly refurbish) a blower from TwistedWillow!

Oh, but wait, what about that Buffalo I bid on? I thought surely someone would bid again but just in case, I took measurements. Should have done that BEFORE putting my name down. It won't fit in my wife's hatchback opening so I was really hoping someone would outbid me. 

I checked in at the art gallery and I must say, talk about inspiration! There were so many beautiful things and some of them were marked for the auction! 

After the banquet, they had the auction. Another first for me and whoa. Very exciting. Maybe a little too exciting, lol. My anxiety was spiraling so I edged my way over to stand in the doorway away from the crowd. They announced the winner of the Buffalo before the live auction started. It was me. Uh oh. I started talking to a guy I knew from a few of the Kansas meetings about my dilemma and he offered to haul it home for me as long as I could wait a week or so for him to bring it over. Problem solved! Sort of. Now I have a full on restoration project on my hands, lol

But seriously, it'll be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Here's a pic of A Buffalo 0, but not mine:

I also won one of the lamps made by the demonstrator, Lisa Elias!

Beautiful stuff everyone! 

Ha! Reminds me of a pic I took of one of ours last night. 

Crazy how well some things manage to stay preserved! Very cool find.

Lookin' great!

Thanks Frosty! I changed it. 

I haven't watched the movie in over two decades but it was a favorite of my ex and we watched it more times than I can count. 

We quoted lots of various movie lines for various daily stuff, or sometimes just to make each other laugh. Sling blade and Gump sure had lots of good stuff. So did Kalifornia. 

I believe Billy is referring to Carl, the main character in the movie Sling blade.

That's a nice looking hammer MG!

Nice work Chimaera. I love "heat painting". It's mesmerizing watching the colors run. 

I worked on tongs from 3/4" mild steel tonight. I had scheduled 3 hours but got tired after 90 minutes and for the first time ever, I called it a night early and packed it up before I could start making mistakes.

I had the jaw/boss area of the first side mostly done in 40 minutes. More like a blank. I still need to form them to be chain tongs. Then I started trying to draw out the reins. After 50 minutes and not making much headway, I just deflated. Work goes much slower with a 2lb hammer on the thicker stock. But I'd rather take 4x as long with a lighter hammer than risk anything the week leading up to the BAM Conference. 

Welcome to the forum JD! There are lots of ideas in here depending on what you want to do. The thread "What did you do today" in particular has the most activity in regards to projects, I think. 

But if you want to make tongs or tools, there's a whole topic with those posts. 

Or if you think of something you want to try, just search using your favorite web search engine. Example, bottle opener. You would search:

Site:iforgeiron.com "bottle opener" 

And all the posts from this forum with "bottle opener" would show as results. 

Have fun! 

British zombie apocalypse film according to TommyVee. I also am not a big zombie film watcher. 

So you call them bales like BillyBones too. So Billy, I think your term was just fine. 

In some places of the project lists and whatnot, it's called a 'tenoned staple' and in others it's just referenced as a keep - but I think the keep is the complete assembly of the tenoned staple attached to the backing plate, right?

I was familiar with a hammer tacker. I used that when helping my parents replace the roof on their house. So I totally got the zombie usage imagined. I just didn't get the thought train. But Tommy cleared it up. I hadn't seen that movie but being a huge Sandra Bullock fan, I KNEW 28 Days didn't have any zombies in it, lol

I think it's beautiful! 

Is there another movie besides the Sandra Bullock 28 Days? Because I don't follow the thought process to zombie staple gun, lol

I was thinking I'd keep doing these every once in awhile just to make sure I really got it. I figured I'd put them into the framing inside the shed, whenever I finally do that, and hang the S hooks from them to hold whatever. No idea what else I'd use them for other than parts on a sculpture. 

That's a real slick fleur de lis, M.G.!

Frosty, would you use a veining chisel hot or cold? I think I know that the only difference is the angle on the working end but just curious which you prefer. 

Billy, I've been working ahead. So far there's only been one virtual class and it covered safety, terminology, a few different hammer striking positions, and tapers. So I'm so deferring to the Mark Aspery videos for the lessons. If I had to guess though, I'd say as long as it's done in a manner to demonstrate your understanding and ability to forge weld, and the material is increased enough for the hook notch, then it's probably fine. 

I rewatched a few videos this afternoon, had an big aha moment, tried it again tonight and successfully did two in a row!

Heres a pic of all 20 that I've done in the past 28 days. The two that I did tonight are on the far right. One square taper, one chisel taper. Both have 1-1/8" inner diameter and 1-3/4" tapers. So I've submitted those for review. 

2 hours ago, Daswulf said:

I like to put a business card in with the purchase as well

Your comment reminded me - it's a small thing but whenever I pull a business card out of my bag when I get home and the person has written a message on the back, it always makes me smile. So I highly recommend scribbling something on the back - even if it's just "Thanks!" or "You're Amazing!" or an incentive to purchase again might be to offer a discount off their next purchase if they show the card. Write these up and add these to the bags ahead of time so all you have to do at the event is grab a bag for the item. Then the 'purchase' cards are separate from the 'anyone' cards.

If you don't go the sticker route mentioned by JHCC then you could stamp if your touchmark is easy enough to carve. Make a quick stamp by carving into a large eraser and then stamp your touchmark onto the handled paper bags. A rubber block carving kit is cheap enough - I just didn't know how much time you had or how much spending money you had.

The one suggestion I have is to add levels so there's a variation of height and not just flat. This can be as simple as shoe boxes or stacks of books under the table cloth. 

I like the tan table covering. Really let's the metal pop. 

Also, I'd recommend props for as many pieces as possible so there's no wondering what something is - and also to draw attention. 

Like have a penannular brooch actually pinned into a scarf or something. An open (empty but weighted) bag of coffee for the coffee scoops. 

Glad I could provide some inspiration Tommy! I also have the Controlled Hand Forging lessons printed and in a binder. I thought I'd start on those after the ABANA Level 1. Figured they'd be good for in between projects or such. 

Gewoon, that's a nice leaf. 

Another beauty, Chad! 

No pics because time got away from me and when I checked the time it was 10pm! So I scrambled to get everything put up and will resume tomorrow. 

Fought with staples again tonight. I might have to buy yet ANOTHER 8 ft of 3/8 bar but I WILL get this! 

One of the reasons I signed up for the ABANA course was to push myself to focus on technique and consistency rather than just good enough. I would have given up on these staples probably 5 staples in if I had done the course on my own (I've probably done 20 or so in the past month). But since I have a coach to submit my work to - and since I've paid for the course - I am much more intent on getting it right. And not just getting it right one time so I can submit it. I want to be able to do it consistently. 

My square tapers (from round bar) are getting MUCH faster and smooth though! 

15 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

She also likes Roaring River State Park in MO

Roaring River is BEAUTIFUL! My wife & I did a marathon of sorts of all the Missouri State parks back in 2017 with our elderly dog, Max. It was October so we didn't float but we did explore on foot.

Congrats Billy! I also really liked the dragon one of yours. It looked like the Jormungandr symbol - which I considered trying after seeing yours because I was sure my nephew would know its meaning and appreciate it. In the end I decided maybe I shouldn't try to be so ambitious with my first ever bottle opener, lol! Yours is saved in my inspiration folder though