BadLuckBinks

On 5/6/2023 at 7:28 PM, Frosty said:

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. There must be a story behind your login and we LOVE a good story. 

well the first three letters of my name are JAR and I was once known (still is) as a clumsy boy so I received the nickname Jar Jar Binks. What was once thought to be clumsiness was in fact (told to me by drunken family members many late nights) an ancient Bad Luck curse set upon my family name hence the name BadLuckBinks. Stories for days.

this was the first fire. and it was made with cutoff 2x4 scraps from the building of the stand. it being rather windy yesterday i used the bricks more to test that it wouldn't burn down immediately! I agree completely with you suggestions. I more just wanted to check the seals so to say. that's still mostly just cheap kitty litter I'm getting some creek sand that's been sifted from my pops work later this week. but i had the hard fire brick from our old local A.P. Green plant my grandfather made those bricks and was to excited to just make fire haha

thanks for the advice! 
 

23 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

Frosty's advice is spot on. You are in the BAM area, attending some meetings will go a long way for advancing your education and ability.

21 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Welcome aboard from 7500' in SE Wyoming.  Glad to have you.

I second what Frosty and Irondragon have said.  In particular, learning with other smiths. Yes it is possible to lern on your own guided by book and GOOD videos.  I know, I did it.  

That said, there are some good vieos on You Tube.  I like the ones from Black Bear Forger, JPL Services (our own Jennifer), Torbjorn Ahman from Sweden, and Christ Centered Ironworks.

18 hours ago, Shainarue said:

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.

Thanks for you replies! I have met with some of the local BAM members a while ago (and learned a lot from just short conversations). I still need to save up for some dues but hopefully I can start attending some of the meetings as I think it would be a lot of fun! 

BadLuckBinks.

Hello, I'm BadLuckBinks.

I just got a JABOD up and running this afternoon and was able to beat some metal! I've been reading the forums for a while and just never created an account. I figured since I can actually participate now I should go ahead and make an account. Just wanted to say hello, and thanks to many of the forum users for helping me get started (even inadvertently!) you guys have been an inspiration to get out and about and build something! I hope to become more acquainted with you all over many great conversations to come!  

Hopefully weather permitting I should be able to work on my 55 Gallon Charcoal retort so I can process big batches in a controlled environment. I had it working a year or so ago but I needed some repairs! when i get a chance I'll make a post about it on here so others can see!

Thanks for having me!

BadLuckBinks.

P.S. Excuse my voice in the attached video I lost it recently and I was also excited about my metal glowing :D