John NC

Stainless steel? Oooh la la, tres fancy! Seriously, they're very nice.

I made a batch of wooden handled marshmallow forks a few months ago. By the time I got the forks done, the wood de-barked, sanded, stained and finished and got them assembled I realized I had way too many hours into them to sell them at a decent price.

So I give them away. :D

Nice. The S hook is great.

I just noticed this post got moved to "Cold Worked Metal". For the record, the only cold work was the riveting.

Keith, the disc was cut 7 1/2" across, after forming it's now 6 1/2" diameter. With legs it's 2 1/2" high.

Glad y'all like it.

Thanks guys, your compliments are appreciated.

Next step: refining rivet heads and adding more shapelyness(is that a word?) to the legs. Refined ankles, tapered calves and real looking heels are on the agenda.

Don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. The white paint may be hard to keep clean... :D

OK, thanks to your suggestions I made a footed bowl and riveted the legs on rather than welding. It took a while, but my riveting skills are improving. I tried pre-making one head of the rivet, but it turned out to be quicker and easier to form them both in place. Err, maybe the words 'quicker' and 'easier' are stretching it a little bit. It was tricky.

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Stitch it up!

Bib type yellow suede that used to go well below my knees. I bought it the day after I caught my shirt on fire with an angle grinder. It wrapped around my calves when I walked, so I cut about 7 inches off the bottom. Much better now.

And yeah, it turns my shirt yellow when I sweat.

Chrispy, the ball/claw foot sounds cool, but you just quadrupled the forge time and retail price of the bowl. I'm trying to keep these under $50 retail.

Although you got me thinking... I've got 3 bags of glass marbles in the shop...

Evfreek, while you were typing I was in the shop doing my first rivets. These are annealed #6 ground wire.


Learning Curve

Some of these I premade the head and some I didn't. It didn't seem to make much difference, but of course I had access to both sides of the steel here.

I can't remember if he told me he made the spike from the knife or the knife from the spike but either way you get both.

This guy's a Supergenius!

I like it. Clean and simple.

D Ravizza, the bowls are formed in a swage block.

Bigfootnampa, thanks for the tips! I'll be trying them out later today.

I believe that's the first time I've ever seen the words 'thermite' and 'oopsie' in the same sentence... :o

Very nice. What's the loop underneath?

Thanks guys, great idea.

I've got some heavy gauge copper wire at the shop that should work and look good, anybody got tips and tricks for riveting?

Thanks for the compliment, Fe. I MIG welded them on, then ground down my bubblegum welds. I'd love to come up with a better way to attach them. Anyone got any ideas?

I've been playing around with bowls lately, and decided to do a footed one. What kind of foot though?.. Hummmm... How about actual feet!

It's about 6" across, 3 1/2" high and has a cold blue/Danish oil finish.

I make mine a little beefier than most.
The white stuff is double sided carpet tape. It's ugly, but it makes a great ant trap.

Watco Danish oil works for me for indoor stuff. Two thin coats just to ensure even coverage.

Any of you folks ever try Gibbs Brand penetrant? It's popular with the bare-metal school hot rodders. It's also pricey, which is why I haven't tried it yet.

It's got a few scratches, but they should buff right out. 8)

Just to be clear, GUTM is a town festival, not a blacksmith gathering. No anvils, lots of corn dogs, clogging and crafts.

Guys, the glass Vs. polycarbonate debate has gone on a long time. I prefer glass for a number of reasons. They're more heat resistant and much more scratch resistant.

Since I have a rather expensive prescription I prefer a pair of glasses that will last a long time.

Whatever your choice, the main thing is to wear them!

Ken, Will is still associated with the JCGEP. He doesn't have any classes on the schedule at the moment, but I hear there are a few in the works.

Last time I saw him he was working with Cherokee kids to re-establish a blacksmith shop in their community.

Fire on the Mountain was the same day as Sylva's Greening up the Mountains festival this year. I chose to stay in Sylva and sell iron.

Glad you're going to be ok, ptree.

Guys and Gals, please wear eye protection all the time in the shop. Just get into the habit.

And if you smith seriously consider stout, old fashioned safety glasses with glass lenses and side sheilds. They cost a few bucks, but IMO they are worth it.