MarkC

acid etch it! good lord, you're a genius Phil! hadn't even crossed my mind. That is a great idea

hmm, I've never done it with a press, always tried with stamp punches... that's why they've never come out very sharp eh? lol

Was wondering if anyone had any experience stamping letters/words into mild steel plate? I've got to get some words onto 3/16" plate (doesn't really matter the method.) I've never had much luck getting nice crisp letters when stamping. Another idea I had was to make a "stencil" out of another steel plate, affix to the project plate, and "brush" the letters into the surface with the knotted-cup on the angle grinder, or perhaps go a different route and use a hot brass brush. I'm going to seal the surface with clear sealer and there won't be much wear and tear on this. (it's basically a sculpture/trophy type piece) Any of your thoughts are welcomed Mark

http://www.metalsource.com/ This is where I get copper sheet, small retail outlet selling the waste from a large metal company (their "scrap" can sometimes be 8 feet long). It's in Massachusetts but ship by UPS. Don't know if this helps you at all, but thought I'd post it. Mark

Wayne, it's just one one-piece, rolled style, like from the "how-to's" on the Anvilfire site.

thanks for that compliment, but brother, i spent 3 xxxx days on one rose. if you were crazy enough to spend 3 days on 1 rose, i'm sure you'd far exceed my lil flower.

everyone always has so many great ideas. Sukellos, what you said is powerful. It makes me have a lot of respect for these people and their profession. Same goes for what you said Frosty. They are like unsung heros among us. your cops and firemen and doctors, people are tripping over each other to call these people heros, but people like speech therapists and their like... i guess you have to have something hit close to home to realize what a difference they make. Really makes me stop and think. Frosty: I gotta find me some rose oil. I remembered reading that before... obviously i read it from one of your posts. And without further ado, the rose: I hope it does justice to the girl. It's kinda whimsical and fantasy-like. I couldn't choose the best pic so i posted them all.

WOW, wrought iron christmas tree ornaments as Christmas gifts to those folks you aren't close enough to actually spend real money on. Probably not a brand new idea huh? Anyone ever done that? I think I'm going to.

nice setup and setting, perfect for a smithy. someone tell me again why we don't have a Mass blacksmith guild? and why we just fall under the NE blacksmith association in rhode island? There seem to be a good number of us from MA.

Very sweet, Mark. Not just saying that. It's a great design, very pleasing to the eye, would look excellent in a home. Too many of these become gaudy or over the top. Extremely nice work.

Avadon, you've got a xxxxxxx mad scientist's workshop going on over there. you fabbed the nicest anvil stand I have ever seen, under that gladiator. Ever seen. bar none.

oh wow, nice idea. Around here, you tell people you're a "Blacksmith" and they don't have the slightest idea what to say. They know there aren't any horses in the area, so the standard misconception that we're all horseshoers doesn't even apply. So people are just completely dumbfounded. But you tell them you're a "Metal Artist" and suddenly you're the Most Interesting Man In The World from the Dos Equis beer advert. I go by Metal Artist around here. I don't need to be explaining my profession, what I need is to be getting paid.

hm, no cubicle, she works in a public school, working with the special needs kiddies who need speech therapy. she's a real doll. Love that pen holder idea, and the swan business card holder from anvilfire. BigGun, I dont know about the tools of the trade, but I'll look into that for the future. Also love that idea about making the pens themselves... what a great idea in general. I already got to work on a regular old rose... putting extra attention to detail into it, since it will be the first piece of mine she sees in person. I want to make sure the xxxxxx thing look exactly like a rose, the whole kit and kaboodle. Everyone on the forum always has so many great ideas and info to share. God bless ifi. I'll bang this thing out in the morning and let you know what she thought of it. I think I'll be making her a few other items in the near future as well, while i'm taking breaks from making the stuff i'm suppossed to be making, of course LOL

one heat. one heat. one. heat. for sale in massachusetts: one gas forge, 2 anvils, assorted hammers, tongs, punches, drifts, carts, welders, welding table, band saw, torch outfit, workshop, and a single family house. price: free. I am moving to the bottom of the ocean.

Frosty, I know you don't know me from a hole in the wall, but I have got to tell you that it's xxxxxx fine to be reading your posts again. You don't know how gut wrenching it was to hear that you were laid up. A flower. you're right. I'm gonna go make it right now.

I met a new young lady that i'm quite partial to. She's a speech therapist so spends a lot of time in her office. What is a good gift to forge for someone with an office and a desk?

Yeah, only drawback is I think the "manufacturers instructions" and the "solid fuel appliance" are also suppossed to meet the UL code. inspector should be working with you to come to a solution. what a jerk.

wow, I was just reading the mass building code... he wants the manufacturer's setbacks because that's all the code says... install in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. Amazing. Talk about covering your butt.

Doug, Have you thought about contacting one of the "real" smithy's around, such as Schiff Architectural Detail in Chelsea, and find out what rules were applied to their certification? A real commercial smithy had to get signed off and approved to get started, and so they have likely been through a lot of this. I do not know Jeff Schiff personally, but I have met him once, and he seemed like a very nice guy, and very helpful. (maybe because I showed up to his shop on a fire engine, asking him if he could spot weld something. He would have done anything to get us the hell out of here as fast as possible lol) Or the guy who posted that first thread 2 weeks ago about the power hammer on Massachusetts craigslist, I seem to remember that he was a professional smith with a large shop in Dorchester... He has no doubt been through the ringer with the Boston Fire Department. I think those guys could give you some real, usable information to build your case. Massachusetts is no joke. Got to be some of the strictest regs and fire/building inspectors in the country. Especially in your area!

xxxx, doug. excellent work.

they look fantastic clinton. excellent job

ahh, is that the kind of hardware one needs to be forging to be inducted into the worshipful company, david????

well, you guys agree on the drawing temp/color. Thanks very much for all the good tips. Will use them all. Mark

John, They're being driven into any variety of roofing materials. Anything but masonry. Wood sheathing with asphalt shingles, rubber roofing over wood sheathing, tar-and-gravel roofing over wood sheathing, metal cladding over sheathing/timber, etc. No thatch in these parts. I did plan to forge it from one piece, but you've got a better idea there than I had, with bending them fully parallel and then bending the shank back 90*. Thanks for that. I was going to do the same thing but in another, less simple, manner. I do think the drive end should be heat treated, as the point of the Dog that I am reproducing is bent back and curled over from being driven in so many times over the years. Ultimately there is a chance of it losing any temper i give it by being exposed to the heat of a burning building, which could easily bring it to a red heat, especially being driven through the roof sheathing and being exposed to the heat beneath. These are generally used as men are climbing to the roof to cut vent holes, so there will be extreme heat beneath the roof sheathing to be sure, most times when these are used. The one I am reproducing is extremely old, but still solid and in full time service. The driving point and the shank are actually forge welded together. I got quite a kick out of seeing that. It's important to point out, I guess, that the ladder won't be suspended by these things... they are not like the hooks that go over a ridgepole and secure a ladder on a peaked roof... these only keep a normal ground ladder from sliding left or right, or kicking out from below. So while they are a critical safety device in an icy or windy climate, they are not any kind of full load-bearing device. As for hardening the striking surface... these things get driven in with whatever tool the firefighter is carrying. The flat head of an axe, a sledge hammer, a pry tool... basically way overkill. The only reason I thought of hardening it somewhat was to add some durability and prevent premature mushrooming when firemen, high on adrenaline and moving at 100 miles an hour, start blasting away at it with a flat-head axe (which is usually how it goes). Do you think I should not do this? Is there a good reason not to harden the striking end?

Don't know if anyone has ever heard of a Dog Chain... it's a means of securing a ladder to the edge of an icy roof, used by firefighters. It's a small hook-shaped device with a long spike in lieu of a hook. The spike is driven directly into the roof, and a chain attached to it's rear is secured to the ladder beam. Two dogs are criss-crossed and driven into the roof to secure a ladder. The title of the post is misleading, I guess. I am forging the dog itself, not the chain. They are fairly old-fashioned, but still widely used here in the New England. No companies seem to still produce them, so I was asked to duplicate one of a pair that was missing it's sister. I am just wondering what color you guys would temper the tip at? and also what color you would temper the butt end, which is an upset hammering surface used to drive the spike in. Please see my very crude drawing attached. The thing is at my shop and I didn't have a photo handy. (and a google search does not find any, thus the reason they have me reproducing it!) Your thoughts appreciated. I'm forging it down from a 5/8" high-carbon masonry star drill shank I had in the shop. finished diameter of the thing is around 7/16", octagonal Mark