ironstein

Maybe this will work better.

I have no idea why that picture ended up in the text.

Heres a bunch of roses i made for christmas gifts, then decided i could make more and sell them. People seem really interested in these. Thanks to Mark Aspery for putting these in his books. I also made a damascus shawl pin at the request of my wife. I had a billet of 15n20/1080 that i had made before the holidays, so i chiseled off a piece, slit, drifted and worked to shape on the horn of my hay budden, and cut the pin off another billet i had. Let me know what you think. I see shawl pins on etsy for $20 to $60, but i have never seen any damascus.

I work with rebar everyday. Mill certifications are delivered with loads of rebar. These certs show the composition of the particular heats that the steel came from. If you are buying new rebar you may be able to find out what the composition is.

Heres mine. The letters are a bit small, but if i ever make small pieces i can still mark them!

Just a thought, i find that when i weld two thin pieces they tend to lose heat very quickly. Might try to have a heated plate on or near the anvil to keep from sucking the heat out of your piece before you can tap it. Heat management is key, i have pulled sparkling pieces out of the fire and was sure they would weld only to lose too much heat too quickly to make it happen.

Dude, you can't throw down a topic like that and not include a link! Like we all wouldn't be interested? Sounds super cool. I would like a platen table for my shop but they are so xxxx expensive.

Great idea! Nice work.

Wow. That reminded me of a Hunter S. Thompson rant!

Thanks Larry. I wish i had a shop with no neighbors so i could have a powerhammer. Its just as well, i need to practice lots of hand work first. That cylinder you sold me is working like a champ. I use it for stuff all the time.

I had some time in the forge today and made two handled tools. A hot cut which i have always wanted. Just seems nice to be able to hold a handle and get my hand away from the heat when i am doing some creasing or punching. I forge both tools, the chisel is made from one inch 4140 that Brian Brazeal gave me, the puch is a tool i found at an old country store that was some sort of tool i didn't recognize so i reforged it into a punch. My question is about heat treating. I know there are varying opinions, but i was wondering if any of you guys do anything different with handled tools versus a regular punch or chisel? I treated both tools by forging to shape, grinding close to finish for the business and striking ends, heat the business ends to a bright orange, quenching in oil while making sure to move the tool up and down to keep from creating a line of hardness. I let them cool, heated up my drift to orange, stuck it in the hardy and dropped each tool on it till i saw straw colors starting to form.

I bought a big blu rounding hammer when i went to pieh tool on my way to sedona. I saw it on the shelf and picked it up and it felt good so i bought it. Now i use it all the time. I also have a hofi cast hammer, it is beautiful, but a bit heavy, its a 3 pound cast. I think the blu is 2 lbs or so. I really like it. If i forged full time i would use the hofi more, but i noticed a three pounder is a bit heavy for me since i already have tendonitis from tying rebar for the last 16 years! I am not stating one is better than the other, they are both well balanced, i just like the lighter one right now. Hmm, maybe i'll save up and buy a 2 pound hofi and see if i like it better than the blu.

Rebar here in Los Angeles just went up $50 a ton, and is expected to go up another $25 in January! Needless to say, the company i work for isn't doing much bidding of new work for the next two months. I buy my steel at a local steel supplier, the prices aren't the best, but they always have any size or shape i am looking for.

All very interesting points. Thank you.

That is a beautiful collection! I could spend hours in there just staring. I'll bet he has some great stories to tell, not to mention some great things to teach. Great pictures by the way. Thanks for sharing.

What is the purpose of the large hole perpendicular to the tenon hole in a monkey tool? Is it to clear any junk that gets inside the tenon sleeve?

Good advice Grant.

Thanks for all the replies. I will definitely make some bracelets and maybe some pendants and see how people like them. I was thinking the constant wear would keep them relatively rust free, i know a fingerprint left on a gun will rust, but a gun isn't in constant contact with the skin. Hopefully nobody has an allergy to nickel!

Anyone have any experience with damascus jewelry, say 15n20/1080? I have seen rings and such posted on the site, and i seem to recall people mentioning that damascus can cause problems when worn against the skin. Are the damascus rings lined with something? I had a request for a damascus bracelet, and i was wanting to make sure it wouldn't be harmful. Thanks and happy holidays!

Nice work Clinton! Those are some serious chunks of wood.

Thats great. The kids first time and he has Brian striking for him! I'll bet those kids had a blast.

Looking good Clinton. Whats the purpose of the aluminum filings? Just to add some color?

Looks like he has a great work ethic. Showed up to learn. Great thread.

Nice piece Fe! Great looking sculpture.

Dick, I think the line is the shoulder remnants of the jackhammer bit. The base of the bit is forged to the size of your hardy hole, the shoulder on the jackhammer bit is used as a "stopper" and the top forged down into the tool to form the hexagonal piece.