postleg

Here are some pics of a mail box stand I just finished for my mom.

great looking hawk i like the turkey feather and the bone
is that from a turkey you hunted?

I enjoy using all the materials i can from game i have harvested

It is probably about 1/3rd but I just do it by eye and what I think looks right. I like the rough and hand made look so If it's off a little thats ok with me.

This is my 6th hawk it is made from a 16 oz ball pien. The handle is red oak that was burned and then oiled. There are 135 solid brass tacks for decoration a long with a wild turkey feather and bone and copper beads. I was making this hawk for myself but decided to donate it to the Nebraska Bowhunters Assocation for a fund rasing auction. Always apreciate feedback.

Here is my latest creation. It is a cross made from 1/2 sq bar. I put copper inbetween the iron bars. I also did copper under the bands holding the cross together. I added some copper rivets for accent. The cross was then colored with heat with my tourch then clear coated. What do you think? Always looking for feedback.

I drilled small holes through the copper ring into the cross arms. Then took small copper tacks and hammered them in the holes. so the tacks act like copper rivets.

Spent a couple of nights working in the shop. I have been making some pieces to donate to local charity auctions. The cross with the copper ring is for a fund raiser for the Nebraska Bowhunters Assocation. The other cross is for a Cystic Fibrosis fund raiser. The dragon fly is 50th birthday present for my wife's friend.

I have a 165lb swedge block. I made a stand that holds the block about 1 or 2 inches higher than my anvil. I made it so when I work on ends it sets at the same hight.

I have been buying drop off and scrap from my employer (Kawasaki motors) for 11 cents a pound. Get a lot of tubing some tool steel.
I bought 2 pieces of 60" x 44" x 1/2 plate steel for $80 weight on the two was 750lbs. I am going to make a welding lay out table out of them
Also was able to get enought 3 x 3 tubing to build a treadle hammer now I am waitng to find a base so I can start that build.

Here is my 1935 9" Southbend lathe 48" bed. This lathe was purchased by my grandfather. I have all the original paper work fot the lathe including shipping lables manuals catalogs. I also have a old note book that my grandfather recorded each job he did and how much he for them. First job was on Feb 18 1935 turned an armiture for 25 cents. He ran a small fix it shop in Cook, Nebraska for 50 years. He once recieved a letter that was addressed "To the man in Cook that can fix anything except the crack of dawn or abroken heart" and it went straigth to my grandfather.

I just moved the lathe to my shop a couple of months ago and have used it a little but should take some classes to really learn how to use it.

This is my shop. I'am new to this only been smithing for a little over a year. My garage is 30 X 32 with 10ft side walls, with a 12 x 30 heated shop area. Equipment includes a 165lb peter wright anvil mounted on a cherry stump, a 160lb swedge block 70lb indian chief vise, hobart 200amp mig welder, a 1907 champion post drill, a diamond back 3 burner forge, a champion pump action coal forge. lastly a 1935 9in southbend lathe.

I have photos of my great grand father standing in his blacksmith shop in Filley Nebraska around 1920 there is also a photo of his shop. I had them enlarged to 18 x 24 and made frames out of hammered angle iron. The south bend lathe was purchased by my grand father in 1935. Amoung the tooling and stuff I aquired with the lathe I have a book where he recorded all the jobs he did and what he made on each job. First job was in Feb 1935 turned an armiture for 25 cents.

My shop is multifuncional. One of my other hobbies is bowhunting so I shut down the blacksmithing in January to make sausage and deer sticks which is always nice to have a frige full of snack sticks the rest of the year when I am working in the shop.

How about some photos of the hammer. Ive been gathering material to build one. I havent decided what plans to use

so I would be interested in seeing what you built

I thought I would just throw this out. I had a 20lb bottle under my 3 burnner forge. I did not have problems with heat but the 20lb bottle kept freezing up while the forge was running. I ended up switching to a 100lb bottle which took care of the freezing but I couldn't fit it under the forge. so now it stands off to the side and works fine. So just keep in mind that the smaller tanks may not work that well.

yes I drive by the big mantis twice aday on my way to and from work. This one was inspired buy a praying mantis that lived in my shop window for about a month this fall

I took a 2 day blacksmith class a year ago. Have been in the shop as time permits. Ive made a couple of knives several tomahawks The is Idea keep bugging me. The praying mantis is made out of a railroad spike. The dragonfly is made out of a piece of 1in bar the wings are 3/8 rod hammered flat. I colored the body with my torch and then clearcoat and mount on chunks of old hedge post. Please give me some feed back

thanks

Yes i did drift the hole, I start by squairing the ends then I drift the center after i have the head all shaped, then I make the handle fit the head

Here are some pics of one of the heads in my last post. I made this as a birthday gift for my son. He moved out of state a couple of years ago. So we dont get together very often. I would sure like to see his face when he see it. It is my 3rd tomahawk I have only been smithing about 9 months in my spare time. This hawk is made from a 16 oz ballpien hammerhead. The handle is made from red oak salvaged from pallets. It is fire blackend and oiled with brass tacks decoration. I would like to know what you think?

Ive been working in the shop the last couple of nites. Here are some pics of my latest hawks in process. They are made out of 16 oz ball pien hammer heads. I will post more pics when they are done

the one next to it on the stump is a knife I am making for a friend. I am making to match a tattoo that both he and his son have on their forarms. He helped me get going buy giving me a 167 lb peter wright anvil. He is a great friend I have already made him a tomahawk pics are on the tomahawk and spear forum

Hello to all. I just joined the forum last night really like what I see and hear.
I started blacksmithing about 6 months ago. Do it in my spare time. Here is a photo of my first knife project. A 19 in bowie knife made from a 65 mustang leaf spring. The handle is made from an old hedge fence post. The guard and end cap are made from scrap bronze bearings.

what do you think

I think my great grandfather is watching over me. He came from Denmark in 1887 and ran a shop in Philly Nebraska. I have potos of his shop and him standing in it. I am going to have them enlarged to hang on the shop wall.

Yes they are browned. I used plum brown on them. Ive been forging for around 6 months in my spare time these hawks were my 3rd and 4th projects. The one with the curved point I made for a friend who gave me a 167lb peter wright anvil. I am know making him a bowie knife to thank him for the anvil. The other hawk I sill have and will keep as it is my first attempt at this sort of thing. A lot of fokes think Im nuts when I tell them what I do for fun. This forum seems to be full of nuts like me

Just joined tonight. Have been smithing for about 6 months. Here are some pics of my first to tomahawks. Both were made from 16 oz ballpien hammer heads.

I just joined the forum tonight. I have been smithing for about 6 months now and thought i would show some of my creations. I never could find a medium that I felt that I could let my artistic side come out untill I started banging iron.

I became interest in blacksmithing after watching a youtube video of a guy making a spike knife. My great grandfather was a blacksmith he emigrated to the US in 1887 and set up a shop in Philly Nebraska. I never meet him but have photos of him in his shop. I come from along line of handymen My grandfather was a tinkerer and fixit man. He once recieved a letter that was adressed to The man from COOK ne that can fix anything but a the crack of dawn or a broken heart. and that letter went straight to him. So from him and my dad I learned to fix and build things.

I have worked for Kawasaki motors Manufacturing in Lincoln, Ne for 32 years.
I have been a welder, fabricator and am now a laser opperator running lasers cutting parts for atv's and other vehicles that we manufacture.

I took a 2 day blacksmithing class from a local comunity college. I now have a fairly well eguiped shop in my garage. I have made a spike knife, several different styles of crosses, a 19in bowie knife from a 65 mustang leaf spring and 2 tomahawks from 16 oz ballpien hammer heads. My latest project is a rattle snake I am making from a 4 ft peice of 1 in rebar.

Iam looking forward to being a part of this forum