John Martin Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 This is a heavy duty fire poker made 1/2" square stock, 3FT long. Reverse twisting along handle. Forge welded it back on itself for the poker end. Rest of it is self explanatory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new guy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 thats a beast of a poker! good job. looks almost like a baseball bat. wowee. it has a cool twist in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Thanks, yep, it's for camping and outside fire. Can be used with one hand, but easier with two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Nice poker John. Wienie roasters next? Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Eventually, once I get stock in. I really enjoyed the challenges of this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lumpkins Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Looks good John, Thanks for sharing it with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 Looks good John. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tribal forge Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 3/8" is the largest one I have made, this one looks good John! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Thanks Art and TF for the compliments. I'll be making a smaller one from 3/8" and a steak turner for our grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tribal forge Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 steak turners I mKe from 5/16" and start with a 20 inch piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanR Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Nice poker, I have made one from 12mm square (1/2"), they are definitely a "mans" fire poker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reid Neilsen Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Thats what i call a poker... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Nice poker John, keep at it! An early semi-failure of mine was a rather massive bon fire poker/hook. At the time my buddy was throwing a lot of bon fires so I decided to make one for the purpose. It was a bit over ten feet long and I made the hook end from 1 1/2" round stock. With the hook radii around 12"(this was many years ago so the sizes are from memory). The middle section was made from two four foot sections of black pipe, with flattened ends and two holes per end per pipe. The two pipes stradled flattened sections of the hook and handle ends where I had made two holes in each. The idea was to be able to bolt it together and take it apart for ease of moving. It wouldn't fit flat in the bed of a regular truck! I had to prop it up on the gate. The hadle was also made from 1 1/2" or so round stock, with the center of it squared and given a twist(not so easy!), with the aft end tapered down so that I could hang cast iron window weights on it. Those were to counter balance the hook end. It must have weighed over 50 lbs when completely assembeled! Although with the counter weights it was balanced at the handle end, without them one had to hold it in the center, thusly negating the length advantage it had. Eventually it got lost in a field after a bon fire, it must still be out there somewhere, I can't imagine anything destroying it! This might seem really big, but for marine or stationary hand fired coal or wood boilers they would use pokers, slicers and rakes that were easily nine feet long, some even longer, around twelve feet. This was to keep the guy away from the fire and still be able to reach the end of the furnace. They usually had a rounded handle on the end and they would rest it on the bottem of the furnace door frame and slide it back and forth when in use. Those were one piece deals and must have required a helper to forge, or a support of some sort. Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 You know I can't help but think that there is a market for massive bon fire hook/pokers. As of yet I have never seen one the size that I built the afore mentioned poker. My only real concern with it was that, well it was made for use with a very large bon fire where people are not exactly what one would call carefull or in complete control of themselves. I never heard about anything going wrong with the one that I made, but it was always a concern of mine. It being able to be quickly broken down, yet still very solid when assembled was an issue. The bolts were strong and solid enough, but caused issues with assembly and dissasembly, lot of options there I supose. Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 You know I can't help but think that there is a market for massive bon fire hook/pokers. As of yet I have never seen one the size that I built the afore mentioned poker. My only real concern with it was that, well it was made for use with a very large bon fire where people are not exactly what one would call carefull or in complete control of themselves. I never heard about anything going wrong with the one that I made, but it was always a concern of mine. It being able to be quickly broken down, yet still very solid when assembled was an issue. The bolts were strong and solid enough, but caused issues with assembly and dissasembly, lot of options there I supose. Caleb Ramsby Down here in the South where we cook whole hogs on a pit and carry the wood embers to line the pit the long poker would work th tend the fire...I made a shovel with a 7 foot steel handle just to get the coals to put in the pit ...your big poker is a good ideal. might have make one to go with my long shovel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hey JimBob, That sounds like a sure fire plan! I would not suggest making it in multiple pieces like I did, it only caused problems instead of providing solutions like I had hoped it would. A piece of 3/4" or larger square stock should be plenty for your purpose. Seeing as how you already made a long steel handle for the shovel, my advice here is most likely mute. Good luck and happy roasting! Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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