Frosty Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Geeze sidetracked again. Beautiful bottle opener Froggy! I believe you needs you a moniker to reflect bottle opener mastery. How about "Captain Church Key?"Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Here's my latest....sort of. Was working on a bottle opener on Friday and it suddenly got away from me, flipped out of the tongs, off the horn and landed on my forearm! Took this shot before I started treating it, for some reason the burn looks like the hole is really off center, not sure why because it wasn't, maybe the left side just had more heat when it landed? Anyway, 3 days of bacitracin and keeping it covered and it's doing quite well. Some day if I'm ever teaching someone how to make a bottle opener I will be able to say, "Well, at this point in your progress it should look like THIS" and raise my arm. No worries, it looks worse in this photo than it actually is, the red has reduced to just a thin, rather perfect outline of the top of a bottle opener. Doesn't take much, does it? A tiny combination of force and heat and something slips away and this is what you get. This evening, a hot hardie in progress popped out of the vise grips and smacked me in the belly, in contact just long enough to scorch my T-shirt. Might be time to invest in an apron. And better vise grips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Oh come on, you just answered the phone while ironing! Try a different leg. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Who irons their smithing shirts?(I know the armourers smith iron shirts.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 Who irons their smithing shirts?(I know the armourers smith iron shirts.)The ones who'd make up a story about a hot flying hardy to cover for them ironing and talking on the phone at the same time? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 The ones who'd make up a story about a hot flying hardy to cover for them ironing and talking on the phone at the same time? Frosty The LuckyHey, at least I'm not still using a flip phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted September 1, 2015 Share Posted September 1, 2015 (edited) You guys are too kind. I'm not doing any rocket science here, anyone can do it with some practice. For forging the eye: lots of heats, nothing too fast. When approaching the final desired diameter for the eye, I switch to a lighter hammer and work darker heats. Healthy wire wheeling to remove all scale. Edited September 1, 2015 by Black Frog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 OK, I got some from the U.S.Is this similar to what you use, Frosty?? Applied at 'touchable' heat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Maybe, it says the same thing on the can but my can is more than 30 years old and is different, the can that is anyway.How's it work? Is it really liquid going on just under smoking heat steel? Does the steal look like it's just wet once you wipe the excess off? Do any little drips chip like hard resin?Let us know what you think.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 The weather is quite cool here so it has the consistency of a block of yellow soap in the can.In summer I think it would be more like liquid. I let it sit in the sun for a while this morning and it softened a bit. I applied some to a couple of new brackets I made (also warmed in the sun, but only just warm) and it went on OK. When it was buffed up it does put an impressive wet-look gloss on the work. Next time I make some bottle openers I'll try it straight off the forge and see what happens under smoking heat. Thanks for the advice.(Don't know what's happening with these 'quote' boxes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Even though it says pastewax, Trewax is pretty hard in the can, that's why I use the cloth I use to wipe the excess to apply it too. I keep them in the can and they are pretty waxy.I just give the block in the can a hard rub with the cloth and apply it to the warm steel. I like the results when the steel is about fresh cup of coffee/tea hot, say in the 160f range. I use a different rag to wipe the excess while it's still pretty warm. After a while the buff rag ends up the applicator rag.You can turn the applicator back into the buff just by using it often without rubbing the wax block.Yeah, I know that's a lot of technique for waxing hot iron but it's not like shoe polish, it takes a few tricks but it's worth it.And yeah, black shoe polish makes a decent finish on iron you can buff nice highlights on textures and it's reasonably durable once dry.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 I wanted to post this in "Problem Solving" but got the dreaded Forbidden. Or it just wouldn't post for some other reason.Anyway, it relates to bottle openers so I'll try here.I make a lot of rail spike openers (a) because they're easy and good for demos and (b) because I have thousands of the things.Those of you who do demos would know that you always get the people who want to buy the object you're making. Not a similar one off the shelf - they want "That one!" I guess they like to buy something they saw made.Now therein lies a problem. The spike opener in the photo below is pretty much straight off the forge (after a bit of wire brushing) and I'm not keen to sell a raw piece like that to someone, only to have them find it's rusty in a few days time. Is there a quick and easy way of finishing an item like that so that it can be sold instantly? I've tried beeswax and it's gluggy. Oil doesn't do too well in the lady's handbag and spray finishes take time to dry.Do you sell your bottle openers straight off the forge, and if so, what do you use as a finish??How did you make that so shiny and clean looking straight out of the forge? How did you remove any rust too? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I use paraffin wax as it's not sticky like bee's wax. Rub a chunk over it just below smoking temp and wipe down excess with a terrycloth towel and let cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascalou Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Hello ! For the fun and the .......funto drink with...four pirates ? or slingshot for little rascal ? PL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Ah HAH! that last one is what Ninja teams used to open a brewski after a successful assassination. They're called Beeriken, Ninja drinking stars. Pop, fizz and they're gone in a whoosh of foam.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted September 16, 2015 Share Posted September 16, 2015 Frosty - "perfect description"!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pascalou Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 HelloFroty , you are on a track .....I like that name " Beeriken "Jeremy K a message for you . PL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 HelloFroty , you are on a track .....I like that name " Beeriken "Jeremy K a message for you . PLI do have my moments. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 How did you make that so shiny and clean looking straight out of the forge? How did you remove any rust too? ThanksWell, it's not exactly straight off the forge - I have a wire wheel handy to get rid of scale and such. I was just looking for a quick way to permanently protect the bare metal, apart from applying preparations which take time to dry. Frosty's Carnauba wax seems like the best solution. Now that I have some, I'll give it a try with the next spike openers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Well, it's not exactly straight off the forge - I have a wire wheel handy to get rid of scale and such. I was just looking for a quick way to permanently protect the bare metal, apart from applying preparations which take time to dry. Frosty's Carnauba wax seems like the best solution. Now that I have some, I'll give it a try with the next spike openers.hi, oh I thought that was straight out the forge and I was wondering how you keep your stuff so clean! Anyway trewax does seem like a good option and I am trying o figure out what wax I should use myself. I am going to be putting up a post on reviews of different kinds of waxes that people use. They include candle wax, Penetrol, paraffin wax, beeswax, shoe cream, classic mix, trewax, gliders wax, floor wax, wax based floor polish, Renaissance wax, etc. that will all be added over time. Eventually it will get into using oils and such. It is gonna help me and lots of guys like us. It is gonna be really good, and if it is really good maybe I will try to see if I can make it into a book to sell on this site to raise so money for the site. Good luck with the wax! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 It's not wax but I've found the lanolin in raw wool makes a nice indoor finish. I have not had any in service for more than a couple years though so I can't say how durable it is.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 It's not wax but I've found the lanolin in raw wool makes a nice indoor finish. I have not had any in service for more than a couple years though so I can't say how durable it is.Frosty The Lucky.I will try it out. Can I take it out of cotton shirts or bandanas? If so how, and if not how do I get it? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Lanolin is an oil produced by glands in the skin of sheep; it's what gives wool its water resistance and typical smell.You can buy pure lanolin in pharmacies and natural food shops. It's used as a moisturizer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 Raw wool is straight off the sheep before washing. Deb's a spinner and we used to keep a couple fiber sheep. She wanted a doffer and we quickly discovered wax finishes weren't the thing to use on tools used on wool. So I gave raw wool a try and it worked nicely without staining the wool when removing it from a drum carder.Lanolin shouldn't be hard to find, it's almost impossible to beat as a hand lotion and is still used as a base in many brands.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 18, 2015 Share Posted September 18, 2015 It's not as durable as wax, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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