NickOHH Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 22 hours ago, Flankem said: Just some Irion pipe support I had sitting around. No matter how much you have imbibed you can still open that bottle. This is a prototype, I plan on making another one slightly smaller. As always anything you say will only help me. I leave my feelings in the truck! We just have to do some extensive product testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Quint- Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Made this one out of an old butter knife, worm is from the same threaded rod I used on the last opener. I'm struggling with the claro walnut, it's been sitting in my attic for way too many years (since my gunstock and guitar making days) and is extremely dry and brittle. The scales just kept cracking, the ones in this pic were actually the third attempt and as careful as I was they still cracked in places and altered my original shape. Time to go back to the oak and hickory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 May want to treat the walnut before making scales from it. DIY methods are discussed in knifemaking forums pretty regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Quint- Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 33 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: May want to treat the walnut before making scales from it. DIY methods are discussed in knifemaking forums pretty regularly. Thank you sir, I'll check it out. I've never used the walnut to make anything smaller than a shotgun stock, and even that is much smaller than the guitar bodies that I'm even more accustomed to using the material for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 A couple of ram's head openers. I'm finding that leaving the heads pointing away from the opener end is more comfortable in the hand. And less work than bending them back to face down the shaft. The really short ones sell well with travellers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Wow those are nice. Did you color the ram heads using a brass wire brush? Once I get myself a post vise or mount my other vise, I am going to try and do one of these. Great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldironkilz Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Very clever ausfire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 8 hours ago, Forging Carver said: Wow those are nice. Did you color the ram heads using a brass wire brush? Once I get myself a post vise or mount my other vise, I am going to try and do one of these. Great work! Thanks. Yes, the colour is brass. Just brush it on warm - too hot and it will vaporise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 Oh wow. I knew brass would color, but not that much! I am gonna have to try that one time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 1 minute ago, Forging Carver said: Oh wow. I knew brass would color, but not that much! I am gonna have to try that one time. FG, just be careful buying your brass brush. If you go to a hardware store for one, take a magnet along with you. There are shops that will try to sell you a 'brass' brush, but they are just brass coated steel and that's no use. If it jumps to the magnet, leave it on the shelf and find one that really is BRASS. I used to get mine from a company here that makes brass brushes for snow skiers to rough up the skiboard wax. Can't find them on eBay anymore, so mine come from the U.S. now. You can get inferior ones from Hong Kong but the bristles fall out with minimum heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 alright thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Here is a opener I made yesterday. It cam out fairly well and the only two things I do not like about it is when looked at from the back it looks crooked and my wire brushed scratched the steel a bit. No big deal though. I tried to fix the crookedness on that can be scene on the back, but I couldn't get it. I tried using tongs to bend it as well as banging with a hammer and rawhide mallet. I also video tapped myself making this. I forgot that I was blocking the view when I was working on the horn, so most of the horn forging was cut out. I left a few parts from the horn forging just so people I show the video to will know that it was a step I had to take to make it. the video was an hour and a half, but I got it down to like 20 minutes by cutting out the heating, playing around with the steel (aka wasting a few heats) and from the horn work. The horn work took me the longest, but it is important to make sure to get this part right and neat. I am debating whether I should sell or keep this. Tell me what you think. Thanks https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxg5DahKhj4BaTAxWXQ1MGYyejA/view?ts=56884693 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 It's a straightforward, nicely made opener. Nothing fancy, but quite marketable. Sell it or keep it as a sample to show people what you can do. Your wire brush is just scratching a bit of the fire scale by the looks. Do you have a wire wheel attached to a bench grinder, angle grinder or drill? That will remove fire scale and give a bright finish (if that's what you want). A flap disc works very well too. However, some people like the forge finish and that slight bend in the handle is of no consequence. It was not made in a machine in a sweat shop in Pakistan. People like 'handmade' complete with imperfections. Forge on, young man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 That's a nice simple opener, not a thing wrong with it. The scratches are the places where the brush actually got through the scale you're looking at bare steel. How clean and shiny a customer likes it is up to them, make a selection and see what the market wants. If you bring it to bright red and brush vigorously it'll shine right up but you have to keep brushing till it's black hot or it'll scale up again. It's a good time to apply your finish before it can scale up on you. It won't happen instantly but you'd be surprised how fast it can happen. Straightening it is a matter of practice on your part but not necessary in this project. It looks just fine with that ergonomic little curve. Straightening pieces like that is a matter of firm gentle dead blows. Lay the not too hot, mid red is plenty, piece crown up and just let a decent weight hammer fall on the top of the curve. LISTEN to it carefully, as long as it's bent out of contact with the anvil face the blow will have a dead sound, be it thud, clunk or. . . When it starts to have the least metallic ring to it say clink, tink, clank . . . STOP hitting it! If you hit it when in contact with the anvil you will forge it and all you're after is bending it straight. Listen closely, the steel speaks to you with every blow. This is a situation where your ears will tell you far more than your eyes and once you have a handle on straightening on the face your holding hand will tell you when its right. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Alright thanks. The bend in the handle was intentional by me for ergonomics. The bend in the opener part was what I was concerned about, but it's no biggy now. Sorry that the video says you need permission to view it. You can just send the request email and I will accept it.mi suppose I should put it on YouTube becuase it will be easier. Thanks for the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldironkilz Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Forging Carver, I thought you might be interested is seeing this comparison, one of these is you first and the other your latest. Progress me thinks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 oh wow you are right! Thank you for pointing this out! I think I will keep this one and use it to show my progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borntoolate Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 The hand is not made square and straight. Thus holding things perfectly true square and straight/flat is not natural. we are trained to want everything to be visually square and straight. Our eyes do not open the bottle. Our hand does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 If you are really bored on a Sunday afternoon and want to give your arm a good workout, make a steak hook/bottle opener out of a railroad spike. It'll take about 2 hours without a power hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 Nice work Fatfudd. I like the design. Well done. And what better then beer and steak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 I love the steak flipper bottle opener FF. What's the critter head? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 That head has a road-runner look about it. The reverse twists are spectacular. The good old railway spike again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 That is pretty cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatfudd Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 9 hours ago, Daswulf said: Nice work Fatfudd. I like the design. Well done. And what better then beer and steak. Thanks Daswulf and others! Frosty asked- "I love the steak flipper bottle opener FF. What's the critter head?" I dunno. I was going to make a dragon but just got lazy. It kind of looks like a cartoon head of a bird. I like making things out of railroad spikes but if had to make a living using them I'd starve to death. Here are a few other bottle openers I make- One is a spike too The tail is the opener. Hmm the order of the photos sort of got rearranged. The next ones are my chile openers which I do make and sell. I'll show a copy of the flyer that I attach to the chiles which seems to help make the sale. I make them in groups of six so I can test them for quality assurance in one evening. New Variety of NM Chile – Corrales Extra Hard (co-RAL-es X-tra Haaard) Our own hand forged variety of chile, sure to be a once in a lifetime experience! Epicurious review: minus 92 points (-92pts.) A somewhat heavy, and rugged treat, Sure to quell the appetite of even the most seasoned chile aficionado! Lightly coal smoked aroma with a distinctly metallic aftertaste. If consumed it is highly recommended that an appointment with the dentist is prescheduled and possibly an ambulance standing by for a rapid sojourn to the emergency room! Tips for usage: Special events such as; Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, Grand Opening of a New Six-pack, etc. Desert Dawg Art (Forge) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Quint- Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 2 hours ago, Fatfudd said: I make them in groups of six so I can test them for quality assurance in one evening. This oughtta go into the "gems" thread, oughtn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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