JimsShip Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 I third the dog head tutorial request! Awesome work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Let me fourth it! :) G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Ditto. Let's see how you did that dog's head. Brilliant. Didn't know whether to post this here or in 'tools' , but since it relates directly to bottle openers I'll put it here. I was having some difficulty punching a neat lifting tab on the openers using a bob punch so I thought a small ball pein hammer head would do the trick. This hammer was annealed in the forge overnight and the handle allows good vision to get the tab centred. The handle is tight enough for good control but loose enough to avoid shock. I know you could get the same result with an ordinary bp hammer struck with a mallet, but this is a handy little tool, super-easy to make and works very well.tab punch.jpg I dont intend to hijack the thread but I have to speak up for ball peins as outstanding stock for making tools. I'm to the point about the only thing I look for at yard, garage, etc. sales are old ball peins. One of the guys up here makes Brazeal style slitter punches from ball peins. They're born top tools but you have to heat treat them to be struck or you may get to eat chips. ON the reshaping issue Ausfire, I can see by the mushrooming your tool is soft on the struck end, that's a GOOD thing. Now if you chamfer it it won't mushroom as much and the force will conduct better. That's all , Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Search for Bulldog Head Hat Rack / Blacksmith Demo by Gerald Douberly good little video showing you how, I think this has been posted here before, that is where I came across it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Mullins Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Search for Bulldog Head Hat Rack / Blacksmith Demo by Gerald Douberly good little video showing you how, I think this has been posted here before, that is where I came across it I have seen that one as well as this one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 I have seen that one as well as this one '> for a bulldog opener. I have even made a few, but Lyle's are a cut above IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 That's awesome! It looks like LDW does his mouths a bit differently... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascherokee Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 This is my first ever forged project. Vise grip tongs and a cresent wrench to make the twist. Railroad spike bottle opener. I just hope it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikecopXXX Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 LDW, really like that guitar opener on the right side of your pic. well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 LDW- What do you use to make the mouths? I was thinking I could make a punch tool using a piece of black iron pipe cut down in half about an inch so it's a semi cirlcle on the end, and then shape it like your dogs mouth, but maybe i'm overthinking things here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Jim, all you need to do is make a punch type tool like a wood lathe gouge - forge to contour in a half round swage block or the likes of it and file/grind to finished shape. I use Allen wrench type hex stock for lots of hand tools like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borntoolate Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I think I just plain like everything Lyle does!!! One common thing I seem to be seeing here is that we all have a good appreciation for function testing our work. We are our own QA/QC Dept! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I posted a tutorial on facebook and asked for someone to help put it on this thread. My computer at home is on the blink and my intelligence is limited on this phone. I use my nose punch for the horse on a small bulldog to make the mouth. And on the larger ones like 1/4" x 3/4" inch stock and larger I use my curved chisels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jopasm Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Wow! Thanks for the tutorial, I've got to give that a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Thanks Jonathon, and the stock used on this one is 1/4" x 1/2" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 That's an excellent step-by-step demonstration. I will need to make a few new punches, but this is definitely getting moved to the top of the list of things to try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Borrowed from Dillon Sculpter's skull how-to in the Projects section, I thought I'd try that on a smaller scale for the end of a bottle opener.I'm fairly satisfied for the first attempt, but immediately found that I need to forge some better tooling for the job that will speed up the process and produce a better look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 I like that! I wonder how difficult it would be to get the heat colors toend right at the transition to skull... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 That shouldn't be all too difficult, I just threw some color on there without caring too much as that was just a trial piece.Dip the head in water to keep it cool, and watch your color as you creep the heat that direction.I think it looks fantastic if you get a more gradual spread of the colors, so that it spans the entire length of the handle.It takes practice, and depends on the volume of metal and the amount of heat applied, but they look great when the color spread looks like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Thanks for the speedy response. Notes taken. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 ... and quenched in snow, Black Frog? That's something I could never do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 ... and quenched in snow, Black Frog? That's something I could never do! You don't want to either, snow sucks big time as a quenchant. It melts where it contacts the part and leaves an open space so quench stops. You can't stir or stomp it fast enough to get anything like an even quench. If you really want to give it a try, save your freezer cleanings and have at it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 The quench is ok for color control when it is -14 below zero and you do a large sweep through a big fluffy snow bank.... :) for anything other than color control I would agree that a snow bank is not your best quench option... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intrex Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 This is a forge welded cable damascus opener that I made for a friend who is opening a craft beer shop in town. It was etched in vinegar (didn't etch very well :( ) and sealed with carnuba wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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