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I Forge Iron

Show me your Bottle Openers!


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Black Frog, you need to do a tutorial on how you make those.  I was playing around in the forge this evening and must be missing some key move....

 

I did find out that a great way to recycle old tongs that can't be saved is to use the rivet hole as a starting point for making a bottle opener.  I don't know where I got these mangled old tongs, but they couldn't be saved so I cut the good metal off and was left with the jaw and boss..... and I said, "Hey doesn't that look like the start of a bottle opener?!?!"

 

Two hours later, I'm trying to salvage the piece.  Turns out the jaw was wrought iron with a weld that want to delaminate on me.  Still, I have another chunk o' scrap and ain't giving up.  I'll posts pics when I get done.

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Black Frog, you really need to do a tutorial on how to make those.  I was playing around in the forge this evening and must be missing some key move....

 

I would be happy to do a pictorial on how I do these, but I would feel a bit sheepish about doing it. 

I think I'm quite a hack compared to most here.  

 

I think there are a few key aspects in getting them to turn out like this.  I spent many hours tinkering with many variations before I ended up with this final design, and getting the right approach to repeatably reproduce it.

 

I'll be doing several more of these in the next week or so, I'll try to snap some pics as I go and do a little write-up for them. 

I'm glad you like them, thanks!   :)

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I made a bunch of bottle openers recently with the idea of selling them for Xmas.  I did sell some but they quickly became an end in themselves as I enjoyed experimenting with different styles and decorations.

 

 

hItxkjU.jpg

These ended up being my favorites:

 

Y7XrQke.jpg

 

And a close up:

 

RE6TjEY.jpg

 

The information on how to do a Rubik's twist came from this forum.  The one on the right is a modification of my own design, as far as I know.

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I made a bunch of bottle openers recently with the idea of selling them for Xmas.  I did sell some but they quickly became an end in themselves as I enjoyed experimenting with different styles and decorations.

 

I really like how some of these look somewhat like a skeleton key. Good work!

-Crazy Ivan

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HWHII   really like your chile openers . Are they painted ? enamelled ? Is the opener head formed by slitting or wrapping and welding?
    cheers

The patina is 3 coats of red machinist lay out die with a clear coat of laquer. The openers on theses are bent and welded. You could slit and drift them, but I like them this way as I texture the round stock to make it look more like a stem of a chilie pepper.
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Some fine, innovative opener designs here, many now saved for later imitation/sincere flattery of the originals

When I first started out I made some massive openers, as suited to bashing in the stave of a beer keg as pop the top on a bottle. post-182-0-35642400-1387678069_thumb.jpg

Railroad spikes for some train enthusiasts are just as heavy post-182-0-94529700-1387677909_thumb.jpg

half inch stock really does make a beefy openerpost-182-0-04687700-1387677963_thumb.jpgpost-182-0-35071000-1387677994_thumb.jpg

but stepping down to 1/4 x 3/4, with some Brazeal style horsehead embelishmentpost-182-0-05643200-1387677765_thumb.jpg

so I'm finally making some openers that won't injure a foot when dropped.

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Some fine, innovative opener designs here, many now saved for later imitation/sincere flattery of the originals

When I first started out I made some massive openers, as suited to bashing in the stave of a beer keg as pop the top on a bottle. attachicon.gifDSCN3297.JPG

Railroad spikes for some train enthusiasts are just as heavy attachicon.gifDSCN3474.JPG

half inch stock really does make a beefy openerattachicon.gifDSCN3539.JPGattachicon.gifimage0039.jpg

but stepping down to 1/4 x 3/4, with some Brazeal style horsehead embelishmentattachicon.gifHorseheads.jpg

so I'm finally making some openers that won't injure a foot when dropped.

I rather like those horse head openers.  They have a sort of Picasso-like stylization of a horse going on.  

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Yes,hacksaw,chisled,hacksawed again to form cubes, filed with a triangle file then twisted.

I am very curious about the price you can sell them at. What you describe is a lenghty procedure. How much time? What price?

 

I like these very much. Details like these realy add value (artistic and monetary) to a simple piece of steel.

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