First actual forging project

[ichudov]

I made a "drill drift" to knock out Morse taper 2 drills, out of Morse 2 holders. I made it out of a 3/8" Allen key.

This is actually my first actual forging operation, all my previous "hot metal" experience was about simple bending and straightening of things. Here I had to actually draw metal to thin out the front part, widen the rear part etc.

Blacksmithing ==> Morse Taper Drift

Sorry, I guess black metal on off white background does not easily lend itself to photography.

[Rob Browne]

Its great when you finally get through the basics and actually apply those skills, no matter how basic, to an project. You are off and running :)

[Frosty]

How does it work for you?

Taking good pics of iron work can be a problem, weird highlights make direct lighting problematical. What I find works well for me is a med-dark green, brown or red. (maroon or plum sort of color) OR a background with some texture that can blend into a uniform tone without being distracting. Weathered wood is a good one as is our Berber carpet. Grass would be good but it's a bit bright and a neutral tone dirt is good as well but usually a little bright.

Diffuse light is another thing that will really help. If you use a flash a single ply of toilet paper over the flash makes a good field expedient diffuser. If you have a speed light, etc. bouncing it off something like a piece of paper works well. I used to use the ceiling when taking shots of people at Christmas, etc.

There's a LOT that goes into taking good shots of your work and much of it has been said by people who know a lot more than I. All I do is offer a couple quick tricks that can help get a good shot.

Good job on the wedge.

Frosty

[ichudov]

I edited one picture somewhat, here's the result.

Note that since then, I sandblasted this drift (wedge) and will try to properly blacken it with black rust.