trinkets...

[jake pogrebinsky]

******* :)

[Fe-Wood]

nice looking work Jake!
I especially like the TP holder

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Wow thats really looking good there Jake. Thanks for showing us.

[jake pogrebinsky]

Thanks,guys.(Fe,technically speaking-it's a paper towel roll,i should've thrown something in for scale).
None of the above is small,the fork is a couple feet long,1" rd,et c.

For strictly visual stuff i use,primarily,the products of the local dump.LG25 helps a lot with bringing the stock down to both the uniform and managable size,or much of this would not be practical(or even less so,i should say).
(Almost)deliberately the bits in the LG are an old,mismatched set of drawing dies,so as to force me to work by hand primarily.

After a number of years at the anvil a number of harebrained theories nag at me,having to do with the difference in the appearance and the overall quality of work,as determined by the process:Hand hammer/coal,vs powerhammer/propane.
The former,(to me)represents quality,the latter-expedience.
Of course,it's not that cut'n dried.

[brianbrazealblacksmith]

I like them, especially the fork with the piece added for the loop!
I'd hardly call those "trinkets", you've got alot of extra stuff going on there.

[pkrankow]

Slick looking. I like hot the towel holder is a take-apart hinge.
Phil

[clinton]

The towel holder is awesome great work, the fork is great design as well

[Grant]

Good Morning All

JP - Those are some very intricate trinkets. I agree with Brian about the addition of the hoop on your fork. Classes the fork "right up". How is the towel rack design to mount? Will the 2 leaf side be mounted to the wall and the hinged side pivot into the room as necessary?

Finally, are these trinkets the Alaskan version of chocolate and silk hose? -grant

[jake pogrebinsky]

Thanks again,guys.If i may ramble a bit,i'd like to,about that fork handle in particular.(Brian B.,you're an inspiration for very many,myself included,as far as HANDforging goes in particular.Just making this an opportunity to say that,since the intuitive hand/eye business preoccupies me(progressively more)).

The detail of the handle was riveted on as a balancing device,both visually and physically.
Another determining factor was repeatability,even if in some loos-er sense,because it'll be a part of a set of barbique tools.A detail that would not be too difficult to ad-lib upon.

The reason that it had to be done is,first,misjudgement(not enough stock mass on that end),that in turn stemms from my attempt to work intuitively,vs cerebrally.

And that's what i wanted to say:THE most challenging aspect of design+forging is that balance between the sound planning and allowing the iron+one's brain to interract FREELY.
IMHO,et c.,et c.,as i find it a VERY difficult subject that likes to spill into forging vs fabrication,AutoCAD vs doodling,and other,old and poorly constructive back-and-forthing.

Grant,as i'm very remote,i often sell the hardware with the provision that the client can locate their own mounting holes,and the like.But yes,that flange goes flat on the wall,with the arm articulatig 180(making it quite inconvenient to tear off a sheet,as it'll move on ya,but that's my contribution to the global warming-use less of that disposable junk!I just use my pants,or my dogs to wipe my hands on.OK,kidding:It's a poor design from eons back that i've resurrected upon the specific request).

As to you other question,well...Years ago,the local charitable organisation has granted me the money to buy my powerhammer(actually,the money was supposed to go for education,but...).
Anyway,in RE-wording the grant proposal(like they do),it came out sounding loosely like this:
"That JP deserves support because his junk,in crude and homely way,fits in very well with the "rustic"(dirty,uncouth,hillbilly)cabin-lifestyle that so many in our State pursue..."

So,i'm just following the directions from above...How's that for an answer?

Cheers all,Jake B)

[Thomas Dean]

"That JP deserves support because his junk,in crude and homely way,fits in very well with the "rustic"(dirty,uncouth,hillbilly)cabin-lifestyle that so many in our State pursue..."

Jake, ya mind if I use this for futur "investments"? I'll give credit to those deserving. Great work. Funny how a 'mistake in calculations' can turn into something nice! Thanks for sharing.

[jake pogrebinsky]

Thomas,please use any and all of it,no "credit" necessary,and enjoy!Great forging to ya!

[myloh67]

Lovely smithing Jake, looking like the material is communicating at it best from here, (keep er lit) local saying and photos keep them coming please

[Dick L.]

Hi Jake, Those pieces are outstanding ! The details and embellishments really make them stand out. Thanks for taking the time to show us.

Dick

[bigfootnampa]

Jake; Speaking as a fellow artist, I might say that I have learned not to discard my "difficult", "challenging", or "problem" pieces (called by less enlightened sorts "Mistakes"). As I have discovered that the creative necessities required to bring it up to acceptable quality DO often exceed my aim and help to spawn my MOST exciting pieces! So do not denigrate your results overly much when they follow less than perfect heritage models! This is a pretty well traveled path to the exceptional after all! I truly enjoy seeing your work and reading about the very original philosophies that guide it! Your fellow citizens are completely right to cherish and encourage your efforts... It shows them to be enlightened spirits!

[Frosty]

I really like the work Jake, while unique it all has your hand on it.

So what makes using a power hammer NOT hand forging? Sure you aren't swinging the hammer yourself but it is YOUR hand controlling every blow. It's not like you're using a closed die stamping press, there the hand work is or was in the die maker's hands.

I don't think I've ever made something with a power hammer that didn't take some hand hammering to finish as I wanted it. Especially not now, I'm still really low time with my 50# LG and it has a personality to work with. Still, speaking for myself I can see my hand in what I make either by hand or under my LG.


Frosty the Lucky.

[Bentiron1946]

Nice work Jake! Like that bit of work on the fork handle and the paper towel holder, now you just need to shorten up the arm a bit and it can go in the outhouse. Like that coat hook a lot too. Nice junk yard you got nearby to get all of that iron. B)

[andgott]

Nice- I especially like the paper towel holder- I think I need to make one for my kitchen!!

-Andrew

[jake pogrebinsky]

All you guys are entirely too kind...Really interferes with one's self-denigration,that i've invested so much in...Thank you,i really do appreciate it.

Frosty,i may have to think about that one longer...But very briefly,the difference between the hand and the power hammer is a stage,one stage removal,if you will,from the whole of you.
A hand-blow cannot be aimed(in the conventional sense,XYZ axis).The blow itself is a section of an arc,the angle between one's arms is what?60-70-odd degree?The mass and the shape of the hammer and the anvil are quite unevenly matched.(Matching them,as in top/bottom fuller,say,takes one close to the realm of even/measurable/symmetric...Swage,in other words(closER,at least)).

And here i'll make a stab at a goofy thesis:

A wild(imperfect) blow at the anvil distorts the work in a random way.That "random" issue is a factor,a function of plasticity of material,it's crystalline "bounce".

A blow attempting to correct that is also flawed,contributing to randomness(though cerebrally one's trying to bring it back under "control"(?).Et c.

As a result,the stubborn material imparts more of it's own will to the finished shape.The smith rolls with it more,having less control.The result reflects the MATERIAL,it's magic,rather than my (squalid)cerebrality.*

The onlooker percieves this instinctively.You,i,an uneducated person iron-wise,we all share that.When Fibonacci tried to codify it mathematically,it was THAT that he was digging at.The glimpse of the eternal,the molecular,the genetically shared.(Well,you already knew that i was nuts )
Naturally,THAT does not exist in a vacuum,we'll always be bringing something from ourselves into the work,but mechanising it does change the ratio,methinks.

* It's understood that we're not talking forging space shuttle parts here :P

[Frosty]

Ah Jake, sorry if we maybe stepped on your self denigration any, we see things you can't. And visa versa of course.

A couple little issues we differ on philosophically anyway. When I'm demoing one of my main goals is demystifying blacksmithing as a craft, there is NO magic, it's knowledge and practice. Once a person raises their skill level to a point, it differs between people of course, come the tricks of the trade.

You seem to think working iron under a power hammer is different than under a hand hammer or maybe a striker. sure it is but only in degree, not kind. It's quantity not quality that differentiates between them, nothing more or less. Sure if you want to get specific a set of drawing dies behaves differently than flats. So what? Are you saying you've NEVER drawn with a straight or cross pein or on the horn to speed things along? Ever use a flatter to rough or finish a piece?

The biggest difference using a free handed power tool like a power hammer isn't so much in it's specialized effect it's in the speed with which your mistakes take place. Seriously, when working entirely by hand my mistakes often occur so gradually I can correct before something if irreversible. Under the LG I can screw up a piece so fast it's hopelessly bungled sooner than I notice. What's the overall effect of such speed and power? It makes me a BETTER smith is what. Frankly, after making big bugger marks with my LG and cleaning them up by hand I'm MUCH better next time I put foot to treadle.

How can you say work done entirely by hand less removed from your hand than under a power hammer? Are you hitting the hot steel with your fist? Do you eschew the use of tongs? Of course not, you're controlling the hammer's fall the same way you walk in the woods, juggle pins, play catch, darts, or otherwise do precision manual multi-tasking. Your subconscious mind controls all the fine muscles that drive your arm and hammer, tongs, etc. leaving your conscious mind free to be the director.

If I have to THINK about what angle the hammer face is going to strike I'm either doing something entirely new to me or I'm in trouble as a craftsman. I've been in trouble as a craftsman since getting hit by the tree but I'm improving faster than I deserve. Anyway, what I'm saying is my subconscious mind is doing all the high speed, super precision muscle control required to do any finish work or heck efficient rough work. My frontal lobes are then free to consider whether I want the drip edge of this particular leaf turning left or right or maybe it should be thinner or thicker overall. My skill level lets me think about things like "is the bundle of rods stacked as I want before welding?" "Did I leave enough for the finial hook?" "Did that last weld take properly?"

Okay, enough beating the cooperative horse, you get my drift. Smithing is a skill as precise and accruately undertaken as our natural talents and skills sets allows. There's no magic involved, steel and iron have characteristics but no will to cooperate or fight us. Our knowledge and practice tells us if we're working withing the material's acceptible work zone or if and how much we're pushing our luck.

After all that bloviating here's the important secret. ANY hand skill taken to the point where the sum of the parts is greater than the whole it's art. I don't mean hang on the wall and make up artspeak about it art, I mean true art, the thing about human beings which makes artifacts, the artificial. These are made things. To the secret that applies, IMHO. No matter what your personal philosophy is it's what you make that counts. If it makes your muse sing to think steel has a will and a soul there's nothing wrong about it. If a person wants to believe in magic who am I to say it's wrong?

It helps me work materials of any and all kinds to NOT think of them as having sentience of some kind more than characteristics. I can work with characteristics but I don't speak mahagony or meesh metal very well so I can't convince them to do my bidding. I have to take a lash at having my way and keep at it till I figure them out.

For me the magic is in the MIND of the maker, not the material.

Frosty the Lucky.

[pkrankow]

Why does aiming require a straight line? Artillery is aimed in parabolas, so what if your swing is a collection of arcs. If you can hit where you want, you are aiming.

If you are swinging wild, then I would rather not be close by, the next property over or the road in front may be too close even! If you are unsure if material will move as required in one, two, or three blows then you need to practice on that material more. Practice can be through creation, or through drills and exercises (ugh!) or by making a series of similar objects that may or may not be identical when done.

What we do is not random, it is a process that can be repeated. A part, tool, design, or object can be repeated by yourself or someone else. Results of learning can be near random, but techniques that work can be used, and improved upon.

That said, I am trying those "one heat tong blanks" and some of my results are rather random, so I do understand

Phil

[jake pogrebinsky]

Well...I see that i didn't convert anyone to Animism,nor the idolatrous worship of Random Factor...Darn!

I hear all that you fellows are saying,and think that you're quite correct.Actually,i see nothing contradictory in anything written above,but rather see all that info as mutually complimenting.

In the interest of yet further completeness,i'd like to add these loose thoughts:

Forging predates the Industrial Age by,oh,conservatively 4600 years.The last couple hundred years during it,a number of changes were introduced into forging:Machinery,the greater power stemming from the machines,and the very rectilinear symmetry stemming from the machine-building process itself(to name only a few).

In the many preceding centuries before machines,a number of factors-human physiology,the deformatory peculiarities of Fe(+C),and all the complexities of human social behavoir(be it a need for a weapon or an elaborate grille in a cathedral),ALL these were tumbling and shaping each-other,like the pebbles and the stream.

Some hammer moves,some design elements,were copied and repeated again and again,some fell by the wayside,there are many ways to look at it all.The way that I like to look at it,what i'm seeking in that whole pile,is the COMMONALITY of certain detail,curves,proportions,angles of the corresponding parts.
Pig-like,i root therein.And what i root out i attempt to utilise in a way that will make my ironwork universally appealing.

For ME,the path therein lays soonest by means of a hand-hammer.The path of discovery of why that adze looks so neat,or that very crude trivet is more appealing than this one.

Naturally,we all do things in a (seemingly(couldn't resist )different way!

[Iron Clad]

Nice work. I like the P.T. holder.

(I know, simplistic reply after the heavy conversation.)

[Dillon Sculpture]

You guys are hurting my head!

Nice work Jake.

[FieryFurnace]

Very nice very nice!!!

Thanks for sharing!

I love the idea of the fork with the rivited piece for the handle!

[Mainely,Bob]

Jake,

You seem to be taking up a similar arguement to some handtool woodworkers.
That discussion centers around whether or not we are designing furniture for people or for ease of manufacture.
Back when craftsmen were using hand tools and in the habit of either making or modifying their own tools then the focus was on designing for physical and visual comfort.Once machines were brought into the picture some feel that the focus shifted to designs allowing for the limitations of the machines and the tooling provided for those machines.
What Pye called "The craftsmanship of certainty vs the craftsmanship of risk"

Now we are seeing things like extended use of inferior materials(something which was once considered scrap)and "Engineered" products which lead to early failure of goods and the need to replace those goods more often.
WWers see this in the form of mass produced off shore products made from chipboard and MDF.Metalworkers see it in the form of 3rd world "decorative ironwork" that is spot welded thin walled tubing capped with cast finials and all made from recycled meatals whose properties and quality is all over the map.
All this in the name of expediency and cost control.
Some would say it was the machines that brought it on.
Those who use the machines extensively blame it on the "Faster,cheaper,good enough" mind set of today`s consumer.

I personally don`t know the root cause but suspect that if we don`t educate consumers to follow quality instead of trends and to avoid buying based on cost alone("The bottom line is the dollar sign") then craftsmanship will only be accessible to those few with enough disposable income to afford it.The rest of us will be making do with what ever the Big Box decides to import for us.
Our present economy seems to be proving this to be true.