Dodge Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Brian, I second what Stu said. Only word I would add is "Magnificent!" Thank you so much for sharing :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ofafeather Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Thanks, Brian! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 thanks brian for sharing I have noticed that the hores head and the crain head all revolve around the same method you use to make tongs. Great skill set for one to learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wargo New2bs Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Brian, thanks for posting the step by step. That is great instruction. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted October 15, 2010 Author Share Posted October 15, 2010 thanks brian for sharing I have noticed that the hores head and the crain head all revolve around the same method you use to make tongs. Great skill set for one to learn Exactly, Francis Cole. I've been talking about this since I first got around other blacksmiths. When doing free handed forging on an avil with just your hammer, near and far sided half-hammer faced blows with a fullering or rounding hammer are your best choice of dies to isolate, move, and make abrupt divisions in the material. Most all of my work, when working alone, employs half-hammer faced blows or partial-hammer faced blows in a numer of different forms. You create smaller surfaces of contact with your material which delivers more pounds per square inch and moves the material more. and the material stays hot longer with less contact with your hammer and anvil. Thanks, everyone for your comments. I hope you all try these techniques out like DickL has. You all should see Lyles, LDW, work since he's tried these techniques and understands them. The world will be a better place with more blacksmiths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Brian I still have the artical you did for anvil mag a few years ago. We need to get you down to SW florida to do some demo's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 Brian I still have the artical you did for anvil mag a few years ago. We need to get you down to SW florida to do some demo's Hi Francis, Would be happy to do it, Send karen an email at brianbrazealblacksmith@gmail.com, she takes care of my scheduling and stuff. She will also give you my cell number. Sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Here are some examples of what I've done with the crane: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaylan veater Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Brian those are some great ideas of uses of the crane. Thanks for the process of forging and all you do for the blacksmiths of the world. Gaylan :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefarm39 Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Beautiful! The amazing thing Brian, is that you make it look so simple that I feel like even I have a shot at making them. BTW, folks, a group of cranes is called a sedge or siege, according to the Audubon Society (I suppose they should know...) :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick L. Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Brian, thanks for all the ideas. That is some beautiful work !! Hope the folks living close by realize the opourtunity they have at hand. I have so many different things to try that you have posted I'm not sure I'll ever get through them. I call it the Brian Brazeal Challenge Thanks again, Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Well Brian.. I am not happy about my wing... I was going off what you posted on the NWBA site so I didnt have the photo break down of the wing... looking at it here I think I could have another go... I ended up with wings that where too long and not fullered to the point of that nice scallop you show. Anyway here are my first two go's Im going to try again soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 29, 2010 Share Posted October 29, 2010 Beautiful! The amazing thing Brian, is that you make it look so simple that I feel like even I have a shot at making them. BTW, folks, a group of cranes is called a sedge or siege, according to the Audubon Society (I suppose they should know...) I'll get the serious nonsense out of the way first. Once again another beautiful example of making steel or iron do what you want Brian! I really like the way it's plasticity is displayed and the playful nature of the presentations are wonderful. A SEDGE of cranes eh? I suppose if Brian'd used an open die that would be a SWADGE for cranes? Works for me. Frosty the Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Well Brian.. I am not happy about my wing... I was going off what you posted on the NWBA site so I didnt have the photo break down of the wing... looking at it here I think I could have another go... I ended up with wings that where too long and not fullered to the point of that nice scallop you show. Anyway here are my first two go's Im going to try again soon... Great job! The thing with the wing is just a matter of changing the angle of your fuller with each fuller mark. Everyone does that to start with. I did the same thing in the beginning, running the fuller lines parallel. Just keep changing the angle a little with every fuller mark until it is almost parallel with the smaller fuller line at the top. You will have alot less fuller marks to make, and it will become fuller instead of longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Ok Brian.. I scaled up and tried again... I still dont get the wing. I felt like I was doing real well up until I started fullering across the wing and then I had a heck of a time controlling the shape... Seems to me Id have better luck if I pre-shaped the wing with a curve in the opposite direction. Do you work the fuller starting at the spine and push out or do you fuller 90 deg to the spine? I ended up mangling the upper part of the wing trying to keep it straight.. Its hard to see from the photo but I ended up twisting it so I could keep the spine straight.. Anyway... This one is about 30" tall and made from 1/2 X 2" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Not TOO bad Larry... for a wing mangler that is. (;-) Yeah I would try prebending that stock like a knife maker would... same principle here. The wood wallop system ought to help too (lots of knifemakers use a club or wooden mallet to straighten their blades as forging of the bevel distorts it). It looks to me as though you might have fullered your upper wing a tad too deeply also. I'd bet that after making a few more they start to look pretty AWESOME for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Yeah the upper wing is fullerd way to much... I actually chiseled out a chunk so I could bend it back straight... and then thinned it way out to get it back to size... Really what I should have done is thrown it in the scrap and started over... But it will make a fine Christmas gift ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Nice try MM, but with respect you are not imitating the pictures Brian published, ie, the initial blank forging is not a straight item, the joining end is at an angle, which means that the first fullered line is not straight, the fullering is put in progressively, and the end fullering is not completed until material is severed, this will effect the curving as you forge. A few minor details but they will change the end result Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted November 1, 2010 Share Posted November 1, 2010 Thanks Brian, That's just inspiring and beautiful work to boot. Frosty, do you think that Brian might have used a 'sedge' hammer? . Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted November 1, 2010 Author Share Posted November 1, 2010 Nice try MM, but with respect you are not imitating the pictures Brian published, ie, the initial blank forging is not a straight item, the joining end is at an angle, which means that the first fullered line is not straight, the fullering is put in progressively, and the end fullering is not completed until material is severed, this will effect the curving as you forge. A few minor details but they will change the end result Thanks, JohnB. JohnB is correct. Also, the proportion of your fullers for that size of material is different. The smaller fuller could have been a little larger, and fullered deeper causing the material to bend more in the opposite direction. There is no need for a prebend, just go with what the forging gives you. I do not finish any of the fullering runs until I am ready in the end. That will enable you to situate the wing however you like. Fullering the spine causes it to bend down, and fullering the feathers will cause it to bend upward. Develop the piece as you go and finish how you choose. Nice job,though, Monster Metal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 I still have been practicing my Brazeal birds... Ive made maybe 10... I did one out of copper yesterday... I still am fighting the wing, this one is not my best by a long shot, but I like the copper.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscar C Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 looks good..its just your syle of wing. i like the base. here's my first two attempts at the crane. one is out of 1/4 x 1" the other is out of 3/8 x 1 &1/4" ..thank you brian for sharing the step by step photos. this is a fun project..still working on the wings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted December 9, 2010 Share Posted December 9, 2010 Nice job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles McDonald Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 This is really great Brian! Thank you for sharing this! Yesterday I made my first attempt at this and I can definitely improve in many areas, but nevertheless I had a lot of fun and learned good things from it. The next few tries will only yield better results :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron woodrow Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 i love that your anvil and hammer are mirror polished brian, no wonder your work is so smooth and fresh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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