LDW Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Here are the pics from tonight. https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/ReubensClassWithBrian# Brian and I made a hot cut so Ruben could see how to strike, then he jumped right in and made one for himself. He had never struck for anyone before but did a great job. He was getting his hammer up high and coming down true. The next few days are going to be a lot of fun, he seems to be a good listener and has done his homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 You got some really good shots, Lyle. I think I'll finally replace that handle on that fuller first thing this morning. Reuben is Grafvitnir here on I Forge Iron, and he is from Monterey, Mexico. I agree with Lyle, Reuben will do great this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alec.S Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 great stuff!! Now I really can't wait till april!! alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrnewberry Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 That was a great series of pictures! Looks like fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironstein Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 These are always great threads! Bring on the learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 I added some more pics on this link. Picture number 79 is the shocking blow to release the drift. https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/ReubensClassWithBrian#5576985883339415826 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downsfish Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Keep it coming guys, we love this stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 Here are the pics from the end of day 2. I was gone most of the day but when I got there it was time for supper (Karen cooked some salmon, rice, salad, and bread) It was a fine meal, but for some reason they do not realize salmon has an L in it. Brian and Ruben divided up a piece of 1" square bar and put a large flower on the end. Ruben was getting his hammer up much higher than when he first started striking. https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/RubensSecondDay# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted February 26, 2011 Author Share Posted February 26, 2011 Heres some pics of Brian and Ruben making a punch https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/FridayWithRuben# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksnagel Posted February 26, 2011 Share Posted February 26, 2011 Great pics, Thanks so much for posting. Mark<>< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 Great pictures Lyle, you can see the scale flying on the shots using the flatter And yes there is an L in salmon, but once you catch it you knock the el out of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 I did not get many pics today, but I did get a few. Brian made a drift, and finished up some tools. Ruben practiced dividing the metal up, drawing out a long taper as a drift is done, and made a bunch of hearts. Its fun to watch someone progress, it is amazing how much someone can improve in a day if they just put out the effort. Ruben was able to get a bar in one heat when dividing the metal up, and by his 8 or 9th heart they were looking great. He got started on a flower tonight and the pad was a great looking hexagon. He will be able to finish that up first thing in the morning. Thanks for straightening that out for me Clinton I was wondering where that L went. Heres the pics, https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/RubenAtTheAgMuseum# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 We had a great day and I took a bunch of pics.Ruben made some hors heads, he forged some flowers, then after Brian made a ring Ruben made one. They started on some pick-up tongs and Ruben was forging some long tapers. He was doing half hammer faced blows over the edge of the anvil and turning 90 degrees at a time then pulling the lump on top of the anvil and hitting again. Brian forged a ball. I got pics of everything listed above. I made a couple knives, then Steve made one. We had a great day of forging. I think we all learned a few things today. https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/Day5WithRuben# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey Brian and Lyle, Thanks for sharing the experiences via photos with us! Very enjoyable as always. I have a question about the flower. Is there a reasont that you don't use the center punch(which mounds the center of the flower) before you make the segmenting chisel cuts? It seems that way you could make the segment cuts with the chisel to the center circle that is formed by the punch without marring the center of the flower like is done the other way around. Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Ramsberg, You can avoid chiseling to the center if you choose to by using half chisel cuts (using your curved chisel, half on and half off). I choose to have those marks that you referred to as marring, but punching the center design after chiseling spreads the segments out a little to help avoid crossing over your ball fuller marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Hey Brian, Ok, so the main reason that you do it that way is that you like the cross marks in the center of the design. Sorry, didn't meen to anything by it, different people like different things. Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian.pierson Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Great picture storyboard! Brian, Is the fullering hammer in day 5 a new one or the one from your icon picture? Brian Pierson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironstein Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Looks like Ruben is getting a bunch of information. Lots of great forging going on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDW Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ruben will be heading out today, he got a lot done yesterday as in theses pics you will see. We will get some pics of the tools and hammers he has made while he was here this morning. The time went by fast. I think this is the best of pics yet. https://picasaweb.google.com/LDWynn/RubensLastDay# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hey Brian, Ok, so the main reason that you do it that way is that you like the cross marks in the center of the design. Sorry, didn't meen to anything by it, different people like different things. Caleb Ramsby Ramsberg, You can avoid chiseling to the center if you choose to by using half chisel cuts (using your curved chisel, half on and half off). I choose to have those marks that you referred to as marring, but punching the center design after chiseling spreads the segments out a little to help avoid crossing over your ball fuller marks. The main reason is to spread out the segments to help avoid crossing over your ball fuller marks. I took no offence to your previous post. The more of these you do, the more you will see the reasoning behind the sequence of steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbob Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 the hammer you guys made in the last set of pictures what was the starting size of the stock and what is radius you used for the fullering end of the hammer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianbrazealblacksmith Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 That hammer started out as 1 3/4" square 1045, four inches long. The radius is 1 1/2". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramsberg Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Hey Brian, Okey, thanks for the info. I noticed that you gave it a few more wacks with the round punch in the center of the flower after the inital hit and the punchs in the pedels. This must be to spread the pedals out more after dishing them out? How much does the angle of the segmenting cuts by the curved chisel have to do with the spread of the pedals? By the angle I am talking about if you look at it from a side segmental view and going from the left to the center, the angle of the cut going from the bottom left of the flower to the upper center of the round bit in the middle. I hope that makes some sense. He elaborated. . . The curved chisel cut would be deeper on the outside and shallower towards the center mound, which seems like it would help the spread a bit. Maybe a rather shallow cupping strike in the center after forming it to hex, then using a straight chisel held at an angle(down at the edge and up in the center) to segment the pedals, then a harder cuping strike in the center to spead the flowers. Will have to give it a try when I get around a shop again! Say, an idea for you, take it or leave it, ever thought of making a medusa head? If you started with larger stock and made the center of the flower into a simple face, then draw out the "pedals" into snakes, probably have to bend them 90 degrees to be able to draw them out. . . well you can easily come up with your own ideas of how to accomplish the drawing out process. That would be wild! Caleb Ramsby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grafvitnir Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Sorry for not writing earlier but I’ve been thinking A LOT about the experience. I’ve also been thinking on how and what to write about it. I’m trying to write as little as possible about it because words cannot describe my state of mind. (Also because the less I write the less misunderstandings there will be; I hope…). The whole experience was like a tiny Satori or Kensho of the Japanese Zen Buddhism tradition. One thing I can say is: I’m glad I did it. I’ll go first on trying to describe the learning process. My learning has almost always been a very smooth transition, from the basics to something a little more advanced, then the next advanced level. There have been a few moments, like when I understood the meaning of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing; then basic algebra, or when I discovered I no longer read the letters of words but recognized the words themselves, when you feel like things are never going to be the same. You know, when you realize you no longer have to memorize that 4x3=12; if you forget it you know how to get the answer because you know WHY it is 12. But at the same time you KNOW this is just the beginning of a long journey. That’s how I feel right now. I’ve been going through all of Brian’s posts again, and it is as if I’ve never read them before. I guess everyone is familiar with the saying “Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime" (Lao Tzu). That’s what I wanted; not to make a hammer or a tool, but understand the process involved, for the process per se. As in Henry David Thoreau’s attributed quote: “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after”. It's about the journey not the destination. All this I got from Brian. I’m not sure if he does this always or if he knows what the apprentice needs and then he gives that. The thing is he is a great teacher. And then the company… I really enjoyed working with him and Lyle. Lyle is very helpful, he’s been working with Brian for a while now so he has picked a lot from him along with all the experience he had before. So you get to watch different ways to accomplish the task. And he has a very good sense of humor as well, so he makes your work time even better. And of course, Karen. She is wonderful, as a person and as a cook You could have great conversations with her if there was any time left in between or after work. Thank you so much for everything Karen I’ll also like to thank all the people I met at the AG Museum, thank them for their hospitality and help. It seems Perry is already there; I know he’ll be having a good time. And Alec, I know you’ll also have a great time and learn a lot. Ok, I think this has been my longest post, much longer than I intended, so I should stop now. Thank you for your patience. Rubén Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhrocker Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 LYLE - a couple of questions for ya. When you guys were making the flower, how were the veins put in? The copper seems to thin to actually cut them in with a chisel, so I was wondering if something like a tiny wheel (think pizza cutter) might leave the mark? And also, what's the way to remove the gunk from the leaf in order to get the nice copper color? I have some Rio Grande Pickle for non-ferrous metals if that would work. Then maybe buffing? Hey, thanks for all you and Brian are doing here on Brians site, in the way of instruction and education for those of use that can't come to a class or seminar. It's really appreciated! Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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