Setting Up My Workshop (Image heavy)

[GRiley904]

maybe something to separate the tools from one another. what i mean to say is, if you did put it on wheels or even bump in to it the vibration could cause your tools to fall off. I would want something that limited their movement enough to keep them in the rack but still be easy to retrieve. I tend to be over protective of my tools though, pesky little habit my dad gave me, just a suggestion it looks great.

Riley

(edit) i got a little hasty and replied to old stuff lol. You have a great shop coming along cant wait to see more pics

[TomN]

Finaly got the forge fired up and had a go at making a few things quickly to get a feel back, as I haven't hit any hot iron in ages.
Here are a couple of images from the first day of forging: (sadly interrupted by rain)

A hook I made out of 10mm round stock. Just because its something i've made before and wanted to get the feel of hitting hot iron with a purpose again.



Below is a bar with a twist in it and then a section I am flattening out to try and make a letter opener out of.



The twist came out ok in the end, despite my lack of tool and wobbly vice stand. I straightened it out with a wooden mallet , on a block of wood. All the flames made my wife and mum jump. Bit of showmanship practice for if I ever do any shows I guess (many years away yet).
I know the twist isn't the best thing to put there, as its where someone will be holding the letter opener, but its for my Dad and that kind of thing will impress him. Just got to finish it off, this weekend, so i'm hoping for a rain free day.

Sorry the pictures are a little dark. Its the best I could do at the moment!

A few things became apparent. The first is that I need more tools.
So I plan on making some more tongs soon, as well as a bar to make twisting hot steel easier. Doing that twist with a rickety vice and a very small adjustable spanner was 'challenging'.
At least i'm off to a start now. Just need to keep practising!

[beth]

hey nice one tom, good to see your up and running - the photos arent too dark, its great to see what youve been doing - sure your dad will be well pleased you made him something that need for new tools discovery is endless isnt it, which is kind of part of the fun i am on christmas school duties monday tuesday this week.... but will photograph what im doing if i remember the camera when im back in on wednesday... hope this bad weather not as bad as theyre forecasting.....

[TomN]

stewart - The anvil came from a school apparently. I had a choice of 2. This one, or another one which was larger, but came with a stand. This anvil had nicer edges to it though, so went for it!

Beth - Look forward to seeing some of your photo's.
I've got to find some way of rigging up a 'roof' for my workshop area. Can't rely on the rain to stay away in England can we!
I have so many tools i'd like to make. Its almost hard to know where to start, because I can think of so many. Some flat headed tongs would be a great help though, so their first. Got to order some rivets now as well.

[beth]

let me know how you get on and which rivets you think best.. i have never bought any .. yes its hard to focus on what tool to try to make first isnt it`?i totally understand that dilemma.. about you roof, surely a tarp or even a builders plastic sheet could come into play for keeping this beastly rain off??

[Roy Honcho Gregory]

Lots of great ideas for a newbie here..Thanks to all

[beth]

hi tom , here is a rather dingy shot of the gate, she is going to paint it white! happy christmas to you, hope we coincide at westpoint next year - im up for as much as i can get to - definately the forge welding have a lovely christmas holiday

[TomN]

The gates looking nice Beth. A very interesting idea to incorporate the pitchfork in there. I like it!
Its wonderfully symetrical as well.
As for Wespoint, i'm planning on going down there for next February for the joining methods course. Hopefully taking the wife along and making a long weekend of it. I think theres some forge welding in that course, if only briefly!

I finished off my letter opener. In the end I improved the twist to make the end sit square with the profile of the 'blade' and then shaped the 'blade' to near a leaf shape. I then used an angle grinder to finer shape the rest of it.
It came out a little ugly, but its functional and has been used to open a few letters!
It will be a gift for my Dad, so I made sure its not sharp on the edges, and the end is rounded. He will have to take it back on the plane to America, so I didn't want him to get in trouble at customs!

I'm hoping to make a few more bits over the Christmas holidays. I'm going to make a poker for my friend who lives over the road and possibly another one for a guy I work with as well.

I will try and keep adding photo's on here as I go.

[dimenickel]

good stuff, i enjoyed reading this post !

save the cut off stump... they are great for stake tools ... or evening a form for dishing ( both hot n cold )

i've reforged nip's into a pair of tongs.. doesn't take much and their made of steel ... now i just cut the ends and weld on some angle iron to make a quick pair of box tongs

take care
Greg

[TomN]

I finsihed off my letter opener with the angle grinder and the missus wrapped it up.
It became a present for my Dad and he really liked it and he could even tell that it was a letter opener, so it must have been roughly the right shape.
I will be the first to admit that the letter opener was a little ugly, but it was functional. So i'm hoping the next one will look a fair bit nicer, as well as doing the job it needs to.

I've just been let know that my new blower has turned up. Its a bouncey castle inflater, so should be putting out a lot more air and will help me get a deeper fire. This will make my life a lot easier for heating the middle of bars!
I have to thank JohnB here for giving me the advice on this and even sending me an ebay link. Hopefully I will get to try it out at hte weekend.

I've also booked my next course as well, on joining methods, in February.

[beth]

nice one for reminding me tom - have booked the joining methods course too glad your dad liked his letter opener - so wonderful to be able to make people things they will use glad also, you got your blower sorted, no stopping you now! ace. see you in a couple of weeks or whenever it is :)

[TomN]

Went on the joining methods course last weekend.
Very useful and more knowledge gained. Hopefully I will get a bit more time now to work on my forge.

John very kindly let me have some old tongs from the workshop as well, which is a massive help. They need some TLC, but I will get them up and going!

[beth]

brilliant - im always scratching about for tongs of something to hold stuff with - that will help a lot :) what kind of thing did you learn then?

[TomN]

We started off by making two punches, a round one and a square one.
Following that we went on to make a hanging basket bracket.

Techniques were punching holes in the backing plate, and splitting the top out to shape a fleur de lys sort of shape.
We then made the 'arm' by upsetting the bar and then making a tenon. I'm sure John has put up some pretty detailed explanations of the process, with pictures!
Then we attached the arm to the backing plate. John showed us how to make a scroll for underneath, with a leaf on it. Then he shaped it to fit the underside of the bracket. Then he showed us how to make a collar to fit it all together. Very concise techniques, explained in detail but simply enough so all could understand.

Very usefull indeed! Its given me the knowledge to be able to make a load of items now. Just need to practice now!

Just had a call from Giles. Looks like I may be going to the Thame show to help him and promote the Guild.

[John B]

Hi Tom , methods were the same as already have been posted in the groups forum section (although they were used to make a candleholder then)

This one included a leaf end scroll though and a different end at the base of the backplate using curved hot cuts,



as opposed to using straight hot cuts to form the Fleur de Lys top



I think we all had fun

[TomN]

We did indeed John.
It was nice to meet some more like minded people and have a good chat whilst forging. I was getting on very well with the chap next to me, the farmer from Launceston. We were helping each other with bits when needed as well.

Looking forward to finishing off my hanging basket bracket.
Thanks again John.

[beth]

that bracket looks great - we did a similar one years ago on the peat oberon course, but annoyingly did not use collar and rivet, but he welded them for us!!!! maybe we ran out of time, i guess that may have been the reason. whatever - lovely project, and looks like a lot of fun. :)

[TomN]

I suppose you could always put collars around the welds to hide them Beth.

My left forearm, near my wrist has been aching for days and a bit swollen. Not when I twist my wrist it 'creaks' like two bits of leather rubbing together. So I think I have tendonitis. Iritating!

Got to let that heal and then get myself set up to get some practice in before the Thame show. Going to that Beth?

[beth]

i dont know when any of them are tom, is there a list somewhere that ive missed - i would love to if i can... tell me what you know! poor wrist, take it easy and let it heal i reckon....

[John B]

Hi Beth, Thame is May 8th and 9th, Easter weekend I hope to be there to show Giles the ropes.

[TomN]

I shall be at Thame on the 8th John. Look forward to seeing you there.

Going to be practising my little demostrations and will try them out on the wife.
Also going to try and make up a load of things that I could sell.

Think I will keep it simple for the demo's. Maybe a leaf key ring and a hook. And maybe a bbq drink caddy thing!

[TomN]

Work has been very rubbish recently, so i've decided to try and take my blacksmithing a little more seriously and push on with it.
As such i'm looking into making a website and getting some small cards made, to get some details out there and hopefully sell some things at the Thame show.

Below is a list of things I need to do and I will check them off as I go!:

Buy rivets
Buy touchmark set from screwfix
Make ball end punch
Make 'eye' punch
Make turning forks
Make own touchmark (design pending)
Design and order anvil stand
Rehandle and 'fix' 5 hammers
Make hardy cut off tool
Free up tongs and clear rust off of them
Instal and test new forge blower
Make flat head tongs
Make poker *
Make leaf key ring *
Make wall hook *
Attempt to make a rams head *

* = research for Thame show!

[beth]

thats a nice lot to be getting on with tom :) good luck ! what s a screw fix touchmark set??

[John B]

Hi Beth, I think this link gives it http://www.screwfix.com/p/letter-number-stamp-36pc/92801?_requestid=1990566

[TomN]

Thats the one John. Just a simple set of number and letter touchmarks that will no doubt come in handy.
Plus I will be able to put my initials on things I make for the Thame show, to give it a personal feel.
It will be replaced when I have designed my own touchmark, which i'm currently doing.


This lot should keep me busy for a while.
I also plan to start going to the car boot sales again to see if any good old tools turn up.