Setting Up My Workshop (Image heavy)

[John B]

Lee - No offence was meant. Artist blacksmith to me, makes me think more of the sort of pieces that serve no function, but cost thousands. Its for some people, but not for me.
Something functional, that is further embilished is fine by me! I'm just old fashioned.

John - The poorly paid jobs, were actually full time jobs, not commisions.
One of them is in forrestry for example. But they are jobs I will enjoy and be happy to do. Will try and do more smithing in my spare time, to build up skills and start selling pieces.

See you next weekend John. Any particular type of cake you fancy me bringing down?

Edible !
We have about 30 expected on the Saturday, so hopefully should be a good weekend.

[TomN]

Marvelous. A bit of cake might help me get some connections as well. Looking forward to it!

[Lee Pickard]

Non taken but thanks anyways best of luck :)

[TomN]

Cheers. When i'm welding up my anvil stand I was wondering how rediculously high yours would need to be at 6'5''.
Life would be too far from the ground for me at that height. Good luck with your stuff.

I will bring back pictures soon!

[Lee Pickard]

Hahaha! Yeah its fairly high cheers im off to work in australia for a year tomorrow so that will be awesome! Thanks again!

[TomN]

Good luck in Oz. Couldn't deal with that heat meself.

Should be welding up my anvil stand later, if the weather and the wife relent.

[TomN]

Been busy lately trying to find a job. Also am half way through rebuilding my workshop.
Just got my leg stand from a local metalworks, so once I have my anvil stand welded up, I will be laughing..........if the weather holds off that is.

A few weekends ago I went down to Exeter for a firewelding course.
As usual it was a great and informative course run by The Blacksmithing Guild. John B had a guest teacher there, who was a thoroughly nice bloke and talk us all with a smile on his face for the whole of the two days.

We learnt how to scarf up the ends and make a butt ended fire weld and then did a t section weld on flat bar. Both were put in a vice and yanked hard to 'prove' the weld had taken. Its surprising just how well they stick together with small contact points.

After the first day, we went on to take 4 thin, round bar sections, to make a cage twist and fire welded the ends. This was then fire welded onto a square bar and we could make it into what we wanted.
On my first attempt the I got the 4 thin bars welded together and then welded onto the thicker square bar. When I went to twist the cage section up, the fireweld at the end split in the middle and I was left with 2 groups of two bars together. i plunged it back in the forge and re-firewelded the 2 groups back together. Unfortunately they got twisted and I ended with the 4 thin round rods 'out of sequence', so when I untwisted them to make the box twist it went a bit odd. Interesting all the same!



I ended up just quickly putting a twist in it and then a sort of hook end, so my very short wife can use it to reach things in cupboards when I am out of the house.



I had a retry, which went a lot better! Got the cage twist right and tried a different twist in the middle (heat was perfectly even when I did the twist though). I then made it into a poker, with a log roller and put a little antelope like face on the end.

Poker



Cage twist



Antelope face log roller



I need to change the sharp end on top of the cage twist into a little hook, so it can be hung by a fire place and then I will treat it and paint it.