tzonoqua Posted May 3, 2012 Share Posted May 3, 2012 Ian, I am sure warehouses full of old farm stuff was more fun than my pokey workshop!! It rained buckets all day that day, so there were not so many people turning up, but those who did had fun, some families, and lots of kids got to "help me out" at the forge. My friend James, another blacksmith came along and and we made a few snails and keyrings with the kids, and I got lots of my own work done, and James, being a lovely guy made a pair of tongs for me, (always a bonus!). Glad you enjoyed your time, and I do apologize about the weather!!! (but this is england after all!!) and Beth, I reckon the parrots would be awesome driveway sentries!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 colleen - Yes. :) you Have the VISION :) hurray!!! i actually would love to have em.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 I got back from my UK trip around 11:30 pm Wednesday and we crawled over to our Daughter's house and crashed there and finally made the trip south to our home Thursday Afternoon. I didn't get to see much smithing stuff: the Smithy at St Fagans wasn't being worked the day we were there; the bloomery that was once constructed at the celtic village was now back to the muck it came from, etc. OTOH the adult son of one of the docents was interested in smithing and we talked a lot about it over dinner. I did pick up a small hammer from a junk store in Hay on Wye as well as a couple books on historical ironwork including a 100+ year old on on Foreign Armour in England, an original cheaper than some of the "print on demand" and with the original coloured plates too! My wife had a great time---her books were over 60 pounds in weight as well as some great fiber from a Sheep and Wool fest in Wales. I pigged out on fish and chips and so only lost 1 pound from all the walking carrying our luggage. Having a nice pint of Brains in the evening was good too. Thomas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 colleen - Yes. :) you Have the VISION :) hurray!!! i actually would love to have em.... I find the parrots quite fun, yet I would not pay the asking price on them. I would love to have about 12 little replicas as personalised salt and pepper shaker/pots. A possible project Beth & I would be a customer! Sort of the mad smiths dinner set!Model up in wax, make silicon mould, cast in Aluminium, drill out 15mm core with 2mm hole/s to pour/shake out put cork in base and paint up---- you could start a range?(want a tutorial,e-mail me :P :D ) What's funnier is the thought of just where abouts on your "drive way" you would place your sentries, Beth :D Thomas, like me it seems like you had fun! (I looked for books too but alas no joy on that front) Next time Hay on Wye will have to be on the itenerary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 thomas glad your trip was good to :) would have been nice for our paths to cross - its never that simple is it! :) ian yes absolutely Can see those guys as salt and pepper pots!!! never quite know if your messing about OR actually would really make these things!!! for those that do not know this man, there seems to be no project/product ian will not happily take on, and he seems to have a tried and tested method for everything! :) and as for my driveway - your right of course, it would require huge leaps of imagination ( as all the best things do ;) ) but i was thinking somewhere between the skip the pavement and the duck run, i could even make the skip, temporarily (who am i kidding - that skips not going anywhere )- Permanently, then, into a pirates ship - to scale obviously, would block out a fair bit of light, but what an impact!! or maybe by the bins with the legion of unidentified and various childrens bikes as an avante guarde "still life ", or maybe, using one of robs lifts, up on the roof top? a kind of gigantic "jackdaw" chimney sentry.. as you can see - im not put off by the lack of sweeping gravel driveway - if i had those parrots - the world would be my oyster :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Hi Beth, Could you not make a nest structure to go over your skip and stick a nesting parrot or two on top of it? Sorry I missed the opportunity to meet up with Ian, Alan and yourself, but did not see any date for the get together, still maybe some other time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Beth, I was sugesting that you make them, afterwards I would then buy some off you! (I would be happy to help re tutorial scource etc.with the hope of getting some small discount etc.) I lack the artistic flair that you seem to have an abundance of. John B, would the bit under the nest be called the poop-deck? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Probably, if not it should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 oh guys thats sounding brilliant ... my nieghbours would be even more enamoured with us than they already are... :) the nest is practically there...!! you lot are egging me on to buy something i cannot afford...... :) john the arrangements were very vague till the last minute in the end with ians visit and actual day we would meet up, but its my fault, i still could have emailed you - why dont you let me know when your next nearish, im sure we could pop up to alans, you would love his work and his tools! assuming thats ok with you alan, i could bring the toms and the bread again :0 ?? ian i would happily make you some parrot like salt n peppers if your really wanting them! you know i would! and would i get them cast here or would i just send you the waxes or whatever format you wanted them in? are you teasing me?? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Beth, supplies needed: 1 large dolop of patience I found that practicing with pouring pancace batter(similar to the silicone concistency)saved costly mistakes with "the real thing) 1 pack placticene(or ball of used is ok) milk/juice carton + sticky tape(duct tape is ideal) 2 # 10mm wooden dowell pins cut down to 20mm long Pack of 2 part silicone An earbud vaseline a scalpel or craft knife Contact Beyer(your local agency for their silicone) and ask them about buying just out of date or about to expire 2 part silicone.There are probably other supliers of 2 part high heat silicone close so enquire /use yellow pages.etc. We are often lucky in that regard(the more you practice the "luckier" you get) so it comes at a fraction of the normal price- tell them that you want to experiment/play prior to doing it comercially- I have found their team elsewhere to be fantastic- after all you need very little.. Once you have made your prototype out of(cuttlefishbone,plasticene,wax.carved plaster of paris,etc.)add 2 "sprue" think of these as a filler hole and a vent. Here I use the prout piecefrom silicone cartridges(easy to come by at no cost)just fill with plasticene so that it does not fill with silicone. Now make a small "open topped box" from waxed cardboard(milk/juice carton) not much bigger than your prototype including sprue say 6mm allround(1/4") except for 1 long side(this is the side where tge "open end of the sprues will touch the cardboard(for filling you see) Here I would half fill my box with water tinted with cordial(easier to see and does not stain) and decant back into a measuring jug to determine the aprox quantity of silicone req. for the first pour. Now mix up this quantity of 2 part silicone according to the instructions, and pour a layer about 10mm deep in the box. Now place your prototype onto this layer depending on the material and shape it will sink somewhat(ensure that your sprues are side by side and level and halfway submerged when this step is complete), now carefully pour in the rest of the silicone. Finally push in 2 wood dowels(cut side up) into the silicone at diagonally opposite corners to from a key When thefirst half has set pull the dowels out, now using an earbud lightly grease out the inside of the dowell hole and the top layer of the silicone(this is to prevent layer two from sticking to layer one) mix up another batch of silicone and pour into the box. now leave to set. On the following day tear off(remove gently) the cardboard and split the silicone rubber block in two at the join ,it should come out with a recessed depression of your prototype and two "locating pins" , take out your prototype from the other half and clean up the two "funells" with a scalpel/craft knife next bit on the following post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Now make up a box to hold the slicone block from thick plywood in the shape of two L shapes that you can hold together with two G clamps. now melt some cheap candles and cast a sample wax item, to see if the mould works. If it is not satisfactory recast the wax and add a bit of stearic acid. This will firm up the casting. Now "fix" your casting with hot needels or soldering iron and move the sprue etc. now once "fixed " remaked the silicone mold if req. The next step would be to cast a metal unit- lead is the easiest as you can melt it in a tincan on your stove. If this is satisfactory you can now cast it in either zinc(pewter) or aluminium. When melting add some borax and skim off the scum prior to pouring. Both zinc and aluminium can be melted in a crusible made from a piece of s/s tube with a disc welded onto one side. And your forge will sufice as a heat scource for smeltin both metals. Good luck Please post any input and/or questions ;) we all apreciate constructive input. B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 OK the evil voice in my head mentions that you could make the parrot-pots with a small chip like they have in some greeting cards epoxied in the base so when you picked them up to use them they would screech or say something...Bwa hahahahahahahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 wowzers ian, dont know when i will have the time for this but im a-logging it all up!! cant help thinking it would be a better idea for you to harness my unstoppable artistic genius and just have me send YOu the models to cast.... ;) then you can use your unstoppable process knowledge genius :) jobs a goodun... thomas i like that idea - capturing all the senses!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 but wasting seasonings as a lot of folks would drop them when they "talked" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.