Messing around at the forge

[Michael]

I managed to sneak away for about 3 hours on Saturday and get some forging done.

Started off making nails as always, with a newer smack-on-head method that I should have learned 100 nails ago, forging a small shoulder, THEN pointing the nail. With the shoulder, there's more than enough material to make the nail head AND the whole nail isn't driven thru the header. Like I said, smack on head stupid not to know this bit
Leaf ala Brian Brazeal's rounding hammer technique. Coming up on 20 of these, need 100 for a project.

Found a big bar of 2x1.75 steel at the scrap yard to make an anvil block from. First modified the largest tongs to handle the stock, then tried to fuller one end, with a 3/4 bar as a fuller and an 8 lb sledge, really need a striker for this! , might be too much metal to work alone.
The Dragonflys are all starting to come out the same, this is a good thing! Another project, a wind chime, needs a bunch of these and consistency would be nice.
and finally reshaped my old Jackhammer bit hardy into a flat sided butcher hardy for help in getting tenons started. It took a little getting used to working at high orange temp to upset the cutting edge and re shape it, but the dragonfly wings were harder to keep from burning.
A really productive couple of hours, at least to my hobby smith way of thinking.
Thanks for looking

[ThomasPowers]

I took a forge up to my Daughter's place for the holiday and forged Friday and Saturday; ran one of my sons in law through his first S hook, had my grandkids hammering on no lead solder and a miniature anvil with 4 oz ballpeens and then driving nails using the same hammers. Made a double hook to fit over my daughter's patio roof beam---took a bit as I wasn't expecting this project and so had to hammer out stock from a larger piece. Made a wind bell hanger for my other daughter. Gave away a lot of forged items as pre-christmas gifts. I may move and so drawing down the "stuff" would be a help. Also had a friend and his son stop by and forge a cooking tripod and a S hook for it too.

For myself I made a couple of tent pegs while the forge was warming up and worked on forging a heavy duty set of nippers into a modified version of my favorite set of tongs. (working the bits down and thinning out the reins)

[Michael]

Great idea! I think I can get the gas forge and the block anvil up to the inlaws next year without attracting too much wifely attention.