Fe-Wood Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 We had Peter Ross as our lead demo at this years Octoberfest. I am now just getting to work with some of the techniques he shared with us! This started as a piece of 3/8" x 1" x 3" stock. By Hammer and hand, Anvil and heat, I forged this.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Olivo Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 verry nice looking spatula :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerry p. Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 That looks really nice! Can you tell me what the final dimentions are? Thanks - Jerry P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Nice Job Peter Is an exceptional Smith and it looks like you executed the design very well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thanks for the complements! Jerry, Its 2 1/2" wide at the flipping end and 16 1/4" long. Peter is also an excellent story teller.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Looking good Fe-Wood. Is it wrought iron or mild steel? That is nice form and moving lots of metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike-hr Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 FE, that's reallly nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I like this and would like to try and make one. Could you explain the process for making it? What material did you start with and so forth? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Kitchen implements seem a good way to get forged work into the house. Nicely done. Did Peter specifically demo a spatula? I saw all the dividers/calipers demo, Came in towards the end of the box joint demo and the latch demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Not to take anything away from Peter but it would be more correct to call it an early American spatula. He is master smith one of the best working in fact, but he is carrying on a tradition stretching back 100's of years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thanks Clinton and Mike! HWHII, I started with a piece of mild steel 3/8"x1"x about 3". This was an "off the cuff" piece so I didn't make any measurements. First move was to fuller (isolate) the material needed for the flipper end. I worked in about 1/2 of my finish depth. Then I made the rough shape of the flipper end. Forming a taper Then I started to draw out the handle end. I did that a couple times (I think) so I wouldn't move to much material to fast and develop a crack at the fullered area. I also worked it very hot. After I drew out the whole handle area to about 3/8" sq. I isolated the handle detail material. The ball came out of a mass about 3/8"x3/8"x1/2" or 5/8". I only rounded the end slightly. Really just knocking the corners off. The finish shaft is 1/4"x1/4" The important move in this piece is working the material isolated for the handle design and flipper part with a cross peen starting in the middle and working out in either direction. You want to work the middle almost to the finish thickness ( about 1/16") before really working the edge material, again work very hot. The cross peen I used is about 5/16" wide. I found my wider (7/16") cross peen was to big to move this size material effectively. If done right, you should not have to reshape the edges. Bring material from the center out to remove any irregularity in the edge line. Good Luck and have fun Harold! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Michael, He demo'd the making of the handle design and a round shape for a ladle. I didn't get to watch the Divider part... Really wish I'd been able to. I'm going to be working on getting him back out here for a class, you interested? Timothy, Your right about Peter's dedication to the Colonial period of Blacksmithing. What inspired me for this design was the way he moved the material and how he set it up before hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Michael, He demo'd the making of the handle design and a round shape for a ladle. I didn't get to watch the Divider part... Really wish I'd been able to. I'm going to be working on getting him back out here for a class, you interested? Timothy, Your right about Peter's dedication to the Colonial period of Blacksmithing. What inspired me for this design was the way he moved the material and how he set it up before hand. Keep in mind rural blacksmiths were making forks. spoons and spatulas into the early 20th century as gifts and for sale. Its only from the 1920's into the 1960's that the tradition was neglected. There are some who would argue that it never really died. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Keep in mind rural blacksmiths were making forks. spoons and spatulas into the early 20th century as gifts and for sale. Its only from the 1920's into the 1960's that the tradition was neglected. There are some who would argue that it never really died. And for that I am gratefull! Being on the west coast, we don't have access to much colonial period work and certainly no one here who teaches it... at least not that I know of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Fewood, could you please better explain I worked in 1/2 the finished depth? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Michael, I'm going to be working on getting him back out here for a class, you interested? If you can get him out here to teach, I'd go. Not that there's not a lot of great smiths working in California, but I won't find myself in North Carolina anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Harold, I didn't fuller to the finish depth of 1/4" in go round. I fullered about 1/2 the original size (1") then reorganized the material (reshaped it) then went a bit further with the fullering and reshaped again. I crept up on the finish size so I wasn't taking to much material all at once, causing unnecessary stress and cracking the steel. Hope that helps- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Fewood, I hate to be a pain. I get the 1/2 fuller of the original size. How much material did you isolate for the spatula? When Peter did his demo for the ladle did he isolate the same amount of material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 No pain- I didn't measure it but I think it was about 1" to 1 1/4" of parent stock. My spatula finish size is 2 5/8" at the widest and 4" long with a smooth transition to the 1/4" sq handle. Its is just a hair over 1/16" thick. I give you those dimentions so you can calculate it out if you want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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