Eddie Mullins Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 There has been some discussion in one of my other threads about the benefits of having a small items to giveaway. In particular when going to shops as you are making introductions and searching for sources of free / cheap scrap items. Having a small giveaway or sample item could have other potential uses or benefits depending on the situation. I'd like to start keeping a few things with me to use as needed. Bottle openers are an obvious easy an inexpensive item to help "break the ice" and give others a sample of a forged item. I thought a small split cross might be good (maybe something for the office secretary), but these do take me a little time to produce. What are some other ideas of potential giveaway or small sample items that might make for some good PR (or maybe lead to a sell $ if thats your goal)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Forged leaves are interesting for people to touch/feel and look at up close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale M. Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Simple wall hook or any bent shaped mangled piece of iron with "character".... Paper weights, letter openers from railroad spike(careful here with countries paranoia), business card holders, hoof picks made from 1/2 horse shoe, puzzles set made from small rods https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&hl=en&authuser=0&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=666&q=metal+ring+puzzles&oq=metal+ring+puzzles&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5.889.6190.0.6519.18.17.0.1.1.0.176.2661.0j17.17.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.-JSGZVaHuco Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neg Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I've been making these keychains to give away. Cheap and simple, but looks nice enough and has your logo. Just cut some 3/4 or 1" stock with a cut off blade, clean up the edges, heat it up and stamp it, then drill a hole. Takes only a few minutes for everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Key Fobs have unlocked many a door here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 How about a horseshoe forged into a heart for the secretary which could be used as a picture frame? These wrench bottle openers are fast and easy to make, I gave one to the rental guy at Home Depot and he let me have all these jack hammer bits for free. Said to come back in a couple of weeks when they have even more. Usually I've had to pay $5, which is a great deal as is. Here's also a biz card holder made from a wrench & bolt. I try to target the business or shop that I'm going to. Something made out of a wrench or tool goes off better at an auto parts or home improvement store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 dcraven- I like the look of the bottle openers, do you have to thin out the lip of the bent in side to grab the cap, or does it work simply by bending it in? Also, i'd love to see a pick of the card holder without a card- is that a single bent bolt that holds it up? To answer the question, I sometimes make leaves from the heads of very large horshoe nails and give them away as bookmarks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 The 1st heat I clamp the open end of the wrench in the vise at an angle in order to rest a RR spike or chunk of steel under it. The wrenches in the picture above would all be upside down at this point. One or two taps with a small hammer moves what will be the upper jaw down in this position for clearance on the bottle cap. Then I hammer what is to be the lower jaw down & in until I get the right distance to the upper jaw. I keep an unopened beer close by when making these and check that the jaws will grab the cap before removing it from the vise. There's usually enough heat left to do any straightening if necessary. Then I take a 2nd heat to do the twist, clean off the scale and dunk it in water. I use a pneumatic wire wheel to clean them a little, but leave the patina look and then clear coat. I can do about 6-8 of these in an hour. Most pawn shops have tons of cheap wrenches they are just trying to get rid of. I can usually pick them up for 25-50 cents each. Yes the card holder is a single bend bolt. This one was arc welded from the back, I need to work on forge welding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimsShip Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Awesome. Thanks for the idea, i'm going to try a few. (You're right, I see these old wrenches everywhere.) This is what I like to do best with what few skills I have, repurposing old items into something new and useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5starhobo (blake) Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 dcraven. i have about 20 old wrenches like the above. May give a few card holders a try and also a bottle opener or two. thanks for posting :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Yes the card holder is a single bend bolt. This one was arc welded from the back, I need to work on forge welding. In this situation I cannot see where a forge weld would be better than what you have there, indeed it may detract from the overall finish.I don't understand the obsession with forge welding for everything, especailly when its not appropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I think the obsession with forge welding is in part it being a pretty integral part of the craft, more in the past than present but a lot of guys want to ply an old craft. It's good to be able to forge weld but as you say, it isn't necessarily appropriate. Heck, Mr. Miller invented the arc welder because failed welds in built up work was costing him too much and he was competing with Yellin. Once he got arc welding and arc welders functional Yellin bought several. If arc welds were good enough for Samuel Yellin I'm not turning my nose up. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yves Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 In this situation I cannot see where a forge weld would be better than what you have there, indeed it may detract from the overall finish. I don't understand the obsession with forge welding for everything, especailly when its not appropriate. I think the obsession with forge welding is in part it being a pretty integral part of the craft, more in the past than present but a lot of guys want to ply an old craft. It's good to be able to forge weld but as you say, it isn't necessarily appropriate. Heck, Mr. Miller invented the arc welder because failed welds in built up work was costing him too much and he was competing with Yellin. Once he got arc welding and arc welders functional Yellin bought several. If arc welds were good enough for Samuel Yellin I'm not turning my nose up. Frosty The Lucky. Being 'forge welding challenged' and using collars and tenons and rivets and anything else I can use to run away from forge welding, I am very happy to read what the wise man from Dawlish and the sorcerer from Meadow Lakes have to say. I will concede that I have cheated, or that I feel I have cheated when in a moment of self doubt I used the services of a welder to consolidate collars on a set of four grills I could not forge weld. I would love to be able to forge weld as necessary and maybe more and not have to try to establish how it is not necessary ... I am so far from that! I feel I am highjacking this thread. I do not know how to start a new one with these quotes. Can the highly skilled and dedicated moderators do that? The topic would be "When is it appropriate to forge weld?" or "Do I have to forge weld?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Frosty well stated the reasons I'd rather use forge welding vs. arc. Ideally for this I'd be using a MIG or TIG, if I had one. The arc welder works well as long as you either grind or hide the weld. I am not able to forge weld consistently yet, but that doesn't keep me from trying. I won't get better at it by avoiding it. Even though this thread is titled giveaway items, ultimately for me is what I can sell. Do people really need what I'm selling? Maybe if it's a gardening tool that will likely never break and can be passed on to their kids, but the bottle openers & card holders are a novelty that sell because of the mystique associated with blacksmithing. I get many of my sells by telling people of the process of forging the object so they know it's unique and was not mass produced. If I can add to the mystique of the object by showing how it was forge welded vs. electric, to me that's a selling point. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdworks Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 https://www.dropbox.com/s/tqct1pgf0tdgesk/IMGP0977.jpg Hera are some small things I have been practicing on. Yves, see that heart? It's forge welded. It's my second intentional weld. The method is listed on anvilfire.com in The i forge how to as the " heart hook" I made the key ring shown as practice. And they are neat little gifts as well. I am a very amateur blacksmith but I have had some great advice from friends. The hearts don't use ALOT of material ( I used 1/4 round and square stock) and are fun to make. Hope this helps someone :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 See you guys on the thread about the appropriateness of weld types eh? This whole business of welding and why is going the direction I really love about the free exchange of information. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cdworks Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Anyone done a corkscrew? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Yep, and if you do a search you will find plenty more on the site like http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/25936-corkscrews/?hl=corkscrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Mullins Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Lots of good ideas here, no need to stop though : ) . Also am enjoying the welding thread this one sparked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarry Dog Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 @ John B: I haven't made a corkscrew, but this guy has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 I've been practicing making a corkscrew with the horn and the step of the anvil. I'll take some pictures next time to show the progression. There's also this informative post http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/13708-forging-the-corkscrew/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Mullins Posted May 25, 2013 Author Share Posted May 25, 2013 Ultimate giveaway item - return their wrench back to them : ) . My wife had the struts replaced on her van about a month back, and that shop is one of the ones I had been wanting to go by, but hadn't made it. Well we happened to notice a wrench still sitting up by the hood that had to have come from there, so I thought this is a perfect opportunity for me. I returned it yesterday and scored a couple leaf springs and a brake drum. He refused payment for them and told to check back with him periodically for more. This is what I did with a pc of it last night. No pattern or plan just started hammering, I'm going to refine the shape some more. This steel definitely behaves different than mild. I think I'm gonna make a couple of small knives to take back to the shop. Anybody got ides for quick and cheap sheaths? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zanshin Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 I usually make small knives to giveaway out from drill bits for concrete. I usually leave the twisting pattern of the bit on the back, as I am showing here. This is made by tapering the bit and bending the metal to make the handle (I am sure you guys can do it much better, I am not a good bladesmith :rolleyes: ) but you can make the handle leaving its original shape and maybe just bending it so that you can recognize the drill bit. Te goot bits for concrete are a good steel that, without hardening, get hard and flexible enough to be a pocket knife (remember it's a giveaway item) even just after the shaping temp, air cooling. Others, need an oil quench and tempering but they usually are really good steels. This sheath is not difficult to make but here I used a really good leather but if you don't need a belt clip, just take a piece of wood or horn thick enough, heat the blade in the forge prior the hardening and use it to make a hole in the wood/horn. That would be your blade cover. If it would be too lose, glue small strips of thin leather in the mouth of the sheath and yo are served. Hope it will be useful. Let us know Francesco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Could make an old wrench into a key chain/beer opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 That's neat and 1/4"-1/2" wrenches are often available at yard/garage sale for nothing, a few weeks ago I picked up a bucket full for $1.00 and already had dozens of the things. Hmmmmm. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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