Finaly feel like I graduated

[yves]

This is a kitchen utensil rack from the Hotermans collection.

 

 

When I got the commission to reproduce this I was overwhelmed, positively because I got this commission and negatively because the "brindilles" as these scrolls are called are forge welded. Here is  a pic of the forge welded "brindilles" on the original.

 

 

 

The client asked for a reproduction with a minor change in the design. Here is my working drawing :

 

 

As you can see, the bar is longer. I do not have wrought iron available, so this had to be done in mild steel. Aside from this, the rest had to be identical to the original. This meant I had to forge weld.

 

I cannot forge weld. I tried, not often enough obviously, but I did try enough to decide that riveting is much more economical, much more this and much more that and that its greatest virtue is that it permits me to avoid forge welding ... which I cannot do!

 

So, I forged the bar of the rack and its holes, the arch and its holes, I forged the hooks with a tenon that is to be riveted in the back of the bar and then I forged something else that had nothing to do with the rack and that suddenly had become a priority, and then something else again.

 

And this is fine because the client is no hurry. He told me on the phone this morning. But this call was a wake up call. I could not avoid welding the "brindilles" and it had to be today! I committed myself to deliver the rack next week.

 

So I built myself a nice beehive in the forge,

 

 

and remembered everything I had read here on IFI and the coaching some of you gave me privately (Glenn for one) and I cleaned the pieces, got them red, cleaned them again and used flux and I looked at the colors watching, waiting for that milky, sweaty look, and must have done eveything right because voila!

 

 

I did not dare weld the four of them at one try. I chose to make three welds. The practice was there, it was not by chance that I got the fourth one welded to the other three.

 

I realy feel like I graduated today.

[petere76]

Yves,

Congrats, you have moved forward. Keep going and enjoy the ride. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

All the best from Sugarloaf USA.

Peter

[Frosty]

Congratulations Yves, that's welded! As a recent graduate beer's on YOU! <grin>

 

Doesn't it feel good when it comes together?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Glenn]

Congratulations on the forge welding and completion of the commission.

 

Practice forge welding each time you build a fire. Some will work, some will not. but each weld that does not work is a lesson to be learned. Figure out why it did not happen and take notes. The ability to forge weld was there all the time, you just needed to convince your self that YOU could do it.  Remember that there is no shame in asking for Mr. Lincoln's blessing and hiding the evidence with heat and hammer marks on those days when everything seems not to work. (grin) 

[Dan C]

Congratulations, that looks great! I know just how you feel as I also had my first successful forge weld last week and then I did it again twice this Wednesday just to make sure it wasn't a mistake. It was easier as I had more confidence, definitely need to keep at it.

[Paul Crosby]

Great work!! I love the size and pattern!

[Camero68]

Congrats! Great work on the welds and you made a lovely and functional utensil rack. Expect to do more commission work from satisfied customers.