January 11, 201412 yr I'm working on a commission for a set of andirons based on an antique French pair. The front bar is 1" square with ball finials, they will have a double spit hook in the back and a single in the front. The customer requested a very rough, hammered, uneven shape and finish. I forged the ends of the bars round and made the collars. The first one formed The second one didn't weld (I'm pretty sure it was due to the fire not being clean). I had to recut the gap on the collar, and it will be the first thing I do next time I light the forge. Since I wasn't going to be doing any more welding today I made the back double hooks. Still need to punch the holes. That's where it is right now, after I get that finial welded and forged I'll split the bottoms and form the feet, and make the back legs and front spit hooks.
January 11, 201412 yr Greetings Nick, Nice work.... I seen Peter Ross make a set and know how hard it is to get the balls welded and looking good... Andiron commissions are few and far between so I bet this is a fun one... Keep up the progress pictures.. Love it... Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
January 12, 201412 yr Looks interesting! I probably would have upset the bars rather than welding collars on. No easy task either way though! I like the texture that I see so far!
January 12, 201412 yr Nice work. I've made some similar pieces and it's difficult to get the bar to welding temp without burning the collars. The COSIRA books recommend using wrought iron for the outer piece because it can tolerate more heat. Keep up the good work and we're looking forward to your progress!
January 14, 201412 yr Author Thanks, gents! I got the second finial welded on, I did it first thing and cleaned the inside of the collar with a rough round file, then again hot before fluxing. I did have a sort of a mishap, my intention was to split the bottoms and form the legs, but after getting one split I decided it wasn't then best way to do it. So I cut off most of the bottom and welded the rest back together and drew out a tenon on each, which will go through a piece of flatstock for the front legs and the back leg. Greetings Nick, Andiron commissions are few and far between so I bet this is a fun one... Keep up the progress pictures.. Love it... This is the first set of andirons I've made, though I've been intending to make a set for myself. Other things always seem to come first... Looks interesting! I probably would have upset the bars rather than welding collars on. No easy task either way though! I like the texture that I see so far! That's funny, when I finished that first finial I looked at it and thought to myself, "Why didn't I just upset that?" I'm not sure if it would have been less work in the end, though, and I need to keep practicing forge welding. Nice work. I've made some similar pieces and it's difficult to get the bar to welding temp without burning the collars. I heated the bar, fluxed it, then put it in the fire off to the side while heating up the collar. When the collar is fluxed the bar comes out, they're driven together and put back in, but the collar was a little cooler than the bar. Didn't have any trouble with heating them to the same temp or burning, but this is really heavy stuff (for me anyway!), the collar was 1/2" thick and the bar 1" in diameter.
January 14, 201412 yr nick i like how youve made that - i love that way of making a ball on the end, although ive never tried it. i imagine there is some satisfaction to that. ill keep looking to see how it turns out :)
January 15, 201412 yr Author Most everything is ready for assembly. I've got to drill the holes for the spit hooks and forge out the front hooks, and put pins on the backirons to hold a fire grate in place. Then I can put the rest together. Customer also wants a spit, so I'll make that after these are finished.
January 16, 201412 yr Nice job! If your customer wants the look of a reproduction then welding the finial for the ball is the way to go. This is the only practical way to produce the mass on the end when using wrought iron other than drawing the whole piece down from larger stock and with iron that still would be risky. Even when forging from mild steel if making a repro the methods used should be those that were dictated by the material used during the period you'er trying to represent. Otherwise your piece becomes less of a facsimile than it already is!
January 17, 201412 yr I look forward to your progress pics Nick, you do some really cool projects and do them well. Thanks. Frosty The Lucky.
January 23, 201412 yr Author I've finished the andirons and painted them (except for the spit, which is waxed). Now I have to figure out the best way to ship them!
January 23, 201412 yr Very nice work! I would probably build a plywood box big enough to hold the andirons and ship as a crate. The spit can go into one of those tubes used for architectural drawings - Office Depot sells them.
January 23, 201412 yr Nick, Nice job. I like the roasting spit option, why have a fire you can't cook over. I bet your client is real happy. Peter
January 24, 201412 yr Greetings Nick, Great finish and a job well done for you... I will send you the pre-paid box to ship them.. Don't pay any attention to ship to address. LOL Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
January 25, 201412 yr Very nice Nick. I'm thinking you should've tested them out though, have a few smiths over, spit a ham and discuss important smitherly topics as it cooks. Your customers will be well pleased with THOSE bragging rights! Frosty The Lucky.
January 25, 201412 yr Author Thanks, all :) Frosty, that's a very good idea. Ham, maybe a few Cornish hens... The customer is planning on mounting a clockwork spit jack, so he's going to have quite a setup.
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