Jim Coke Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Greetings all, Here in Michigan it was -20 with the wind chill.. Warmed up the shop and spent some quality time by myself.. My wife went down state and I had some free time... What can be better .. A cherry fritter... fresh cup of tea... Iron in the forge... Life is good.... Our next meeting in Mich the theme is toilet paper holders.. I made this simple one for Iron in the Hat.. I had a great day ... WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOURSELF TODAY ???? Forge on and make beautiful things Jim I edited an all caps title that was very hard to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well, it wasn't below freezing, but my "smithy" doesn't have any heat, either. I've been been procrastinating long enough, so I did some cutting and cussing...... I haven't decided how I want to do the base. In the drawing, I've got a circle of 1/4" round stock just because it's neat and different. But I might go with some plate. The idea is that I can drop the top jaw down to the anvil's face and do one-sided fullering. Both jaws are replaceable so I can do all sorts of funky top/bottom fuller combinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 FINALLY got some time and began prepping for a sculpture commision of Pluto and Persephone. Gathered up all the steel I will be using and gave it all a "mental dry run" for how I will go about fabricating it. I will have some progress tomorrow on the build. Pics will be posted as it progresses in my "An intense commission" thread. Very exited the ball got rolling on this finally. Deadline is the 1st day of spring. -Crazy Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Went to visit friends, stopped at Mom's welded and fixed her gate. Checked out Dads steel piles found just what I needed to make my treadle hammer. :) Be nice if the old man was around to see what I'm doing... sure he's watching from the otherside. then on down the road to visit. the hard part is the next week of work til I can get back and load up some steel. just itching to start building... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mailledemon Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 In central Wisconsin, I did nothing but stay indoors with a steamy mug of ginseng tea because the wind whips at a bone chilling -40 to -50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well it was in the 70's today down here and sunny with a light wind. After church I ran a load of clothes and hung it out and fired up the forge to work on a cooking spider. Cleaned up some of the no weld chain I made Saturday when I took my forge to an SCA event (spent most of the time working a student through doing a few new to him things and we made a dishing hammer as the main project.) At church I was asked about teaching a fellow in the local fire department and told him that I'd have the forge at Church next Saturday as part of the Cowboy service and bonfire and potluck---the rector wants to forge large nails, the head of the youth group wants to make shuriken; the rector's wife want to work on bells from tanks---plenty of room for another student that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryCarroll Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Got up early to move several inches of (50 ft x 15 ft driveway)snow so we could go to Church for Services with our new Pastor and our annual meeting with a pot luck lunch and got elected Deacon! Thought about the projects in the unheated shop and got spring fever again. Winter storm warning with 35 to 45 below wind chill made a nap seem like a winner. Life is good!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Hi Jim, Your posting amazed me - I have been doing roll holders today as well. Toilet roll holders on opposite side of the world!! I have to do a small commissioned job for a bathroom reno - two towel rails, a towel ring, a couple of leaf hooks and a toilet roll holder. I will try to attach a photo of the ones I did today. I thought I would make a few so that the buyer can select the one she wants. I put them on a wall to see how they sat. Cheers from Aus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Went to the gym for a two hour workout, cleanup old boxes of junk in my basement, read the Sunday paper, reviewed quotes for my house roofing/siding job. Retirement from teaching is great: no lesson plans, no grading, no prep work. Do what I want, when I want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleetisMorgan Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I had to do some serious plowing before church on the farms, but got my two Carhartt-clad kids in the shop after lunch. Between the propane forge and my wood stove, we had it up to 70 in 2 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Direwolf Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Well, in Northern Wisconsin it was bitter cold well below zero with high winds. I spent a miserable cold afternoon kneeling in the snow working on a tractor, mine this time. Had two dead batteries, I load tested 'em, completly dead, time for new ones but after 14 years they don't owe me anything. Took a while to warm up once I finally came in at dusk, I think I'll wait til the end of the week to put it back together, by that time my neighbor farmer will have something broke down too so I can spend another miserable day freezing my hands working on his too. Some things never change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm heading outside after work to forge for a while, it's only heading down to -16 below zero. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 All y'all do know that you are doing that to yourself---right? Monday, 27 59 | 37 °F Partly Cloudy Chance of Precipitation 0% Tuesday, 28 62 | 29 °F Clear Chance of Precipitation 0% Wednesday, 29 60 | 39 °F Clear Chance of Precipitation 0% Thursday, 30 76 | 48 °F Clear Chance of Precipitation 0% Friday, 31 75 | 46 °F Partly Cloudy Chance of Precipitation 0% Saturday, 1 68 | 45 °F Partly Cloudy Chance of Precipitation 0% Sunday, 2 69 | 42 °F Clear Chance of Precipitation 0% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleetisMorgan Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Ive been farming in MI full time for 20 years and I never remember seeing 0% chance of precip!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 First meeting of the school blacksmith club this morning, I wore short sleeves outside at 9am. Lesson #1: leaves. Tomorrow, high of 28F, 100% chance of snow predicted. Gotta love the South. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikecopXXX Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Yep 60F today, 25F and snow tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Thomas-Are you sure you getting all the medicine you need? Posting all that sunny weather for us Wisconsin folk is just mean. Why is that sunny in Wisconsin means -20 and sunny in New Mexico is a balmy 76? If we have much more of this weather I'll have to spend my days hanging out by the 3000 ton press watching them break down 30,000 blocks of steel basking it is artificial tropical glow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Nothstine Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Heat and no Forge or forge and no heat. Solved my problem today. I took the gas hose off my readdy heater to test my gas forge burner, worked great until garage hit 20 degrees. So I order a second hose and got second LP tank. Today I found all the connections I need to connect the forge burner to LP tank. Hope to give it a try this weekend. Going to get up to 25 degrees in low Michigan Saturday. Jim heat rises so it might warm up a little more your way this weekend. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Oh I figure I will get enough of my own back come the summer when NM smiths put steel in the running forge to cool it down after getting it out of the sun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dognose Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Not sure, but I may have Thomas beat. I'm tossing in this with the ocean view from my house. Don't ask what the rent is. 66°FObserved High1:25 pm 52°F Partly Cloudy CHANCE OF RAIN: 0% WIND: NNE at 4 mph Details WedJan 29 74° 53° Sunny CHANCE OF RAIN: 0% WIND: NNW at 7 mph Details ThuJan 30 67° 55° Partly Cloudy CHANCE OF RAIN: 20% WIND: SSW at 13 mph Details FriJan 31 60° 47° Sunny CHANCE OF RAIN: 0% WIND: WNW at 10 mph Details SatFeb 1 67° 47° Partly Cloudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWHII Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Nice Jim! Although I would prefer a apple fritter and a cup of coffee. Welded up 11 hydraulic press frames for me then. Sunny and 73 here on that day, 77 today, low 80's tomorrow just saying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy k Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Started working on a friction folder (first one). The blade is forged from chainsaw chain. I'll be putting front bolsters on with wood or bone scales. The bottle opener was a must have detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clif Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Life is always good. Spent Sunday (as this was started then), it the rain (under supervision of the wife) clearing out my end of the garden. 3 trips to the tip (trash dump) later and I found the gas forge and her trellis project that got buried at christmas. Got me hankering to start the brick forge and finish the shed for it that I promised myself a year ago. Thomas - Please post the weather report come Easter and its over 100 down your way. Kids never let me forget the melted easter eggs for the backyard hunt! (San Antonio in '98). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 While this ain't blacksmithing, there's a heck of a lot of hammering, as the lid on this Stainless water tank has to be bucked over with a ball peen hammer. I am proud to have survived doing that without crying on the clock. Robert Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 And My first thought was, 'Now that's going to be a doozy of a forge... might take a bit to insulate though' :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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