Michael Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Thanks for the compliment! Great idea for extending the twist, I can put the whole family's initials (all 4 of them) on a square section between twists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 as promised, pic's of the bear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 putting the whole family's initials on is an even better idea---thatway they can all fight over whose it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_713 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Finished my forge a few days ago and did a test burn to see how everything worked and to see if anything caught fire that shouldnt have and im pleased to say that everything works good so i heated up some steel and made a coal rake since i didnt have one :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 My suggestion on a coal rake is to make them as ugly as possible as all my nice pretty looking ones have migrated into the house for use with the wood stoves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceman_713 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 My suggestion on a coal rake is to make them as ugly as possible as all my nice pretty looking ones have migrated into the house for use with the wood stoves... Its functional over pretty i think lol so no worries there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggwelder Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 bought new replacement clothes washer and vacuum for the wife. she requested it. looked for a tap to thread a nose cap nut for my lee enfield restoration. its the last piece i need and they are just not around, so i may have to make it. tommorow i`ll strip the old washing machine for saleable parts, and other metals/materials that can be recycled from it. maybe i`ll get to forge on monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcc Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Finished forging and cleaning up a bowl adze, heat treating tomorrow. May forge an axe, depends on my other chores. Definitely feel like a wimp knocking the rust off due to the lack of forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Had Sunday off. Just couldn't get into forging a few leaves, arrowheads were a scrub to. Started another bick, It wasn't going the way I wanted. couple of nails almost turned out to hold bolster plate down for the bick I made a while back. Beat out 1/2 a jaw for some scrolling tongs, was interrupted and lost that train of thought. So another direction change... grabbed a piece of copper tubing, cut off a few lengths. Went back to school :) had to remember how layout a pentagram with a compass. Started on a copper rose. Should have taken a few pics of the process... but the end product is pretty sweet for the first one. Has it's flaws, tenon is off center from where I wanted it the four point bit underneath creased up a little where I didn't want it to. but overall something turned out far better than I expected. 3 sets of petals 1 7/8 od 1 3/4 and 1 1/4 for the smallest if I remember right. :) wifes nattering away 'take a better picture so my table doesn't look so bad' guess I have to watch those camera angles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addenbrokedennis Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Called my dad for his 81st. birthday. Headed down to my shop to beat on hot things, then the genorator quit. Spent the day rebuilding the fuel pump. Always tomorrow to burn and beat I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Nothstine Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Eggwelder You should turn the washing machine tub into a fire pit. :D A friend of mine made one it was really cool. http://houseandfig.com/2013/01/20/10-diy-one-hour-recycled-firepit/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Kicked a metal pole yesterday while chasing my toddler. Spent a large chunk of today at the doctor's & radiologists. It turns out that I broke the metatarsal(?) in ine of my toes, so I'm off work for a couple of days. There's some positives there - more Dad time. I might get to do something about the chaos in my ute tool boxes. Maybe tidy the driveway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GottMitUns Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I didn't get it done in one day, it took about 3 weeks. A charcoal retort for the Goliad Forge group in Goliad Tx. The outer casing is 30" x 5/8 wall x 46" long. the inner chamber in 20" x 5/8 wall x 36" long. All of the doors are 1/2" plate I weighs 14-0-13 (1581#) 076.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Getting ready for the campout at church Friday night. I'll be bringing my down hearth cooking stuff and my forge---going to have the HS group make their own marshmallow roasting forks from ex-election signs. I will be camping in my sibley tent and using my coal oil lamps. Saturday after the pancake breakfast I'll forge until time for cowboy church, attend and then pack up and head home. I asked if I could be "the bad example"; but they told me I had to be a chaperone instead dag nabbit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi All, Well, yesterday was a pretty good day: forging 8:00-17:45 with a lunchbreak. Gotta tell you it feels very nice in my different upper body parts. Although I did not accomplish too much: two bottle openers from bike crank arms, and one big shoehorn made from some old agricultural thing. The horn was actually really power and time consuming task: I begun with a piece, 1' long 1/2" dia threaded rod ending in a ~5/8x5/8 square and after it a ~5/8x1" flat style. I hit it into a 2' long twisted and srolled-end bended shoehorn. No pics yet, coming soon. Interesting experience that my "half-home-made" 2# hammer moved the steel almost as good as the store bought 1,5kg hammer. Without leaving hammer marks. So, nice Palm Sunday around here, even if the neighbors expected something else... ;) Oh, and today was a good day too: I found my first pieces of old wrought iron. Won't go to a scrapyard anymore without the hacksaw :) Greetings Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabbsterinn Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 today so far has been pretty nice for me, weather isn't all that good so I'll just do some of those drawings so I won't have to worry about turning them in on time while im forging, if everything goes to plan i'll be spending all of tomorrow and Wednesday either forging or setting up my new shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 After church yesterday; I wirebrushed and waxed 7 more links of my no weld chain---about 10' so far. I also fired up the forge and finished the hot work on a rasptle snake for the church's fund raiser----after a week of 112 degF highs last summer we decided that updating the air conditioning on the 1916 church might be a nice thing. It's a small church so we're all pitching in to raise the money needed. While waiting for it to heat up I punched the bottle caps for it's tail. Now all I need to do is to wire brush it, wax it and thread the caps on the tail and work them a bit so it rattles like a real one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rustyanchor Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Sunday's entertainment. People like the folk art look, hopefully they ignore the MIG welds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LastRonin Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Got a little progress done on my 'mini-gasser', got my ooooold pipe threading machine freed up, rewired and test ran. Worked out a preliminary design for a rolling mill attachment to go on the threading machine. Did some work around the house and helped my wife with some organizing/spring cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIlverSmelter Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 it was a good weekend here spent the time leveling a pad for my new smithy all is going well cant wait to have all the tools set up and kept up. that tearing stuff down at the end of the day is for the birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Nothstine Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 My 7 year old son had Friday off from school asked him what he wanted to do "Dad I want to forge" :D He made hook for his aunt for Easter. This one he wanted a double twist. He also gave her a nail he made the other day. I was able to finished a nail header for a friend and made another hammer handle. It was a good day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Saturday it rained pretty much most of the day---incredibly unusual for NM. The plants were in shock except for the weeds---you could fairly hear them grunting as they tried to grow before the miracle ceased. I did get out to the forge and worked on the new spider, (to hold pots/pans over the coals for campfire cooking), I needed a larger one as it looks like my cowboy skillet will see some use. So I started with 3 pieces of larger strap stock than usual and forge welded the ends together for the feet and ended up with a triangle with feet. I wanted the included area to be a bit larger so I heated each side in turn and hammered it down on my cone to make it bow out a bit. I placed a 1" thick pipe flage cap on some heavy rounds on my screwpress and slid in the spider and placed another piece of steel on top of it and whomped it "flat" and then adjusted the feet with a hammer while it was held flat----the trick is to stack the supports till the feet of the spider will just touch the base of the screwpress when "adjusted" making them all the same height. Not my prettiest work but it will be a help in the fire for a long while. The little ones I make from 1/4"x1/2" strap generally come out much better as it's easier to weld and manipulate them. (And I've made a *bunch* of them....How do you get to Yellin Hall?---PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!) Now to schedule some eggs, bacon and pancakes in the big skillet! (It's pressed steel and the handle mounts to it with butterfly nuts...) Next weekend I'm supposed to demo at a "Medieval Fair" except the Fire Marshal will only allow a propane forge; so early medieval anvils, hammers and tongs and a propane forge, grrrrrr. Going to work on some viking cooking gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinobi Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Sounds like fun Thomas :) im having an acute attack of 'Monday brain' and im having difficulty tracking your procedure into a mental picture of it, do you have a real picture? it sounds like a big trivet? and thank you for now making me way too hungry thinking about eggs bacon and pancakes! as for me, my fiancé and I were just getting our coats and about to walk out the door from my sisters place after Easter lunch and my mom asks my dad to take a look at the leak under the sink which was apparently getting water on her shoes earlier. so of course im the only person with a flashlight handy and it turns out the garbage disposal is leaking from the body so my dad and I hump it out to home depot several miles away, buy a new one and a few consumables like wire nuts, come back we install the new one. it was fun to do because I enjoy fixing stuff and I didn't want my dad to have to do it himself (hes over 70), but my fiancé was (is...? O.O) pretty bugged that we couldn't leave earlier, as we had a variety of wedding planning stuff that we needed to get done. its pretty much par for the course for my family though, take a trip, something breaks, I cant remember the last time I went on vacation and didn't end up with a wrench, screw driver, or paint brush in hand at some point :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 I had an interesting weekend. I dedicated Saturday to sprucing up the shop, doing maintenance on my post vise, refurbishing an old pipe vise I got for $8 and swapping anvils on my ONE stump (still looking for more stumps lol). After having the post vise for years and never doing more then cleaning the screw now and then, I decided to take it apart and strip the 1/8" of paint off it and see if there were any markings. After about an hour and a half with a wire wheel and paint thinner I found 2 stampings on each side of the post and pivot parts. The only clear one was "BOSTON" and the other above it was fairly indecipherable but something along the lines of "J.WOODLEE". I was pretty exited to see that my post vise was made in my city and even showed signs of it possibly being made by a person and not a mass produced. I could see lap weld seems on the post, welded collars at the bottom of the post and handle ends, and birds mouth welds for the mounting bracket eye. Also made a few more slitters, a square punch, center punch and a cape chisel. Moved some things around and got more oil, mineral spirits, linseed oil, sandpaper, drill bits, paint and wood stain. Visiting my family on Easter, my grandfather was telling me that he found out that my great uncle was a Blacksmith and did fairly well for himself doing ornamental ironwork. Today I get to try out my "new" Columbian anvil for the first time. I'll likely continue this weekends motivation of re-tooling and making more tools while I'm in the swing of it and have no orders to fill. Very good long weekend for me (The Boston marathon is today so we got the day off at my day job!) -Crazy Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Too dark in the shop for photos even if I took them due to the rain. Much like a trivet except usually longer legs as it is supposed to allow for a fire underneath them for cooking purposes. I do two main types: the first is circular/oval with applied legs---riveted and then forge welded and based on the ones in "The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi" 1570, with or without the skewer holders for thrushes. The second is as I described; let me describe it another way: Cut 3 identical lengths of strap stock. (I generally like to use stuff half as thick as it's wide so when you weld up the legs/feet you get sq stock.) Take 2 pieces and place them together and justify the ends. Forge weld one end up about as far as you want to have the leg long. Forge the end into a penny foot and bend it 90 deg to the leg Now reheat and bend the straps out above the welded leg till they make a T and then swing them in till they make a 60 deg included angle. Take the third strap and lustify the end with one of the free ends and forge weld it making leg/foot 2. Bend it as above. Take the final two ends that should cross each other and heat and bend till they overlap and you can forge weld the final leg/foot Now with everything welded up dress the spider/trivit----I like to have a heavy slice of round the correct size to just drop the spider over it and just tall enough to have the legs touch the heavy steel slab when everything is adjusted just right---so the length of the legs tend to be based on what heavy steel rounds I have or can stack to build. For campfire cooking exactness is not a big deal as you just tap a high side down a bit into the dirt/ashes. For cooking on a hearth it does make a difference---if you have one short leg you can hammer it slightly smaller in cross section and longer---generally easier than tryng to upset the others (a better trick for an extra long leg is to forge out an enhanced foot using up the excess. The extra long foot can then be trimmed with a curved hot cut or just left and punch a hole in it so it can be hung up ie: "I meant to do that" or stamp it with your mark! The little ones of 1/4x1/2 stock I don't make extremely large; but I can stand on them as a selling point. I do need to make a cauldron holder like is shown on the Bayeaux tapistry though... Did this help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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