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I Forge Iron

Tell us your 'don't do that again' moments


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We all have had those moments when you realize things did not work out quite right, or as we expected. What was yoru moment?

 

Of course there is the do not grab the hot end of the metal moment. (grin)

 

For me it is always making twists. It is easier and more convent to make a twist by clamping one end of the metal and turning the other. The twist ALWAYS comes out anti-clockwise or left handed. Only after I look at the twist, and concentrate, do I realize that the client or the spec sheet calls for a clockwise right handed twist. Now it is time to make a soap stone mark on the clamping device as to which direction to turn the metal.

 

Tell us about your 'don't do that again' moments.

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When you make scrolls and have done all the ones that are clockwise. Now you struggle with the ones that are to be used on the other side of the gate or fence that are counter-clockwise. Struggle as in fight with the metal and the symmetry to make it look right. Then your son comes along and says *want to see magic happen?*  He grabs hold of one of the clockwise scrolls and flips it over and says *see magic* as he smiles and quickly walks away. 

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When you make scrolls and have done all the ones that are clockwise. Now you struggle with the ones that are to be used on the other side of the gate or fence that are counter-clockwise. Struggle as in fight with the metal and the symmetry to make it look right. Then your son comes along and says *want to see magic happen?* He grabs hold of one of the clockwise scrolls and flips it over and says *see magic* as he smiles and quickly walks away.

I apologize, but ... LOL! I'm laughing at the mental image, not as much you Glenn. And I have had similar experience in my day job.
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I laid a punch on the anvil one day after finishing a hole then absent-mindedly let the hammer free-fall onto the face...which hit the tip of the punch...which flipped up and smacked me right in the face.  One end of the punch busted my cheek and the other end cut my forehead.

 

Cause and effect can be a real xxxxx - but I don't store punches on the anvil anymore.  :P

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leaving the chuck key in the drill press. I never try it, but about once a month something distracts me and I do it. it goes flying, makes a heck of a racket and then I'm on my hands and knees searching for the keyfor half an hour!

-J

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lifting the weighted chain that holds hot work on the anvil.  Funny burn marks on your fingers you have to explain for days afterward.

 

Spray painted the foot of chain that runs over the anvil bright orange as a warning. The paint in the middle has all burned off, but either side still acts as a warning.

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When I was starting out, I didn't have many tools (tongs specifically) and would frequently use tongs that were not adjusted properly for the piece I was working on...Until the day the hot piece flew out of my tongs and bounced off my safety glasses and burned my face (thanks to the glasses, I still have two working eyes). After that I always took the time to make a new set of tongs for any work that did not fit what I had. It also led to my love for tool making! So Now I only use the proper tools for the job, no matter how small. I'll always have that tool for the future and properly fitted tools make working that much easier/efficient. 

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-J: You REALLY need to turn pulling ANY chuck key you aren't twisting into a reflex. Poking your own eye out would be a bummer but what if a kid turns the drill press on and loses an eye? How'd that make you feel?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

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I got hit in the lip by a chuck key left in a drill press by someone else. And I was away from the drillpress when it flew out. The distance was the only thing that prevented worse.

Not blacksmithing, but I learned that a foot makes a lousy chock for a twin engined airplane when I was 13 years old:)

I learned to really be sure that your bullets will hit solid earth if you miss or go thru when I was 21 and was hit in the hand by a stray rifle round.

I learned to not assume just because metal is on the floor it is cold a few years ago, it may have fallen off the forge!

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In my HS metal shop, I had it set up with the 'cold' work in the front of the class(machining, clamping, grinding, sheet metal.  The back half of the room was the 'hot' area(welding, OA, foundry, forge).  The basic rule was to assume everything back there was HOT.  Tools, vises, project parts, didn't matter.  Yet, despite that rule, restated everyday, every year we had students pick up hot stock and get burnt.  They usually only did it one time.

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I have a few.
When I was first using my drill press I was not aware of the force you could apply as opposed to a hand drill. I was drilling a "larger" piece of metal and thought to speed up the process u applying more pressure on the bit, whoch resultet in it breaking inot pieces, including one that shot into the hand that I was using to hold my piece. It popped right out, but for my first drill press experience I was a little unsettled.

Another time with the drill press, Somehow it turned on while I was tightening the bit with the chuck key and caught my fingers for a second. Second time I used the drill press I was also a little unsettled.

Holding the orbital sander between my knees. I have a couple scars on my knee from readjusting it while it was running.

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Last year I thought I was finished up for the day and shut down the gas on the forge but kept the blower on like I normally do for a few minutes to try to avoid the residual heat from the forge heating up my ribbon burner too much.  A minute or so went by and I realized I forgot to do something needing heat, so I turned on the propane again, figuring that the residual heat would light it immediately, as I had done this once or twice before, in addition to seeing other smiths do this on occasion.  Unfortunately, in this case, it seems that keeping the blower on DID cool the burner enough so that the propane didn't ignite immediately and after a moment or two, I heard a "boom" as the forge finally built up enough propane to get the part of the forge that was still hot enough to ignite the propane.  Blew the damper off my blower and a load in my pants (almost).  Fortunately I was on the other end of the shop and didn't see the fireworks. 

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Another drill press mishap. I chucked up a piece of copper round stock, maybe 3/8", and was using sand paper to bring the OD down some. Stupidly pinched the copper too hard, and wrapped my thumb in with the sandpaper.

 

I don't do that anymore.

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