JimsShip Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 It's cold here.So very, VERY cold! It's negative 7 degrees out (without the wind chill!) and I'm sick of it.SICK OF IT I TELL YOU! I haven't even seen my garage door for months, so forging is out of the question until at least the early spring. So lets focus on warmer days and Summer nights camping under the stars!I found this picture from an article called "110 of the best popular Mechanic DIY ideas ever" and thought it very clever."The camp hanger shown is easily made by attaching hooks to an old leather belt," we recommended in April 1921. For hardware, hang S-hooks or bend stout wire through holes punched in the leather. "The hanger will be found quite a convenience for clothing and utensils used around the camp." It made me wonder what else you guys have come up with for the campsite?Weenie roasters from RR spikes? Camp cookware from rebar? Mason jar, glass insulator or wine bottle lanterns?I'd love to see your ideas and projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Greetings Jim,Ya think that's cold... -29 in Cadillac Michigan without the wind chill... I agree lets put our minds on another subject... Below is a Lodge Dutch oven lifter that I designed years ago that works real well. No more ashes in the soup.. I have made several for friends and they all love it.. Forge on and make beautiful thingsJim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwolfe Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I have to say, that's the fanciest D.O lid lifter I have ever seen. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Jim, can you show more pics of that? I'd like to see it in action Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've been talking this past fall/winter to a friend of mine who is also a smith about some camping related blacksmithing projects we can do to help interest the scouts in his troop about blacksmithing. I'll have to dig up the list, but so far we have cooking tripods, trivets, camp utensils ( fork, steak flipper, spatula, ladle etc), camp hangers, tent stakes, axe/hatchet, dinner triangle. I know I've got more on the list, but I just can't think of them right now. Sadly it's been too cold to do much in the way of working up prototypes this winter, so some of this will have to wait until spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch4ging Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I am liking this topic. I have been wanting to do a tri-pod,anyone made one? seen one design with the top end of two rods are formed in a "U" shape, and the third rod has a loop at it's top. the two U's slide into the loop to form the tripod. Then you can set it up like a spiket. Here is what I'm trying to describe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I did a tripod last year for a friend who runs one of the 4-H programs. She wanted a tripod to hang a large kettle ( like 5 gallon bucket size or bigger) over a big fire so they could do soup or stew when they have get togethers.Nothing really fancy, just 3 6' rods looped at the end, connected by a forged ring. They said they had some 5/8" or 3/4" square stock to use, and I'd planned to do some nice twists in the legs to make it a bit showy, but in the end, she brought me some old 5/8" rebar ( Yuck !) to use. They are old time farmers, so as far as they are concerned, if it does it's job, it doesn't matter what it looks like. I hope to make a nicer one for the scouts this season. I like that hook, loop design. I'll have to show my friend it and see what he thinks about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 like that picture shows you can set them up either as a tripod or as the crossbar with two uprights and they break down flat for travelling.To set up as the tripod I will take the two U pieces and over lap the doubled ends with the open ends pointed in opposite directions and then slid the loop piece over the overlapped doubled ends. Adjust and hang the first S hook from the inside out so it's more centered.I made a large one for my vet who wanted one for a massive cast iron bean pot. As it would never be used in the cross bar configuration and would have very heavy loads I modified the feet as follows: I put a short tapered point on the last 3 inches or so and then flattened about 6 inches going up the shaft and then bent the flat out and the point down to make it so you were not supporting that much weight on a point but the point would keep it from sliding out. Easy to set up as you step on the flat to drive the point in when it's at the correct spot.Another neat item is to take old Revere ware pots and remove the handles and make basket handles from election sign wire. (4 pieces a foot or so long. Forge weld both ends, twist tight, twist open and adjust) Looks neat and a lot better for openfire cooking. I of course put a hook on the far end of the basket so you can hang them on a potrack I should try to get a picture of them but it would be Monday before I can post anything. (I've bought out several fleamarkets for cheap revere ware pots--$3-5!) And of course I've been duplicating Scappi's 1570 outdoor kitchen for a friend in the SCA, spiders with spit hooks, the big spit holder, etc. Not to mention it's hard to have too many S hooks around; went camping with both buckets of them once and had over 80 in camp---jealousy was rampant and I was happy to sell on a bunch for less fortunate camps... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch4ging Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 look forward to your pictures, Thomas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitch4ging Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 DSW, I agree about the rebar. My brother-in-law has a concrete buisness and has offered some rebar up, but I just can't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Rebar isn't any worse than A36 ( ok the cheap Mexican stuff is way hard the Mexicans like making shoes out of it) you just have to make it squarish befor you do something else with it ;-)as to the tripod/fire irons. I recommend welding the top where you turned it, as if you get rambunctious driving them in thy mushroom. One of the members rivets the hook on. Make sure the third leg has a 2" eye ( for 1/2 doubled and welded) and that the hooks be tight enug that the top bar won't rotate. Drifting holes for skewers in the third leg works as well as a square socketed spit adapter. A dozen 1/4" skewers makes a good grill/ pot stand.The new1 1/2 pint ball jar (I think they made them for drinking glasses) with the large mouth wil fit over the old 1/2 pint small mouth jar, if you soder a bail on the small ring, and make a twisted wire bail for the lare jar you have a good candle lantern. Not as durable as the tin can and wine bottle kind, but as you can find cadles already made up in the 1/2 pint jars it's easy. As our idea of playing in the fire is a bit diferent than others, might I suggest a small anvil and other kit? Camping and smithing? What could be better? Ok. Camping, smithing, horses and a good woman.... Just need meat and beer! Nervana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Greetings Jim,Ya think that's cold... -29 in Cadillac Michigan without the wind chill... I agree lets put our minds on another subject... Below is a Lodge Dutch oven lifter that I designed years ago that works real well. No more ashes in the soup.. I have made several for friends and they all love it.. Forge on and make beautiful thingsJimThat lid lifter is a thing of beauty Jim. Absolutely gorgeous design. All the best Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've seen that tripod set with one of the "U" legs left with a long crank shaped handle that allowed it to be used as a rotisserie spit. If you do that, don't forget to make the mating tines that slide along the spit to hold the food to the shaft. Square stock is good to keep the tines from slipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Actually in practice hole for skewes, and tight brackets to keep the rotisserie from spinning work better, just regularly lift and turn the spit 90 degrees. Unles you have a galley slave ;-) a skwewer with a needle eye and and a string from the tripod works well too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukejoint Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Greetings Jim,Ya think that's cold... -29 in Cadillac Michigan without the wind chill... I agree lets put our minds on another subject... Below is a Lodge Dutch oven lifter that I designed years ago that works real well. No more ashes in the soup.. I have made several for friends and they all love it.. Forge on and make beautiful thingsJimDAM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 That's "darn . JJ, don't want to get jacked up for cussin, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 sq hole for the skewer and then forge a short section of the skewer round to rotate inthe holeandthenpush/pull a tad and lock it in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 sq hole for the skewer and then forge a short section of the skewer round to rotate inthe holeandthenpush/pull a tad and lock it in place.My father had a very elegant little garden string winder with a locking mechanism like that.The spit I made for sheep and pig roasting had a four arm windlass on the end and I had presumed that either I or a willing slave would stand by the fire risking terminal incineration for the 5 hour duration of the roast while everybody else had a good time listening to the music and drinking beer. After about 10 minutes of diligently rotating i had enough time on my hands to think about the process a bit more and modified the design to 90 degree increments every ten minutes or so by sliding a length of tube over the appropriate windlass handle. and letting the off centre weight of the carcass push the tube onto the ground. Then I went to drink beer to celebrate the invention. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Yea, with out a dog on a treadmill (or small child) the 90 degre method works best, the round on the tip that TP proposes would keep you from lifting both ends, and I realy do prefer to put holes threw the rotisserie skewer to put smaller skewers threw to the "rotisserie@ adapters with the square hole, thump screw and forks. As a dozen small skewers and a larger set of fire irons give you a lot of versatility with not a lot of gear. And they double as tent pegs, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 This young lady is Lindsey, I had the honor and pleasure of showing her the basics of the craft. She's an avid outdoors type and wanted to forge a roasting fork that she could pack with her. Well, it's not so practical packing a steel fork long enough to use by hand over a camp fire without getting toasted yourself or it being just too heavy and awkward to pack.This was my solution. It's from 3/8" sq. about 8-10" long OA. The pigtail end screws onto a stick AND when you've finished cooking the hot dog you can remove it from the stick,sick the tines in a piece of wood, the ground, etc. insert a candle in the pig tailnd enjoy a romantic candle lit weiner dinner.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 She makes you look almost respectable there Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Almost is darned well close enough. <grin>Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 I'll claim to knowing ya, good sir ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Thanks for the reminder, I'll step back from respectability, wouldn't wanting to put on airs.Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 Yeah, Deb might think she has a good catch there, wouldn't what you upsetting your domestic blis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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