September 10, 20169 yr Hey Guys, I wanted to show off and get critiques from my first installed architecture piece. This started as a 1" square bar. it has 3 drifted holes, two rubix twists, two tenons, upset ends and a mounting plate. I routed out the door to the same depth as the steel plate so the plate sinks into the door flush. There are holes through the plate, the door and the tenon feet. The holes in the tenon feet are taped with 1/4 threads so I was able to use counter sunk bolts to attach everything together. I also laid a bed of silicone under the plate so no moisture can get in. All of the pieces are sealed with trees wax at a low black heat. The plate was put into the forge and cooled several times just to get some scale on it so that it has a forged look. I am kind of shocked at how long this whole project took. I didn't keep track of my hours but I have been slowly working away at it on and off for more than a month now. I did fail at the first 2 tenons I tried at the anvil and failed at trying to drift a large monkey tool out of an axle. Maybe I could do it all in under a day if I were to do it again but seems like it might be close. This process shedded light on what I would need to charge for a project like this to be profitable if I were to give this a go as a business. Of course having a power hammer would be a game changer when working with 1" square. I really need to get me one of those. Thanks for any feedback,
September 10, 20169 yr Intrex , I quite like "it", I don't like it with the brass hardware. Dang good work though.
September 11, 20169 yr Beautiful work. I like the way the plate is recessed into the door. Makes it look, like it really belongs there. Very nice.
September 11, 20169 yr Author Hey ColdironKilz, The color in the pictures is off for some reason. The hardware is actually all nickel and the forged piece isn't nearly as dark as what the picture looks like. I may end up forging hardware for the door as well but I need to have the door intact and working for at least a few months before starting another project on it to keep the wife happy :).
September 30, 20169 yr Author In my coal rivet forge this wouldn't have been possible to do at all because it just can't heat a long enough section of steel. I had to use my 2 burner gas forge that can heat a 1.5 foot length of steel. For the twists I heated up a large section and then dipped each end into the quench tank to cool everything outside of the twist area. Figuring out how to hold and work with something that large all on my own was the main problem. I ended up using a chain hold down over the heel and a spring hold down in the hardie of the anvil.
October 1, 20169 yr I like your rubik twist and the inset in the wood on the door certainly gives is a custom look. I forged a very similar looking project as a door handle for a cathedral or castle but can't find the right door to use it on as a handle. Using it as a central decorative piece on a door is a great idea. Good work in both crafts.
December 5, 20169 yr I like the idea of having the handle stand out from the mounting plate. I might use it for a garage or shop door.
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