Found a rectangular steel frame in the scrap. I was told it was a piece that holds type in an old linotype printing machine. Anyway, it seemed to weld OK, so I forged a few leaves and made it into a mirror. The gumnuts are the ends from engine pushrods. Not sure I should have painted it black but here's the result:

 

Nice work Aus! Neat idea for the gumnuts. 

A forge darken finish might have been a little better but you can still see the detail in the leaves well. Great idea. 

I dig it! Excellent idea!

How you do those seed pods? Kool!

The "frame" is not from a Linotype machine, ... but it is a piece of Printing equipment.

It's called a "Chase", and is part of a "Letterpress" style of, printing press.

An assembly of raised type and/or engravings, was "locked up" inside the Chase, using wooden blocks called "Furniture", and expanding wedge, or cam action devices called "Quoins".

There are still a lot of old Letterpress machines around, ... and are still in limited use, ... mostly for "Steel Rule" Die Cutting operations.

Up until about 35 years ago, the majority of "Job Shop" printing was still done on Letterpress equipment, and Newspapers were still in the process of converting from Letterpress to Offset Lithography.

I suspect, within the next decade, printed newspapers will vanish from our lives, ... and an industry that once employed as many people as did Steel Mills, Automakers, or Logging, ... will be no more.

 

.

 

Nice ausfire, I've had a similar idea but haven't peeled myself away from toolmaking lately. 

Very nice work!

5 hours ago, SmoothBore said:

The "frame" is not from a Linotype machine, ... but it is a piece of Printing equipment.

It's called a "Chase", and is part of a "Letterpress" style of, printing press.

An assembly of raised type and/or engravings, was "locked up" inside the Chase, using wooden blocks called "Furniture", and expanding wedge, or cam action devices called "Quoins".

There are still a lot of old Letterpress machines around, ... and are still in limited use, ... mostly for "Steel Rule" Die Cutting operations.

Up until about 35 years ago, the majority of "Job Shop" printing was still done on Letterpress equipment, and Newspapers were still in the process of converting from Letterpress to Offset Lithography.

I suspect, within the next decade, printed newspapers will vanish from our lives, ... and an industry that once employed as many people as did Steel Mills, Automakers, or Logging, ... will be no more.

 

.

 

Thanks SB. Yes, the guy called it a 'çhase'.  We have a whole bunch of those old printing machines and I wasn't sure which one it belonged to. I guessed at linotype. I think I may have a few of those wedge shaped quoins too. I use them for claws on my scorpions. We still use our presses - mainly printing of WANTED posters for the kids.

For the next one, use copper for the leaves and let them get a green patina. 

BGD: There are more of those chases lying around so I do intend to make another mirror. I have forged a heap of copper leaves and some petals for roses. No problem forging them, but I do not know how to join copper leaves to stems. Silver solder has been suggested but that falls out of my skills range! Brazing maybe? Those copper leaves have rested on my bench the past two years till I think of a way.

That is a really ingenious use for old pushrods. Very nice frame indeed

Brazing will work, also look into the solders used for refrigeration lines. 

Silver soldering is like regular soldering, just some slight changes in how you do it. 

Any common acid type soldering flux will quickly turn copper green.