Went to a barn sale today, bought a few hand made tongs and then made a little coal rake from a piece of mystery steel a little smaller than a rr spike. Overall was a good way to spend a morning! Wish I started with a bigger piece of steel to make the rake a bit longer, but I'm still new so it was good practice if nothing else.

You can always make a decorative handle and rivet it onto the rake.  Everyone seems to get stuck on the notion that everything has to be forge-welded and the like, but rivets have been around for ages.

Take a piece of 1/8"x1/2", bend it into a U shape, drill some holes on the ends so you can pass the rivets through....  and you've got a nice clean "stay cool" handle design that also acts as a loop to hang the rake by.

 

That's a good idea, I think I understand what you're saying. Maybe I'll look up some pictures to get a better idea.

Your coal rake is a fine length, turn off the blower when you rake and you won't get too close to the fire. I'd put a little point on the end and bend it closer to a 90, a little curve is helpful as well. However, a cool handle is a good addition as are decorative twists. The blacksmith's tools often have decorative touches. Coal rakes are often one of our first projects and a good place to experiment.

I'm a propane forge guy and I have several coal rakes, one is the stove poker in the living room though.  

Frosty The Lucky.

The bend I believe is a 90 degree, or real close to it, doesn't seem to look like it in the picture tho. Only reason I didn't put a twist in it because everything I make has a twist haha. Does look a little plain the way it is though. Original plan was to put a loop in the end but I didn't want to make it any shorter. Hmmm maybe I'll go put a couple more finishing touches on it today.

one of my small coal rakes got taken over as a rake/poker for our woodstove too.  My wife didn't like the larger official poker

4 hours ago, Dano83 said:

The bend I believe is a 90 degree, or real close to it, doesn't seem to look like it in the picture tho. Only reason I didn't put a twist in it because everything I make has a twist haha. Does look a little plain the way it is though. Original plan was to put a loop in the end but I didn't want to make it any shorter. Hmmm maybe I'll go put a couple more finishing touches on it today.

I see your handle laying right next to the rake. It looks like an earlier project with a twist and sort of hooks on each end. Draw the longer end to round then wrap it around the end of the rake then secure it with a single rivet at the end.

Irondragon that's a good idea. I should try making projects thatre useful not just practicing drawing out rr spikes and twisting and bending them. I've never tried riveting anything yet so that'll be another good learning experience.

I've never been a fan of doing "repetitive useless items" So if I need to practice a skill I try to design something that I can sell that uses it.  Usually more than pays for the fuel, time and stock and since I will be selling it I tend to focus on improving each one!

RR spikes make good garden tools, weeding fork is a good start and a little hoe and spade need rivets or significant drawing. Remember the ladies like softer twists, pineapple and cube twists have too many sharp points to be comfortable in their hands, cable and other twists with the corners broken is a different thing entirely. A nice, not to large cable twist is a good seller. RR spikes tend to be on the upward end of the comfortable dimension for the ladies, draw the handle section to about 1/2" is about right.

If you want to do repetitive projects, nails are good warm ups they need an even taper and a peined head. AFTER you make a nail header that is. 

Frosty The Lucky.

On 7/9/2017 at 1:57 PM, Dano83 said:

...I think I understand what you're saying.....

Lots of ways to add on, use up some scrap, and make something really different.  Found a good example online.....

 

 

And as you can tell using a thin piece of channel for that hook it could easily become a bottle opener with a little tweaking...