arkie Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Ben, your work is absolutely stunning. You should have no reservations about your work or your talent. You are your own worst critic. Only you will see any "flaws"... everyone else will see the beauty and craftsmanship in your work. You have become a very accomplished smith; an inspiration to the rest of us. BTW, at 80-90 lbs, that rocker ain't gonna blow off the porch!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I've been amazed at how fast you made this piece Ben. The maker's eye is always drawn to perceived flaws in the work. I think it's a product of the desire for perfection, the unobtainable . For the rest of us your work is just beautiful and the execution masterful. The amount of fitting and joinery is daunting. I can NOT wait to see your next one. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfeile Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 I haven't commented, but I have been watching. Absolutely amazing work and it was great seeing your progress as you went. Way way beyond my skill level for sure, and I am extremely impressed with your abilities. Look forward to seeing your next project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Now Arkie; I've seen the porch blow off the porch up your way before, (we drove through Greenwood a month after the 1968 Tornado) Ben; now you can put an oscillating magnetic field under the porch and have the rocker begin to rock on it's own---great for Halloween! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Oly, WA Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Absolutely beautiful work Ben. Good luck at the competition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted May 4, 2018 Share Posted May 4, 2018 Thomas, the winds in your neck of the woods can get a bit hairy, too!! At least we don't have the dust. I had my fill of that when I lived in W. Tx....cotton fields and desert in the springtime....ahhhh.....I remember when it rained (sometimes) mudballs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Egad! He *has* lived out here. I'm cleaning the casita this weekend as I need the landlord's handyman to set up the swamp cooler as it's supposed to get up to 100 next week. Looks like the Kestrels are nesting in my attic again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted May 5, 2018 Author Share Posted May 5, 2018 Day one of the on-site competition is over. For our “artistic category”, meaning you get to use modern power tools if needed, we built a pair of one piece cable damascus spurs. I’m awful proud of what we turned out. My striker and I never even got close to something that would be acceptable as a single spur when we practiced. We did forge the billet beforehand and the buttons were purchased, all else was done on site. I had planned to just soak them in acid for a bit then rinse them off in water. Luckily, there was an experienced damacus maker there to let me know all the additional and unexpected steps that are involved with finishing damascus so it looks decent and doesn’t end up being a wad of rust in the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Do they jingle when you walk? Makes my old chrome plated spurs look like trailer trash by comparison. Beautiful work. . . AGAIN!! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Nice work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jspool Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 I’m thoroughly impressed. Great chair! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shabumi Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 You do amazing work. Your chair is a true work of art, and the spurs are beautiful. I like how you added the little diamonds on the rowl. I think a darker leather for the strap would contrast with the pattern nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted May 6, 2018 Author Share Posted May 6, 2018 Yesterday we did our traditional category, meaning no power tool at all. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty be were able to make an adjustable kindling splitter. We got it done 5 minutes before the 4:30 deadline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 When you get a chance could you show us how that works? I've never seen one like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Daswulf said: When you get a chance could you show us how that works? I've never seen one like it. The curved piece is pivoted at the top and and has a blade on the convex side. You stand up the stick with the bottom end on the little adjustable foot, place the blade on top of the other end, and pull down. If the stick splits all the way through, well and good. If it doesn’t, move the adjustable foot up a notch and repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Ah thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 Whole thing mounts on the wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 Well, the contest is over. I lost each category. I did have a great time, learned a bunch and met some really great people. There was some really stellar work cranked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Glad you had a good experience. It’s been fun to watch from a distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 You may have lost the competition but you Won on your personal work. and you learned things, accomplished, and met new people and saw other work and are better for it. Congrats on your own PERSONAL Win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 I think you are a winner in the eyes of the folks here at IFI for sure!! You do wonderful work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 Thanks everybody. I was quite a learning experience. My striker and I were pretty burnt out by the end. All my stuff sold at the auction so I’ve got that going for me. Thought I share the coolest bit of forging done over the weekend. A fella named Austin Edens and his dad built a set of working handcuffs using only hand tools and they made it look easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 So, they had the competition locked up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 2 hours ago, JHCC said: So, they had the competition locked up? I'm sure they did. Did you notice the key is also a bottle opener? It's hard to beat that kind of thinking. I REALLY like the kindling splitter a LOT. I might have to make one I split a lot of kindling and the hatchet is noisy in the morning. The real challenge will be getting Deb to let me hang it on the wall. Well, I suppose I could start splitting more kindling from larger chunks earlier in the morning, that's really noisy. Hmmmmm. It's a really nice piece of work Ben, what a win win competition. Competition is good for everybody involved even the spectators. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 What were the spec's for the comp? Was there a flyer? What were the categories? glad you had a good time.. These types of events a lot of the people practice some items to perfection.. In the way back My Boss wanted me to go into the professional horse shoe making competitions.. I went and checked it out as you have to get a coach.. These guys were brutal.. They worked more on being precise.. It became that each shoe, was made by step.. and each step was worked over and over again till it was so consistent.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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