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I Forge Iron

I made a thing! Copper Elf/Iron Dwarf


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Hi,

Thanks forum people for the advice over the last few days/weeks to help me get set up! 

I just got back from Glendon Forge and had a great day shaping my first steel into shapes (intentionally this time!). John (Copper Elf) and Dave have helped me out loads. John was patient with my rather haphazard and dainty hammer swing and took me through upsetting, isolations, twists, drawing out, hot cuts, hot sets and so on. I wish I had taken a few photos of the process but  I'll post up some photos of the finished articles. I think most importantly I've come away with the confidence and skills to redo the projects to a better standard.. you'll see the obvious mistakes below ;) Great guidance, a really fun day and worth every penny ;) 

I started off with an S hook and got up to a keyring, bottle opener, toasting fork and a fire steel. Not the most beautiful you will have ever seen but I know I can and will now do better! 

Thanks to Dave (Iron Dwarf) as well, he has hooked me up with a great forge (that I got plenty of practice with today) that is super simple to use and worked tirelessly ( ;) ) on his bank holiday Monday to also built me a solid anvil stand to perfectly fit my double bick :D . 

I really couldn't ask for better guidance and support so credit where it is due to John and Dave. I will be back! 

 

Excuse the mess in the background, my garden is part jungle, part construction yard as I'm remodelling the house right now! 

Forge.jpg.ccca54e7833add08ae4d6700e7cf07eb.jpg5af098842b87d_Anvilstand.thumb.jpg.bf546263b804fd2bd566878a98ce4d73.jpg5af098770b3f7_toastingfork3.thumb.jpg.fe4aac9718ea91128169ccdd4bbd757b.jpg5af098740bf0b_Toastingfork2.thumb.jpg.764c3577b2ce147037f127be76298420.jpg5af0986d50f5a_Toastingfork.thumb.jpg.f57dcd4c194dcb1e9a2356df353189a1.jpg5af09865c6c7a_Firstbits.thumb.jpg.0e425fa541d52113fcee347ee2d2dc22.jpg

 

Image result for i got blisters on me fingers stewie

I think John will appreciate the reference after a good chat today.

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Yeah I figured that after I had poured it in ;) It has made a nice little bowl for it to move towards, if it causes problems I'll just shovel it out. Worked a treat yesterday though. 

Yesterday I was just bumbling about with very little confidence to know what to do/try even after watching videos but I feel pretty well equipped to combine skills and try a host of things. Lots of things that I need to make to make my own life easier and Iron Dwarf was on hand to fill my boot with practice steel at a great price to do it with :D 

John hit the nail on the head with coaching as well. He allowed me to set my own standard and had the patience of a saint as I cackhanded some parts. Low pressure. Lots of fun and skill. 

6 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

It's 34.4 degC right now here; what's it getting to there? (we don't hit 38.3 till Wednesday...)

It was 28 C when I left at about 5 (according to my oh so reliable car thermometer). God knows what it was by the forge but it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I probably wouldn't have been much more comfortable with the heat in my own house. Busy minds have less time to gripe. 

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10 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

I dusted off the ceiling fans yesterday and checked that the swamp cooler was set up; looks like summer is here. I wish I could wear shorts to work...

I imagine that you're a little more used to that kind of weather than we are. 13C is average around here for this time of year ;) 

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4 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

the humidity is up to a swampy 13%...

13% is pretty low isn't it? Maybe I'm just used to 80%+ in Thailand. That's murder unless you stay within a few feet of a cold shower/man sized bucket... ;) 

 

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The lowest humidity reading I have seen was a few years ago in Las Vegas at McCarran airport 113F and 1%. In July when the monsoons hit we get humidity in the 40%-50% range.  A forecast will be like 108F and chance of thunderstorms.... We have been in the high 90's and should hit 100 this week.

 

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3 minutes ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

The lowest humidity reading I have seen was a few years ago in Las Vegas at McCarran airport 113F and 1%. In July when the monsoons hit we get humidity in the 40%-50% range.  A forecast will be like 108F and chance of thunderstorms.... We have been in the high 90's and should hit 100 this week.

 

Bleugh... most don't like it I suppose but I think British weather is great. Rarely too cold, rarely too hot. Goldilocks would be a happy girl 'round these parts ;) I wish the summer was longer here but I'm usually bored of the heat by October anyway! 

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Swamp coolers work best with low humidity, when it's single digits out here they can freeze you out.  When the humidity gets above 30% you start to think about "refrigerated air".  They flood irrigate the cotton fields and Pecan orchards in front of my house; but luckily it's to the east; to the west where the wind generally comes from it's 60+ miles of desert.  I survive.

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Well, that ain't nuthin'. Up here we get 100% humidity. Sometimes a 110%. and it rains 170", no, 270" ... a week. yeah, ...a week! Sometimes a day! My second vehicle's a submarine cuz everything's under water most of the time. Rainin' cats 'n dogs is nuthin'. Here, it rains pigs and cows. Why just the other day after a spring shower the field across the way was full of cows, and the one next to it was piled up in pigs. That was only cuz the rain let up a bit before getting to that second field. Otherwise it'd been full of cows too. :D It ain't nuthin' but nuthin'.

Is it Friday yet? LOL

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