alexandr Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 I am starting a new big project. It is necessary to make lighting in the estate on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. Chandeliers, street lights, lamps. Work for 2 years minimum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Very much looking forward to what you create on this project. Always inspirational! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 That must be a huge project Alexandr! At the speed you put out high quality work, a two year project has to be a giant. I'll be looking forward to your pics. We're getting our first snow as I type. It's predicted to be maybe 1/2" and short lived, supposed to warm up and rain in a while. IF you believe the weather guessers. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 There are a lot of me today! Sorry! 35 years of marriage with my only wife. Good mood! A customer from Galveston sent in a photo of the fireplace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Looks to be an exciting project. Looking forward to updates. Congrats on 35 years. My bride and I just hit 38 last week. That is a current photo, isnt it? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, Stash said: That is a current photo, isnt it? Sure! Yesterday I copied it from an old photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 1 hour ago, alexandr said: 35 years of marriage with my only wife. Good mood! Многая Лета!! Built up a hardy block to go on top of my anvil so that I can use my hardy tools under the treadle hammer. This was welded up from roughly 3” long sections of heavy 2” x 4” C-channel: Needs a bit more grinding, but here it is welded up and with brackets that hold it in place on the anvil: The hole in the center is 1-1/2" square. So it can hold the same tooling I made for my portable hole/striking anvil, such as this drifting saddle: Or this bolster plate that matches my hardy hole: Which means that I can use my regular hardy tools as well: Which I can use with top tools In both directions! Or this big hot-cut: Or a swage: I'm hoping that this will enable me to do a lot more two-sided forging that I haven't been able to do without a striker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirerabbit Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 (edited) Congrats on the anniversary (and the big job in Finnland). I finished nothing quite as ambitious as some of what I have seen lately on this thread, but I did get some more time on the forge today. Finished my second set of tongs. Was going for v-bit, but after my first v swage broke apart during the initial creasing of the bits, I realized my next project needed round bits and I didn't have the right square stock to accommodate. Heating up the new swage to try and get it to set down on the anvil more. My firepot isn't large enough in this configuration, but I tried. Rivet up with another bolt. These bolts do have a bright coat of zinc, so I really need to get some round bar stock for rivets soon. Had to trim off the uneven bits, and a small difference in reign length, but there they are. First set on the top, latest on the bottom. Used same starting stock just 1/2 inch longer per half than the first set. Next project will be hot punch, v-fuller, square center punch, and hot chisel from sucker rod. Edited October 18, 2020 by wirerabbit remove picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 13 minutes ago, wirerabbit said: Congrats on the anniversary (and the big job in Finnland). Thanks! This is Russia, not far from St. Petersburg, the gulf is called Finnish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Also cut down a 14” x 103” 80-grit ceramic belt to 90” long and reglued it; the plan is to split it into 2” strips when the glue is cured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 2 hours ago, alexandr said: Sure! Yesterday I copied it from an old photo. You're a charmingly tricky individual Alexandr. Congratulations on a long marriage. Deb and I've enjoyed 24 years together, we may end the honeymoon one of these years. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shed Forge Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Lots of great work here recently! alexandr, JHCC: all very impressive. Yesterday and today have been about preparation for two big projects I have in the works. In order of appearance: A scrolling jig, an example of what it can produce, and a hardy bick from high-carbon 1" bar. None are perfect, but will be indispensable for the WIP. I probably should have forged the bick before I finished and tested the jig because the jig could clearly use some fine-tuning. But, I am happy with them as first-attempt tools. I have also been practicing fishtail scrolls because that is the style my customer would like. You can see from the second picture of the test scroll that it is crooked as a result of lack of adjustment during scrolling... and probably because the stock is the same width as the jig stock. I think some scrolling tongs will be in the works soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 That's a lot of work John, looks good from here. Bet it increases your productivity considerably. I'll be watching for progress reports. Not bad Wirerabbit, needing to trim tongs is pretty much normal for folk who don't make them all the time. I've ever had a pair come out completely matched, close enough is good enough. Making a rivet header is pretty easy and it's nicer to use rivets than nuts and bolts, they can come lose and if they do it'll be at the worst possible time. Another point for real rivets is they make the most economical failure point in the tool. There WILL be wear, can't be avoided without going to silly lengths so wearing the cheapest easiest to replace component makes sense. No? If you have a welder. I make 90* V swages from 2 pieces of angle iron welded V down in side to side, contact. Welded to a piece of plate to fit your anvil. I tack them on the inside so the welds pull the angle iron into harder contact with the base plate. Once welded as deep as you can reach with your welder I weld the outside solid to the plate. It works much more easily than trying to use square stock on edge, that's a real PITA to keep from pulling away from a 90. Been there done that gave it up for a game of jokers. Frosty The Lucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Unclamped the 14” x 90” belt and slit it into 2x90s. They tended to buckle up a bit, unfortunately. Since that means that the last belt was a bit narrow: Overall, a success! While the jig did a good job of keeping the cuts straight, I think I might make some kind of spring-loaded something to hold them flat, thus keeping the width more consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 As I'm getting towards the end of my camping chandelier I'm starting to run into the bade of using scrap materials. Piece are breaking. Now they were all made at the same time from the same stock so why 5 went just fine and the last has issues---is the luck of the stock. Luckily I allowed for extra stock and so it was a trivial hot job to forge a couple of extra. When I was sent home Monday because the Uni was shut down; I was thinking I'd have the day to get it finished! Well my wife forgot to renew her driver's license and then chose to do it online as that would take several weeks and I got to act as her driver. We did get a lot done around town though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 Finally got around to trying a flower from a section of tube. Didn’t turn out too bad, but didn’t have time to make forge leaves to forge weld onto the stem. Made from a drop of 1” diameter mild tube, flared at the horn and necked down with a spring swage. Then, cut off and forge welded a mild 5/16” rod that it slit and forged the stamens into. (I had to tell my wife and younger son it was a flower, so I may have to practice some more. I’m just pleased the forge weld worked out.) David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Goods: I think it would be more flower like if it were more asymmetric. If the flare were on a bias or if you made vertical cuts to isolate petals it might look more botanical. You might also buff or wire wheel the flower potion silver and lave the stem dark. As it is it si sort of am impressionistic flower. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Forged a pair of hooks that will be part of the display for a rifle that is being presented to a neighbor’s son’s scoutmaster, who is retiring from scout leadership after thirty-some years. There will be fifty-six stars mounted around the rifle: one for each boy he brought up through Eagle Scout. (He’s also a big railroad buff; hence the spikes.) (Also my first attempt at fleurs-de-lis, which could have come out a whole lot worse.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 Very nice looking gun hooks. After finishing them, line the inside with some soft leather to prevent scratching the rifle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 I'd go with felt; a lot of leathers don't do well against metal. As for that flower---sort of an Art Deco look to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 The neighbor I'm making this for is a world-class piano technician, so felt is in good supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 And they are probably up on the best ways of sticking it to things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welshj Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Alexandr- In those pictures- your English is flawless! you do some beautiful work sir. I'm so much more impressed that you build the curves and turns of the piece into the work as you go. For it to come out even close to fitting... wow. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 No photos, but I finished the hooks and drilled and tapped the holes for their mounting bolts. My neighbor is over the moon and will be providing photos of the presentation. Forgot to mention last time that I also annealed a drilling hammer head for use as a soft hammer. I had been using it as such before, but the handle broke, giving me the opportunity to toss it in the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
671jungle Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 A friend of mine who owns a wellness clinic asked me to make some coat hooks. This is the first/prototype. Made from a rail spike, this took me some time to make. Mostly because I had no direction or design in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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