BillyBones Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Got a couple ideas for brooches only got one from brain to metal though. 3 tries to finally get it to something i am almost happy with. Would like the snout to bend a bit more graceful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalfgreen Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 No forging yet today gotta work but finally saw a post vise just not in my price range. First time seeing one at flea market so there is 1 positive lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 1 hour ago, BillyBones said: Would like the snout to bend a bit more graceful. Get a beefy pair of needle-nose pliers and grind the jaws to a round cross-section. Those will be great for tweaking fine curves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Billybones, that is really nice. Keep it up and I’m sure you’ll be selling out of stock! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Installed a mast for a video camera and lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Lovely Work, as always Alexandr! Billybones, by the way which renfair are you stocking up for? And will you be running demos or just selling? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim695 Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 wow those are beautiful. they must have taken you a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Worked on designing a motor mount for my 25# LG as the ones I have on hand won't fit it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rojo Pedro Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Nice one Billy and Alex you are machine. I made made a little heart and another spring steel s hook. Lots of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 14 hours ago, Goods said: by the way which renfair are you stocking up for? I do not actually go to renfair. I have a couple freinds that do so i make these for them to take and sell. One friend sells mostly kilts and the like while the other sells robes and cloaks. it is somewhere near Dayton but in all actuality i could not even tell you exactly where it is. I have a bit of social anxiety and going out to places with crowds is hard for me. If there is something i really want to do like quad state i have to force myself to do it. It is much easier to do if i am around like minded people but just to go to fairs and festivals in general is pretty much a no go for me now a days. So i make things like this and sell them to freinds who in turn take them to those places, mark them up a bit for their profit and we are all happy. Makes them a bit of silver and keeps me out of the crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 I understand where you are coming from. I’m a little different, I kinda loose myself in the persona of the fair, if that makes sense. My wife has been going to renfairs since she was a young child and we’ve been attending since we got married. I hate to add up the cost of all out “gear” even with me making most of the kids outfits. Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 I’m still hoping to get out to my own shop today, but with Lisa off on a business trip, I’m minding her shop for the afternoon. (Substantially cleaner than I would be in my own shop, too.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 JHCC, you look a natural. Goods, back when i was building transmissions for a living when i would take apart a car i would put the parts like air cleaner, hoses, etc. in the truck so as to not lose them. One day i started working on a car and opened the trunk but is was plumb full with 2 sets of armor, helmets, sheilds and swords. All of us stood and looked at it, just not something you see everyday. When i was younger i was quite the extrovert. Fairs and festivals were my thing. I toured with the Dead until we lost Jerry. About that same time i discovered Hookahville as well. As i have become older i have become quite the introvert. I still love live music but not the crowd anymore. My daughter made me go to Celtic festival this weekend. My birthday and hers are a week apart and usually the fest is on my birthday weekend, last weekend, and for many years now it has been our tradition to go there and celebrate. If it were up to me i would not go anymore but for my daughter i would walk through Hades on a Sunday. IFI here is also the extent of my social media. No facebook, myspace, instagram or anything like that at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 1 minute ago, BillyBones said: you look a natural. Well, I did spend eight years working retail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 So tell us a Yarn, John! Will you be stocking all those "Yarn Shop" murder mysteries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 So John, did you sell out of the custom forged yarn bowls while the creating artist made a special appearance at the store? Billybones, I’m with you on the social media thing. IFI is my only “habit” and that takes up enough time. (Did I ever mention that I’m very grateful of all who post here and the moderators who keep things straight!) I had a couple hours in the shop tonight. I cut the blank for my next significant project. Started drilling a eye, (unusual approach for me, but I’ve thought about a lot and I think it’s the best way forward on this forging) the drilling wasn’t going well, so threw it in the forge and vermiculite to anneal. During the down time of the multiple cuts with the power hacksaw for the blank, I started building inventory of s-hooks. Thought I’d get six done, only got 4 done: Starting stock was 8” of 3/8” round. (Almost forgot, I made a 7/16” slot punch for the drifted hook.) I haven’t done any hooks in a while and worked without a jig. Took me longer than I wanted, but they were a very good exercise. I’ve got a demo coming up and really need to get some inventory and work on some basics. Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: Will you be stocking all those "Yarn Shop" murder mysteries? Not for sale, but there are a couple of copies in the shop library (which also used to contain my extra copy of The Backyard Blacksmith, before it was discovered and expelled). 1 hour ago, Goods said: did you sell out of the custom forged yarn bowls No, just a couple of skeins of organic cotton yarn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefty Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 They look great, Goods! I got some time in the shed over the weekend and forged tong blanks for a set of flat jaws and nearly finished a set for my first ever scroll tongs. I'm going to stick weld some reins on these two sets to save my elbow (My son isn't as keen on striking as he used to be). I also started experimenting with copper jewelry making from 1mm strands of copper from earth cable. I tried one with a 3 strand plait which looked great and very uniform, and one using a 4 strand round braid. My initial attempt on this one was ugly so i hammered the strands into flat "straps" about 0.5mm x 2.5mm and then, with frequent annealing and some fiddly twisting with needle nose pliers, I got something I was happy with. Next I need to try some jewelry soldering and then I might try my hand with sterling or fine silver. I recently did some agate fossicking and I'm keen to mount some in some jewelry myself. Pictures! I keep forgetting to take pictures. I'll try to get some next time I'm back in the shed. Cheers, Jono. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefty Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 (edited) OK, I managed to get some photos this afternoon: Here's one end of each set of tong blanks. Each half of a set is on either end of a holding length bar so I couldn't fit both ends in a photo that would show much detail. The flat jaw blanks both look surprisingly similar which is definitely an improvement for me. The other scroll tong blank isn't finished yet and looks more like a stubby flat jaw blank. I did a tiny bit more copper work this afternoon with some lighter gauge wire and found that I could do a round four braid with round wire that looked OK but I still prefer the "ribbon" version I did on the weekend. The two ring shaped sections are the ones I did on the weekend. I need to do some research on removing oxides from copper after annealing. Cheers, Jono. Edited August 1, 2022 by Hefty Made the pics a little smaller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 "Surprisingly similar" is good, especially when you're working opposite ends of a bar that you can't put next to each other for reference. Keep a pair of dividers handy, so you can easily take measurements from one end and compare them quickly with the other. It may be the lighting in the photo, but the blank on the right looks like it might be on the edge of developing a cold shut. If so, make sure to file or grind that out before proceeding, as you do not want that eventually ruining all your hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les L Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Hefty, Three ways I've removed the oxides from the copper is to soak the item in: 1) white vinegar, 2) a mixture of PH minus (used in swimming pools) and water, or 3) Ferric Chloride. It doesn't take much of the PH minus, I'd start with 1/4 cup per gallon of water, more or less won't hurt it will just make it work faster or slower. After soaking brush it with a nylon brush or scotchbrite, sometimes it take a couple of soakings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 On 7/29/2022 at 9:28 AM, ThomasPowers said: Forge weld or slit and open up? Forge weld with steel round stock would be easier. Slit and drift open, starting stock was 1/4 by 1. Flat ring ended up maybe 1/8 inch think and 3/8 inch wide. We punched a few holes in the ring, thinking of running some string across the ring to make more bubbles. The holes seemed to hold more bubble solution. Curious to see if participants will be making these at the open forging time at this hammer in. Some of the other planned demos are more technically challenging (basket twist handles, etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefty Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 JHCC, yes, the starting stock for the flat jaws was rectangular - about 19mm x 9mm (3/4 x 3/8")- so I used the butcher and twist method. I often get the hint of a cold shut where the flat surfaces fold in on themselves between the edges of the bar as it twists in such a tight space. I've got a chainsaw file that should smooth them out nicely. Dividers! Why didn't I think of that?! Good idea. Les, I've got vinegar and we use hydrochloric/muriatic acid for the pool that I can dilute, so I'll give one of those a go. Cheers, Jono. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Here’s a tip: before you make the twist, chamfer the edges where you’re going to twist it. That takes away the sharp edges and reduces the risk of cold shuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hefty Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 Thanks JHCC, that's two useful tips in one day! It's these little things that seem so obvious when you hear/read them afterwards that just don't occur to me at the time. Man, I really need to find some more smiths who live close by so I can pick up these sort of tips in person while I'm forging! My nearest club is an hour away. Cheers, Jono. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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