8 minutes ago, Duckwalk said:

inlays in some knife sheaths

Could also make an interesting replacement for shark skin in the same-kawa of a katana hilt.

As usual I do several orders at the same time.  A lot of work with Оzon, the Russian analogue of the Amazon.

Beautiful work as always. I can’t imagine how you keep turning out so many projects so quickly!

Keep it fun,

David

I don't think anybody's going to fault you for keeping your kids and the copperheads apart. The hides have a nice pattern. How did it taste? I've eaten rattlesnake and the flavor depends on what they've been eating often seasonal.

Your last picture says it all Alex. Anybody who produces as much work as you NEEDS a way to print out address and shipping labels.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks guys!  Jer, It's not hard work, I do everything myself.  I study information on youtube.  Unfortunately, the war changed many plans.  Started selling on amazon and eBay.  But everything closed in one day.  Looking for new topics.  No time to be bored.

John,  The main difference between snake and shark skin is that sharks, and their relatives, the rays, have "denticles" in their skin which are little nodules of calcium carbonate which gives shark and ray skin its rough texture.  Shark skin has formerly been used as an abrasive because of that characteristic.  The denticles are what make it such a high friction material.

I have always found it odd that sharks have evolved calcium carbonate in their skin but have a cartilaginous  skeleton.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

As a thank-you for the copper flashing gift, I made the donor a rose to give to his wife:

(I was best man at their wedding, by the way, thirty-some years ago.)

Nice work John. 

Thanks, Das. Unfortunately, I’d lost the rose petal template you traced for me when I visited, so I made myself a new set and an envelope to keep them in. 

(I made these as individuals rather than one interconnected template, so that I can more easily work around the nail holes.)

17 hours ago, Frosty said:

 How did it taste? I've eaten rattlesnake and the flavor depends on what they've been eating often seasonal.

It was pretty good. not the first time ive eaten one. I did leave it on the grill  a bit too long and it dried out but the flavor was good. Cant think of much  a little Montreal Steak seasoning isnt good on. 

JHCC, Nice rose. Have you tried flame coloring copper? I find it adds a nice touch to the project. I clean my copper projects by soaking in vinegar or a bath of water with PH down added then flame color after.

I’ve done very little copper work (almost none, actually), but I’ll keep that in mind. I’m looking forward to doing a lot more repoussé, and I’ll be getting myself some pH Down sooner rather than later. 

Nice rose John.

Duckwalk: When you quote someone you need to type any response in another paragraph or the two get mixed together. 

I've roasted rattlesnake on a stick over a smoky fire and pan fried in butter with potatoes and eggs, salt and pepper.  

Frosty The Lucky.

I have a pattern set separated as well. The ones all together are easier to trace out on a sheet at once and multiples for plasma cutting out. The individuals are good for using up smaller pieces of sheet. 

The three petals in the middle look good. The pattern I use uses 4 there. The rose looks good so its just a little different look. 

I found colors to run fast once they started with copper. Maybe I was heating too fast but I had water on hand to quench and stop it when I had the color I wanted. Went too far a couple times and had to reclean the copper to start over. I'd suggest testing on a coupon first to get a feel for how it reacts. 

 

Yeah, I’m thinking about adding another template in between the two largest sizes. 

One detail on the templates is that rather than having slits between the petals, I punched holes to mark their inner ends and the center. After using a sharpie to trace around the outside and mark the holes, I draw lines from those marks to the notches on the edge. Quick and easy, and the templates are less likely to tear. 

2 hours ago, Frosty said:

Duckwalk: When you quote someone you need to type any response in another paragraph or the two get mixed together. 

I'm learning  

In the spring, I began to make a stair railing. I installed 2 spans. Now they need to be somehow connected to each other. Puzzle, I thought a couple of weeks. I'm moving towards the finish line.

11 minutes ago, alexandr said:

In the spring, I began to make a stair railing.

Very nice scroll work Alexander! Your lines have a very musical quality to them. I think I understand how you will connect the two spans, but will look forward to seeing your photos of the completed project!

--Larry

15 minutes ago, LarryFahnoe said:

but will look forward to seeing your photos of the completed project!

Thank you ! I'll be sure to show  the final result.

Aren't we all Duckwalk?

It'll be a master stroke whatever you decide Alex but personally I think a polished brass pole would be the talk of the town. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Finally! I did SOMETHING in the shop. I got the cast off today but still am restricted to 50% weight in the boot. It ain't easy to hobble on crutches from the forge to the anvil or the power hammer, but its doable. I'm starting slow, using my new induction forge to draw out a cable feather-damascus billet I'd done before the operation. It's going to be a dirk for another nephew. It's not much, but man! it feels good to swing a hammer at hot metal again. 

21 hours ago, JHCC said:

I’m thinking about adding another template in between the two largest sizes.

Looking back at the online image I’d used as a model, I realized that I’d left out an intermediate size. This omission has been remedied. 

John - Looking at your patterns and the nice results, I realize I've been laboring under the misconception that each layer of petals and the whatchacallit bud casing should have the same number of petals except for the innermost. You used your proportional dividers to make the equal divisions? After reading your post earlier about dividers I ordered one and enjoy using it. 

For the ones with five sections, yes. For the ones with six or three, I took advantage of the fact that stepping off a circle’s radius around its circumference divides it into six equal segments.

42 minutes ago, Purple Bullet said:

the whatchacallit bud casing

Those five triangular bits are called the “sepals”.

Garden work.Unfortunately, the translator does not convey the context.