Somewhere, I have a photo of me forging out-of-doors in Vermont during the winter of 1984-5.

Forged out a folding camping trivet last night. Pretty happy with the results. Did it all on live stream. heres a clip of me punching the hole in the main leg.

 

https://clips.twitch.tv/CrowdedObservantSnailMcaT-1N_6e1U3rc2CWZ51 

 

Duckwalk that looks great. I love the leaf on the end of the folding arm.

Removed the punch holders from one side of my vise stand (you can see the wreckage on the floor underneath) and replaced them with a set of small drawers. The drawers themselves were salvaged from the junkyard and are held in an open-sided cabinet welded up from salvaged bed rails. 

I haven't checked in in quite some time - so I'm gonna quote for some of the earlier posts. Hope that's okay.

On 6/29/2023 at 10:23 PM, JHCC said:

added some more bits to the welding cart

John, that's a really sweet welding cart you've got going on! A place for every thing and every thing in its place 

Also love the shelving you added to the post vise stand for punches. 

On 6/29/2023 at 1:22 AM, Daswulf said:

Grasshopper turned out ok.

Pipe wrench and butter knives - awesome. I love seeing what you come up with Das!

On 7/2/2023 at 10:09 PM, Wandering_R0gue said:

Finished all but for sharpening. Next step is the scabbard.

That's a slick lookin sword. I love the hilt design.

 

Duckwalk, I like leaf you added to the traveling trivet you made. I'm gonna add that note to my traveling trivet page. 

 

I may have been absent from here but I have continued regularly forging. We're supposed to get some rain this weekend so maybe I'll take the time to get a post together of what I've worked on. Just reading through this one thread has already eaten through my lunch break though, lol

Shaina, glad to see you back.  We've missed you.  I'm glad I'm not trying to forge in the KC summer heat and humidity.  We haven't cracked 80 yet here at the house but are supposed to next week.  Time to head for the mountains.

G

George -Its July 15. We haven't cracked 80 here in LaPlace since July 8. Then it got down to 78.

It's been in the mid 70 to low 90s. 

 

The humidity has been off the charts this summer with 70 feeling like 95 and 90 feeling like 100f. 

We have had so much rain the raspberries have little flavor. 

We have been getting 3 to 4 days of rain on a regular schedule meaning weekly. 

Only nice thing is not much risk of fires. 

Few days ago I finished the chain makers tongs I'll need for teaching at Peter's Valley.

3/4"sq jaws, 7/16" reins. 

Been mostly in the mid to upper 80's here. 

Been making these torches for a couple weeks now. The ball on the bottom is a piece forge welded on then rounded up. Need to get me a ball swage to make them a bit purtier. 

That's a great yorch lamp. What did you use for the torch part? 

Tiki torch can thing

Here is a pleasant surprise going to the shop. A few power tools missing but my home owners insurance should cover it. I hate city life.

That stinks Billy.   Saw someone build a door around a thread here somewhere, and used one of the screws to actually turn the lock, so was completely hidden.  Hard to make tin foil hold a lock.  

Agree about the city. I was searching over about 10k square miles to find this place.  An 85 mile drive to work, but I plan on retiring here, so worth my time in the car to me.  

To be on topic, built a shade structure for the rabbits and chickens, which will be doubling as my open air forging area shortly.  

Nice work Jennifer. The tongs look great. 

Billy, nice work on the tiki torch holders. They look like a great marketable item. Sorry about the thieves. Hopefully your ins. takes care of you and karma takes care of them. 

Today I went to the Kansas Freestate Blacksmith Club meeting. It was held at a scrap yard! I think the owner is a member. Anyway, he gave us all a great deal if we wanted anything. We got to clamber all over the property. I found the perfect pipes to replace the legs on the Buffalo I'm restoring (two of them were even threaded!), a large pipe and thick plate to rig up some treadle hammer jigs, and a huge block to use as an anvil block. All for 20 bucks. 

Five members participated in the open forging time prior to the meeting. I watched and chatted with various members. I bring my tools every meeting and always chicken out, but I don't dwell too much on it since I'm also making connections with the other members. I wouldn't be doing that if I was forging. 

One of the members who was forging toppled backward in his chair when he sat down to rest and cracked his skull on something metal laying behind him. Thankfully, his grandson hollered fast for help, and a retired paramedic was first to assist, quickly followed by a fire chief. He was in good hands. Someone grabbed the first aid kit from their car and they got him wrapped up tight to stop the bleeding, then someone drove him to the hospital where he got 5 stitches and came right back to finish up his trade item  These guys are hardcore, lol

The trade item was "anything made with scrap". I had some railroad spikes and we had a demo at our last meeting for making nails so I made a nail header out of the spike. 

Pictures: short stubby nail header was my first attempt last week. Long heat painted one was the trade item. Hook was my warmup and nails I've been working on in between heats of larger stock. 

 

1 hour ago, Shainarue said:

It was held at a scrap yard!

Man, That sounds like a dream for me! I'd be asking if I could move in lol. 

Nice work! Glad the guy that got injured was in good hands. 

Indeed!!

I finished up a bunch of repoussé tools I’d started several months ago, and added storage for them in the newly designated Repoussé and Chasing Toolbox.

The tool holders are made of plumber’s torch propane tanks, cut into thirds and jammed into place.  I’ll add additional fastening if necessary.

(The saucepan holds my supply of extra chaser’s pitch.)

On 7/14/2023 at 2:08 PM, Shainarue said:

On 7/2/2023 at 9:09 PM, Wandering_R0gue said:

 

That's a slick lookin sword. I love the hilt design.

Thanks! I'm really happy with how the guard turned out. 

Made this for the wife this weekend. 

Pretty darned nice Billy.

Frosty The Lucky.

Shaina, Looking good. You have had some great progress.  Hows the ABANA course going? 

Billy that is cool.  Nice job. 

Great job on the torches Billy

I finally got a chance to forge after 2 months. i used my improvised anvil and some spare tools as my new shop is not set up yet.

  Billybones, I like your torch holders very much.  They would go good in a dungeon, at the governor's house, or the back porch at home.  I may make myself a few.  Someday.

Went yesterday to get some more of the tiki torch cans. My local hardware store has the cans separately for $6.99. But i can buy an entire tiki torch for $2.99. Now i just have to figure out what to do with a bunch of 4' bamboo sticks. 

I also picked up some square tubing to experiment with making the torches with electric lights that will plug in. Of course i do have plans for making solar powered LED style as well. 

The most difficult part of the build is riveting the basket on. I have found that a split tenon works very well. I make the tenon at 3/8" then hacksaw a slot down it length wise. cut it just about 1/8" longer than what the basket pieces are thick. Heat it up, place on the basket, then use a cold chisel to spread the "legs" apart. 

Update on my thievery, first i have an idea of who done it. We have a boarding house/apartment place a few doors down that has some shady folks moving in and out right now. I do not like to judge a book by its cover but in the time i have lived here this has never happened before. New people close and the carryout a couple doors down has made a few complaints about the new neighbors. Of course with no evidence the police can not do anything. 

second, my insurance will pay for it. I have just started the claim so it is in the works. I guess that i lost about $800 in equipment, fortunately i am one of those people who wants the lowest deductible i can get, in my state that is $500. 

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