Ditto Gazz. I have an aluminized glove shield for my left hand so I can rest it on the steel and maintain the torch tip's position when cutting un-straight lines on flat stock. I also use a guide when possible on long cuts, either with my hand or the torch tip. I have a selection of height guides but don't care for them but I haven't practiced with them a shielded hand works for me.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks, guys. I think I have one of those hand shields around somewhere. I did use a guide on the long straight cuts (a piece of angle iron clamped in place), which did help some.

Like the guys said, a bunch of different actions will loose the cut. Mine is being impatient and trying to go too fast, then have to back track to get started again. I have less trouble with the cut when using the plasma cutter for some reason.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.~ Semper Paratus

We Finally got some shop time in. We made some drive hooks.

Also made a slot punch, started a drift, and drew out my first tong blanks.

A couple weeks ago I borrowed the Welder from work and we made a frame with fire brick doors. Disclaimer I am not a Welder,  and to be fair it was getting dark and the temperature was quickly dropping. So it is not straight, square, or level.  LOL. But it is functional.

Got some time committing forgery today.  Got a good start on a dragons head.  I used 3/4" square, which is kinda tough for what I'm after, but it's what I had.   5/8" would have been better.  Flattened and tapered the end then split it for the horns.  Then tapered, and rounded the horns.  Then drew it down to about 9/16" for about 1 1/2-2", folded it back on it's self and welded, Thus giving me about 11/16 square, about an inch long for his face. Then started forming the basic shape of his face. Then it started getting dark in the smithy, and the dry cracks on my hammer hand started acting up, so I put the fire out, and will finish it mabe next week.

What I have so far.

    

It's really hard to see it Blue, the light is coming from the other side so any details are in shadow. When taking pics of your work stand with the light behind you, NOT in front of you. Outside on an overcast day is about as good as lighting gets until you start playing with manipulating light and shadow. Say a mountain you want to show the crags and canyons. That calls for low angle light oriented to the photographer's side. 

Sorry for the photo tips but I really can't see what you've done well enough to comment on it. 

Frosty The Lucky. 

Put together my first pair of tongs from Ken’s Custom Iron, the “Quick Tongs” for railroad spikes:

Took a bit more fiddling than I anticipated, but I’m quite pleased otherwise. 

Look good John, I can see how they'd need a little adjusting to get right, might need to again with the next batch of spikes.

Frosty The Lucky.

Testate I was working on a pair of plant hangers.   I haven't really done a good upset corner and collars annoy me badly.   So when I got the nice corner on the hook I was very happy.   I'll get the collar tonight.   

That should say yesterday not testate.  That's what I get for posting early.

Where there's a will, there's a way!

No disagreement there.

Frosty The Lucky.

I like to take Sundays off for a play day. A day where i can do whatever i want with no pressures. So yesterday was it and it was a day full of failures. I could not even get a simple "J" hook to come out. 

Today woke up with 13" of snow. I have to trek out to the barn to get the snow shovel, why i do not keep it closer to the house... you would think i would learn after all these years, and dig a path to the shop. Tried to get the wife to do it when she went out to feed the barn critters but oh no she wouldnt do it. I have to do everything around here. I did however get a text from my foreman this AM and no work today. 

Take the time to forge a hook for the snow shovel!

On 1/4/2025 at 3:12 AM, Frosty said:

I really like the colored lights Alex, they make one of your outstanding tables a show piece. The video really says it all. WOW!

Have you thought about the hardware and software that would cause the lights to respond to recorded sound? You know, music, poetry, special effects soundtracks, etc. ?

Frosty The Lucky.

HI Jer !

I love rock, blues, "old school" music. But unfortunately I don't understand this topic.

Don't worry about it Alex, the way we drift off topic it's amazing anyone can follow one.

What I was talking about in regards with lighting your tables and other art are computerized microphones that can be programmed to switch circuits, intensities and other things I don't know enough to describe. You see them on Christmas and Halloween light displays here to make them "play" the light effects with the music. 

Hopefully someone here knows what I'm talking about and can describe it better or even suggest products.

Frosty The Lucky.

Making the lights "dance" to the music?

Yes. Ceasar's Palace fountains In Las Vegas dance to the music.

Frosty The Lucky.

Chad, that's a nice upset corner!

Billy, we also got hit with the big snowfall and my wife also refused to shovel. Unfortunately, I'm sick so I'm not shoveling either. Fortunately though, Ashley is paying someone to plow in the morning (with her play money) so she can get out and go to work. We both worked from home today. I will continue to work from home while sick. I'm honestly super bummed that I don't get to play in the snow! Sounds like we might get more on Thursday though so hopefully this crud has gone away by then.

11 hours ago, JHCC said:

Take the time to forge a hook for the snow shovel!

I could forge a hundred hooks but the wife would still not shovel it. 

Shainaru, i used to love the winter. The snow, the ice, all of it. A foot of snow at night with it falling those big flakes and the sound is all muffled used to be my favorite time to go out for a walk. Then i joined the Army and rode around on a tank in the cold for several years so i do my best to avoid it now. 

I can see how that would ruin it. Funny story on the driveway plowing. The guy Ashley hired showed up in a F150 with no blade on the front. I'm like, surely he's not going to shovel! That's going to take hours! Turns out, yes, he was going to shovel. But his truck got stuck at the entry of our drive and he left after he dug himself out. For reference, the snow was above midway on his tires. She called someone else and confirmed they had a plow, lol. They also struggled to get through the entryway but did eventually get there.

Our drive was cleared around noon and Ashley went out and got me some Mucinex, OJ, and bone broth. I'm hoping to get some better sleep tonight. 

From what I'm hearing from others who had this, it might be a week or two before I'm back out forging :/

Shaina, unkown crud, common cold, or the dreaded covids?  Anyway, get well and enjoy the nice wintry view out the window and be glad that you have an excuse not to have to go out.  That said, winter sports like snowshoeing or cross country skiing are fun.  The Swedes have a saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad/inadequate clothing.

G.

 When i used to hang out in Grateful Dead parking lots there was a thing we called the crud. Basically a cold you get from being around so many people, sharing, uh... stuff with, and poor sanitation. 

When i was stationed in Germany after we got back from Desert Storm the Army gave us a 5 day pass and accommodations at a motel in Berchtesgaden on the Austrian border. The motel was amazing, at the foot of the mountain that the Eagles Nest is built on. It was winter so it was closed though. Anyway while i was there i went "snowboarding" i say it like that because it was my first time and it was mostly fall down and tumble.  Very little time on the board, a lot of time on my but. So i like to tell people, smugly of course, that i have snowboarded the Alps. 

I had a great time there, i was 21 years old and in the Austrian alps... 

Very happy day today!!!

I picked up my grandfather's post vice, tongs and hammer and put them in my shed. To have his stuff is a great feeling as he was a gifted metal man and apparently could make or fix anything. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to learn from him but my mother says I am just like him

I also picked up a new 3 burner forge which is bigger than I need but it was on special and I am lucky that I have a good supply of gas that is very cheap.

Tomorrow I will be building a trolley for the forge to sit on so I can move it outside and work out where to mount the post vice.

Then I will light the forge and heat up some metal. Wooo hoooo

Oh MY, who plumbed the center burner? The mixing tubes on the two long ones is WAY too long. The tube should be 8x the ID of the tube. For example a 3/4" ID mixing tube should be 3/4 x 8" = 6" long. Looks like you have a pretty complete set up.

Frosty The Lucky.