March 2Mar 2 A little late to the conversation, I realize, but I would caution everyone about claiming what another person can or cannot sense. Don't forget that just because most of us call a fire engine "red" there is absolutely no way to know for sure that we are all seeing the same thing. We should all keep in mind that: nobody will ever know as much as you know about what you know.
March 2Mar 2 Saturday was NEBs Brentwood North forging skills sampler. 4 forging stations, 4 instructors, 90min including instruction. A recipe for good fun. I taught basket welding and the last group were young up and comers so gave them the option of straight bar or twisted. They agreed on twisted.
March 2Mar 2 John it was a very good time.. Most of the other work stations were pretty chill with fairly simple projects.. the students at my work station were getting a little sweaty or sure.. Everyone did really well with the time crunch an only 1 person did not complete they ornement to great condition as It was the last slot of the day and I was busy BSing with everyone.. Was my fault as the last group had said they had made baskets before.. I let my instructor guard down. I gave one of the finished ornements to Sam at PIG as a shop warming present.
March 2Mar 2 Thanks to all who had feedback & nice comments regarding my candle sconce & mirror hangers! Brian, I had made stocking holders in a similar idea to what you showed - although I used flat bar and mine were quite a bit larger, intending to hold heavy stockings. Daswulf, thanks for the advice for making rounds in the middle of the bar! I know it would be easiest to just create a swage form for it but I really want to figure out how to make it work with hammer/anvil first! I'm pretty sure my biggest issue here was just too long in the section to round. Next time I'll use the hand held fuller and start it the same as I do when it's on the end of a bar, and see how it goes from there. Dunno when I'll get around to it though, lol BillyBones, if your wife's only issue is ice from home - have you tried using filtered water to pour into the trays? Or beyond that, keeping some baking soda in the freezer to help absorb any odors? I generally don't care for ice from non-dedicated ice machines because of those above issues. I can taste the 'off'ness of it. Even the automatic ice makers in freezers - they are still exposed to the inside of the freezer where other stuff is stored and will grab onto odors. NobodySpecial, I was using 1/8" pieces from a yard sign. I started off with the forge but they were losing heat SO FAST that I figured I'd try cold - which worked much better. So I just heated enough to taper and the rest was turned cold with needle nose pliers. The next set I make will be with 1/4" or maybe 5/16". Create offset on end which will get spread and then hole punched for mounting screw. The section just beyond that will get flattened just so the mirror has a better 'ledge' to sit into. Then the remainder will be drawn out to 1/8"-ish and spiraled just like the others. Ashley really likes the spirals. Melted, those are some nice tongs! Sorry you had one of them decide to melt on you though Hefty, that is a commendable success with 4mm chain links! I forge welded a belt buckle once which was about the same size and it was a tricky balance to not melt it. Jennifer, I've said before and I'll continue to say it. I LOVE that you teach forge welding to beginners! When I start teaching, it is definitely going to be in my first lessons as well So ... now that I'm all caught up on the weekend posts, LOL! I decided to get a bit of shop upgrade stuff done this weekend and then a bit of welding practice to prepare for welding hinges to the big gate commission. Tong rack with rails around outside for hammers. Rail around vise mounting plate to hold tools I'm actively using over there (the plate gets crowded fast). An adjustable frame with hardy/vice stem to hold the little Holland Anvil swage block. Stem was a little crooked. If it proves to cause an issue with use then I'll cut off and reattach correctly. Also, yes the bolt holes are not lined up. My backward brain flipped the pieces when I lined up the holes for drilling. So when I fit them around the block, they were flipped from matching. Grr. And the weld practice. Real life will be a 3/8" plate backing for barrel hinge welded to a 1" hinge style. So practice weld was of the same materials. Ground a 30-deg bevel in each, cranked up the little welder as high as it would go but turned wire speed down to about 7/10. Ran .035 MIG with argon mix. After running root pass and fill passes, I cut the block in half to inspect. I sent pictures and video to a club member who is a welding instructor. He agreed that I'm ready to do the real thing So provided the shop is dry (leaky windows and it's raining this week), I will be adding the hinges and then it's ready to paint! Deadline "March 2026" so I'm cutting it pretty close, lol
March 3Mar 3 Jennifer, I'm still upset I couldn't get to your class up here last October. I'll have to watch for you to swing back through. I'm always up for help in my forge welds. Shaina, I thought you had circled something in red on your tong stand, but the coffee hasn't kicked in yet and it's been a very rough 5 days at work. I managed to steal a little time back for myself last night and almost completed a project for Jessica's (my gf) BFF. She commissioned this little piece for her boyfriend who loves Kirby and they have a running joke involving woof. Maybe something Young Frankenstein related? Anyway, if I start doing more of this, I'm going to have to expand my tools. I wanted better definition on the eyes but overall it was a fun project. Just going heat the start up a bit and get some brass brushing on the start.
March 3Mar 3 4 hours ago, Chad J. said: circled something in red That's funny because my wife was looking very confused when she saw the pictures and asked, "Is there a reason everything is red?" She thought I had edited the pictures to highlight what I worked on. Nope, I just had some leftover appliance paint and deicided to fancy it up I love your Kirby!
March 4Mar 4 That Kirby is fantastic! I got a little shop time in tonight and did a little more work on the bellows: Keep it fun, David
March 4Mar 4 Shaina, fantastic weld with great penetration.. I would acid etch to really see the root.. Chad, I might be at Coal Ironworks this December if all goes well.. We are in discussions.. It's about as close to Wisconsin as I'll be getting so far this year.
March 4Mar 4 Jennifer, if you're driving out to Indiana and travelling by I-90, let me know! I'm only about 15-20 minutes from the highway, and it would be great to see you. Depending on the day and time, I might even be able to show you our local examples of Yellin ironwork!
March 4Mar 4 Jennifer, keep us updated on this. If you’re going to Coal Iron, I’ll try to make it up there!
March 4Mar 4 Nice job on the Kirby sculpture Chad! I always stock up on star drills and chisels and punches in the summer fleamarket season when I find them for cheap. That way I always have stock at hand for what I need to make, and it is already mostly to shape already.
March 6Mar 6 I found some time to do some work around my house. I reinforced the stairs with posts and did a few other small things.
March 6Mar 6 Alexandr I don't know how you find all the time to make all the exquisite creations. I imagine you sleep very little.. Chad, that is super cool.. fantastic..
March 6Mar 6 Alexandr, the work you do is always impressive! I made another prototype of stocking hooks. I used 8" of 1/4 round for this one ( almost twice what I used before) and it came out closer to what I was envisioning. It's able to support weight without tipping forward. That's piece of RR plate hanging from the bungie. The idea is that as long as the hook and weight are below the spiral it should support weight without flipping forward. The length of the drop should increase for thicker mantles. I'm also thinking 1/4" stock is a little thick. I'm going to pick up a piece of 3/16" next time I get a chance and try again.
March 7Mar 7 Progress on a custom base for an irregular wooden table top. (Quick tip: if your working drawing is on heavy construction paper, you can moisten it slightly and thereby reduce the risk of scorching it when checking a hot workpiece.)
March 7Mar 7 I did some cleaning up in the back yard from the snow and rain we got over the winter. Checked on all of my tools, etc., and preparing to do some work since the weather forecast calls for decent weather.
March 7Mar 7 Brian, jlpservicesinc, Thank you! An old maple tree fell in the summer, and I trimmed the apple trees in the garden in the winter. I left a few cuts. I made a table for the house.
March 8Mar 8 Making tongs for an upcoming event. Small set of flat jaws and a set of backwards tongs. They open up when the reigns are squeezed together rather than close. For holding small rings like a bottle opener. Thanks JHCC for the idea from a few years back.
March 8Mar 8 Be real curious so see the final project John. Always impressed with the work you do Alexandr. Those look good Billy.
March 8Mar 8 Shaina, looks like you're expecting lots of goodies in you stockings! Alexandr, Your work is impressive as usual. Billy, I'd never thought of backwards tongs, but I can see them being handy for some things. Jennifer, I need to get some welding instruction from you. My weld require all the planets and stars to line up just right for it to take. You're not planning a trip south are you? Spent some time yesterday at the forge working on the latest project. Got it forged, drawn, shaped, and punched. Then spent better part of today getting the hammer marks out of it. Sanding belts are worn out to the point where they just heat, more than cut. New belts will be here on Tuesday. But the forge thick, grind thin, is working well for me. Once I get the marks fully gone, I'll be ready for heat treat. That red stuff is DyKem. Dyekem is your friend.
March 9Mar 9 9 hours ago, Daswulf said: Be real curious so see the final project John. Progress: Also rehandled a ball peen hammer I recently acquired, using a handle I’d made for another some years back. There was a chunk missing from the heel, so I ground it out and rounded it off the edge, intending to see if I can use it as a cross peen. 8 hours ago, bluerooster said: Billy, I'd never thought of backwards tongs, but I can see them being handy for some things. Here’s the post with the original idea:
March 11Mar 11 I have requests for more jellyfish. Those require saw blades to be dished out on my swage. Which was a pain with my normal hammers. So I needed a longer rounding hammer and I made one. Cut off the end of a hammer and welded on an extension. Buy those cheap hammers at the fleamarket and yard sales or wherever. They can be worth it. Never know when you might need to modify one and you dont want to do that with your Good hammers.
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