October 18, 20241 yr This was my view 2 nights ago. got to love the arizona high desert for night sky.
October 19, 20241 yr Finished up demonstrating at the PAABA meeting today. The demonstration of making a skull from 3/4" square stock went great and filled the first hour perfectly. After a little break I demonstrated my horse shoe horse head heart. That went well too but a bit too quick, so I filled in the time showing some basic techniques to forging a horned critter. I was thinking I wanted to do a dragon head but timewise I only had time to rough out a long horned bull. Everyone seemed to enjoy the demo and there were lots of good questions to answer. I was deffinately outside of my comfort zone being in front of 30 people and needing to explain what I was doing more than some random people passing by asking what I'm making. I have explained some processes before. Anyway, it seemed very well recieved so I hope some people try the projects and make some new punches and a vise perch for punching. As usual with working I didn't get but one picture. It was a leaning curve using someone else's gas forge and anvil. I'm very glad I brought my demo vise. I donated my time and all the items I made there to the auction at the end. Plus a spoon I finished up last night. As I told them the skull broke off in forging the handle and when I welded it back on it was crooked, but I kinda liked it.
October 20, 20241 yr I just got back and cleaned from day one of my demo. Was a great day starting out at 37F and ending at 73F, and full sun. Was a beautiful day, but make forging more of a challenge working in the full sun with a forge that needs improvements. I started the forge at about 8AM and worked straight through till 5:20PM. Never even thought about getting pictures. I’m exhausted now, but looking to another day tomorrow. I’ll try to remember to get pictures… Keep it fun, David
October 20, 20241 yr Thank you Jennifer. The PAABA is looking for up coming demonstrators. If you were willing to come out this way I would Love to see anything you might forge. Sorry I missed you at the recent PA event. Had family commitments that prevented it. Goods, we have those days. Started in the high 20's here then warmed up to a beautiful day.
October 20, 20241 yr Great work, Das. Sounds like a fun event. The skull does look cool, but I’m especially impressed by the evenness of the spoon bowl. Nice work.
October 20, 20241 yr Thanks. It was forged close but I did take a file to it to dress it up. I've started cold peining them top and bottom to smooth them out. I made a tool for the hardy years ago to accommodate the spoon shape for shaping and peining the back side. Might have shown it on here years ago.
October 20, 20241 yr Pretty cool Das. So it is getting closer to the Holidays so i started making my traditional serving fork. This will be 7 years in a row of doing 1 every year. This year i decided to add a ladle to the mix. All would have went well except i forgot that forks have tines where ladles do not, in short i cut my stock to short. So being that it is in my ability rather than scrap it and start over, weld on a bit more material. All went good, weld nice, but one little scarf just not blened. No problem, just heat it up and take care of it. Well, i started day dreaming while cranking my blower and got a sparkling mess. So i cut off and salvaged as much as i could, got a new piece ready to weld on. By that time my fire had died down, huge clinker had formed, i was tired, hungry, and my back was hurting, so i will com back to it hopefully to day if i can get my shackle mounts replaced on my truck in enough time. If not i am off work tomorrow. I may do another bow for the ladle, i am not pleasd with that one. The sheet is kind of thin and want to move in wonky directions in my swage. It is also crooked when i made the holes in it i got it just a little off.
October 20, 20241 yr After seeing those gigs that Shane made, Th' Ol' Lady decided I needed to make her a trident . So, I got some forge time today attempting just that. First time in a long while at the forge. Anvil had a layer of rust on it, forge was full of leaves, but at least I'd had the forethought last time, to oil the hammers, and tongs. I usually put a thin coat on the anvil as well, but for some reason I didn't. I had a trunk spring from a 1970 Chevelle that was just about the right size for the tines. I decided to make the points and barbs much the same way as a fireplace poker. They did ok, but next time I'll do it differently. The center tine was supposed to be double barb, but the wire wheel snagged one, and sent it across the shop.
October 20, 20241 yr On 10/13/2024 at 11:05 PM, JHCC said: a two-branched candlestick that a friend commissioned as an iron anniversary gift for her husband. Follow-up: I was working in the yarn store today (which is where I’d met said friend), and the husband came in and bought one of my forged yarn bowls as his gift for her!
October 20, 20241 yr On 10/17/2024 at 9:52 PM, Rojo Pedro said: This was my view 2 nights ago. Repousse piece of a comet blazing through space would be awesome. I wonder what kind of face it would have. On 10/19/2024 at 4:38 PM, Daswulf said: it was crooked I love it. Mishaps often lead to new perspectives and ways of looking at things. A crooked lower jaw invites sticking a cigar or corncob pipe in there.
October 20, 20241 yr I finished off this first attempt at a roughing gouge over the weekend using a section of the unfinished raindrop pattern billet on the right in the first pic. I hadn’t finished the billet initially because I could see that the pattern wouldn’t quite have the impact that I was hoping for but figured it was good enough for a first try at a chisel. As it turned out I am actually pretty happy with it. Interestingly (and annoyingly) by doing an isolated heat treatment for the chisel edge it seems to have had an effect on the etch. Not one of any consequence though as the heat treatment turned out as good as I could have hoped for so I don’t plan on chancing my luck by messing with it again.
October 20, 20241 yr Larks, that gouge is something to be proud of, it turns out fantastic. Billy, I had one of those days today… I just bad back for the second day of demonstrating at the festival. Was another beautiful day! Here’s a couple pics after I got set up:
October 20, 20241 yr Well, I was adding a bunch more to that post, but something went wrong… Let’s just say I had a good time! Keep it fun, David
October 20, 20241 yr Billy, I'm right there with you on trying to get something done when I'd be better to set it down and wait till the next time when I'm more fresh. Maybe that ladle is a left handed ladle. Cool trident Bluerooster. Too bad about the center barb popping off, but it is still effective. John, good on the repeat customer. Scott, certainly a happy accident. Now I have to do it on purpose. I like the idea. Funny, when I was in a band and we were recording this one song, there was a guitar riff that I played and for the last run of it the recording guy thought it would sound cool backwards so he made it play backwards at that point and then it was in the song on the album. Then I had to figure out how to actually Play it like that and it was tricky to get my brain and fingers to do it. But I got it and that's how it was played live. On a side note, I'm better at metal work than metal playing. Lol well the last band I was in wasn't metal but just a fun analogy. Nice gouge Larks. Cool setup Goods. Thank you Dick. They do get better the more you make. Almost becomes second nature and you don't have to think about it as much. Just jump in and start making it. Practice make good haha. Perfect is in the eye of the beholder.
October 20, 20241 yr There’s a lot of real talent and skill here. Maybe someday I’ll get past the beginner level but today I made another scoop. I’m up to three from 1 inch copper pipe and 1/4 and 3/8 round stock. The rivets are challenging for me to get tight and are made from nails.
October 21, 20241 yr Nice scoop/ladles. Nails work with certain items like these. If you could some copper the right thickness that would work too. Keep practicing and it will get easier. Key is to have the pieces tight together. And sometimes two rivets are better on these sort of thing.
October 21, 20241 yr Finished up a quick fabrication job for the brewpub. Apparently, federal brewery regulations require a lockable closure between brewing operations and anywhere the general public might be. So, in the interest of making something comparatively inexpensive yet functional, I cut apart and welded back together again pieces of a couple of stair and porch railings, together with some simple hinges and a bolt that can be padlocked either extended or retracted. Still needs cleanup and paint, but you get the idea.
October 21, 20241 yr JHCC, yes very cool reuse. I do think i would have made 4 more of those "C" scrolls for the otherside, kind of balance it out. But regardless nice work. Larks, that gouge is truly top notch. I have made a few but nothing like that. Until i started making them i never realized just how long one is. DNADave, i use nails for the rivets as well. Brights, 8d. I also use duplex nails for spikes on candle holders. May also want to try using flat bar for your handles. I make my forks, ladles, spoons, etc. from either 3/4"x1/8" or 1"x1/8". Goods, i would really like to demo at a place like that sometime. I have helped out at couple period villages here but not a full out demo at one.
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