Daswulf Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 Aus, that turned out great. Try a donkey head hammer next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 8 hours ago, Daswulf said: Aus, that turned out great. Try a donkey head hammer next. Yes, I think the hammer face has more of a donkey shape. I reckon you could upset it a bit ( a lot) and make a pig. Judson: That's a good idea. Plenty of mass there to make an adze. Don't know what sort of steel is in a claw hammer, but I guess it would hold a reasonable edge. JHCC: Great-looking chair. Wouldn't a punch be a bit awkward with one claw off centre?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 16 minutes ago, ausfire said: Wouldn't a punch be a bit awkward with one claw off centre?? Forge it over to the center: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted February 9, 2018 Share Posted February 9, 2018 20 sets of tongs, fitted to 1/2 inch square and riveted in a very old flypress, group project. Set of Ken's Iron Quick tongs finally done for my shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 9 hours ago, JHCC said: Forge it over to the center: I'm not too confident I could get that right, but I'll give it a go. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Over the last few days I decided to build a shelter over one of my scrap piles. Rain, grass, mud, rats and snakes and a tangle of steel that defies all attempts to separate pieces to find the one you're looking for is not good. I built a 2m extension over the back of my home smithy and today I dragged out the old scrap so that I can sort it out and throw out the rubbish. Most of this pile has a lot of old agricultural parts - ploughs, buggy axles and fittings, along with various other stuff. There is a lot of wrought iron there (1 inch rods and bolts) which I will cut into usable lengths and store away in case someone can use it. There are some very interesting machinery pieces which will make good bases for sculptures and a whole heap of springs, some of which I'll keep. Tomorrow I'll back the trailer up there and take a load to the dump. Here are a few pics. The chooks and guinea fowl chicks enjoyed scratching around in the leaves and picking up the termites that had got into some old posts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Aus, I would fly down there just to roll around in that pile of scrap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammerMonkey Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Yeah Aus... those pics of your awesome scrap pile are simply blacksmith porn.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 2 hours ago, ausfire said: I'm not too confident I could get that right, but I'll give it a go. Thanks. Well, you’ve got plenty to practice on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Yup, that is a lot of beautiful old scrap waiting to become something even better. I need to get mine setup where I can better find what I'm looking for as well. As soon as you move something crooks and guinea fowl are always there to dig in the "new" spot for goodies. How about a giant spur from that yoke in the next to last picture on the left and maybe that gear/ cog in the one before it towards the right? Haha haven't had my coffee yet, I'll be getting all kinds of ideas from Your scrap. I think I need to go poke around in mine more. Can't wait for the weather to improve a bit here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 and Stitch; would you be humming the Katamari Damacy theme song whilst doing that? Out here in the desert I put down old steel roofing to help curb sagebrush growth. I've been told rattlesnakes like scrap piles but I haven't seen any yet there. Now black widow spiders and scorpions abound... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 I'd be seeing psychedelic colors too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Welded outriggers onto the treadle hammer, to give it a bit more lateral stability. Total width is now just under 34”. Also, doubled up the thickness of the lower anchor for the springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Stitch: This is just one of several piles at my place and you would be most welcome! That's the trouble here - there are not enough blacksmiths around to share all this stuff with. I will only ever use a fraction, and anyone is welcome to take whatever they want. Shady: Awesome? And you haven't seen the other side of that smithy wall. JHCC: First practice coming up today. Das: A giant spur - that would be a good gift for the local rodeo people. There are a few of those yokes around. I don't know what they were used for - maybe heavy rollers or something. And yes, those little guinea fowl were onto anything that moved under that scrap: spiders, scorpions, centipedes nothing had a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Aus, have you reached out to some of the smiths in the surrounding areas? Not just on here, but I see a few postings from OZ on FB smithing pages. And it wouldn't just be smiths that might be interested, around here they use a lot of that stuff for yard art. Maybe line it up along walkways with a sign that says, if you see something you like we will sell it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoMike Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 made a couple small skulls and a twisted cross with my second grandson Brody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammerMonkey Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 My friend (4Elements) came over today and brought his new homemade side blast charcoal forge with him. We fired it up and tried some forge welding. It is really an awesome setup and it works great! Then we fired up my bottom blast charcoal forge and tuned it up a bit. It actually worked really well too. I knocked out a rustic little flux spoon first, then forge welded three links together to make a little practice chain. It was a nice day to be forging out of doors and it was great spending time with a good friend and a skilled mentor. I am mostly self taught and the chance to work with someone who is experienced is golden. Thanks Byron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranchmanben Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Have a few folks ask me to build some roses for Valentine’s Day. Between helping out with kids and taking a guy elk hunting I only managed to get one done today. Should be able to finish up the rest tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 That's a beautiful rose, Ranchmanben! Some hearts to sell before Valentine's, there are gonna be names in them: A house number: And some Transsylvanian-Hungarian rune key fobs that people tend to like around here. Made of old wrought iron harrow tines: Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfeile Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 6 hours ago, MotoMike said: made a couple small skulls and a twisted cross with my second grandson Brody. That's awesome Mike! My daughters boyfriend was supposed to stop today to work on his project, but he never showed up. I got my hardy cone fit and done, screwed up a candle holder, and did a whole bunch of work making another pair of tongs only to mess them up when I pinned them. I think I punched my holes out of round because as soon as I started to set the pin they completely froze up on me. Bent the handles trying to get them to move...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Richter Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Refurbish a couple of fullers, hammers, top swags and tongs for the upcoming workshops. Will treat the hammers and handles with a layer of double cooked linseed oil and the tongs to. Will see how long its maintain outside with all the humidity. Mike -nice to see how Brody is punching the sculls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 10 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said: Aus, have you reached out to some of the smiths in the surrounding areas? Not just on here, but I see a few postings from OZ on FB smithing pages. And it wouldn't just be smiths that might be interested, around here they use a lot of that stuff for yard art. Maybe line it up along walkways with a sign that says, if you see something you like we will sell it to you. Well, yes, a couple of the local smiths have taken some of the scrap - mainly from our workplace scrap piles. The scrap I have at home is mostly what I have saved from going to the scrapyard. I know a lot of it would be useful for yard art and I do a fair bit of that myself. But there comes a time when you get just too much. I would be happy for anyone to take what they can use. I think from what I read on this site, that scrap must be a lot easier to come by here than it is in other places. Maybe the smiths here have already got all they can use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Forged a couple of Fredrick's crosses (12mm square bar) and tested out the texturing hammer. Works OK. Also took up JHCC's suggestion and had a go at forging a punch from a claw hammer. I was a bit doubtful about moving the metal across to centre the claw but it went better than expected. I think the resultant punch is OK for a first try. I guess the next step is to heat treat. Perhaps I'll forge another one as a slot punch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted February 11, 2018 Share Posted February 11, 2018 Glad it worked out. On the next one, try forging it up as well as across, so that it’s coaxial with the hammer face. That will make it easier to aim the punch. Nice looking crosses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted February 11, 2018 Author Share Posted February 11, 2018 Ausfire- Was that a cone mandrel I saw in your scrap pile? Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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