CGL, we all have those nights! Helps us appreciate the successful sessions, lol

Tonight was a (mostly) successful session for me. I did more on the forge sprite. Apparently the slot punch I was using needs addressed because rather than shear the slug out, it pushed everything to the point of cracking at the eyes. I'm going to hit it with the flux core welder tomorrow and clean it up. 

Then I started (and finished) two decorative heart garden stakes. The stake portion is forge welded. 

 

Shainarue, thanks. You're right. I'm only getting to forge about once a week so it's really slow going. I like the sprite and the garden hearts. I made some similar creatures a few years ago inspired by John Switzer. Except they were spooky things for Halloween. Getting about time to get them out for fall

Here they are 

Nice Sprites! 

I also broke out my nail header. Made several years ago from a rectangular rail road clip but never really used. I learned that it needs a little work and I need a lot of practice. 

 

Frosty, i learned the hard way yesterday not to do the "bubble" first. After many, many tries and a lot of ruined sheet metal i gave up and moved to something else. Not that i gave up entirely just a tactical retreat to rethink the process. 

Got one of the bottom pieces to my storm door project done. There will be 4 total. One of the other long ones i twisted the last twist the wrong direction and managed to mangle it in the process of untwisting. Also got all but one of the twisted and wavy bars that will be in the upper part done. 

Here is an idea of what the bottom will look like. The grey bars will get twisted like the others and are there just for visual reference right now. The flower things are left from the gate project i lost so i figured hey, why not use them.

You know Billy, I like to quote Bob Ross in situations where there is a lot of trial and ERROR involved. "We don't make mistakes we have happy accidents." Just because nothing we tried worked like we want doesn't mean it won't be perfect for something else down the line. It's where a notebook, sketches and the good old polaroids come in handy.

Are the flower petals going to daylight off the door straps like the mock up in the pic?  They'll be snagging things all the time. Maybe align the petals with the bars and setting the high pair down onto the inside bar? 

Whatever you do it's going to be one GOOD looking door.

I love the sprites, every garden should have at least one on duty to keep the evil spirits away. I really like the expression on the one with the "sneering" (mis drilled?) mouth. It speaks to me, saying, "Why'd you put the stake THERE!"

Looking good gang.

Frosty The Lucky.

I always liked Edison's approach " I did not learnt make a light bulb, i learned a thousand ways not to do it". 

Yeah, i figured i would mash them down a bit and curl the petals back just a bit more.  

Anyway on to lessons learned, keep track of your kindling axe while having a bonfire. 

"I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work." is one of my favorite Edison quotes. Even though that's from an "official" Edison quote site it's been repeated so many times I don't think anybody knows exactly what he said but it catches the essence. 

How about? "Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work."

Bummer about trying to temper the hatchet AFTER  putting the handle on it. What next, hmmmm? 

On a serious note, I couldn't count how many times I've yelled at people leaving hatchets or axes laying flat on the ground by the chopping block instead of setting them into the block or casing it. Of course these were the same people who's axe, hatchet, etc. was blunt and probably safe in their sleeping bag with them at night.

Frosty The Lucky.

Hello! 

Not just today, but I finally finished an anvil shelf to properly store those not in use at the moment. 

 

 

Cheers! 

Julian

I'm not sure what to say about having so many anvils you use you need to build shelves to keep them in your shop. That's not to mention some of the stake tools and vises on the other shelf WITH more anvils under it. 

Do you have a stake plate or two in here too? Hmmm?

Seriously, looks like a good way to keep the floor clear. If I recall you have a pretty small space for you shop don't you? So minimizing wasted space is a high priority. Yes?

Frosty The Lucky.

So, the shelfs will not fly away anymore in heavy winds.

Speaking of standing in a circle, and shooting rabbits.   A guy that I used to work with was on a 203mm self propelled howitzer when he was in the army.  While stationed in germany they had some time at the firing range, which was circular, and every one fired toward the middle.  Well, some how, one bag too many got loaded, and they blew up a Colonels Jeep. 

Got a little forge time in today. Finished up the box jaw tongs.  My first box jaw, and my first welded reins.

 As I was welding the reins, I was thinking how I really enjoy drop tong method.  When you bring the two pieces together, they either stick, or not. If not, brush, flux, and back in the heat. If they stick, grab hammer, one tap, brush, flux, then back in the heat.    It's neat, because you can feel them "grab" each other when you bring them together.  I wasn't sure if the round stock was long enough for both jaws, so I welded one jaw to each end. Then cut it in the middle.

First weld

Second weld

And finished product

 I hope I re-sized the pics to an acceptable level. 

My GOODNESS what a freak accident! Seriously, how'd that guy make Colonel if he'd park an OFFICER'S jeep in sight of a circle shoot? My gosh, what IS the artillery coming to?

Nice looking pair of tongs though the angle in the last pic makes the close reins look longer.

Nothing wrong with welding the bits to opposite ends of one bar and cutting in half. There was a pretty good thread here about making tongs and that technique was much discussed. 

Frosty The Lucky. 

Was at the Rock River Thresheree past couple days in the shop.  I brought my 80 pound Vulcan with me and made a new hot cut hardy for it, along with a bick, both from a piece of H13.  Thankfully I had access to a power hammer for the bick, that stuff didn't want to move.  Made who all knows what, but sold a life size Fredrich's cross hummingbird and a russian rose out of the forge after making them for fun and intestinal v with the families that bought them, then sold another lady a wall mount paper towel holder after c she tried to figure out of she could use ax wine glass holder.  It was also a fairly profitable weekend for sales and he'd a lot of fun with my fellow smiths.   

Sounds like a good time Chad. Where are the pictures? You know IFI policy if there aren't any pictures it didn't happen.

Frosty The Lucky.

14 hours ago, Frosty said:

how'd that guy make Colonel

When I was with the grunts (Marine infantry) deployed to South Korea, we participated in that annual exercise (forgot the name).  Our battalion commander would walk in the middle of an open field holding a fully unfurled map in front of his face.  Enemy sniper: "Hmmm, which one do I want to engage?"

I looked him up years later.  He made bird colonel, then started a DOD "consulting firm."  The company website was full of nothing but cryptic military and corporate jargon and cliches.  I read it and reread it a few times.  I swear, I had no clue what this company was supposed to do.  I finally assumed it was just another grift.

22 hours ago, Frosty said:

I'm not sure what to say about having so many anvils you use you need to build shelves to keep them in your shop. That's not to mention some of the stake tools and vises on the other shelf WITH more anvils under it. 

Do you have a stake plate or two in here too? Hmmm?

Seriously, looks like a good way to keep the floor clear. If I recall you have a pretty small space for you shop don't you? So minimizing wasted space is a high priority. Yes?

Frosty The Lucky.

That they're currently not in use doesn't mean they will be at any point though, honestly. 

Stake plates are not that common as anvils around here and I do not like the typical pattern of them. The stake anvils are going to be set in nicer display stumps, when I get around to it. The sheet metal stakes will be set in an old oak beam. 

I seriously expanded my available space, at some point I'll finally post some pictures in another workshop thread (when I get around to it...) 

Cheers!

I was just teasing you a little, keeping the shop orderly and clean is a good thing, something I fail at almost completely. I've only gotten to use a stake plate one time and being able to change stakes as needed was really nice, almost as nice as the stake being immobile while I was using it.

Frosty The Lucky.

Debi wanted a fire pot, so I cut apart a water tank with the plasma cutter and flipped the bottom over and welded it to the top which became the pot and base. It's kinda heavy and hard to carry around so I needed a couple of handles for it.  Looking at the handles on the internet, thinking of buying a pair, the price of them quickly eliminated that option being frugal and all.

I hadn't fired up the forge in ages, but in a dream Ike Doss came to me and said " I didn't teach you to be a blacksmith for nothing so get out in the forge and make those handles". This morning I fired up the coal forge and about an hour later I had the handles I needed. A lowly piece of rebar turned into them. Now all that's needed is to drill holes in them and bolt em on. I thought about hot punching the holes but I was tired and out of shape, I really need to swing the hammer more.

I can’t control the wind. All I can do is adjust my sails. ~Semper Paratus~

Saturday way a local festival and I helped out in the forge there. I started a different style of camp fire tripod and a campfire cook set. Fork is done, but the spatula needs a little more work:

Starting stock was maybe 18” of 1/4 x 1” for both. I’ll get pictures of the tripod when it’s done. (Not sure exactly how for I’m going to go with it yet…)

Yesterday, I finished the handle work on the knife I’m making for my wife:

I had a couple slip ups with the triangle file, but I’m pretty happy with it. I’m also pretty happy with how the blade turned out. Blade is course wrought iron with a 80CrV2 core and the handle is camel bone with steel pins. Now on to the sheath…

Keep it fun,

David

 

You've been a busy boy David! Nice campfire cook set, where's the pic of the tripod? 

The knife is BEAUTIFUL! That has to be worth enough atta boys to keep you out of the dog house for a looong time.

Frosty The Lucky.

I agree with Frosty on this one, gorgeous, although I gotta wonder where to get camel bones in south-central Indiana.

I mentioned in the “Followed Me Home” thread that I just got a nice new-to-me CAI drill press to replace my old Delta. Unfortunately, the base on the CAI is a good bit smaller, so I decided to swap the beefier Delta base (L) with the lighter CAI base (R):

This involved drilling and tapping mounting holes to bolt on the column support from the CAI:

And welding up a bracket to replace the Delta’s integral column mount:

(For interest’s sake, here’s the mount on the Delta, seen from below:

)

 Et voila!

Frosty, here's a picture I took of the shop.  I'll get pictures of my new hotcut and the bick I forged tonight.   

That's quite the show place, it's easy to see the action from SAFELY behind the walls. That looks like quite the post drill on the back right side.

How many smiths can comfortably work at the same time for demos and such?

Frosty The Lucky.

Love the knife Goods.

Good job on the drill press base, I imagine that makes a big difference.

I tested my new monkey tool, works as advertised. Also tested a treadle hammer punch, works perfect-single heat on 3/8”, and made a lower case S hook.