Thanks Das! I was actually just hoping it was going to hold the edge and not break. I passed that part so I am very pleased!!

Cut cardboard up Then try the paper lol. Dulls every blade I know of. 

Yes.... The dreaded cardboard cutting. That will be on my list of things to try. I did cut a few strips of some heavy stuff that was like compressed cardboard at my dad's shop to put under some doors we finished. It held up to that, but I only cut two pieces about 38 inches long each piece. Gotta find me some old boxes now...

In the auto collision repair shops we sometimes could build castles out of all the cardboard we get. 

Finally got around to making something I should have done a few weeks back

 

It's also the first thing I've tried the carnauba wax on, and I'm rather impressed with the finish compared to bees wax. Colour not so much, but it seems to be a nice hard, non sticky finish which is perfect in this case 

Should be good sellers too.  One Quad-State someone came in with a load of industrial tongs---the size to hold a beer can and reins 4' long, a lot of folks bought them and made can holders by spiraling up one rein to Hold the can and pointing the other to go into the dirt.

JAV:

If you don't mind very much, please consider that idea stolen. No geographical worries, hopefully

Bests:

Gergely

 

PS: I'm glad that the carnauba works well! 

Steal/steel away. It's a couple of twists in a bit of bar, hardly an original concept. 

I just started playing, and that's what I ended up with.

I work full time as a software engineer, and only sell small pieces online when I can be bothered, so geographically speaking, I doubt we'll ever cross paths with prospective customers as I couldn't be bothered posting something this big and may never make another unless it's a gift for a friend. 

With my minimal effort, I've so far sold to Northern Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, England and Brazil. 

The Internet is a marvelous thing. Crazy to think my hobby output has spread as far across the globe as it has. 

Here is my version of the refreshment holder. Idea "borrowed" from another smith. A wine goblet fits in the small scroll.

Not Blacksmithing, but related.  Could have put it in the "It followed Me Home" thread.

I picked up a four pound single jack head for a dollar and didn't need it sooooo, I remembered someone posting a pic of a cats head hammer awhile back. I googled a good image of one and, using it for measurements, I chopped up the four pound head into a rough shape. (I annealed it first and test hardened a scrap to find out if it might work.). Ground it to shape and re-hardened it in water. Tempered it, polished it up and hafted it. The head is a little too short and the handle is a little too fat but it feels, hits and sounds like a hammer. 

 

 

I think it looks pretty dang good! I always thought those looked like they’d be awkward to use but that hasn’t stopped me from wanting one just to have. 

 

Made a bottle opener for a buddy out of some leftover cable damascus which has lead to other people wanting them. More openers are in my future  

 

Cool hammer Hawk. 

Nice work with the holders and opener guys. I'd say you are making me thirsty but I'm already there.

I was knocking out a pair of slit-rein tongs...

...when I remembered that I needed to make the wrought iron crossguard for the Bowie knife. 

It’s a bit oversized, but I plan to file it down when I fit it to the blade. 

I’ll finish the tongs another time. 

JHCC- that’s going to turn out great! For the life of me, I can seem to find any wrought iron around these parts. 

This was part of the great chapel roof renovation salvage operation of 2017. 

Shoot I've managed to find some in every state I've lived in and every country I've visited...

TX: look for wagon wheel tyres; *OLD* windmill pump jack rods, OLD agricultural stuff. Old barn fittings---manytimes made from old wagon tyres so when I see the typical cross section it's generally WI.  House bracing for pre 1900 houses. (with cast iron stars or disks on the ends) Old Wi fences, especially around cemeteries (Used to get some WI from a place that repaired/replaced cemetery and old house fences after car collisions.)

I've been given over 100' of 1" WI rod that was used to hold a cistern together after the 1906 Socorro NM Quakes and found close to that in the rotted out RR car---wooden with 1/2" WI rod cross bracing.  Rattlers were not amused by my mucking with the pile of rot and wrought...

Thomas, it’s odd that I can’t find any since I live in a fairly old town, for the Texas panhandle at least. There are wagon tyres galor decorating yards. Few people are willing to part with what I’m after. I might possibly have a lead digging through Charles Goodnights old trash pit but we’ll see how that turns out. 

By the way, I’ve been using the thin rounding hammer a lot, and I’m really enjoying how easy it is to deliver a precision blow with force and direction. It’s not perfect for everything, but it’s good for a lot of things. 

Another possible source of wrought iron is old farm machinery.  I'd bring a battery powered grinder to do a spark test on a cloudy day or at twilight.

I was visiting my Sister in Manassas VA once; now mostly a bedroom community for DC and tech, anyway they were plowing up an old farm to plan houses nearby and I walked over to look and found the typical fencerow of old farm machinery shot through with trash trees and scrub.  Lots of visible WI; but I didn't think I could get it on the plane home the next day...Old farm stuff often has a lot of good medium to high carbon steel too!

1 hour ago, ThomasPowers said:

I was visiting my Sister in Manassas VA once

Was that the first time you were there, or the second?

Were you one of those folks from DC that came out to picnic?

I recently visited friends in Bardstown KY, and went to antique stores. I asked for their rusty junk and looked for forge welded things. I got a nice strap hinge half and an adz head. Cheap too. I came back home and went to the NWBA conference where a guy from Montana had a trailer loaded with WI salvaged from a bridge. If you want it, you'll get it, it's around

Most I ever bought at 1 time was around 10 tons from the old Ohio Penitentiaryin Columbus OH.

Old farm equipment is a good idea! Anything in particular I should be looking for?