What did you do in the shop today?

[jlpservicesinc]

That is very cool..  looks to me you have the skull duggery all figured out..  

Like the French anvil..

[58er]

Thanks!

and thanks, French anvil very cool. I love it. 

[Reeltree]

58er , the handle end bone accent really ties it all in. Was pondering doing a bottle opener  with bone shaft and end for my wonderful physical therapist.

[58er]

Thank you. 

[Daswulf]

Ran into troubles working on the socket of a spear. Throwing it in the scrap pile after cracks happened around it. Ah well. Try again another day.

I did manage to harden a soft old Champion hot cut for my travel anvil kit.

[Cannon Cocker]

I finally got the bee's wax so I could season/finish the ram's head meat fork. I really like the way it turned out for it being my first figure sculpture of any kind. 

I also made a couple of what I'll call "skull hooks" for my European mounts.

I'm thinking about messing with the design of them and seeing if I can sell them to any of the skull cleaners /taxidermists in the area.

 

 

[58er]

Very nice

[rocketman_k]

Finished a flower I've been working on for a time, first attempt at dishing anything. Don't look too closely at the welding..............

[JHCC]

A cutting and grinding session today. From left to right: three 4140 (probably) hammer blanks from 1-1/2” round (the flat is from grinding out some grooves that would cause cold shuts) with pilot holes drilled for punching the eyes, the flatter parted from its parent stock and ground flat (final weight: just under 3 lbs), and a 1” thick “biscuit” of 4140 (probably), cut from the end of a 2-1/2” dia. round shaft. This last had the transverse hole already drilled, and I want to see what happens if I punch an eye down that hole. 

Also stripped out the gears on my 4-1/2” DeWalt angle grinder. Grrrr....

[Mudman]

Lots of goodies there JHCC

[JHCC]

Sometimes, toolmaking is so much fun that I never get around to actually making the hook or trivet or gate or whatever else I really should be working on.

(Of course, when I do, I've got the tools for it. Usually.)

[Mudman]

No kidding, I went to forge hooks, and ended up with a finial. My first that didnt develop a cold shut. 

[Jon Kerr]

13 hours ago, JHCC said:

.....with pilot holes drilled for punching the eyes....

Hi JHCC- I have a series of newbie questions, sorry. I havent seen this technique mentioned before.

When you describe using a pre-drilled hole for punching eyes... is this really "drifting", or are you still punching (and removing a plug)? If its still punching can you describe the benefit of the holes? Do you end up with a kind of polo-mint plug?

Also- any tips for cutting that thickness of material with a 4-1/2" angle grinder? Do you use any water (or coolant) or just grind away? Have you annealed the steel first? Same with drilling the holes- I've never even tried as I don't have a pillar drill. With a carbide drill bit and a handheld drill (mains powered) can it be done?

[jlpservicesinc]

Mudman, Nice work..      How many did you make before you got here? 

The angle with which the metal is squeezed back into itself will play largely into the fish mouth or not..    This is also important from a hammer size selection as is the speed at which it moves.. 

Ideally the metal should be effected all the way to the center of the bar (this is controlled by heat and hammer size choice and angle of forging)..    

Do you have something in mind for such a finial? 

[JHCC]

4 hours ago, Jon Kerr said:

When you describe using a pre-drilled hole for punching eyes... is this really "drifting", or are you still punching (and removing a plug)? If its still punching can you describe the benefit of the holes? Do you end up with a kind of polo-mint plug?

The point is to create a line of least resistance for the punch to follow. It’s not drifting, as the punch is wider than the pilot hole — that is, it does still remove a slug (polo-mint [or Lifesaver, for those of us in the USA] -shaped) and you’re not simply widening an existing hole without removing additional material. 

The advantage of this method is that it gives you a little extra insurance that your eye will come out straight. It’s not really necessary, and I’ve punched plenty of eyes without one.  However, since I wasn’t firing up the forge yesterday, I thought I’d zip in the holes just for giggles. The steel is not hardened, so it didn’t require any special drill bits or annealing. 

4 hours ago, Jon Kerr said:

any tips for cutting that thickness of material with a 4-1/2" angle grinder?

Cut all the way around, and finish with a hacksaw if there’s anything left in the middle. 

[Arthur210]

Some simple wall hooks. I will be doing many more of those in the coming weeks. They're good pratice.

 

And a different set I made yesterday, slightly larger. Both sets are made from 1/2" by 3/16" stock. Wire brushed and clear coated.

[Glenn]

Try making the wall hooks at double length, That is to say a 8 inch single hook starting length, now use a starting length of 16 inches. Put a pig tail and loop on each end of the stock, no tongs needed at that length. then cut the stock in half.

While the cut end is still hot from being cut, you can quickly insert a duvet a counter sink for the hole to hang the hook from. Lots of ways to trim a little here and there from the production time.

While the middle is cut and still hot, taper and point the cut end and then turn the taper end to a 90* bend . Instant beam or drive hook and you save a heat. While the other cut end is half hot, put it back into the fire and bring it up to temperature, taper, point, and put a 90* bend on the end and save half a heat.

[Mudman]

jlpservicesinc - Thank you, this is my third or fourth attempt. An issue I regularly encountered, were stress cracks and or cold shuts right where I'd shoulder down. This time around I didn't risk it getting too cold, and paid more attention. The hammer selection also played a huge role for me, Up until now, I only ever had hammers that were either too heavy or too light. Recently picked up a delightful 2lb crosspein from Brent Bailey that made the job much easier. 

No immediate plans for the finial, It was just something I got side tracked on rather than making hooks. An octoball shall be next. Maybe it would be good for a small fire poker or something? 

[Glenn]

I made carrying things in a plastic bucket so much easier. Just a piece of old garden hose, or air hose and some tape.

 

 

[Mudman]

That's a good idea glenn, I've found that even the factory handles are too skinny when the bucket is full. 

[arkie]

I modify my bucket handles with PVC pipe. Cut a piece of 1/2" PVC about 4" long. Split lengthwise with a hacksaw (put some orienting marks across the cuts beforehand to properly realign when cementing). Cement the two halves around the handle or bail with PVC cement. Lasts longer than a rubber hose and much more comfortable with heavy buckets.

[alexandr]

Made oak railings, tomorrow I start painting.

[JHCC]

Great work, alexandr. 

In addition to heat-treating the flatter, I finally made a hook I’ve been thinking about for my kitchen fire extinguisher. 

[Peppie]

Adjustable  feet for some sawhorses 

[duckcreekforge]

I made an anvil bick today. 4140 steel. Power hammered from approximately a 1 x 2 x 3” irregular piece. I learned a little bit about the order of things, when to do which part. The black spots are as forged, the shiny area is the rough ground areas. The shank is 7/8”.