Jasent Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 6 hours ago, CrazyGoatLady said: I've never eaten bear, but I'd try it. By far my fav game meat! It’s illegal to bait bear in Washington so we don’t have many trash bears. Bears I hunt are all fattened up on berries. Whole family would tell you bear is our fav! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Like your vertical racks, it sure saves time and resources when you sort things by length, height. If you need a short section of stock, use a short piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Thanks GFH. And That's on my husband's bucket list is to go bear hunting. Nice organization Judson. My stuff is either in a bucket or leaned up against the wall in the corner. If it's something small I want to keep up with, it usually goes on the forge table. My forge sits on the frame of an old barbecue grill with a piece of sheet metal so I have enough room to store odd pieces of metal also for preheat of said material and my tongs, etc. Your system looks good and tidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBTomlinson Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 I made this Dutch oven lid lifter. It’s actually the first thing I’ve successfully made since I started trying to learn blacksmithing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Went bear hunting 1 time in my life. We used to raise Norwegian Elk hounds when i was a kid. One night we let them out to run the mountains and the next morning our big male was found next to the chimney tore to pieces an about half dead. So being the bunch of hillbillies we are we grabbed our shotguns and went looking for the bear that did it. The dog healed up and got better. Welcome aboard DBTomlinson. IDF&C should be along shortly to give you the link to the "read first" thread. I would but i am not that savvy as to how to put up links to a thread. But do read it, lots of good info on how to maneuver around here. Looks pretty good for a first thing, much better than the burned up thing i made my first time. Keep it around and you will see the progress you make over time. Anyway have fun and be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Billy, I'd have went out to find that bear also! You don't mess with my dogs. Most folks would probably call us, rednecks haha. Glad your dog got through that. DBTomlinson, it's a good feeling to make something successfully isn't it? Good job. Welcome to the crew and keep posting pictures. It gets said a lot, but we really do love pictures. I still have the first crusty burnt thing I made. I heavily flattened a piece of round rod and sort of turned an eye. Thankfully, I can do much better now. Keep your first forgings so you can look back on them later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjdaggett Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 Master Tomlinson, I admire your work. That sort of continuous single-piece design is where my mind is right now as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 2 hours ago, BillyBones said: link to the "read first" thread. READ THIS FIRST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Today, I got one half of a siabashi set(?)(cooking chop sticks) finished for my older son. They started as 7/16”dia x 6” (each) of 304 stainless steel. Taper forged out to 15 inches long from about 3/8” squat down to a little lest than 1/16” square. Draw filed, then a vinegar soak, finally (only one so far) hand finished down to 1000 grit. Intentionally left some of the forge finish as a nod to the fact that they were hand forged. Next time I may try a harden able stainless steel... Forge on and make beautiful things! David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerooster Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 I snapped an incomplete letter opener, just to look at the end grain. My second forging ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanglediver Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Nothin', just a half day at work, then goofed off shopping around town. But, I watched these guys tonight, who, actually know what they're doing. All I understood was the year of release at the end...1963. https://youtu.be/VK5QwqXW_BY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheechWizard Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 new grinder (2x48) 120 scr controller, added some extra filtering and kept the surge protection left over from the power conditioner i gutted mostly for the enclosure new anvil stand made from 4x12's and lag bolts. lastly a small dagger im working on. gonna switch to hand filing to work out some a-symmetry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Made a few toast forks with these leaf wrap handles. Stock was old 8mm rebar. Knock the old concrete off and they polish up pretty well. People like recycled stuff. Quick and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 cheechwizard, love the anvil, and belt grinder.. What did you end up using for a motor? I know its from a treadmill, but what horse power? Max RPM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Only got a couple hours anvil time today. Started a spatula and got 2 wrap eye hawks heat treated. Broke this bad boy up, 20#. In case my coon xxx mouse ain't enough for reference that is a 4x36 sander it is sitting on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 On 12/31/2019 at 11:08 AM, DBTomlinson said: I made this Dutch oven lid lifter. Good job DB, well done. Hows it work? Bluerooster: Take a look at the little dark streak in the broken end of piece on the left in the picture. This was a flaw and the initiation point of the break. It's dark because it's been in contact with air and oxidized. Keep at it buddy, this happens to us all now and then. No big deal. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerooster Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Thanx for pointing it out. I thought it was delamination. I'd drawn and folded it several times, and I figured that was a non weld of one of the folds. Due to the direction of it running edge to edge. Here's how it began it's life: On left is inner race, the other things are made from the outer race. Top is half the outer race, flattened, drawn, and folded, 2 folds. The broken blade below is the other half of the outer race, drawn and folded about 10 times, and formed into the blade shown. The next pic is that chunk in the fire, with a handle attached. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Being forge welded then you're probably right, not a delamination specifically, more likely a cold shut. A bit of crud or scale gets trapped in the weld makes an initiation point for a catastrophic failure. I recall reading your work in progress posts earlier but I don't recall if you said why you folded and welded bearing race steel, it's already crazy strong hard steel. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluerooster Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 No particular reason, other than being a complete newbie, and wanting to try it. I learned a lot doing that. Like 52100 likes to be hot worked, but not too hot. It also quits moving before it loses color. Small parts get cool real quick, so be accurate with the few licks you have. It takes more than one heat and slow cool to get it to the point that it can be filed. Also, my "ALO" is not the best in the world for working such material, but with patience it can be done. Here is the finished letter opener made from the other half of that same race: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Didn't get much dedicated shop time over the holidays, too much traveling to family and the 14 hours in the ER Christmas night did not help---lost the 26th trying to recover from the hospital stay. (My first episode of Diabetic Keto Acidosis...) Did start retrofiting the new stove for Propane and got the old stove out of our packed house. (And there was great rejoicing!) I did get the tools I bought at another smith's estate sale handled. Yesterday I had a friend stop by and got to spend a little time at the forge; finished consolidating the billet of ??? I had been working on and decided to start work on a Ti hammer head. Hot cut it off the 1.5"x2"x6' bar and then used the screw press to do the preliminary punching. I hope my friend will send his pics... CGL: A tool I found useful for 2 tine eating forks is a sq bar with the end shaped to fit the top of the tine area. Mine are usually fairly pointed so it's a wedge shaped end. This allows you to center the tines and compress them against it---hammer or postvise, to get straight parallel tines. Post vise is great for tweaking handles straight too. IIRC I have ones in 3/8" and 1/2" on my tool rack (and have trouble with students assuming they are scrap suitable for reforging!) Spoons have changed quite a bit over the centuries, with broad flat to deep narrow to...This reflects what they were made from and how they were used. Earlier spoons look to have been sipped from rather than placed in the mouth like modern ones. For a real odd one look at Bone Marrow Spoons! Almost forgot I did get to spend an hour at the scrapyard and bought about 6' of hammer rack welded wire and 3 more hardy holes in a piece of Dozer? (Caterpillar yellow!) They are 7/8" and so make a nice increment down from my 1.5", 1" ones. Cost US$2----One doesn't need an anvil to have a hardy hole! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Would love to see the hardy holes TP. Handles look great. I love wood handles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I'll try to get a picture this weekend when I'm home in daylight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Nice haul Thomas. Sorry to hear about the ER trip. Hope you are better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 Here's another take on the old longhorn bull. The horns make good holders for keys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelonian Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I've been looking for a large chunk of steel with a hole to use as a hardy hole for well over a year now to go with my truncated anvil, without success. There just don't seem to be any scrapyards around here that let people buy the scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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