ThomasPowers Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 first the spring does not need to be high carbon steel or heat treated. Mild steel works fine. You will need a right angle bend near the top and a curve in the body of the spring. The right angle bend can be done using a post vise and a hammer with the vise closed on the piece of metal and the curve can be done with the postvise open and the spring laying across it while you hammer, (or held in the vise and hit then moving the piece up an inch of so and repeat till you get a semi smooth curve. The base should have projections to keep it from slipping sideways on the moving leg---so many ways to do that! I like slitting up the middle of the spring a bit and then forging out tines like for a toasting fork and then curling them up into spirals to go on the sides of the moving leg. One that came with one of my vises they just hammered out the end thin and wide and then folded it double and bent the sides up. And boiled linseed oil is a good protector of smithing stuff---not as good as using it so much it never gets a chance to rust, (Don't do the face of the jaws though unless it's in storage for a long while) Went out and measured 2: first is about 5/8" wide by 3/16 thick---it was flattened out of a piece of scrap round stock so the sides are well rounded. The other is 1" wide and at the top 1/4" thick tapering down to 1/8" thick. This would be a great project to start smithing on, simple and easy to go back and forth tweaking things till it works right! Asking someone else to do it is rather like saying you want to be a mechanic and can you pay someone to change your spark plugs... However if you must: Take it to Adlai Stein, the blacksmith at the Idea Foundry in Columbus OH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 On 7/28/2017 at 7:23 PM, Millhand said: My slitter was one of the first things i made. Its far from strait. Never thought about the problems that would cause. A bent slitter is like a rutter on a boat. Duh! Im going to do just that jhcc, will make a nice top tool. Thx! A RUTTER on a boat?! Haven't you stopped breeding livestock on a boat? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlasterJoe Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Made a jar holder in class yesterday. I saw them probably on this thread some where and had to make one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Frosty; that spelling is OK, at least in the old books... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millhand Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Had a short story written but ill hold my tongue,..... Nice work on that mason jar handle Joe,been meaning to make a few of those myself. I have more projects then time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c.baum Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 a pair of goose neck tongs, made of AISI 6150. Not that bad in my eyes. But there's always something that could be done better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Comtois Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 No forge work, but finished up this lamp for a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Cool lamp! How is the insulator attached? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Comtois Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Daswulf, the insulator is just sitting on top of a copper reducer I flanged out over the horn of my anvil, so it's a large enough diameter to fit inside the grooves inside. I was going to silicone it in place, but you need to be able to remove it to change the light bulb inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted August 1, 2017 Share Posted August 1, 2017 Thanks Chris. This has me wanting new lamps in my livingroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Finally ! I have all the rust off & the majority of the pitting removed. I spent 10hrs over the past three days just to get to what is for me, an acceptable starting point. I suppose I should just learn to love rust. Now it's on to figuring out how to make or where to find some thrust washers... & making a mount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted August 2, 2017 Share Posted August 2, 2017 Wow, that was a labor of love. You had better get some sort of protection on that thing before the rust returns. Good luck finding a reasonable replacement for that washer. I bet Thomas (among others here) knows exactly how to replace it for next to nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 I'm wanting to do a oil finish on it. boiled linseed oil or some sort of blackened finish. I'd even considered a gun blowing but ruled that out, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millhand Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 1 hour ago, GrumpyBiker said: I'm wanting to do a oil finish on it. boiled linseed oil or some sort of blackened finish. I'd even considered a gun blowing but ruled that out, She's beautiful! Unfortunately in a smithy environment it wont look like that long. No matter what you put on it. Id prolly use frostys bowling ally wax on it if it were mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 I got a small bucket of clutch thrust bearings that was dumped at the scrapyard from an auto repair place...or you could forge your own... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donniev Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Got two really quick shelf brackets made from 1/2" steel, saw Alec Steele make some this way on one of his vlogs and had to try it myself. Also made my first attempt at making a hinge. I really really really hate 1/4" and under rivets. As you can see as well, the hinge does not sit flat as it should, all it took was 1 errant hammer blow when riveting... another try or two and I should be better at it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyBiker Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 9 hours ago, Millhand said: She's beautiful! Unfortunately in a smithy environment it wont look like that long. No matter what you put on it. Id prolly use frostys bowling ally wax on it if it were mine. I'm not looking for pretty or shiny. I just want to start with something in good condition versus looking like it's been salvaged off the ocean floor as this one did. It's been said , things rarely break or fail due to being clean, serviced & well maintained. I'm just not wanting to paint it but I'd like it a dark color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Heat blue it and then clearcoat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Minimalist shelf-brackets for a cabinetmaker. Not very much my thing as no forge work involved in it. But I wanted to help, plus no finishing was needed, so it was a good excercise at welding more exactly as I usually do There are gonna be 1" thick wooden shelves on these. Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 On 7/28/2017 at 1:30 PM, Andrew Martin said: Thanks, Michael, I really look forward to seeing the end product! Here you go Andrew, I took a half day off yesterday (fewer neighbors around mid week when I'm burning coal in the suburbs) and finished the dragon. Pineapple twist on the body, another on the tail. forged out the wings and curled them around the back. Tried for a fishtail sort of look but it came out as a lump, may go back and trim it to a traditional spade shape. Middle shot is the leg/wing combo straightened out to make fullering the wings easier. More a proof of concept that's been banging around my head for a while. Next one will have a more pronounced scales on the body, bigger wings and smaller feet. Maybe the wings and feet separate parts riveted to the shoulders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 5, 2017 Author Share Posted August 5, 2017 a couple days at the forge, have a show in oct, and also a demo, so trying to be get stuff done. once school starts parents say there wont be much blacksmithing....got 3 more weeks. got my Etsy store up and running, and already got an order for 5 horse shoe hearts, so that's great! made 12 s hooks, these ones though I bent on the diagonal, which I liked how they look. 6 hearts, a rr spike garden trowel, rr spike bottle opener (2), 2 plant hangers, fire poker with a forge weld that I am quite pleased with. also, a wrench coat rack, a BBQ too set, some coat hooks made out of bolts, I had never made any, but for two heats, they are so simple I just hope they sell. Cant forget the 3D horse head coat hook. that is a fun one to make, and basically the same as making a 2D one, very simple. some of the stuff is finished and ready for a price tag, while others still need wire wheeling and a finish put on. Still got a lot more to make.... Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 I'm a few hundred miles from my shop, so I've been working (first in my head, then on screen) on an (as-yet unfinished) idea for a treadle hammer. Hey, @littleblacksmith! Nice work, and a great collection of pieces. One little detail: you might want to put a bit of a point on the bottoms of the hearts, just to sharpen them up a bit. There are two methods I'd recommend: Lee Sauder's and Rowan Taylor's. They're both really simple, and would be easily adapted to what you're doing here. Just a suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted August 5, 2017 Author Share Posted August 5, 2017 Thank you for that tip and for the links! seems like you got a link (or 6) for everything! Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58er Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 Rebar Wine rack for friend. Similar to others I've done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 5, 2017 Share Posted August 5, 2017 On 8/3/2017 at 3:27 AM, GrumpyBiker said: I'm not looking for pretty or shiny. I just want to start with something in good condition versus looking like it's been salvaged off the ocean floor as this one did. It's been said , things rarely break or fail due to being clean, serviced & well maintained. I'm just not wanting to paint it but I'd like it a dark color. Nothing wrong with paint, most came painted in the first place. Mine are Hunter green and gold. Shop colors don't you know. When I was a mechanic I painted all my tools Hunter green, DON'T MAKE ME COME HUNTING! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.