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I Forge Iron

What did you do in the shop today?


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What JHCC said; I pick up the abrasive disks whenever I find them cheap at fleamarkets or garage sale.  I store them compressed between two saw blades with a good sized piece of allthread, washer and bolts to keep them from curling.

A coarse disk will eat wood amazingly fast!  Sick the mallet in the post vise and gun the grinder and you would be done almost before you started!

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I'm getting some big offcuts from my cutting-bigger-belts-down-to-fit-my-2x90-grinder projects, so I'm thinking about a way to turn them into discs for the 4-1/2". Current thinking is to cut them roughly to size, punch the center hole, mount a bunch between some properly sized plywood discs, and trim them to final size and shape with an old rasp.

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I managed to level out the shed floor to my satisfaction on Saturday and lug all of the gear from the garage on Sunday. I've got the anvil stump where I want it, and my work table. 

Next steps: adjust the leg assembly on the table so there's space to drill holes to bolt on the post vise, then do that, then level out the top of the stump. Then it's time to get to work on dad's poker for Christmas. And of course I'll be figuring out stock storage along the way. 

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Well, I was going to post a picture of the knives In working on but after that beautiful piece they seem a bit dull.  I did try a forced patina with mustard on one for the first time.   I was pleased with the look. 

Edited by Chad J.
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I guess I will go out and brush the snow off the anvils---my shop has open eves and we had a lot of wind to go with the snow.  In general precipitation is uncommon here in the desert.  Of course they closed work for what would barely be mentioned in talking back in Ohio.  Sitting in front of the fire sipping hot tea and reading IFI is not a bad thing at all!

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More beautiful chandeliers, Alexandr! I'm glad I don't have to compete with you, I'd be in trouble. 

Snow eh Thomas? Did they close all the roads? I was visiting my older Sister in Littleton, just outside Denver, and it snowed almost 3/4"!:o There were hundreds of ditch divers and a number of hundred+ car, pile ups on the freeways. 

It was Denver, it snows every winter in Denver a LOT more than in Anchorage and I'm watching the disaster movie scenario on the morning news. We always get the first snow or icy road ditch divers, Anchorage has a really large demographic of seasonal and short time residents especially the bases. 

Of course, let the roads dry up for a week or so before it snows again and the ditches are full. Seems driver memory is maybe 2 weeks.

Frosty The Lucky.

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We got about 8-10" from the same storm a day or two before it hit Thomas.  Went a long way towards darkening down the wildfires in the mountains south and west of us.  High wind out of east (unusual) during the storm so that depth ranged from 0 where it was blown clear to a 4' drift in the front yard.  Had to dig a path to the shop.

I-80 was closed across the state and "no unnecessary travel" on all the other roads.

Got down to about 18 below zero last night.  Should be back in the 50s by Friday.

The pleasures of a continental climate at 7500 feet.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

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Welded some gussets on the pivot support of the nodding donkey (per Frosty’s suggestion) to stiffen up the angle iron. We’re down to about 1/4”-3/8” lateral movement; I’m happy with that. 

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Also decided to see what would happen if I used the treadle hammer to drive the anvil shears:

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(Answer: actually worked kinda okay. Who’da thunk?)

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7 hours ago, JHCC said:

And here it is with the rifle:

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The OCD perfectionist in me is dying here... lol. This is an awesome piece, I'm loving almost everything about it. (My henry should have one... :wub:)

But the OCD thing... The perfect chance to have one star for each state, for an American made rifle, honoring an American foundation. :P:P I count 58?

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The stars are one for each boy that the recipient brought through to Eagle Scout.

My own sense of proportion would have put the hooks a little higher, so that the rifle is a bit more vertically centered. Well, that was their call, not mine.

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23 hours ago, JHCC said:

The stars are one for each boy that the recipient brought through to Eagle Scout.

My own sense of proportion would have put the hooks a little higher, so that the rifle is a bit more vertically centered. Well, that was their call, not mine.

Ah!!! That makes total sense then. That is an awesome idea... i retract my previous statement... its darn near perfect.:wub:

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Just incessant rain for the last week in the Outer Hebrides, expecting that to continue until March. :(It stopped for a wee while today so I ventured out to take these snaps.

I lost my day job in July but after taking Frostys advice on animal heads (which I printed out and had on the shed wall - now committed to muscle memory) and stealing ausfires ideas I’m making ends meet by selling my -now mainly metal- wares in the local shop.  The early squinty eyed pokers I made and gifted stare at me from the fireplaces of friends and family when I visit like Frankenstein monsters.  “You created me!” They scream at me from their lopsided mouths...

Anyway, I’m improving now and the latest companion set is ready to go up to the shop, along with a batch of horseshoe hearts.

Good tip, in my humble view for the horse shoe hearts is to fuller and draw down the manes, split with a chisel and then fold them over and add more detail in with a sharp chisel. Just gets a lot more detail with a little more effort. 

The black dragons are shed door handles for a local plumber in exchange for him installing a shower. Made to his taste not mine!  I was going to just have 2 rods to a plate for but thought the wings and legs would do the job in a more dramatic way.  The silver ones I just made because I liked the first ones, thought they would make good candle holders (candle in a glass hanging from the beards). They won’t be allowed in the house anyway. :unsure:

thanks again for the advice and inspiration IFI:rolleyes:

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Those are really nice, MacLeod. If you're doing all that chisel work solo, would I be right in guessing that you're making good use of your Hold Fast? ;) 

9 minutes ago, MacLeod said:

Just incessant rain for the last week in the Outer Hebrides, expecting that to continue until March.

Here it northern Ohio (USA), the winter permacloud has arrived. I hope to see the sun again in April.

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John; we didn't know my wife had SAD until we moved to Ohio; 90 days with no sun that first winter.  One of the reasons we moved out to New Mexico when I had to change jobs. First winter out here it was like she was over caffeinated all the time!

MacLeod; nice wares.   Horses and Sheep---well chosen for your area? They would go well for mine out here in the high and dry! 

Now you need to widen your selling area; after shut down is over of course.  A lot of the smiths I know are just making stock to keep from going stir crazy waiting for things to open up again.

I once made a dragon  door knocker with the wings fastened to the door and terminating in a round tenon that the knocker ran on.  Used 1" stock so I had a lot to play around with doing the dragon head and body.  Did you break the edges on your twist to make it a bit more hand friendly?

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