SFC Snuffy Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Took an "intermediate" blacksmithing class at last weekend's Blacksmiths' Association of Missouri (BAM) 29th Annual Ozark Conference in Sedalia, MO. This candlestick was the result, and while there are things I might have done differently, and others that I would have spent more time on if I weren't in a classroom setting... I'm generally happy with it, particularly for never having made anything like it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Alexandr, i thought at first you had to clean the legs of the barstools in the restaurant, then i scrolled down. As always very nice work indeed. Snuffy, that is a right nice piece of work on that candle stick there also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Snapped a picture of the handled eye punch I made on monday. After hardening I noticed a crack in the punch, after tempering and grinding it was too deep to grind out. I wanted top tools for use with a striker, but I don't think a cracked tool is safe to use. Can I still use it for solo use? Nevertheless, I finished a second one. Now the punch is perpendicular to the handle, as I initially intended the first one to be. I might have made the punch too thick, but I'm testing it out soon so I'll see if I need to forge it thinner. ~Jobtiel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 14 minutes ago, Jobtiel1 said: I don't think a cracked tool is safe to use. Can I still use it for solo use? It's not, and No. Put it this way: what in your shop would you be okay with having damaged when a cracked tool shatters under a sledgehammer blow and sends shrapnel in all directions? (On the bright side, the quality of your forging appears to have improved from the first punch to the second. I would suggest leaving the second one alone and making a third if you need a smaller one.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 JHCC, Thanks! I'm really starting to feel the improvement during forging compared to when I started. I thought so, I have used the first punch to make the second, so that'll be it's first and last time being used. I thought of just making a new one too, as the second one cost me maybe 1.5 hours of forging. and the thicker punch might be useful when working thicker stock. my concerns are that it'll leave too thick a hole for 27 mm (1.06 inch) hex stock, which is what I make all my top tools from. Next up is a top fuller! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Snuffy Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 16 hours ago, BillyBones said: Snuffy, that is a right nice piece of work on that candle stick there also. Thanks! Did I mention this was my first-ever forge weld? The instructor started the class by going through all the procedures and elements and how they relate to a smith's basic skills, then said "We'll start with the forge weld!" We all kind of looked dumb and shuffled our feet, with each of us thinking we were in over our head. With help from the instructor, though, all of us stuck our weld on the first try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 That is a nice candle holder, especially for a first project. Well done! I like your instructor! Forge welding isn't that hard IF you follow the procedure. Like so many types of "tricky" welding the real secret is clean, Clean, CLEAN and get it hot enough. I like to start folks with a forge weld and get the scary myth out of the way. It's a great confidence builder. Are you going back for more classes? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 Good job on the candleholder. It also looks like it would make a very handy thing for home defense in a pinch. I don’t mean that in a negative way. It is just the second thing to pop in my head when looking at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 DHarris, in the Marine Corps we were taught that one should always be aware of the possible "weapons of opportunity" found in their surroundings! You're right about that candle holder! I'd grab that before a kitchen knife any time! I made my first and second successful attempts at "Damascus". The beginnings of a belt buckle was chainsaw chain. The bar is from 1 1/4" cable. I also finished up a fire poker. The basket is 7 rods. And the whole thing has 5 forge welds in it. I'm really enjoying learning how to weld! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 6, 2021 Share Posted May 6, 2021 So today I forged a top fuller, using the eye punch I finished up yesterday. It works well enough, but the slug teared in the middle instead of the sides when punching the eye, was this my mistake of leaving too little mass for the slug? Or should I grind the eye punch to have a less sharp point or forge it smaller like the previous ones I had, which all worked fine? nevertheless, here is the picture, I don't like the striking end, so maybe I'll throw it back in the forge and tidy it up. It works great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Cocker Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Looks like a good top fuller to me. The nice thing about making your own tools is you get to make them however you want! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I didnt get to do anything today . Spent too much time suffering from a kidney stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Sorry to hear SinDoc. Hope you get it taken care of and recover soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Snuffy Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Thanks, all, for the kind words. The conference is over, so there'll be no classes in the near future. That was my first time swinging a hammer since March 2020. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to forging soon-ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Sindoc, that is no fun at all. Sorry to hear it. A friend of mine had good results by drinking lots of cranberry juice which supposedly made his urine acidic and either dissolved stones or prevented them from forming. I believe that he also had to avoid certain foods, probably things high in calcium like dairy products. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Ow Sindoc, OW! Have you talked to the doctor? The only good thing I've ever heard about stones is how happy the guys were to be rid of them. Having no direct experience I have no advice and am not going to tell the couple stories of acquaintances and their stones. The only advice I recall hearing in every case I know of is, "drink lots of water." Cranberry juice was up there but lots of water topped the list. Have a urologist? I'll say a few words with higher for you. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobtiel1 Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Sindoc, sorry to hear you're suffering from stones. May you get back to health soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Managed to get rid if it last night. First time having one and I have never been in pain so intense that it induces vomiting. Before heading to the ER since I had no idea what was happening, the pain was a solid 9 out of 10 with 10 being pain so intense you pass out. Had cla cold sweat, shakes and the forementioned vomiting during the pains peak. I hope I never have to experience that again, but I am sure I will. Also, thank you for all the kind words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 A young coworker suffered from stones. When he felt one starting at work he would go across the street to the other warehouse bathroom "So no one would hear me scream." Another friend gets them big enough they use ultrasonics to break them up. As to a home remedy. Unlike my one friend who gets the big stones I would be open to trying them. A guy I worked with swore by a strong tea made of corn silk and horsetail. I did a check, and it looks like all stones are not of the same makeup, so require different treatments to dissolve/remove before they grow too big. Hopefully the Mods will allow this link as it is not a sale site, but an information one. It explains the types of stones, and the cures. https://healthfully.com/drugs-that-dissolve-kidney-stones-4478483.html So, SinDoc if you can find out what your stones make up is, it can help you determine the best way to possibly prevent them in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I have an apt with a Urologist next week to try and determine the cause, if there are more and what to do about them if there are. Should be fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul TIKI Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 SinDoc, glad you got rid of it and should be feeling better. I actually got out to the forge on a beautiful day yesterday. I managed to do two leaves along with random metal Deformation. I'm testing a new layout of Forge and anvil. I'd like to say it was planned, but truth be told I had to move the forge for a delivery of dirt and fill for the back yard next week. The empty grill shell JABOD made moving the forge easy. We also got some Whirley Bird attic vents installed on the house that made a huge difference in the amount of heat building up on the second floor. Also found out that over the last hundred years or so, what little insulation in the attic has probably been stolen by birds for nesting material. Yet another project for the summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 We had a friend of the family that was an ER Doctor; he had a kidney stone and was going to pass it at home---it had other ideas and so he started to drive himself to the hospital, passed out, rolled his pickup----but luckily he passed it while he was unconscious and they were trying to extract him from the wreck! They are fairly common out here due to dehydration; so I'll dog pile on the drink water! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinDoc Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 I could believe that Thomas. I was in the middle of my drive home when it hit me. I very much struggled to finish the drive from Columbus to Marysville to get to the hospital. It was unreal how quickly that horrific pain set in. Fine one minute then hunched over the wheel trying to keep it together 2 minutes later. I had planned to go home and pull out the grill and cook up some steaks for dinner then hit the forge for a bit. So much for that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 Another new chandelier. It remains to install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted May 7, 2021 Share Posted May 7, 2021 That's kind of a small chandelier for you isn't it Alexandr? It's beautiful but we've come to expect your chandeliers to be dining room table sized. Sindoc: Did you catch that little pain in the . . . in a strainer? The best way to determine what kind of stones you develop is by analyzing one. The trick isn't so much dissolving them as it is keeping the minerals in solution so they pass with the urine. It's not unlike gout which is uric acid crystalizing in the joints and because when it concentrates it finds the low joints first the one with the best blood flow being the Big toe. You control gout by what you eat and keeping well hydrated. Red meat seems to cause excess uric acid, gout used to be known as the rich man's disease. I enjoyed "pseudo gout" which is the same process but involves phosphate crystals. I stopped drinking a couple quarts of diet pepsi a day and viola! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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