What did you do in the shop today?

[Gandalfgreen]

 

THANKS JHCC and FROSTY 

That knife is what I hope to make one day. so beautiful excellent work. if 1 day I make anything a tenth that amazing I would be ecstatic.

[jlpservicesinc]

The fastest way to understanding is to take a class or hit up a conference or join a local group.   A class and conference will bring you consistent level of workmanship since these are usually paid to show you their ability and help  you to see the possiblity. 

Groups can be hit or miss and there are certainly many capable people out there. 

I could have you making a knife like this in 3 days with help and guidance..  Might take you 3 months after the class to replicate it but you would then know how to do it. 

This has some stuff done to it that is not beginner work.. Like the rear but cap and nut.. There is some fitting stuff that is complicated and the hole for the nut is not straight thru but at an angle. 

Anyhow, soon you will have your forge going and you'll have something to look forwards to.   Thanks 

[Gandalfgreen]

one day I hope to definitely take a lesson or class on bladesmithing. just doesn't fit into my schedule right now especially with me just getting offered new job as long as everything go thru I will be back to full restaurant hours. bye bye weekends and holidays but need the money to get things right and tight money wise and enjoy my forge Monday and Tuesdays with a lot of self teaching by hammering and either doing it right or doing it wrong and learning not to do that.

[jlpservicesinc]

Forging is forging..   It was more about easy learning vs simply throwing time at it..  

I fully understand..   Being self taught I know now that what took me 40 years to learn would be about 1 year with a talented teacher..  

[Gandalfgreen]

totally understand what your saying I love learning from a good chef. last lesson I learned was how to skin a salmon no knife blew my mind how clean it was too. had never seen done and I have cleaned alot of salmon

[Frazer]

Jennifer, b-e-a-utiful. Love the copper.

[Pat Masterson]

Gandalfgreen that looks really good. 
 

Thaks for the advice Frosty. I was under the impression the firebrick was a must have because they always advertise the forges with them but If I don’t need it then that just opened up a lot of space. I’ll look into the kiln shelf also. 

[Gandalfgreen]

Thanks Pat cant wait to use it.  Made me happy when form pulled right away was so nervous but  win for vinyl and plastic cutting boards.

[Daswulf]

Knife turned out great Jennifer. I actually like how the end cap nut is longer on it, and how you shaped it. 

[Rojo Pedro]

Nice knife JP. Has a pirate look to me, very pretty

[Latticino]

First try at a trivet. Can't remember where I stole the design from, but next one will be better. 

[JHCC]

It’s not “stealing” — it’s “inspiration”!

[Pat Masterson]

So this kastolite seemed to set up pretty well on the inside but not on the edge where its not actually inside the forge. Hoping that won’t matter too much. I welded up this little bracket to make a firebrick door. Plan to do the same thing on the other side. The fire bricks weren’t quite the the right size so I tried to cut them - hack saw and angle grinder = fail. I guess some kind of masonry wheel would work to cut them? Just scoring a line with the grinder then hitting with a chisel made pretty clean breaks but of course I went for a little more and cracked them. 

 

[Gandalfgreen]

Pat I will tell you what mine ends up like later today. like the brackets for the bricks saw something like that online thinking about doing same thing when welding gets better.

[jlpservicesinc]

thanks guys.. Rojo Pedro, I was inspired especially on the rear butt cap by the rounded caps on early items.. Pirate could be in that time frame..   Love working when inspired..  

Frazer, thanks.. copper is one of my favorites for contrast.. I love that it will darken with age/use.  

Das, thanks.. Everything works out how it supposed to..  I did not have my bottom tap handy so the extra length was to make up for the needed depth..  fun file work..  

Latticino nice work. What is the stock size? 

Went yesterday and did a demo and teaching session on tong making..  Left hand tongs.

[Pat Masterson]

Latticino I’m betting I can tell you exactly from where you got that “inspiration” as JHCC correctly stated lol because Ive had a screenshot of almost that exact design on my phone from a Pinterest thread for about 8 months now haha originally from some kind of “blacksmith idea” google search or something - haven’t had the guts to try it yet but it’s an awesome design. Nice work. 
 

[Daswulf]

Someone else here made one and posted it as well. Latticino, I don't see anything wrong with it so maybe the next one will just be different. 

[Les L]

3 hours ago, Pat Masterson said:

 I guess some kind of masonry wheel would work

 

 

 

Pat, I cut them with a diamond masonry wheel on my 41/2 inch grinder. I have a cheap one, about $8, and it cuts them like butter. Wear a mask and face shield when doing it.

[ThomasPowers]

As I recall that trivet design predates the Internet and so lots of places it could be seen for inspiration.  Most of my trivets are for downhearth cooking and so need to be tall enough to get hot coals/wood under them.  We tend to use hot pads for table and counter use.

[anvil]

Nice trivet. How did you join them?

[JHCC]

Apparently there's a lengthy process where you make a written application and have to be interviewed blindfolded. Then all the existing Grand Masters meet in secret to take a voice vote. If you get a provisional approval, you're allowed to attend as a Second Degree Novice.

[Gandalfgreen]

just pulled form and checked KOL looking good. tonight around 8:15 full 2 days in bag. too bad weather suppose to get nasty tomorrow buy maybe it will just get cold I can deal with that. 

[JHCC]

Looks good! Remember to go slow with the initial firing.

[Gandalfgreen]

thinking about heating up with a propane torch have one for like asphalt work or weed burning

[Latticino]

Thanks for the feedback on the trivet.  My version had the sections joined with 1/8" copper rivets.  Don't have it here in front of me, but stock size was on order of 1/2"-5/8" (basically whatever I had enough of on hand at the time). Defect is that the last spiral I riveted on doesn't touch the other two in the center area, making it a little looser.  I forgot to clamp it there when I was drilling the last hole for the rivet.  Also the rivets were cut  a very little longer than they should have been so don't have as clean a crown as I like.  Next one will either use collars (if I ever get a collaring jig tool made up for my little fly press) or brass rivets for a little more strength.

Mine differs a little from the one Pat showed as I used a looser spiral and forged down the "legs" using 1/2 face blows to make a more subtle support.  Unlike Thomas, trivets I use at home are better shorter to avoid being top heavy.