18 hours ago, DHarris said:

Looking at it I am reminded of the cups and plates  my daughters would make me in preschool.

Haha, I think it looks good. Its your first one so you are leaning what works and what doesn't. Being a bit heavy for the tree, maybe make it free standing to go on a table or shelf. I like the copper for the ornaments. 

Still have to put a hook on it for a hanger,  it it is what it is. Rather crude. I coated it with bees wax and BLO. Later I buy some clear coat so my daughter will not have to oil it. 
 

The next one will be better. 

That is a win DHarris. Don't feel bad about it. It isn't crude, it is perfect. 

If you clearcoat it I recomend cleaning off the wax with heat and water, then once cool degrease it thoroughly and I prefer engine or exhaust spray can clearcoat. They hold up better in my experience.  They make gloss and matte.

Thanks. I will take them as I can. 
 

What about this shape. 

On 12/15/2021 at 7:56 PM, Goods said:

I could barely get my hand in to get to the bulbs

I used to say that the skill of being a mechanic was not that you knew how cars worked but being able to get your hands where your hands are not supposed to be. Like the proctologist who became a mechanic. Final examine was to rebuild an engine, took longer than anyone in history but his teacher gave him an A+. Becuase he did it all through the tail pipe. 

 

 

Got that frosty done last night. Now i just need an old scarf and hat. I gave him a wire top hat, but that can be used to hold up a real hat. 

 

Also had a jellyfish laying around unfinished so I finished it.  I started this one after a commission of one I finished and mailed off a while ago. Years ago? Haha I dunno. 

I remember liking the earlier one, Das. This one looks great, too -- terrific sense of movement.

X2 Daswulf! That’s a sweet looking Man O War! 

Thanks John, TW.

The old brace bits and stretched out spring work great for the tentacle look. I was going to call them tendrils. Just now looked up the anatomical names and I guess the outers are tentacles and the inner are called oral arms. Always learning something new. We called all those parts "stingers" for obvious reasons lol. 

Hey, I've got a bunch of big old auger bits that I have no use for, like this one:

Want me to pop them in the mail?

Dharris, the tree and knife look great. Das, your imagination never ceases to amaze me.

Made my wife a figurine to add to her decorations yesterday.

 

John, Ill send you a pm. 

Les, Thanks.  Love the angel. Is it steel or copper? 

Puppers is looking a little jealous back there haha.

 

"Hand-forging and wrought-iron ornamental work", 1911  by Thomas Francis Googerty

Has a lot of information on making twisted piece bulbs/baskets including for curtain rod finials.

Goods: that is the reason that Tinker Air Force Base had a blacksmith on staff back in the 1980's IIRC---you needed a tool with 3 right angle bends and 2 45 deg ones to get deep in a jet engine without disassembly---they could make you one!   Of course back in the old days it wasn't such an issue; my 1968 Ford Country Sedan station wagon you could have 4 people sitting on the fenders with their feet inside the engine compartment drinking tea off the air cleaner...

Das, thanks it’s steel with a copper sulfate finish 

Christ centered iron works is live streaming now

 

Das your creativity with what is basically scrap items never ceases to amaze me. The jelly fish is excellent. 

I had a productive morning, first I made a chisel from an old 4x4 anti sway bar. 

 

Then I took 4 of my oak leaf blanks and added veins with said chisel 

a

Added some texture 

Finally curled the stems, bent them a bit round the edges and added mounting holes. 

Next part is to get some wood tomorrow and mount them to it and get them to my mum in time for Christmas. 

Thanks Dax! 

Those leaves look great. 

I like a little duller chisel for veining leaves.  Good job making the tool you needed for the job. 

29 minutes ago, Daswulf said:

I like a little duller chisel for veining leaves

Agreed. Having the edge be somewhat rounded rather than straight across will also help you follow the curves more smoothly without dinging up their edges.

You might also consider putting in the veins after adding the texture to make them stand out more. 

Otherwise, looks great!

Thanks for the advice guys.  You can't tell from the photo but it is a very round chisel and I will dull it a bit for the next lot, I have 20 blanks because I knew it would be a learning curve. 

Would you advise putting the veins in hot or cold? I did these cold with a sharp chisel. 

I prefer to vein them hot. You'll want to watch how hard you hit while it is good and hot vs. as it starts to cool on you. 

Design work:

Whatcha designing JHCC?  

It kinda looks like a gate? or one of them things you plant grapes or vine plants around 

Bingo. I will give it a go with a blunt chisel and whilst hot It will be a good excuse to make another chisel because I don't have the heart to blunt my first one

Again thanks for the advice. 

 

3 hours ago, TWISTEDWILLOW said:

Whatcha designing JHCC?  

This is the latest concept for a gate between the family room and the kitchen. 

Dax, think of it less as a blunt chisel, and more as a narrow fuller.