Billy, I use a small brazing tip, # 1 or0, with a small flame, you have to tap a spot then move to another spot go back and tap the first spot and so on until you get the colors you want, you just have to be patient and sneak up on your colors 

You can cool an area if it gets where you want it 

Another chisel/punch rack, should have moved junk behind it for photo.

Les, i will have to give that a try sometime. I think my daughter wants to learn how to make these so she can sell them at those hippy festivals she goes to. When she comes over for Easter dinner Sunday i am teaching her how to macramé so she can make necklaces and bracelets.  

hheneg, that thing fifth from the left, is that some kind of vice? Like a filing vice? It looks pretty cool what ever it is. 

After and before Gunter/Schuler. It's not perfect but it will replace the 148 pounder and see how it does. 80 percent rebound.

BillyBones, here are a couple of videos about "flame painting", as they call it. Basically, you're controlling the amount of oxidation of the surface of the copper, rather like how the tempering colors form on the surface of a steel tool during heat treatment.

The hippies are going to LOVE it!

Got the other raised bed mostly filled yesterday. I need to make another trip to the arroyo to get more dirt however. Still doing fine on manure.  Stripped more romex to get the wires inside it to go in conduit---10 gauge, 4 wire doesn't pull nicely as a single unit. The interesting thing was I started moving stuff to get my wife's rainwater tank moved; I moved the 6 gas cylinders, while moving them I noticed one had a date stamp from the 1920's and another one stamped 1962 was also stamped Civil Defense Med N2O; never ran into a CD cylinder before!  (All are empty with the valve stems pulled.)

Billy, one of the good things about flame coloring copper, if you mess up just stick it in an acid bath, wash it off and try again. 
I’ve used vinegar, but making a bath with PH minus for pools works better and quicker 

JHCC, thanks for the videos.

Les, thanks for the tips.

That is some pretty cool stuff there, definitely have to try that. 

Got a knife finished yesterday. Zebra wood handle, steel guard heat colored (like the copper, just went darker) or was supposed to be then i hit it when sanding the handle so i just blued it. 10 1/2" from the guard to tip of blade, just under 2" wide. I am no bladesmth and it shows but the customer is happy with it. I really do not like the way the handle turned out. The tang is a full tang centered on the blade but i left a little wood on the under side so it looks like it is not centered. Made from 5160.

 

Edited April 15, 20224 yr by BillyBones
forgot to add what alloy.

It is a hand filing vise.  I bought it new old stock 30 plus years ago in an old hardware store turned flea market in Gilbert LA, I remember because Ialso bought a new bench shear (still had the dried cosmoline) both for 50 bucks.

The end material broke off accidentally so it ended smaller than I'd've liked but still! Need to worry more about the handle next time.

-Alex

Fence posts in 5/8” roundbar

Stunning work as always Alexandr!

My son is home from college for a break and wanted to make a stake anvil. I was there to give direction, ensure safety, do some striking and managed to let him do 95% of the work. I think it turned out pretty good:

He still need to clean up the stake and face, but that will have to wait till the semester is over.
I enjoy working with him. Really good day in the forge!

Keep it fun,

David

Not all today but over the last few. Made some fullers for my post anvil. So far they work pretty good. I’ll give them a good test next week. A ball fuller and top and bottom fullers.

I also built a stand for my port-a-band.

Alexandr, really nice, as usual.  I have a question about the wiring:  Is the main, square element of the bracket above the lantern hollow and the wiring is within that piece?

Also, is this your or a customer's house?

Thanks,

George

Getting hot here; scrapyard closed till Monday so the load to bring in is sitting in my truck.  Took a stuck piece to a friend in town that had a manual hydraulic press.  Had lots of fun figuring a way to hold the piece in place and allow movement of the stuck piece.  No luck though; had 5 tons on it, heated it with a propane torch, tapped the block applying pressure, no go.  Going to let it sit under pressure with more penetrating oil till next week.

Back to my shop and sat and chewed the fat with a friend in the breeze path  (My shop has 3 10'x10' roll up doors aligned along the general breeze direction.)

I like it when no one bothers me in the shop.   Anyway,  it was bottle opener day today.   The Skelton key openers need to get a little file work.   

Put in a couple of hours this evening cleaning up, as I’ve got a project on the docket that’s going to need floor space and a vise that’s not moving around. 

Billy, next time you get a long crate put it against the tailgate and over the cab. I have done that with a few items I didn't want to cut.

Octagonal axle nut socket for a Rockwell axle.

BGD, i did think bout that but i am making a workbench and will be cutting them at 6' anyway. I did get another board, there was a lid to the crate i missed. So now i have 8 of these. Should be just enough for a top and a shelf underneath. 

Made another sconce candle holder, yes that is the business end of a RR spike. Started a set of chest handle. Got one done, burnt the other, got frustrated, broke my hammer handle, fixed the hammer,  thats when i called it a day. 

I keep an old seat cushion in my truck just to use as a pad against the paint when I run long pieces over the roof of my pickup.  I also use my old climbing carabiners in the tie downs---makes them a whole lot easier to use with rope or ratchet straps.  Too old to use for climbing---both me and them!

Well it took me a long time to get started since house renovations took priority, but I finally got set up and made a few things. I think it went okay for my first time. 

18 hours ago, George N. M. said:

I have a question about the wiring:  Is the main, square element of the bracket above the lantern hollow and the wiring is within that piece?

HI Georg ! 

Yes !

18 hours ago, George N. M. said:

Also, is this your or a customer's house?

Customer's house. 

These lights are on my house. Made about 20 years ago.

Got in a little forge time today.  Made a new coal scoop, and a couple of church keys.

looks like I need to smooth up the face of my anvil.