ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 T.V. a good gauge for bottle opener rings is that a US quarter is about the right size before the indent is created. (I have a drift that just fits for an opener that I often use; but at the State Fair I'll be using a quarter...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyVee Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Yes, I have made a drift of the right size, more or less. It is about quarter-sized in diameter. The newbie problem I am having is that when I use it it makes a nice, symmetric, neatly centered hole in the bar and I have to do a lot of maneuvering to get it offset the way a proper piton would be. The result so far has been more often something that is the wrong shape (too flat on the top, or too teardrop shaped, or whatever) or size (drift small anticipating stretch, don't stretch enough, or drift to the right size and then wind up stretching out the hole too much while fiddling). Newbie errors, like. I supposed if I started with larger stock I could punch the thing offset right from the beginning, but I'm using 1/2" square bar and I don't have a whole lot of room do do anything but put my slot punch right smack in the center of the bar. But then the larger stock would be that much more difficult to punch through... (you can see some of the signs of having re-positioned that hole on the top surface of the piton -- there are a couple of indentations where I didn't quite forge it back to flat on top) This time I alternated drifting part way to open up the hole some, fiddling with it at the anvil, drifting some more, reshaping on my cone mandrel, etc. until it was the size, shape, and thickness I wanted. It is about the right size, but not quite shaped perfectly for a bottle opener (the cap is sort of straddled by the sides of the hole instead of having the top of the hole right across it). Like I said, it'll work, but I still have some refinement to do before I call it a finished design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 10 hours ago, lary said: Made this adjutable vise spacer. I have a very similar one I made a few years back. Quick tip: attach it to your vise with something thin and flexible (I use a couple of feet of sash chain), so it’s always there and easy to grab when you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyVee Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 I'm also thinking that if I made the lip for the cap lifter on the "hammered" end of the piton instead of where I've got it (that is, where you'd strike the piton with a hammer to drive it into rock, almost exactly the opposite side of the 'biner ring where I have it now), it'd be easier to get in the right orientation --- one would just need to lever the bottle cap in the opposite direction to use it. There is more and thinner material there to get a better bite with the bob punch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Well, the wife liked the door handle enough to say she wants them all like that. Of course i made that as a one off and took no measurements, So i started one the got that done after a Suffolk latch i need to make. Not happy with the finials will most likely make another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Billybones nice attempt at the suffolk latch.. Latches are tough to do well.. Mark Aspery has a good video on the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad J. Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Made a sign hanger today for the first time. This is actually my first ever commission piece. The scrolls I did cold and the twists on the 3/4 inch square stock broke the welds on my twisting v wrench... twice. I'm very happy with it, and the customer has already asked about other pieces. Also I decided to cook a pork shoulder while I was out in the shop. It was fairly large so I decided to test the edge of that last blade I made. Umm, yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Very nice sign bracket.. I love coming on here after awhile and seeing all the familiar peoples work.. The level of progression is impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 That hammer is almost too pretty to use Jennifer. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Nice stuff here folks! The hammer is outstanding Jennifer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Is that for an interior sign? I don't see any bracing for wind shear on it for an exterior sign. "Schöne Alte Wirtshaus schilder" (appx "Beautiful Old Tavern Signs") has a lot of good examples of bracing to resist sideways forces. (You don't need to read German to learn from the pictures.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyBones Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Jennifer, I cannot speak for everyone but i look back on my first ever post of a bottle opener and see the progress i have made. Much of this progress is due to you and many other experienced smiths here. You guys have challeneged me to think outside the box and to step out of my comfort zone to try new things. And for that thank you and everyone else but most of all Glenn for hosting the site and bringing so many of us together to exchange ideas with. I did not remember this until a bit ago. Last Christmas my daughter asked me what i wanted. I jokingly said a forge blower that i saw on the interweb machine that was listed for $400. Well i did get a blower just not that one. After the otherday telling someone that i have been using the same old hairdryer now for a couple of years it gave up the ghost, jinxed myself. I use the handcrank for a travel kit i put together and thought why not just pipe it in and use it. So i did. This one is from that retail site named after the huge river in S. America. Cost just under $200 USD. I was asked to post a review so here goes. The blower works well. I believe i counted a 30:1 ratio on the crank. And it moves a lot of air. A nice steady slow crank gets the fire plenty hot and of course a bit faster and you can get welding heat. So of course i had to see how fast i could go which started blowing my fire out of the pot. So as far as operation i am plenty happy. What i do not like. Sometimes when cranking it gets strange vibration, hard to describe. The handle supplied with it is to short and only one sided. So i replaced that with a more balenced handle that will keep the fan turning for about 5-7 rotations after letting go. I would also prefer the crank to be on the side of it rather than the back. Overall iam happy with it. Works for my needs. Not as good as a few i have used but for the price i would say it is worth it. A nice gentle turning: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les L Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Billy, you couldn’t have made a better statement about the value of this site and the experienced people that give their time and advice to help us learn and improve. Im not good with responding to posts and complimenting everyone on their work, but I look every day and am amazed at the work I see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 The client sent a photo. Supports for raspberries. I did it at the beginning of the summer. This year there are a lot of apples, made props in my garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJustice Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Always beautiful work. That is a lot of apples! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 8 minutes ago, LeeJustice said: beautiful work. That is a lot of apples! Thank you! A lot of apples is a disaster, I don’t know what to do with them. There is no time even just to collect and take to the compost heap. I just have to grind them up with a lawn mower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJustice Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 They are not the edible type? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexandr Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 5 minutes ago, LeeJustice said: They are not the edible type? Edible))) And very tasty. But there are a lot of them. 11 apple trees in the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Alexandre Make apple cider out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeJustice Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Maybe a local food bank or charity would send volunteers to gather them for less fortunate people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalfgreen Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 What my grandfather did with his apple orchard was any apples that fell to the ground or extras just got collected into large trash cans. Then boil up the apple then food milled to remove akin and seeds and seaoned for homemade aoplesauce that can be canned or jarred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I wonder is anyone tried to peen sycthe on blacksmith anvil? Is that posible, is that harmfull for anvil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzzkill Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 I don't think that would work well with the inside curve of a scythe in mind. I believe you need a small raised and rounded anvil surface in order to focus the force where needed without deforming the edge. Having said that I have never personally attempted to sharpen a scythe, and I formed my opinion from videos I've watched and from grinding inside curves on blades that I've made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natkova Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Maybe hardy tool for sycthe whne i think of it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 22, 2022 Share Posted August 22, 2022 Its called a "dengelstock" and is a small, pocket sized +/- anvil driven into a fence post used to straighten bends, burrs and sharpen scythes. It was pretty well discussed a couple few years ago. https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/47576-scythe-peening-anvil/ Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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