elmoleaf Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Back after hiatus...made a handle for a small shed. 16” long piece of rebar. Using some wood charcoal made on the quick in my firepit. Anvil is still small piece of steel scrap on end...but redid the mount and painted stump to help cut down on bugs (was stored outside, now in a shed) I had forgotten how challenging deceptively simple objects can be...getting leaves similar size, getting matching curves. I have a tow hook need to get secure in the vice to use as a horn...that should help with curve making....and of course needs lots of PRACTICE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Good to see your AVATAR in my inbox Elmo! Pretty nice door handles, simple and clean is good. It'll come back quicker than you think. Honest. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Welcome back... I like the door handle, much better than one I made after a hiatus of about ten years. It didn't take long for the muscle memory to return though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoleaf Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 This is my latest project....railing with some wood to support a glass top on an 1892 sewing machine table that’ll be used as a bar. Wire is from an old mattress. Brass brush worn out so used a bit of paint for the highlights. Challenging to make multiples of a part all consistent size. Wished I’d been more careful with consistent wrapping of the supports and how the leaf wraps/sits relative to the horizontal, but was too worried with losing heat/speed needed to get them wrapped. Happy everything reasonably straight and consistent, and happy to preserve the sewing machine ( saved the removed top so it can be put back in future if needed) . Also found it challenging to work with the long piece...kept rotating in my hands etc until I put vice grips on it for added leverage point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Good to see you posting again! That turned out pretty darned nice, well done! Yeah, making multiple products that match is an intermediate skill in my opinion. It isn't nearly as easy as making a single. I'm thinking the top rail would've been a perfect place for twisted square stock. That's not a criticism, just a thought. Maybe reverse the twist at every support or centered between them for flavor. I like it a lot, my younger Sister has our grandmother's treadle singer in the stand just like yours. Actually I think she has a couple now. Anyway, it's a beautiful piece of furniture I'd be proud to have it in my man cave. IF I had a man cave, I have my shop so can't complain. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2020 Share Posted October 20, 2020 I've seen just the cast iron basses come to the scrapyard recently; wish I had the space/time to rework them! And when doing leaf/tendril work I think it looks better if they are not exactly the same---much more "natural". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anvil Posted October 21, 2020 Share Posted October 21, 2020 great idea for a glass top table using an old treadle machine! And a great job. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoleaf Posted November 11, 2020 Author Share Posted November 11, 2020 In addition to the new forge fire poker I posted elsewhere, did some experimenting with some stainless utensils, with thought to assembling into candle holder or something. They lose heat incredibly fast... have to bend and shape super quick. Thinking of rivets or more likely copper wire wrap to build up these type of components into a single piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Stainless is usually a poorer conductor of heat than plain steel; what it does have is a more limited range of forging temp. Combined with a possibly cold anvil and small cross sections it could seem like it's getting cold fast. I thought those were to go with your Surrealist coffee cup, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80997 Hmm what about a set of napkin rings made from silverware? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoleaf Posted November 16, 2020 Author Share Posted November 16, 2020 Started on my second pair of tongs ever...making Pelgrom style to hold larger stock...will have ends curved to allow them to curve around rr spike heads etc. Learned a lot and will need to learn more. Forming the bosses or drawing out looks easy when you watch video an experienced smith at work! Not so easy when you try it. I found having paper sketch of the design and process notes pinned next to my anvil was useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoleaf Posted November 21, 2020 Author Share Posted November 21, 2020 Finished my Pelgrom tongs. Second pair of tongs ever made. Confident enough this time to punch the rivet holes instead of drilling...worked pretty well, but need to make longer punch for working safely. And didn’t use cut off bolt this time...properly peened over the ends of some small diameter rod for the rivet. Isn’t great where jaws join bosses...small crack etc..but learned enough to do better next time. Would probably leave things more round instead of squaring up the sections. These started out as a piece of #5 rebar. Drawing out the reins wasn’t fun...was using anvil edge with round head hammer.,.. had lots of dents...probably need to work the steel a lot hotter. I did try to work a lot quicker this time, since the first stage of these took forever. The most important thing is I now have tongs that can safely hold the type of stock needed for making hardie tools. And I learned a bit more about drawing out, making holes, making bosses, fire management with charcoal, using the anvil, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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