Frazer Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I decided to make my own thread where I can share some of the stuff I'm making. I just finished my dad's birthday present (only 1.5 weeks late this year). He likes the weapon side of blacksmithing, I prefer making the more practical/artistic side, so this is what I came up with. Initial design sketch My first axe (ok maybe its more of a hatchet..). Mild steel body, slit and drifted eye, HC steel (old tool thrift store file) edge, ash handle. Roughed out frame Finished. The arm under the head of the axe on the right should be sitting further back like it is on the left (I just didn't place it well before taking the picture) and the handle is a little longer than the other. Overall it's not perfect, but I'm happy with the results and I definitely learned a lot in the process. For example, when filing your butchering tool, if the angle is too steep because you are in a hurry to be done with hand filing, you are probably going to need to make the tenon multiple times until you go back and fix the root cause.. I read this week, "Sometimes you spend twice the effort to avoid doing half the work". That pretty much sums it up. The main thing is that it's nice enough for the wall and the sharp bits aren't going to fall out accidentally, and I got to make a bunch of tools in the process so I'm going to call it a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Really excellent! I had no idea where you were going with the grate in the sketch. Love it as a display "shelf". Only drawback is lots of cool joints covered by the axes when hung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Beautiful Frazer! I'll bet your Dad's going to be bragging on his birthday present for as long as he can brag. I have to agree with Latticino, you've covered a lot of really nice work with a pair of nice hatchets. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazyassforge Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 I would certainly be proud to fix something like that for my dad (god rest his soul) or receive something such as that from my son!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 Thanks everyone! I hear what you're saying about the hatchets covering up some of the cool parts of the stand. I had originally planned for the axes to be crossed in an X across the middle, but ended up mounting them this way so a little less of the center scrolls got covered up. It ended up being somewhat of a balance between a cohesive object where the stand, where the majority of the work went into, and the axes were both done justice. I also wanted the stand to look good as a standalone object in case there ever comes a time where having two rather sharp objects hanging on the wall (kids birthdays and such) they could be taken down and it wouldn't look like there was anything missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 Now to add a small brass plaque with: Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu! engraved on it! Another "safety" that could be part of the design would be to have a "locking bar" preventing their removal. I may need to make something similar as our adjunct winter heat is a wood stove and there is always a hatchet handy by the stove for making kindling. (Our primary heat is thermonuclear.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 Funny you make that reference as I'm rereading The Hobbit right now (I always listen to books on tape while I work). Do you also employ a locking bar to keep the little ones out of your primary fuel source? *Grin* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 No we just use high SPF sun block....During these stay at home periods we have been going through our DVD stash cuddling on the couch and watching some of our old favorites and The Hobbit was on the list. (Just finished the Harry Potter series last night.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 The old animated Hobbit I used to watch on tape when I was a kid was the only way to go. The new-fangled one that came out more recently was borderline unwatchable IMHO. However, the directors cut of Lord of the Rings trilogy was a masterpiece. There were some odd deviations from the books, but I didn't think they took away from the overall story too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 I didn't have any issues with stuff they cut in LotR; just with stuff they ADDED! When I was younger I used to read it end to end every year and so was familiar enough with it to notice things that changed the story; seldom for the better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 Here are a couple of the tools I made for the project: A spring butchering tool A long axe eye drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 Handle on my go to hammer gave up the ghost yesterday, had to make a new one. I hadn't planned on putting hockey tape on this one, but I seem to have gotten used to it. Hammer felt a little slippery so I found myself gripping harder than before. Oh well, I like the shape of this one more than the last (which came with the hammer). I also made a bending fork for my hardie for some sets of lazy susan handles I have been commissioned to make. In doing my test piece I decided there were too many bends to do over the horn. Here is the test piece. The real ones will be made with 5/16 square, which you can see part of in the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 Fire set. The broom certainly could have turned out a lot better if I had a better plan for it going in.. or if I just bought the head . Set includes a poker, shovel, broom and roaster/additional poking tool. They all are ~26" long. The poker was riveted, then forge welded for a seamless rivet head. Apparently I didn't brush the flux off well enough, hence the discoloration by the twist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Nice looking fire tool set. Brooms are often the hardest thing to get looking pleasant, don't sweat it. You done good. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Nice work! Keep it coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 C.G.L., Glad that you are back. Congrats on your new home. SLAG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 CGL, Yes, welcome back. The place hasn't been the same without you. I hope all is well and you are staying safe in this very weird year. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Aw, thank you Dan and George. I haven't even had time to lurk very much. But had a bit of time last night and saw Frazers' post and wanted to let him know that he's doing great. He's been kind to me and I had to compliment him And yes, it's been a good and bad year both. Definitely the strangest of my life. Hope all of you are doing well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 DARLIN! I've sure missed seeing your AVATAR. Yeah, strange times indeed. I find the raving cat herd of the Iforge gang a refreshingly bit of insanity. The place helps keep me saner. How are things going on the new place, the livestock settling in well? Goats aren't too pleased when things change for them but they're adaptable. Post more often will ya! Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 (Not true; you just appear saner as the baseline has shifted way out to left field...oops, the voices in my head have called for a recount on that position!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frazer Posted November 5, 2020 Author Share Posted November 5, 2020 Hey CGL good to see you back! Congrats on the new house from the sounds of it! It is a crazy year this 2020. And a tough time to corral people to help you move I'm sure. I'll be moving in mid-December to my first house and as much as people love helping one another move, between a pandemic, the snow and cold of a NY winter and needing to move the whole shop as well, I think a lot of people are going to be "busy" that week . Anyway, for what it's worth, I hope the bad turns to good and the good turns to great. Can't say much about the strange, I think there will be plenty of that to go around.. Oh, and to see you pop in a little more often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 My Friends seem to be always willing to help me move my shop; just not to my new location... Christmas Move in NY! Are there not some promising new treatments for that? Of course I moved my shop to New Mexico in July...I've been assured that I'm prepped for the afterlife now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Sorry I haven't been on but it's heartwarming y'all missed me. Moving was not fun, easy or smooth. God forbid we ever rent again, but I'd never get so entrenched in a rented place ever again. We had help from a few guys in a group that Tommie is in that are dedicated to helping others out and that was great. They volunteered some time when they could and these guys live a good distance away. Other than that, it was mostly about 4 of us. I'll make a thread about the new place if y'all are interested. Congratulations on your new place as well Frazer. I'm glad it wasn't winter when we were moving. Frosty, you are correct about goats not liking change. I knew that anyway, but it's been a bit more difficult a transition than I thought it'd be. Thomas, I bet they like helping you move your shop! I gained some new stuff for mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 Last shop move was 1500 miles and I had to pay for it all myself; used a rigger to palletize as much as possible and then hired a flat bed Semi to haul almost all of it---ran out of room and had 4 pallets go by common carrier. I downsized heavily and my smithing friends definitely upsized quite a bit. At least NONE of my stuff had to be fed and watered and caught! I assume the goats have been helping you find all the escape routes at the new place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGoatLady Posted November 6, 2020 Share Posted November 6, 2020 Unfortunately I don't have that much shop stuff, so mine wasn't that big of a deal to move. My tools pretty much fit in a few buckets and my hammers and files and things like that are in a box. My anvil and propane tank were the only two bigger things. All my material was unwieldy because I have a lot of 10' lengths of different steel and some odd shaped stuff. And the goats haven't found any escape routes thankfully. Although one day I was going out to feed and one goat shot out of the gate along with about half of the 53 chickens. Then another goat and another goat... and I was home by myself. We moved to the woods mind you, and it's a very big area where we live full of Oak trees that are heavy with goat crack. (leaves). I was thinking that I might not ever find them again if they took off. But I managed to get them, including the chickens back in. Took me a minute to recover and calm my temper because I was freaked out and angry at all of them. I was sweating bullets and I could feel my ears burning and cursing them and myself for ever being dumb enough to have such ungrateful critters that they would want to escape from me. I didn't speak to them the rest of the day. But I apologized the next morning. They forgave me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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