Tom Lumpkins Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Being new at this, I am trying to make some tools. a have made a couple pairs of tongs. they didn't turn out to good, But they work. Now I am trying to make a hardy cut tool, I got it just about done, My big Problem is time, I don't have much spare time because of my job..{truck driver} What kind of project are you working on. thanks Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayco Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Tom, I can identify with your 'lack of time' at the forge. Even though I'm a semi-retired farmer , it's still difficult to get everything done that I want to do. I often find myself in that strange position of being busy all the time , yet not getting anything done! I've been helping my son with his lawncare business. ( In short, I run a weed eater) Also, I finally got my new shop under roof.........which has taken some time. As far as what I'm 'supposed to be doing'....I'm making small leaf things and little Christmas tree silhouettes to place in some local craft stores........though I'd admit I'm not making much progress on that work. Maybe I'll get them done when the weather gets a bit cooler. I've been smithing as a hobby for 35 years and I don't think you ever get done with making tools. This summer I've made a guilotine tool, several spring swages,spring fullers, a 3/8 in. ball swage ,( now I need more sizes!) Just something else to put on the 'to-do' list....... But I'ts all fun, and I enjoy it all! James Flannery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I love making tongs. Something special about it. I still have the first pair I made years ago. Actually, the first pair I kept, many died still born before that. I look at them every now and then to remind myself how far I have progressed. Making tongs uses all the basic smithing techniques. Its a great exercise and you end up with something useful. Professional smiths sometimes say its not cost effective to make your own tongs when you could be making stuff to sell. I say thats their problem. Im doing this to have fun and making tongs rox :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Falzone Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who finds that "life" interferes horribly with the things we would rather be doing. I'm a school teacher and I find that I rarely have the time I want to devote to my hobbies (blacksmithing, woodworking, etc.) In my case, my classroom is also my primary forge shop, so I have limited access anyway. That means that one of my main long-term projects will be setting up my drive-shed into a smithy. I find that the time I get to do most of my projects is over the summer - I'm lucky enough to have an administration that allows me access to my classroom over the summer. This year my projects included forging 24 tent stakes, a tent-stake puller, 4 lantern-hooks, 2 ridge-pole sleeves for a 20x30 sunshade, a coal shoven, a coal rake, a lid-lifter (for a dutch oven), a long handle camp/roasting fork, and fabricating a candle-box to put behind a stained-glass sign out of sheet steel and aluminum. What I need to be doing (real soon) is to start making more "camp/fire tools" to sell (a local Black Powder re-enactor supplier carries my "iron-ware" on consignment) and I have an order for a set of forks and an order for a bunch of S-hooks that I need to get done before next summer ... along with a list of household projects (the "honey-do" list) as tall as I am and all my school-related work throughout the year. I need to be independantly wealthy. Add one more job to the list. Life is interesting - if you're doing it right Keep plugging away at it, life ain't a specttor sport. Aeneas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civilwarblacksmith Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 My winter project is going to be a civil war period mountain Forge. I thought about doing a traveling forge, but won't fit in either of my smithies. This one belongs to Dwight Neely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inazuma_x Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I love making tongs. Something special about it. I still have the first pair I made years ago. Actually, the first pair I kept, many died still born before that. I look at them every now and then to remind myself how far I have progressed. Making tongs uses all the basic smithing techniques. Its a great exercise and you end up with something useful. Professional smiths sometimes say its not cost effective to make your own tongs when you could be making stuff to sell. I say thats their problem. Im doing this to have fun and making tongs rox a man after my own heart i've sunk $1000s into my smithing hobby...even if i never get a single dollar back i won't regret it and tongs rock! i love making tongs...a thing of beauty...deceptively simple in form and function...yet fairly difficult to perfect...atleast i find its difficult anyway as the old saying goes "making one is easy...making two (that are the same) is hard" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacksmith Jim Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I've been in your shoes, and I can most definitely relate to not getting enough time to complete stuff. Right now I'm working on getting some jigs together for banging out a lot of hooks and plant hangers. I want to build up stock over the winter to sell at a flea market and a fair over the next summer. However, my wife and I just moved, and my shop isn't set back up yet... I get to forge once a week, some local smiths have an open shop for friends. I'm guessing most of my time is going to be spent working on our house though, its over a hundred years old and has tons of work that needs to be done on it. So much I'm not even sure where to start! I've also caught myself day dreaming of building my own shop building next summer, but I doubt that will happen.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Future projects are not a problem. Making the tools to make the projects keeps you busier than actually making the project. I wonder if you ever stop making tools?? I think not :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 (edited) At the moment I am banding the hubs, for two 57" diameter, 190 lb wheels, for a Civil War era Traveling Forge. So far I put four of the eight hub bands on this weekend and roughed out four more hub bands today. There are four iron bands on each wooden-wheel hub, for a 1860s Civil War era Number 1 wheel. I have been building the Traveling Forge since fall of 2006. I will try to finish and install two of the hub bands tomorrow. Joseph (CivilWarBlacksmith/Reb) you can always park your Traveling Forge in our garage next to the road. ;) Edited September 8, 2008 by UnicornForge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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