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I Forge Iron

Winter 2022 challenge


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TW, i have got to get one of them. My wife however will love it. 

Shainaru, is that going to be supporting real plants? I mean with pots and dirt that will need watered? The reason i ask is if so from the looks it will be holding 2 pots and you may want to consider weight. Maybe add a brace to support them. 

Also i thought your touch mark was a rooster at first, but that is kind of fitting cuase the rooster crows with the first rays of sun. Cool though and i like the story behind it as well. 

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I LOVE it Billy! I'd be having the curtain open as far as possible so Ash closes it for the max effect. Deb can't stand an open shower curtain and pulls it closed reflexively. 

I have to agree Shaina, either or but not both or it'll get loaded till it straightens out. Rather than a plate how about twisting a thin narrow piece of the stock and wrapping it into a ring? You could leave a little hook on the end suitable for a ribbon or card or maybe just a punched hole in a small tab. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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TW - I designed a Christmas card in 2019 where I swapped our faces and put them into a medieval fantasy workup. Ashley & I were scantily clad warriors (it's surprisingly difficult to find reasonably clothed female fantasy warrior images, lol). Our Cocker Spaniel was some kind of land-walking beast and our orange tabby cat was a fire breathing flying dragon. Background was a serene winter forest scene. Ashley HATED IT but we got so many responses from that card! LOL!


BillyBones - It will be supporting real plants and I had concerns about weight as well. I'm still in the designing stages - have clay rolled to 1/2" and sitting in the fridge now to firm up - but I was thinking first I'd try to do it all in one piece with 1/2" round. She did come around to the coil option rather than plate. Square & flatten the top 8" for the part that hooks over the top of the wall. Square & twist the part laying against the wall. Leave the 90 degree bend and extending 4 inches length at original 1/2" thickness. Reduce remaining of extension to 1/4". Reduce the portion that will be coiled to 1/8" thickness. Taper the end which will become the hanging hook. 

I won't know for certain until I have one finished and test it out but I'm thinking the weight of the hanging plant will sort of 'push' the 90 degree bend into the wall, thereby creating a sort of brace for the weight of the pot sitting on the coil base. And keeping the original 1/2" thickness where it meets the wall will prevent the weight from bending it down. If I'm wrong and the weight does bend it down anyway, then I'll have enough stock to punch some rivets & add a support in that corner.

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So make the bend from the wall to the plant stand a little more acute then 90 so if it does sag it can't straighten enough to be unattractive. A slightly acute bend is more attractive than obtuse. A piece of ribbon around the pot where it rests in the ring will hide any unevenness. 

Frosty The Lucky.

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25 minutes ago, Shainarue said:

designed a Christmas card in 2019 where I swapped our faces and put them into a medieval fantasy workup

That’s Awesome! Bahaha! I wish I knew how to do something like that! I’d make a us all Christmas pirates! :lol:

Max involved his self in my 2022 Christmas card decision making

so everyone is gonna get the ones he picked out instead of my idea!

A small business up in Ohio designed an printed them,

hope everyone likes em!

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In looking at some things on google I saw some rebar snowflates that people have welded up. I had to try one. 

Think I went a little big for the average Christmas tree at 25" top to bottom, but will see if anyone is interested at my next couple sales events. 

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Also made some small nut snowmen intended as ornaments on an average Christmas tree. Still need some more paint, copper scarves and hangers. 

20221125_205945.thumb.jpg.d932b442507d7094ab06bc6a6df780e6.jpg

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Das, I would totally hang that on my front porch! I think it'll go quickly at your next sales event.

The snowmen are cute. I'm so impatient for a welder to do all this fun stuff! 

I worked on forging my first sketched idea. This one was intentionally with rebar. Every time I work with rebar, I think "Why do I work with this stuff? It's such a pain in the rear!"

Anyway, TBD if it ends up in the winter challenge gallery. So far it's not looking great but rather than scrap it, I want to see it through just to see what becomes of it.

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Shain, I wouldn't sell anything if I didn't need to fund my kids And my hobby. Can't sell the kids so everything I make is pretty much up for sale. Make stuff for fun and made my kids for my legacy. Hopefully they take some interest in what dad does or used to do when I'm gone. 

Anyway, pictures and some things made for their mother will suffice for now. 

I only make stuff I like. That way if it never sells it doesn't hurt my feelings. I will keep it and be happy. 

Buy a decent welder. You will never regret it if you like working with metal. And you might even kick yourself for not buying one sooner. 

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Good Morning,

If you can't find a good Home for your Snowflake, Who's to say it has to stay a Snowflake. If you mount the Flake, horizontally on a pin, with a strong enough base and post, Think about all the special things you could hang up on it!!!  LOL  Rotisserie On a Stick, Rotate the Coats or ?????  LOL

Neil

 

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Lol, Neil, I like the idea. I can always make a hanger better suited to coats and such. I have a selection of bearings for such ideas as well. 

I thought about the christmas lights they hang on the telephone poles in my town as i was making this. Some lights and it would be in line with those. 

Brings to mind more ideas. 

Finished up 6 of 12 normal nutty snowmen for the event tomorrow. Hanging upside down for first coat of clearcoat. 

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  I love the snowmen Aric and the scarves are a great touch.  An idea I might like to use....  I think your snowflake would be perfect for hanging in a window or outside tree with a bit of wire.  Mayby with some white leds, like you mention, for night time.  They could even be made bigger....

  My "Future Project" folder of idea helpers on my phone is filling up.  :)

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That's a neat idea gewoon.

Yeah Scott, the led lights would set the snowflakes off better. They could be made in all kinds of sizes and more intricate. Thought about making some from bolts as well. 

The copper scarves are easy to snip out and just fold them around the snowman, no fastener needed. I clearcoat them on the snowman so they keep their brightness tho they could be heat colored or chemical colored.  

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Nice selection and work Dave. 

Just had one of two christmas craft fairs. My nutty snowmen sold easily. The harder to make small tree ornament ones didn't sell well there. It is always different with different crowds. They might sell well at my next event. 

Funny, I always leave the free standing snowmen metal colored and just clearcoated and they always sell out eventually. Painted the small ornament snowmen white do they stand out on a christmas tree. First time doing it. And first time someone really wanted one of the stand up ones painted white. If they message me like they said they will get one but thinking it is time to start painting most all of them white. Eh,  they Are snowmen. Just never had an issue selling the metal colored ones till i painted other ones.

Now to finish up my work for the next show coming up and some commissions. 

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