I had to make a hinge of roughly a 0,25m2 as a "master" project in my blacksmith lessons.

We could make one to an excisting example we found on the internet or make our own design or reshape an example, ... so lots of freedoms, only a few limitations : 

• had to be a working hinge. 
• had to be blacksmithing interesting 
• had to have several blacksmithing techniques like forgewelding, rivetting, ...

So I was looking on the internet for examples of one that I like. But the idea came when my son was asking if I could draw him some seacreatures. So I was making several drawings of sharks, fishes, octupusses, jellyfishes, ... And than it hit me, i liked the shape of an octupus and jellyfish, so I came up with an sketch.

Showed it to my teacher and he liked the idea very much.

And i started creating some paterns  for the tentacles that I have in my head

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So with my idea i started on the round tentacles. The sketch had 6, but in my head 5 will look better.

I started with strip material of 30 x 10 and I marked out where the diamond ending will become 

some heat and use of powerhamer

 

and they become roun and tapered. Do that a couple of times and make the end pieces by hand. I really liked doing those end pieces, the tapering and the fullering to make sure I have a nice ridge centered. They are all a bit different, by purpose.

 

some details

 

After the round tentacles done, I started on the flat ones.

Same starting material, strip 30 x 10. Have made a drawing from the taper I want on metal. So the taper will on all 4 very similar.

Heating and using the powerhamer and some time later I ended with 2 pieces of 2 tentacles

Than some fun with diffent sizes of fullers 

 

The end piece I made a simple point with a ridge in the center. I like that look

And than you end up with 4 pieces.

 

The body of the jelly fish and the actual hinge is made from steel plate of 4mm. 

This was a long part, since there are a lot of things done not only to the body but also to the tentacles on how to fit them. The idea was drawn on the floor, next to my foot.

Some reshaping and mesuring. I had the idea for the round tentacles to make a nesting spot in the body. Later on I will rivet them together. Since all round parts are the same and yet very different, I marked them, measured them multiple times and went ahead with the shaping. 

   

But what with the flat tentacles? Well they go in between the round tentacles. And not straight pieces, that is just boring. No they need to flow and fill up the space in between the round parts. (on the floor when making the flat pieces, you can find some designs I was playing with, scroll above).

 

So when that all was done. It was time to make the piece to size. At the same time when sizing, I have also to start thinking about the eyes of the hinges. I want them to look good, so lots measuring and marking and looking was done. So I choose for 4 eyes on the lower part that are in line with the 4 flat tentacles.

The upper part was a nice piece to get right. I want ridges on the plate and I want them to look good and correct the eyes, so they are lined up with the gaps in between both halfs.

With all that done on drawing, I can transfer my ideas to the steel. Lots of filing and fitting and I ended up with it looking very nice. (sorry no pictures of the making of the upper half).

Than the rolling of the eyes

When both halves are done and they fit again, the drifting and alinement of all the eyes. Lots and lots of sweat and swearing later, I did it. 

And I took some pictures with all the tentacles loose fitted as well. First time in couple of months all pieces togheter.

 

Connection between all the pieces will be done by rivets. I made that choice in the beginning, but now I have to choose the size of the actual rivets 

than drilling and fitting and drilling and some more fitting and ended up with all bolted togheter

  

After the rivets, it was the shaping of the tentacles. Was a fun but difficult job. But with oxy-acythelene and several bending forks, lay out table, some jigs and help from others, it was getting there.

 

I have made the decision to not use it as an actual hinge, but as a showpiece. So the holes to attach it are small and not enough if you actually want to use it. I plan to attach it on wood to my wall in the living room.

So after cleaning and drilling, i layed it on my wooden floor upstairs to see if it looks nice on it. I have some leftovers of that wood. But no, too busy, too distracting.

And the only other option I have is to small and I need all of it to puzzle it together so it would not look good, I have ordered a piece of wood, from the leftovers I can make a coffeetables (no idea of feet however and a small table next to a reading chair, feet are almost done, will be another project I share).

I still have to accentuate some highliners with a brass brush (I wait for the wood and after oiling the wood, to see if and how much) and to wax the piece.

Since I ordered oak and I didn't think about it that time, I have to protect the oak from the staining from the steel. I will use packing tape on the back side of the jellyfish as a barrier. I will oil the wood (or soap it, an ongoing discussion inside my head) and will use brass screws (dome or round headed) since stainless is so shiny and they need to be blacked without paint (can that be done?).

So when all that is done, I will update with the works and some more pictures.

 

 

Sizewise, it fits on a rectangle of 95 x 85 cm. So yeah, almost a full m2.

What a great project Gewoon! At first I wondered if the word "hinge" was the result of a mistranslation but as your pictures and words unfolded, I realized that you simply had a very unusual hinge in mind. Is this part of an artistic blacksmithing program, like at an art school? I think you've done a great job of capturing the live essence of the creature's tendrils. You have done a very fine job of finishing and providing some highlights. Personally, I think it looks good with the grain of the wood as the background, but will look forward to seeing how you decide to mount and display it. I hope that someday you remind your son of his role in the creation of this project, I suspect he will appreciate that.

--Larry

Like Lary, I couldn't visualize "hinge" when you started this project. Now I have to bow, you pulled it off beautifully. Everybody who looks at it will see and imagine something different. I've always felt art should spark the imagination and evoke emotion. Then in the center of all the artistic forms is the almost industrial hinge, pin, barrels and plates. 

I really like it Gewoon and it inspires ideas of where it should go. Right off the top I envision it mounted like in the pic above over a seafood restaurant entrance, holding a large fish in it's tentacles or perhaps holding  a whale over a book store.

Frosty The Lucky.

Very nice!

One thing that immediately occurs to me is the possibility of having the upper ends of the tentacles (or of clusters of tentacles) forming the knuckles of the hinge, rather than having an intermediate mounting plate; something like this:

5 hours ago, gewoon ik said:

the tentacles that I have in my head

They have medications for that now!

Larry. I know, it is a hinge, it works and it fits the scope. But nothing in de scope it mentioned it needs to look like a hinge. 

I follow a course "blacksmitting" at an eveningschool. Normally 2 nights for 3 hours, but i have not the time available so will take longer. It has drawing and designing included (90 hours in total) but I'm always interessed in drawing and painting.

Frosty thank you

John, I see that now, but at that time not.

That is pretty cool. I am jealous of your rolled eyes. I get one good one out of about every 10 i make.  

one question though how big is 0,25m2? Would that be .25 meters squared ? 

Yes, normally you write it m² for surface and m³ for volumes.

But it made the posts on my computer and I still haven't out how to do it on a windows.

I used to have keyboard shortcuts to math symbols but they no longer work on the newest version of windows. 

  Old turtoise here, I thought I'd wake up long enough to comment..   Very nice and job well done... It really is nice work.

Wow gewoon! That is beautiful work and deserves its place of honor as decoration on your wall <3

I hear you Billy, I have Window$ 365 on my new laptop and it doesn't matter where I try to save something it insists on saving several copies in different places, like the totally un organized "Gallery" which makes finding a file by name virtually impossible. I can enter a specific file path and there's no telling where it will end up. Forget useful symbols or useful function keys. 

The bast program is about 700gb of useless bells and whistles to the point of being almost unusable. 

Frosty The Lucky.

≥ ≤ √ π ∞ µ 

Found them. 

"howtotypeanything" is the name of the site. 

That's some excellent work!  You mentioned forge welding.  Did I miss where you did that?

Every year here on the Florida panhandle coast of the Gulf of America, we have huge jellyfish outbreaks.  You could sell those in the gift shops on the beach. 

Hmmm, I'll look deeper at the site, thanks Billy.

Frosty The Lucky.

There is not a single piece welded, so nope melted.

I made a couple of tongs during the project and those are forgewelded so it was ok

Wow, Gewoon ik, that's gorgeous. And definitely not too small :-)

I actually don't mind the floorboards at all, but it makes sense to try and find something less distracting. Nothing better for such a huge hinge than a huge oak slab...

Prachtig gedaan.

 

thanks!

Project is finished

It also will have a place in my living room. But first painting the living room, so it will take a while before it hangs up.

I still think that's a beautiful hinge Gewoon. Just a few more hinges and a CNC chip and you could have it do the painting for you.

I'm sure looking forward to seeing it where it's going to go!

Frosty The Lucky.

That’s fantastic. I especially appreciate the design and execution on the bell.

Beautiful work!

thanks

Very lovely.  It is almost an Art Noveau frieze mounted on the wall that way.