On 9/28/2016 at 10:13 PM, Frosty said:

JP: Seeing as the idea was suggested in 2006 and nobody's taken a lash at it, I believe that the first person to submit a challenge project gets to call the material size.

I think all it really needs is someone to just do it and post the results or maybe a WIP series. Nothing formal, just folk pushing each other in a friendly way.

I am currently forging my first pair of tongs out or rebar.  It is approximately 3/8" and from a bar that started out at approximately 16'.  I have also made a couple of hooks to hang bird feeders from that same piece of rebar.  Is that similar to what you have in mind for this particular posting?

I rarely have rebar in mind for anything outside of concrete except maybe log cabin corner pins. IIRC the OP from 06 was an Iforge challenge but I don't think anybody has picked up on it. 

I believe the idea was to take X amount of X size steel and see who made the coolest, most, or ? things with it.

However if YOU wish to issue the challenge, line it out for us. Starting with 16' of #3 (3/8") rebar. What is the challenge to make? Full list please. Is there a time limit? 

Frosty The Lucky.

I am rather late to this party but I would be all about this. I am brand new to this and the project I do would probably be trash, but it would be a good experience, and most of all fun. My only thing is I never would have 20 feet of anything lying around.
I agree a monthly projet could be fun. It would force me to constantly learn new skills and techniques that would further my abilities. I'd also love to see what you all do.

I want to see Frosty forge a Death Star!

I second that

A 20 foot section of stock only lasts until we can get it from the truck to the stock rack. After that, the size only appears as shorter lengths. 

One thing about buying stock: if I can afford it I always try to buy 1 extra stick to have on hand just in case.  After a while you can look at your stock rack and think "I don't have to go buy stock for this project..."  May be different for folks living close to big steel dealerships but out in the country the drive and down time can eat your profit!

If you go to the top, Glenn left it open for you to suggest a stock size and or theme. What do you the interested smiths want to do? Are you going chose 1/4 round or 1" square? Are you going to challenged you friends to make nails, S hooks, fire/cooking irons etc. 

glen made the suggestion but he left it up to you to run with. 

I have only successfully made a single thing, which is wonkier than Wonka himself.  So I don't think I am the best to choose a project.  Maybe when I have some more experience. 

Why not? 40 "S" hooks from 3/8 square would be an exelent project for a beginner, or 10' of chain for a more experienced. Smith practicing his welding, or a take down grate and cooking irons or 80 Fredric's crosses or...

I think I'm going to go make one of those crosses in a few hours.  You made some good points.  I guess I'm going to be busy for the next few days.

When I got back into smithing (I stole a hair drier from mom, super charged the hibotchi and the kings ford as a kid) it was 10" of 1/4x1" forging shoes, so that's 24 shoes a 20' stick. Bent the hard way, mirror images right to left, front and rear patterns and stamped and punched for 5 nailes a branch... talk about jumping off into the deap end! Any one want to whine about how hard the learning curve is? Buy or scroung some stock and make 20 of anything! I can do tool/steak turner handles in my sleep! Taper one side, form an eye, bend the stock back in its self forming a 1" diameter forge the two branches down to meet paralel for two inches and twist... I have a bunch of these blanks, if I need a handle for a top tool, a coal rake, fire poker, shovel, steak turner, meat fork, ladel spoon... I just grab a handle and forge, rivet or weld on the aproriate end. I am also prone to tune round into squareish stock as some times the size I want isn't available locally (1/2" round into 3/4x5/16 for fuller shoes, 1/4 round for nails) 

I like starting beginners off with either 3/4" sq. or 1/2" rnd. They're both about the same mass of steel per inch. That weight isn't so heavy it takes a lot of work to make something from but it's heavy enough to hold heat for a while. Beginners tend to spend a lot of time thinking after taking the stock out of the fire so they end up working too cool. It's normal, don't sweat it. Learning to plan your next moves is a learned skill.

S hooks are good beginning projects, they require tapers and if you make them to "match" require you to use the same lengths, draw uniform tapers, turn uniform matching hooks and match finial scrolls. Sounds like a lot doesn't it? It is when you're getting started but every single move you make turning out S hooks is the same technique you're going to need to do on hundreds if not thousands of other projects down the line.

S hooks are also easy to add processes to, especially twists, the straight shank of a S hook is THE place to twist but save that for when you have turning uniform "matched" hooks. Piling on too many processes "treatments" to start will make it harder to learn and there are only a few necessary to make a good S hook.

Once you have S hooks down there are many MANY types of hooks that sell will, wall hooks for: coats, tools, art, and they can be singletons or parts of a set. There are drive hooks that are handy in sheds, barns, etc. Free standing hooks for the: garden, picnic, camp site, etc.

It's endless and the most complex built up pieces, cathedral gates say, are nothing but basic treatments combined. 

Frosty The Lucky.

Think you got dislexic on us, Jerry. 3/4" round and 1/2" square...

I that why I was confused??!?!

This is going to probably be a pretty dumb question, but when using round stock, is the width given usually the diameter or radius?  I am assuming diameter but I honestly cant remember. 

Diameter.

Thanks.  That's what I thought.  just wanted to make sure before I messed up all my math.