I decided to download and try to make the bottle stoppers in Blacksmiths Journal Issue 155. I made a slit chisel from and old chisel I found. I tried to harden and temper it and couldn't get a good read on how the colors were running. When I used it, the edge flattened as soon as it hit the cutting plate. So this time I hardened it and left it that way. I was using it and it was working well till the tip cracked in half. So I cut off the end and reforged the edge. This time I polished it up pretty good and ran the colors slower and it worked out pretty well. I used it for a while without it breaking or getting dull. I did however find it difficult to end the cut in the armpits etc. The second guy I decided to just use a hacksaw and it made it look cleaner. unfortunately his foot broke so I'll have to draw out that leg and try again. I hung on to the chisel frag. The grain structure was pretty cool. Anyway here's the start of them.

Rob.

Very cool, little guys.

Thanks. My wife loved them. Even more when I told her what they were for. They made me realize too that having only 3 pairs of tongs is not cutting it. I have a set of heavy flat jaw, a large bolt tong, and a smaller pair of long bit flat jaw tongs that I forged into small loop jaw tongs and then re-riveted. I can see why blacksmiths had so many of them hanging around.

Awesome, These are great.

As crazy as it sounds, What is a bottle stopper?

After you uncork a bottle of wine you put a tapered cork in its place until you're done with the bottle. It's easier to get in and out than the original cork. These guys will be welded to a small ring below their feet and then they'll be pulling up on a small corkscrew between their legs. It's a little bit of a departure from tab hooks for me.

Edited March 10, 200917 yr by piglet_74

I finally had a chance to finish this last weekend. Didn't come out too bad I think. Legs were hard to make even so I think next time I'll bend them both at the same time, then splitt them apart.

That's excellent Rob.

Now you need to make some chasing chisels so you can give them strained expressions and that'll mean more practice heat treating. Win win!

Frosty

Right on!!!... What are chasing chisels??? I'll look them up :-) We (the wife and I) did talk about decoration. She wanted to put little sports jerseys on them for friends favorite teams. The first one was supposed to be for her but a friends B-day came up first so she conceded.

BTW made my first batch of BW, Linseed, Turp and Jap dry. Seemed to work pretty good. I was thinking about pouring into dixie cups for application in small batches as needed. What do other folks use? I am trying to get as much on the cloth as I can for just rubbing on the coating.

Edited April 4, 200917 yr by piglet_74

I don't like linseed oil, especially after it gets on a rag, wood, paper or anything flammable, I don't like spontaneous combustion. It's really dangerous stuff. I use plain old paraffin and turps with soot in it. OR I use paste furniture polish, carnuba or harder wax is pretty durable. These are inside finishes of course though my paraffin, soot and turp finish has lasted outside for 11 years now with only a few rust spots on half a dozen pieces. They're in non-wear situations though.

Chasing tools are kind of like leather tools, different shapes for carving, incising and stamping steel. Some is done hot, some cold and some . . . ? Tom Latane is a master at chasing and hot carving iron.

Frosty

Frosty's right about lindseed oil, I still use it in the mixture, but all my rags go back on the forge when finished, had one burn up on an anvil while I was sleeping last summer, darndest thing, I could not figure out how it ignited, then did some research, gravel floor and a small amount of organisation kept me from a world of hurt. Just like anything else, weigh the risks, and take appropriate measures. One thing about wd40, it stays in the can till you need it, and if you happen to get it on your skin, well nolo problema, it's mostly fish oil, and it helps with arthritus. Makes a nice finish.

Ap man, thanks. My friends really enjoyed him.

FrostyDivemike, double thanks!! I'm a little freaked about the linseed thing now. I have a pot of the mix about 1.5" deep that cooled into what looks like cold bacon fat. Is that stuff OK sitting around? A quick search on google seems to point to the rag insulating the oxidizing linseed oil and providing fuel for the fire. Thanks in advance, Rob.

Put it in a sealed container and it should be okay. I'd leave it somewhere non-flammable though.

It's the rags, brushes, your jeans, etc. you really have to watch out for. The program I saw indicated there is NO way to make them completely safe once you get linseed oil on it. It may have been scare tactic hype but it's too easy to just not use it than take a chance.

Frosty

For slathering on linseed oil I use paper towels and then chuck them in the forge. I've heard of too many wood shops that were not there the next morning due to spontaneous
Combustion.
Finnr