I'm flattered. The trays look great. What size are they? I really like how you got those seams to run up to the corners. I'll have to give that a try!
Thanks. These are 4.5" square. I put a railroad spike into my anvil and shaped the edges over the head of the spike.
I can see using the spike. I do something similar with a big ol' bolt. But you lost me on how you're creating that nice seam with the spike.
I will try to explain, with words. I have no pics. I held metal at 45 degrees to anvil and hammered the angle of a side. Flipped around 180 and hammered in the side bevel of opposite side. When the 90 and 270 sides are hammered in, that formed the corner seam. The spike head helped me refine this seam.
I think I'm following. You're only using the spike as a form to help get into the crease already formed by folding up the sides. Honestly, I would never have thought of that. I just cut a bunch of 6" squares and will have to see if I can duplicate what you've accomplished.
More small dishes! The last six sold pretty quick, surprising the snot out of me, so I broke out the hammer and spent some quality time at the anvil. Next project on the list.... oyster shucking knives. Never tried making them, and I detest oysters, so it should be fun. I love experimenting with new things.
Thank you. They're shaped 99% cold. The only time I use heat is for the initial sinking that give you the dome pre-form. After that, it's all cold and you get to spend an hour or so refining the shape. The mild steel is easy to move even when cold, but I'm really glad my dad came up with the Steel Puck of Awesomeness to make dishing even easier!!
The prototype candle holder I finished up the other day. The dish the candle sits on started life as a failed dish I had tried something with. It didn't work out, but I didn't just throw the piece away. Instead, it sat on the bench for a year or so, laughing at me the whole time. Someone on another forum tried something and it reminded me of the failed dish sitting on the bench, so I decided to try their thoughts.... and it saved the day! Thanks, Tony! I was thinking about simply riveting the dish to the base, but didn't like how it looked when I mocked it up. So, I grabbed a 1" mild steel ball from my box of bit and bobs. Heated it up a bit, flattened it a bit, and drilled a hole through the middle. Makes a rather nice addition, if I do say so myself. The dish was textured with the ball peen and given a bit of curve. The dog ears didn't look good sticking straight out, so I curled them down and out of the way for more of a flower look. One rivet holds the whole thing together. Funnily, I have a few hundred of these rivets and the things are just barely long enough to fit. I had enough shank to peen over, but only by a hair! I guess god was smiling down on me that day! Overall, I like it. It works and looks halfway decent. I can see that I'll have to change the dish portion so the ball spacer is better displayed. I didn't really think about it while I was assembling everything, but looking at it now, I'd like the spacer to be more visible so you can appreciate how the whole thing goes together. Maybe a round cup for the candle? Maybe two balls stacked up so there's more room between the parts? Not really sure... but I like the opportunity to experiment!
My friend in Holland took a picture of the dish I made for her.... and I love it. I'm going to have to rethink how I photograph them after seeing this. The dark background and soft lighting really make the colors pop out. On another note, I'm working on a stamp design so I can mark the work. Sadly, I'm not a computer person and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing when it comes to designing this stuff! Ugh!!!! And, yes, that's a photograph of a pencil sketch I drew out. I wouldn't even know where to begin doing something like this with a computer!
Last order of 2016, finished and now winging their way to Israel. Carving the Star of David was a far more difficult task than I was thinking it was going to be! What will 2017 bring? No idea, but I'm sure it will be interesting!
Looks like blacksmithing to me! Always wanted to try welding up some cable, but haven't been able to dial my forge in yet.
Can't see much detail, but I thought I'd help celebrate the achievement of my first student of the new year. Eric forged his own center punch -- starting from scratch with a car's coil spring. Then he used that punch to mark the center of his plate that he slowly hammered into a small dish to hold his Odin carving. Overall, he did great. That center punch will be with him for decades to come. it's a bit weird to think about having that much impact in a person's life. As long as he's using that punch, he'll remember where it came from and how it began......
I love it when a new order comes in. I love it even more when a new order comes in and there's snow outside the shop! Yea, it's cold and blustery. Yea, I should have gotten those doors hung by now. But just look at that wonderful winter whiteness! No doors means I have a very picturesque view to enjoy while I shiver.
A nice thick piece of plate dished and textured..... Whatever could it be??? I was honestly surprised at the quality of the cuts my new supplier made. The edges are as smooth as a baby's bottom so there's no need to spend hours dressing them up. I can't wait to see how it all comes together!
Working in the shop today. I made a flower-like finial for a new style of hook. I'm not sure if I'll keep going with this idea, but it was fun to play around with. Had a customer ask about some big 0l' hooks for holding up an ox yoke. She gave me the dimensions and let me run with it..... and they came out perfectly matched! And I finally got my fancy-pants custom rubber stamp in the mail. Getting the ink pad was a chore, but I finally found one big enough at Hobby Lobby. Now, all the envelopes and boxes are stamped and ready to be filled with orders! Just waiting on the customers to show up.....
