Someone needs to remind me that this work is easier in bigger stock. This 1/4" fussiness is no good. But it's a collar and this little test grille is getting there. #blacksmithing#blacksmith#metalwork
Moving slowly into sculptural works inspired by nature. A 30 inch tall steel, copper, and river stone cattail or bullrush. #blacksmith#sculpture#metalwork#handmade
According to Danish folklore, a troll blacksmith once lived inside one of the hills on the lands of Nyegaard. Anyone who left some iron (plus a shilling for payment) next to the hill overnight would find a finished product waiting for them the next morning. #MythologyMonday
Today, I had students in the forge (well, ok, I didn't put the students in the forge, but you know what I mean; and the students were adults from work).
Anyway, this was the first time I've had a group (3 people) here to learn the basics of blacksmithing.
Things I learned:
125mm of 12mm square bar (mild steel) is too big for absolute beginners (even if it was mild steel).
Three people is a bit too many for a session. Two students would work well.
Smith & Striker is soooo much more efficient than forging on your own. (I acted as striker to help the students get through the work).
Also, the forge weld on the face of my wrought iron hammer, was not as good as I first thought, with the face coming off today :(
I also had a hammer handle give out on another hammer. (no one was injured).
We're rolling out new monitors at work (Dell C2722DE in case you want the specifics), and they come in 99% cardboard packaging (there's a tiny bit of foam to protect the lcd panel). The cardboard though, is a complex origami of interlocking parts and an absolute pain to break down flat. (we break them down as flat as possible to fit as many in the cardboard recycling skips as possible).
So this morning, I knocked out a small pry-bar to assist with undoing the various cardboard clips. I ran out of gas before I could straighten it, but this is a proof of concept and will work fine even if both ends don't align perfectly.