Dos Cuchillos

Finally the time has come for the spanish knives to leave me now, they're all done just need to get some nice boxes and organize postage.
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Still looking around

So since my visit to the scrapyard last week. I have been looking very carefully at forge designs, from the positioning of the burner to whether or not to have a door at the back of the forge. This is the basic idea, I really want to make a long lasting forge that will serve a variety of purposes

creative patterning

http://blindspotjewellery.carbonmade.com/projects/4964283  

I got distracted this morning while I was, fixing a power point presentation. I came across this website the jeweller name is János Gábor Varga . I really enjoy his inovative approach to achieving the patterening on his jewellery but also the manner in which he builds the piece. He takes pieces of steel or iron and bends it, he cuts line and groves into it, then he unfolds it and the patterns and objects take shape. Take a look at these!

                                                  

                                                  This one look like a nice project

Every day ends well coming from the scrap yard

Today I went to the scrap yard to look for some building materials for my new forge. I just took a short Video of this friendly gentlemen cutting me a length of steel pipe.
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Making a new forge

After seeing this video, I though I should make myself another forge. I now also have access to a welding machine. so the forge will be more sturdy and last longer. I also had a thought or realization how ever one would see it, that fire bricks just wont retain enough heat to get the forge up to welding heat. I could be wrong. I think I am more fond of the idea of having a forge that wont break if I move it, bump it and so on. I will go to the glorious scrapyard this week.I will have to make my forge in such a way, big enough to forge long and wide article. Maybe 40cm x 25cm as a rough guestimate. 

Insignia

Seeing that I am busy with seals and making experimenting on how to make/forge them, on Saturday I bought some seal wax  and an insignia.

All sorts

This is a pendant I am busy with at work. As far as I know all the stones are synthetic. I made my first heart shaped setting, for the synthetic amethyst. I might even get to do the setting myself.
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Car spring being used

As was mentioned in the previous post, I needed to figure out a way to transfer the the insignia onto the ring. I finally decided to make a hot stamp, as it was going to need to be hardened and hold its shape, I needed to use a steel that could be hardened and hold a good edge. A previous stamp that I had made I discovered started to deform and get rounded because although it looked like a piece of stainless steel it didn't harden.This is when I became fully appreciative of my find of a car shock absorber spring on Sunday the 2nd of March. Springs have a high carbon content, which is great for i needed to make.

Car shock absorb-er spring

Last week I was on my way back from the petrol station. At one of the intersections I saw lots of scattered pieces from an accident that looked fairly recent. Amongst the bits and pieces I found a spring from a shock absorber. I immediately made a left turn to go and pick it up, Spring such as shock absorber springs, leaf springs have a high carbon content. Through many hours of looking at knife makers and different types of steels which are good for knife forging, springs were always mentioned as being great for knife making because of their high carbon content which is excellent for holding an edge.

Seals part 2

I'm really enjoying this but I know I can come up with a tool to help me hold the ring whilst hot stamping the seal on. It is a bit of a balancing act with just myself, balancing the hot metal on a mandrel and holding the stamp in place then also to hammer straight and even. Not to fear I WILL come up with something! Then I will figure out how to make more intricate seal designs.

Seals

 This is some of the progress I have made on making a steel/ wrought iron signet ring. The first picture is of the experimentation on how to drift a hole to form the ring. The next few are the actual seal and the attempt to transfer it. there will be more pictures to follow, I thought I would break it up into two posts. I'm not saying that I'm done, this is just what I have so far.