Other My small Anvil project

Cool, man. We are in our last few months of our SA tour. The new year should find us somewhere new. And for once, I'll be really sad to shift house. We love SA and would love to stay for another 4 years.

I did. It's a brass bolster, leather washers and local wild olive tree.

It's the first complete knife I've made entirely on my own, and will be engraved 'LDF 001'. We've decided to use "The Laughing Dog Forge" for all the smithy things.

 

So, I was thinking about the ZA. How most people are preparing for it and all. And it struck me that it would affect all strata of society, including midgets.

Imagine sitting alone, eating your dog food mel gibson style, when you are accosted by a midget zombie. Drawing forth a long blade or a holstered weapon would be time consuming and overkill, in most cases.

So, I forged the Midget Zombie Killer.

 

Muahahahaha!

Can you do one of those OSS lapel knives, now? That would be a spectacular bit of grinding.

 

hehe you'd lose against a midget zombie I'm afraid.. they have massive strength!

that knife looks sweet- the handle too

 

I don't know - there's something inherently funny about posting a midget zombie killing cleaver in a thread titled "My small Anvil project."

No doubt only a small anvil could produce such a weapon of tiny destruction. How long does it last against a miniature invading horde? Just a short while.

 

That looks quite spectacular. I love the handle.

For services rendered to the high art of pun-age, I award you the +rep award with bar.

 

OOOOoooooooohhhhhhhhhh

That looks really cool The literally hammered finish is awesome, and so are the finger grips
The couple of small imperfections near the blade edge only make it look even more badass

Looking forward to seeing some medium length ones, and of course a long version... because you do need something that can slice a watermelon in half with one movement, it's absolutely necessary

 

I couldn't agree more. And I have started on the medium one only to realize that I can't heat the whole blade evenly to non magnetic in my forge. So the blank is about 15% done and will have to wait until we have settled into our new home and the propane forge is running.

Monday I'll start a larger knife that will have a complete forged handle wrapped in para cord. Then the plan is for a paring knife later in the week.

All this is dependent on a phone call in an hour and 1/2 which should settle where we will be going next, and when the house will be packed.

 

Always wanted to give something like this a try but I never realized that it could be done 'cheaply'. Can you recommend some bedtime reading for a beginner?

 

The Complete Modern Blacksmith is a good general reference book. I was reading through it at the library a couple days ago and it's full of useful information.

I'm trying to convince the wife that i need a forge. The problem is that my workshop is already a bit crowded. One day I'll get around to building it. Then I'll almost be set for when society finally collapses.

 

I don't think anyone will be needing rounded off poles in the apocalypse.. I could be wrong though

 

I'd love to have a piece of your work, but I dunno about shipping to the US...

 

The Complete Bladesmith is where I got 40% of everything I know.

This is where I got 40% of everything I know, and the remaining 10% is online. Both are classic references. Jim Hrisoulas is a master bladesmith who has written the 3 (almost 4) classic works on blades, swords and pattern welding.

Tell her it's hookers, heroin, or a forge. It makes the choice easy.

It might be shipping within the US inside the month. Stay tuned for an update. By Tuesday I should know what day the movers will be here, and when the cat and dogs will be shipped. (TOP SECRET: we are looking at a larger property that was a horse farm (10 1/2 acres), so there should be plenty of space for an expanded forge area, as well as a welding/car frame assembly/trebuche area. That should give GOO a run for his money). I do seem to have an order back log though; I have a camp axe, 2 Debas, a brush knive and a machete on request...not to mention chef knives for my mom and sister. Good thing I'm going with a propane forge this time around, and keeping the coal forge for art stuff.

 

Sounds like quite a property upgrade in the near future. Of course now I'm curious - are you considering retiring the photography business and moving on to smithing? You've made a lot of progress already.

She'd probably tell me to have fun with the hookers, and to try not to get too hooked on the heroin. Neither of those take up as much space as a forge, and the sound of a pounding hammer would drive her crazy.

If you don't mind my asking, where in the US are you guys moving? And how do you feel about returning after living abroad for so long?

 

Complex question. LOL. South Africa was tough for me because of a few reasons, one being I wasn't legally allowed to work- being a white foreigner and all. And we aren't 100% sure how long we'll be at our next location. We are hearing everything from 18 months to 3 years. Makes it tough to plan. Right now, the honest answer is that I'm not planning on working as a photographer until we can figure out if it makes sense for me to look for a job/start a new business...again. 18 months is really short when you figure it takes 2-3 months to get a house hold sorted and learn the basics of a city/area. Add to that all the paperwork to get registered, get accounts set up, insurance sorted...Might not even be worth it. I still have a few things I want to get done in my life and this jaunt to the US is ideal to get certified as a welder, learn glass blowing and foundry work, become ASE certified in engine repair.....and on and on. All that might take up the 3 years. Plus, if we get this plot, it will most likely need some work...so there is that. And we won't have a house keeper, so we'll need to learn to wash clothes and clean house again (that's gonna suck). So, we'll see. If it comes together I won't mind, if not, there is always stripping. Smithing on the other hand, was never intended to be a career. It might be, who knows. But it was always more about making chef knives for people to use when cooking for loved ones. Handmade knives made with care to make food the same way. It was that connection that pushed me towards this, that and the zombie apocalypses blades (why lie about it, lol).

In the long run, the forge is cheaper. Hookers and smack are pricey when they become habits. Blacksmithing on the other hand....

Where...well it will be announced officially on Tuesday, so I have to keep mum about it until then. I gave my word. It's south of the Mason-Dixon line and east of the Rockies. I'm not wild about that part. LOL. But over all, I think I'm getting used to the idea. We were VERY sheltered the last 4 years in Africa during the financial kak. And with Europe tanking, it's the ideal time to return to the US for a spell. Housing is the cheapest it has been in years and the interest rate on loans are rock bottom. So, there is that. We see it as catching the bottom of the market and being there for the initial recovery. So that part is ideal. The good part is that we found out on Friday the 7th, and she starts Monday the 17th, so it's a really fast move. Even for us. That makes it easier in a sense. Shove everything into a 40ft shipping container and figure it out once you are there. At least we don't have to worry about visas and paper work; just walk off the plane, rent a car, and meet the realtor (ok, slightly more then that, but not my much).

The flip side is the US has rarely been, in living memory, more conservative and insular. The political discourse has never been this rude, extreme, and polarized. This concerns us a bit. Having only lived in the US for 8 of 36 years, we tend to look at things through a wider lens. And that shapes opinions that I doubt are popular these days, they certainly weren't well received in 1993 and after 2001. Good thing we have lived places where people want to kill you for your religion and politics, so we are used to simply not discussing them.

Truth be told, I can live anywhere for a fixed period of time. 36 months is bearable. I think, given the un-named city, we will love it for the time we are there. Then, if everything holds, we'll be off to Shanghai. But we really are looking forward to having a chance to see parts of the US we've never been before, and have every intention of treating it like we have everywhere else; seeing as much as we can and learning as much as we can. We managed to avoid the winters of the upper mid west which we had enough of years ago. Honestly, we were hoping for the Pacific NW, the South West, or New England, but sadly there simply isn't the sort of job she needs to make the next step.

 

supermonkeys workshop is a bed with 2 pillows and a pink cowboy hat hanging on the wall

I'm not sure if europe is going to tank.. I think it might be us- we were looking at getting a nice house out of state while the interest rates are low.. but the thing is my pops believes this will carry on for at least 5 years.. he's usually been right about these things in the past- I take what he says about the economy seriously.. he's invested pretty good over the years.. even got out before the crash

I don't listen to predictions in the news.. there's a reason they're preaching in public- and it's not for your sake.. soon as everyone gets vested.. watch it all turn upside down- best to get any loans paid off before that happens.. if romney ends up being the next president, we might have our first mormon president

if he's anything like our first half black president were screwed.. and the deficit is never going into reverse just think about that.. but it is probably as good a time as any to get a house

we might move up to michigan ourselves.. you can buy a mansion there for the same price as a 4-5 bedroom here

the certs sound exciting.. ase, pipe welder, you'll be the jack of all trades!

 

Quite the reply, JJ. I officially apologize on behalf of all Americans for wrecking up the place while you were gone. I think the lamp can be fixed with a bit of glue. Sounds like you've got a plan and some prime space to work. I'm looking forward to the next thing to come out of the forge!

And I really hope you're not kidding about the trebuchet!

 

Whoa, what sort of trebuchet are we talking about?
Will it throw a pebble or a watermelon?
I assume it's not going to be able to throw bigger than that?
Trebuchet's and forging steel is what modder's dreams are made of, we're high tech cavemen

And what sort of car(s) do you want to build?

 

Does it look like I would kid about something like this?

Think watermelons, and small cars.

We are thinking of starting with a Lotus7 clone, with a slightly lager frame. They are called Locost, and they can fit just about any drive train. I'm hoping to get a 2.4 liter inline 4 from a Pontiac Solstice and add a small turbo with a T5 and the IRS from the same car. Learning to MIG weld comes first though.

 

JJ, you might be in my neck of the woods. If you're close, I'll bring a hammer.

What, I know how to swing one too!