Blacksmithing

[Deleted member 995608]

Anyone of you mess with smithing? I shod horses for years full-time, before I got the opportunity to change careers and become a professional toilet plunger. In all my years of working the anvil, turning shoes and making custom ones when necessary, I just never got into blacksmithing. That is until last year when I was asked to make some things for a annual fundraiser. I made a lot of paper weights or rather, scrap iron before I made anything worthy in my mind.

If any of you want to try some of these simple projects at home, send me a PM and I'll walk ya through

First attempt at a snail

Final product

Rose: So easy to make, but looks complicated

Final product

Owl made from stock horseshoe, washers and old school bottle opener. Tried to create a tree like stump to sit on

Close up of owl base. Not great but sorta cool I think

 

[Deleted member 995608]

And my favorite so far is the BBQ tools. I've since made about a dozen sets of these for gifts.

ATTACH=CONFIG]99048[/ATTACH]

All of these could be made using an gas torch and heavy bench vise. Like I mentioned above, if any of you are interested, feel free to send me a message.

 

[jhenderson]

All of your work is nice, but the rose is outstanding!

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Thanks. The rose is the easiest of all to make. Google how to make a steel or metal rose. It'll surprise you.

Here's some horseshoe art I also do. I really don't consider it blacksmithing...more cut in weld to me. I made this for a dinner fundraiser also, but it ended up on my fireplace hearth; dadgum wife bought it. The 3R on the chinks is a local cattle company.

 

[BigPapa]

Beautiful work, J.

 

[Wayne M.]

That is. Excellent! Beyond heating and bending with maybe some tempering thrown in, I haven't. As papa probably knows, there's a nice blacksmithing demonstration in Craftsman valley in Dollywood, along with some other local reenactments. This and more welding process is on my bucket list.

 

[promisedland]

Wow, that is sweet! Thanks for sharing J

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Here's my pride an joy. Not a great anvil due to it only weighing 151lbs, but it works. I bought this about 14-15 years ago from a guy in New York state and had it shipped via UPS.

I've wanted a 400-500 lb anvil for some time, but antique anvil prices have went full on stupid for a few years now, and I just can't get myself to pay the asking prices.

The last two are of my shoeing trailer. Hard to see in the pic, but there is a 125b Big Tex anvil that is no longer produced that is next to my tool cart. It slides out via 2.5" square tube used for hitches, and there is a trailer tongue jack that goes on the end for support. I learned long ago that picking up 125lbs 20 times a day was a bad thing; work smarter, not harder.

 

[Wayne M.]

Wow. On site shoeing! Cool little rig there.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Before we re-located to take over the family business, I had a roster of roughly 300 horses. Some of my daily loops were about 250 miles per day. I truly don't miss it to be honest, but I do however, miss the money. I'd gross $1K in a single day every now in then, but the fuel expenses and overhead supplies put a pretty big dent in that $1k.