Something to brighten the day with

Just because it is wet, dark and cold out today here in Seattle, WA I am going to post some photos to brighten the day with. Here are a few of my butterfly photographs I have taken over the years. Dry, warm and sunny.

Blacksmith example board part three

The horseshoe. What first comes into the mind of people when you say Blacksmith. It is one of the top questions we get at the blacksmith booth, "Do you make horseshoes?" or "Do you shoe horses?". Where upon I answer yes, shoo shoo, begone you horses. Yes coal smoke does give you bad humor.

This board shoes the steps to make you basic horseshoe. You start with a piece of flat stock, 3/4"x1/4" or 1"x1/4". Approximately 3/4" of both ends are hammered to a 90 degree angle. Then one side is bent into an arc and then the other side to match. A groove or can be chiseled in to help with the placement of the nail holes which are punched threw the horseshoe.

Blacksmith example board part two

This board shows the process to make a tomahawk. First you start with a flat piece of mild steel or wrought iron. Chisel out the pattern you wish it to have if any. Wedge up the ends and fold in half. Slip a piece of high carbon steel into the end (shown here is a piece from an old horse rasp). You then forge weld the two pieces of steel together (this is done by heating the steel up to its melting point, somewhere between 2400-2800 degrees Fahrenheit depending on carbon content, so the surfaces become molten, where upon you bring out of the fire and hammer them not to soft and not to hard but just right. This lets the molten surfaces mix together and form into one piece.) You then do final hammering to shape, anneal the whole piece, harden and finally temper the edge.

Blacksmith example board part one

While visiting my Blacksmith friend, Mike Carson, in California I documented some of his example boards. These boards show the steps in creating some of the basic forged works we would create. The one pictured in this post shows three different items, a leaf, a wizard head and a horse head. These designs can then be used for key fobs, bottle openers, grill work, ends for bbq and/or fireplace sets, etc.