So its been what feels like about a million years...

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Since I last posted....or really got my hands dirty doing something 'creative' rather than just doing what I had to do to keep the wheels on the household.

Buuuut.....recently I've finally started closing in on finishing my new shop....which has led to the de-assing of my old one, and hence digging up old projects, and thinking about this place and better days.

In any case, a thought I would say hi, and share a few pics of the new shop I'm slooowly putting together.

Also...all my other forums have temporarily lost their freaking minds this week and figured if anyplace on the net would be safe...it would here.

So, the whole place, since its been years and probably nobody remembers where I'm at.






Kitchen:



The shop....not finished:





Ye pile of olde blacksmith tools I excavated from my old shop:





Hey, the forge still works:

[Sorontar]

Welcome back,

What is it that you make/sell? What creative urges stir you?

Sorontar

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Welcome back,

What is it that you make/sell? What creative urges stir you?

Sorontar

Mostly what I make is a household. I'm my one mechanic, builder, laborer, electrician, plumber, cook, general manager, firefighter, medic...and I've got a five year old girl.

I USED to mostly make sharp pointy things, and flat hard things to protect people from sharp pointy things. For several years now, I haven't done a heck of a lot other than work on my house and keep the cars running, but now its winter, and for the first time I have a HEATED shop to work in so hoping to get back into making stuff I actually want to make this winter.

A couple old pics of some things I made, everything I make is functional, as in, it actually is what it looks like it is and does what you would think it would do.

This was my hot water heater for about four years until one night it froze and burst its pipes and went with a commercial unit for a replacement.



A shop light.



A hand cannon:




Some pokey slashy spiky things

.

I guess my 'urges' are to make REAL the kind of things that I see in books, movies, videogames, etc and try to come up with a life that approaches what most people imagine only as fantasy.

[J. Wilhelm]

Very nice house, Tower! The last time we only saw the tower. Sad to hear about the water heater, but hey, it worked, right? Nice swords too.

On your other forums going nuts. Not surprised. I think I expected it, actually. Some states might have to face some of the those folks on the streets this year (in fact I think we may have already seen a few on the road). Fun times - not.

Hey have you thought - looking at the size / finish of the tower and shop, doing a genuine 15h century "half-timbered" finish? I'm talking "Tudor" but the real think, not the "fake two-door" we have in the US? Look at the Victorian building thread a few pages back from the end.

[Darkhound]

You have a Noble Residence there, Shadow of the Tower! If that's whatyou have been doing, your time was not wasted.

I envy your  craftsmanship, Sir or Madam, as the case may be. (I have dumb hands, myself.) Your Irish sword is magnificent!

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Very nice house, Tower! The last time we only saw the tower.

Indeed, the 'master plan' is about 2/3rds completed now. Eventually the whole thing will be a roughly triangular shaped enclosed compound with the shop being one 'wall' the Tower and kitchen addition another, and a yet to be constructed third wing connecting them on the long side.

On your other forums going nuts. Not surprised. I think I expected it, actually. Some states might have to face some of the those folks on the streets this year (in fact I think we may have already seen a few on the road). Fun times - not.

Not at all surprised either. But there is a reason I live in a tower in the mountains miles from anyone.

Hey have you thought - looking at the size / finish of the tower and shop, doing a genuine 15h century "half-timbered" finish? I'm talking "Tudor" but the real think, not the "fake two-door" we have in the US? Look at the Victorian building thread a few pages back from the end.

I've thought about it once or twice

Actually that has always been my plan. Good eye. I plan to divide up the outside with timbers and stucco the panels between.

My whole place is heavily inspired by half timber castles and the 'Bastile House' concept.

[Prof Marvel]

Looking Good, Tower!
glad to see you back, too.
I applaud your plans and continuing efforts!

just an FYI,
Brass Goggles is undergoing a sort of transition ....
for the whole story , start here

"New admin needed"
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,51232.0.html

yhs
prof marvel

[Shadow Of The Tower]

More progress on the shop. Trying to hold off moving in until I actually have it finished but can't resist:

[J. Wilhelm]

You can't move in until you have a round flash and bellows setup to create a homunculus and philosopher's stone to turn lead into gold.

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Managed to get a little time this week and started a new knife (bottom)

I'm calling it a 'cartoon pirate dagger' at the moment because that is what it looks like.

I also found the first knife I ever forged, lost in the bottom of a leaked out oil quenching tank. (top)

Doesn't look like much but its sharp enough to shave with.

[von Corax]

Nice. What's your process, or is it a secret?

[Shadow Of The Tower]

No special process really.

I started with a chunk of 5160 bar stock. Repeatedly heated and hammered in the forge until it was about 90% of the shape I wanted. Let it cool slowly, ground to a mostly finished shape with my belt grinder. Cut, shaped and welded the handguard. Stuck it all back in the forge I heated to cherry red, and let cool slowly again to 'normalize' the metal, evening out all the stresses induced by shaping.

Next step is to heat treat. 5160 is an oil hardened steel. My old quench tank was 4' of 8" PVC pipe with a cap on the end. Many years ago I dropped a sword in the quench tank and cracked the cap, losing about 30 gallons of oil.

Before I can finish this knife, I have to make a new quenching tank. I have a four foot section of 6" steel tube that I'm welding a plate on the end to make a vertical tank. I asked my wife to pick up about 10 gallons of cooking oil today after work, and if she brings that home, I should be able to heat treat tonight.

Heat treating in this instance is heating the knife until its non-magnetic, and then quenching in oil. Following that, it goes into the oven at 400º for an hour to temper. This partially softens the brittle metal and turns it into a tough chunk of metal suitable for hard work.

The handle will be some kind of wrapping. I haven't figured out yet what I'm using for that.

Quench tank in progress:

[jringling]

It may be late, but congrats on the little one!

[Shadow Of The Tower]

It may be late, but congrats on the little one!

Better late than never. Not so little anymore...

[Shadow Of The Tower]

Heat treated the blade last night.



Tonight will be final grinding, shaping and polishing.

[Shadow Of The Tower]