Pull yourself together

A friend from Scotland (he occasionnaly wears a kilt) invited me to his birthday party. He will be 70 years old.

In the invitation he wrote that sometimes he feels more like 100 years old.

So for those moments when he feels broken up,

I forged him a means to pull himself together and kick his heels :

Simple and functional

On this rustic armoire a lock both simple and efficient.

It is still elegant when open.

Simplicity does not prevent elegance in details.

And please notice that the holes all holes for the lag screws were forged rather than drilled mecanicaly.

This lock would be a nice addition to a garden gate as well.

Usefull and elegant

To hang your hat and coat in style

All shapes and sizes of coat hooks are offered in the big boxes.

It was not enough. I was asked to design and forge hooks that could not be found in what is forced on us by the industry.

I designed and forged these :

Of course, they had to be 'comfortable'for a hat and a coat and not attack the cloth. The iron went out of its way ...

When you dont see them, they are doing their job. When you see them, its a pleasure.

Prime space for little money

A standing computer station 

Here is the plan.

Dimensions in inches

This commission did not require complicated forging techniques. The challenge was of another nature.

The client called upon a blacksmith that uses the most ancient techniques for forging. The problem was the integration of an object produced with these techniques in a minimalist decor with little space available and where scrolls and leaves of classical blacksmithing would not have been at home.

On the plan above and the photographs below appears a simple, functional design that does the job. And this was one these commissions where the client does not run away upon hearing about the price.

What made this commission endearing was that it permited to insert the forge in comtemporary life, in the habits of young people, those who define the new world.

A general view.

Here, we clearly see the three levels of the station : screens on top, keyboard and mouse on the larger shelf and the hard disks in their disappearing act on the third level.

The boards that make up the shelves are simply inserted in the fishtails forged to receive them. The wood can freely adjust to the humidity variations without risk of spliting.

Neat,  functional, contemporary and absolutely inexpensive.

Flowers and plants, set'em up, ladies & gentlemen, set'em up!

Small stuff you have to replace every other year, the lady did not want any more. Rather, she asked me for something solid, for years to come and elegant and nice to look at before the flowers and after the flowers. Something you would like to have and even be proud of.

This is what I offered.

The uprights are 3/4"x3/8" flat stock, 72 inches long. The struts are 3/8" square. Total width is 44-1/2".

She accepted et voila!

The support is pinned to the ground with two spikes driven in the holes in the foot. The foot is held to the uprights with a pin.

The forged square holes were necessary.

In square holes, the struts cannot turn and point the ends down which should be pointing up!

The holes were forged larger than the struts in order that the support would be easily assembled or taken apart once the parts are painted.

I did not get a commission for the flowers ...

Historical skewers and a pork roast

Solid skewers

My skewers seem to be big and bold. 

They are not the size asian industry has imposed on us. They are not mere heavy wire. They are one quarter inch steel. It is a superior size. It does yield a superior skewer.

That size makes it a real tool in the hand. It does not roll when piercing meat. It does not slip either. You can push through easily.

The skewer holder has its arms full...

They also work æsthetically. They are nice to look at. They are different from what is sold in commerce. They look like ... well what skewers ought to look like...

Historical skewers

That is if we believe Alex Bealer in his "The Art of Blacksmithing" (page 273):

Among the more attractive and interesting items made for the kitchen by medieval and later smiths were meat skewers and skewer holders. The skewers, in simplest form, are only 1/4-inch or 3/16-inch rods or square bars 7- or 8- inches long...

And a shorter version? 

Trussing needle
and a skewer similar with its double twist
to the one Bealer admired a page later.

I also forge a shorter version. 

They are very efficient as trussing needles. These permit to easily close with string the opening of a stuffed bird or to tie the side of a pork roast you have split and opened like a book and stuffed with a lot of garlic, some salt, a lot of pepper (freshly ground is better) and the same amount of rosemary and a little olive oil all around and garlic slices you insert outside and its ready when odors get out of the oven and talk to you...

Getting back to the anvil, to the hammer

For some time now, an accident prevents me from forging.

But I will get there shortly. That I make sure of. I clean the path that leads to the anvil, to the hammer.

First, you go along my wife's painter's studio

The forge is around the bend, on the left

Almost there

The doors just wait to be opened