How Persimmon Forge Got It's Name

As long as I can remember I have loved what we used to call “natural history.” And long ago, in my early high school days I was quite interested in native trees and helped my grandfather, Gus, tend his little tree farm. I thought I knew just about everything about our trees and I did know more about trees and nature in general than a lot of other people. I spent most of my time outdoors wandering, poking and observing.

Betty moved to our neighborhood in late grade school years and we grew up and played sports with a group of kids in “the field” which was the wild remnant of a small farmstead adjoining the MKT tracks. There were a number of outbuildings, fenced areas where livestock once lived, a small creek and what was left of an orchard. It was an wonderful place and there was enough level pasture for a good baseball and football and shinny field. Several trees were ideal for climbing and we devolved our talent for throwing pears with a long pointed stick. The passing trains made great targets.

Betty’s older brother, Bob, was a ham radio operator and somewhat of an electronic genius. I was fascinated by his gadgets and knowledge and spent a lot of time watching him work and make things, and I got to know the parents, Red and Virginia.

Several years later Betty and I began dating and sometimes we would drive out in the country to visit some of her relatives. Red’s parents lived on a small farm south of Flat Creek up on a bluff overlooking the covered bridge and the red brick buildings of the water intake plant. Red had worked there since he got out of school.

Grandmother and Grandfather Heuerman were elderly and still retained a lot of their German heritage. Louis still did a little plowing with a team of horses. There was an old coal mine on the property and on the edge of he bluff there was sandstone with wave patterns on the face testifying to it’s long ago sea floor residence. It was a fun place to wander in the fall.

On a rise up above the home was a small grove of trees with fruit. The leaves were all down. “These are persimmons”, Betty said, and she knew all about eating them at the right time when they were sweet and avoiding the unripe ones which are astringent and quite inedible. I was impressed with all she knew about this interesting new, for me, nature thing.

As time passed I learned a lot more about persimmons and continue to be fascinated with their biology and their folklore and enjoy eating the fruit every fall and enjoying its beauty. Likewise the bond with Betty grew and we were later married and raised a family and much later in retirement I started my forging business and chose the persimmon fruit as the logo because it is associated with so many fond memories.

For one who has much of an imagination, they may have been reminded of the Garden of Eden story here. Perhaps a fellow should be wary of eating a fruit offered by a girl but for me things worked out pretty well.

This image was taken by my older son, Keith, a few years ago. The studio is visible beyond the persimmons.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Redundancy

Redundancy is one of the most powerful ways I have found to insure efficiency. It is part of my overall "fail safe" plan. In the beginning I had one angle grinder and was frequently stopping to change from a grinding blade to a cutting blade or a flap disc. As business picked up I added one after another so that now I have one for each type of abrasive disc I commonly use. The same thing happened with the industrial gases. I found I needed a backup oxygen tank and another acetylene tank and so on because I couldn’t afford to run out of something critical when the welding supply shop was closed or I was being pushed for time.

As my projects got bigger and deadlines became more important I took a hard look to define the “critical nodes” in the studio. Critical node as defined by the Department of Defense is “An element, position, or communications entity whose disruption or destruction immediately degrades the ability of a force to command, control, or effectively conduct combat operations.”

Well, I’m not doing combat here but I do expect to have command and control of my operations. I studied the equipment and determined which things I was most dependent upon. I felt I first needed backup capability for the forge, power hammer, bandsaw, MIG welder, torch and drill press. Establishing backups for those tools and others has made the studio, so far, almost immune to work delays due to equipment failure.

I still worry about the solitary tumbler, portable generator and hydraulic forging press but, realistically, financial limitations eventually draw the line.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

A name and a Home

I believe profitability requires turning out good work as quickly as possible. Quickly doesn’t necessarily mean working lickety-split rather it requires not wasting time and motion.

During the early working years I progressively organized the studio into a stable arrangement in which I could work efficiently. I really dislike searching for something I need so is is satisfying to know exactly where to locate any particular item. To aid that process I decided to give frequently used tools unique names and “homes.”

I try to give each frequently used tool a specific name and a permanent home. The home is a resting place as close as possible to where the tool is used most often. That way I always know where the angled peen two pound hammer or the straight bow pliers are to be found.

My forging hammers all have dedicated resting places. The straight and angled bow pliers always return to their hangers. The pickup tongs go on the left end of the rack, and so forth.

I have made a lot of dies to use with the power hammers and hydraulic forging press. I stamped each with an alphanumeric identification to distinguish them individually and they hang on racks with their number by their hook or they are boxed with other components needed for a specific product. The cabinet drawers and the hardware carousel bins all have labels announcing their contents.

This labeling takes some time but I believe it pays off eventually in avoiding frustration and saving time and fuel.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The Store Window Gallery

A year or so ago friends made window space available to me at 311 Broadway in nearby Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. I displayed a variety of small ironwork pieces and was really surpassed at the number of responses from prospective customers both in the desire to purchase a displayed item and to commission other custom work.

While Cottonwood Falls is a small rural town in Chase County it has an interesting history and several popular tourist attractions which draws a steady stream of visitors from all across the US and abroad. You can check it out at this and other web sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood_Falls,_Kansas

The gallery is over 20 miles from my studio so I can’t actually be there but it offers people a chance to see some of my work and signs in the window advise them how to contact me by phone or Email and how to find the website.

The header image of the entry was taken by Cheryl Unruh and posted on her website:
http://www.flyoverpeople.net/news/2010/05/16/persimmon-store/

While on that subject I’ll put in a plug for her new book. Check:
http://www.southwindartgallery.com/estore/pid-646-Flyover_People_Book_by_Cheryl_Unruh.html

It is always a struggle for artists in midwest small towns to get marketing exposure. I was lucky to be given the window space.

Looking ahead, I’m working on some articles about using the hydraulic forging press. I built one this summer when it was too hot to get much forging done. It is proving to be more useful than I imagined. I’m still learning more about it’s applications every day so when I feel I have enough experience you’ll hear about it.

Hurry Up Jobs

My operational intent is to work on commission projects on a first-come-first-served basis. In practice it is hard for outsiders to see this working.

Usually several projects are in varying states of progress simultaneously and each will take a different length of time to complete. I move from one to the other in what I judge to be the most efficient manner, but, interruptions do occur.

Breakdown of some essential piece of equipment is sometimes a problem but can largely be mitigated with a good redundancy plan. I’ll write about that in a later post.

I am most likely to take on interrupting work if the request is based on a safety issue. For instance, twice this year I have had to do handrail projects because the homeowner was concerned about a fall risk.

In the fall I have a period in which my schedule is frequently interrupted by a chimney sweep friend. He is an expert on fireplace safety and when his customers start calling for inspections and cleaning he starts showing up with urgent requests for firebacks and smoke guards and other items needed for fire safety. So again this seems like a legitimate excuse to accommodate his schedule so I don’t sense any conscience conflict.

However, I feel like I’m stepping out onto the slippery slope when people, usually friends, call and request something for a birthday, anniversary, of holiday gift. So far, I’ve always caved into those request too. Fortunately, these items are ordinarily small things and sometimes I have some completed items from which they can choose.

Finally, here comes the Christmas season. The Arts Council features an “Art Gifts” display, there is a “Holiday Gift Shop” run by a consortium of regional artists and there is an “Artists Open House” weekend gallery shortly before Christmas. All these require production of an inventory of items appropriate to the gallery.

After the opening of the new year there is a three or four month period of calm when I can get a lot of client work completed. I’m really looking forward to that now.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Cracked Fingers

Maybe I’m just abnormally clumsy or inattentive but I think I manage to acquire at least one minor wound a day a welding splatter burn, a burr cut, a bruised thigh just at anvil horn height, whatever. Thankfully I’ve never gotten seriously injured but the injury squeamish person might argue that’s just a definition of terms issue.

Those are random and quickly resolving unpleasant nuisances but cracked fingers are an enduring aggravation. I was going to take a picture of one of the cracks but I found a nice illustration on a better looking finger at this URL.

http://www.planetfear.com/blog.php?id=77

It is even more disturbing that I can’t seem to figure out exactly why this happens.

The cracking season begins around Halloween and lasts until just about income tax filing time - half of he year. The splits develop on the tip of some fingers at the tip of the fingernail on the side nearest my little fingers and are more prominent on right, dominant, hand.

Maybe this is a genetic thing with environmental overtones. One of my sons, a working carpenter, shares the pain of the finger splits so we can compare and share our experiences.

So, what can be done about this malady? I have some suggestions based on my experiments. First, I think keeping the nails trimmed short and well manicured can help. Second, Using skin softening products on the calloused areas on a regular basis, daily or more often. I carry a Chap Stick tube in my pocket. I keep a couple of jars of Udder Balm in the studio and a plastic tube of Gold Bond Ultimate Healing lotion in the pickup and at my computer work station. I believe all these products, and probably many which I haven’t tried, help heal or prevent the painful cracks, but I haven’t found a real magic bullet so I’ll be dealing with this until the trees leaf out next spring. Worse yet, Chapped Lip Season is coming soon too and will run almost as long.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

My "No Risk" Policy

At the beginning of every commission project I feel it is important to gain the confidence of the client and, as much as possible, put them at ease about the process. Most of the people I deal with know little about ironwork or the commission process.

Most of the projects I contract can be completed for less that $1,000.00. I’m not really into the business of larger architectural work which would typically run a lot more and in those cases I would work out a step by step approval and partial payment arrangement.

A lot of my projects contain elements, particularly botanical elements, which could be used in other projects so they are not stringently dedicated to a particular work. Therefore, quite often, I can tell the clients if they aren’t pleased with the end result, they don’t have to buy it. I’ll start over and we’ll get it right. I believe I can sell their intended work in another venue or I can salvage components to use elsewhere even it it’s just for a studio illustration model. That gives them a “no risk” entry point.

My best advertising comes from word of mouth recommendations from clients so I want them satisfied. So far, I haven’t had a client reject a piece of commissioned work.

There is a flip side to the “no risk” notion which occurs to me. When I make a new style something or a new type something there is a learning process and it may take several tries to get a design which I find really appealing. Along the way there are those prototype pieces which are good enough to put out for sale but only time will tell if they are popular and will sell for what I think they are worth. From time to time I look over what has been shown a couple of times and hasn’t sold. I can’t really know if it’s just not appealing or the price is too high so to gain further insight into the issue I’ll donate the work to one of the community charity auctions and see what it brings. For me that makes the process of developing new work a “no risk” deal. Either I can sell the piece or I can help raise money for worthy causes and I learn more about the art ironwork business all at the same time. There is no way to lose if the end result must be income or charitable donation and always the entertainment and enjoyment of creative work.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

PVC Tube Racks

Years ago I was given a steel rack and installed it on the north porch of the studio. Arriving steel was carelessly shelved without any real organization other than being about ten foot long. This really wasn’t a problem as long as my inventory was small and I only had a few sticks of this and that but after there were ten or a hundred pieces it was a mess. Invariably, if I needed a stick of 1/4” by 2” it was three inches deep under other sizes of flat bar and was impossible to pull out.

One year in the hot season I took some time off and obtained PVC tube in two, three and four inch sizes and rearranged the same-size steel inside the tubes. Previously I had used some thin wall three and four inch steel tubing to segregate various sizes of stock and I was somewhat surprised to feel how much easier it was to pull out bars from the PVC tubes that the steel tubes. The friction is much less.

I worked at the project over a couple of months and I think the system can’t be improved much more. It’s very functional. I can quickly see which sizes of stock are in short supply and they are easy to count for inventory. It is pretty easy for me to “eyeball” size the stock but since my wife does most of this counting job I often use a Presto pen marker to write the stock size on the top piece in the tube or on the tube itself.

The only hidden bummer I’ve found so far is that the outdoor tubes provide attractive space for mice and mud dauber wasps to build their nests. One summer I discovered an old but still fragrant mouse nest in a tube in the tumbler room. Soon after, I discovered a blacksnake nearby, apparently attracted by the scent. There is never a dull moment.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The No Scrap Shop

One sure way to achieve this is to throw all the drops into the scrap/recycle bin and haul it away.

However, my goal is to use all the steel I bring in and not have to recycle any. I never fully achieve this but come pretty close by being well organized.

After any length is cut from a new stick it never returns to a “full length” rack. I often write the length on the visible end with a correction pen marker. This makes selection and inventory easier.

I explained earlier how I accumulate same-type stock drops approximately between 2” and 15” in several 5 gallon buckets near the tumbler. When the bucket is nearly full I dump out the pieces on the platen table and sort them “same size” then lay them end-to-end in a 5’ piece of angle and tack them together to create approximately 5’ lengths and rack them. The reconstituted stock is mainly used to construct things used in the studio, frames, jigs, labels on porter bars and dies, etc.

When a drop is just to small to be worth tacking but still has significant mass it goes into the “smash” bucket. Off and on in a slack time I heat these and smash them with the power hammers to form little random tiles about a half inch thick and tumble them. They are later grouped and used to provide the mass required in sculpture bases.

When a drop is just too small or ugly to be useful as a smashed tile it goes into the recycle can but that is a very small fraction of the the steel which entered the shop.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Steel Stock Management

After about five years of work a considerable mass of steel accumulated inside and outside the studio. It was not readily useful because often the needed dimensional stock could not be found or was the bottom piece of a deep pile.

I concluded those problems illustrated the two most important principles of organizing materials. First, I must be able to find them easily and secondly, I must be able to retrieve them easily.

It didn’t happen quickly but over several more years I have largely developed a functional steel management scheme.

My stock is now well organized. Every piece of steel has a predestined path from arrival to eventual consumption. When I receive stock I cut the 20’ sticks in half. I have a rack under my 4 x 10’ layout table that houses 10’ lengths of square and round stock from 3/16” up to 1.5” and some other special stock. Tubing, pipe, channel, angle, “I” beam and other larger 10’ long stock go on a rack on the porch. When the 10’ pieces are cut down they go into the tumbler before they used or stored if they are shorter than 5’, which is what my tumbler accommodates. If they are longer than 5’ they are put on the shelf until enough is eventually cut off that they will fit the tumbler. If drops are shorter than 15” (but longer than 2”) they go into the porch buckets after they are tumbled.

The scrap pieces are all clean and deburred and easy to organize for storage. I keep a rack holding 28 five-gallon buckets on a covered porch on the north side of my studio. All cutoffs approximately 2” to 15” in length go into those buckets sorted by the type of stock, round bar, flat bar square bar, tubing, angle, copper and bronze, etc. Pieces shorter than about 2” go either into the scrap recycling bucket or into the tumbler to use as aggregate. Small pieces with sufficient mass are used to make sculptural tiles which will be explained in a future posting.

I waste no time looking for the right piece of stock and I don’t get cut on burs digging through a bucket.

Specific production type projects like my garden rain gauge, blow pokers, napkin holders, oriole jelly feeders or a botanical motif are stored in clearly labeled drawers, 5-gallon buckets or plastic boxes . The container stores all the blanks, jigs, templates, special tooling required for that project. The instruction file is stored separately in a file cabinet.

Developing the discipline to be compulsive takes a lot of work and it takes some time to pay off but it can separate those who make a profit from those who don’t.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Using the Tumbler

Frequently, I remind myself that blacksmithing is an intrinsically dangerous business. That’s part of why I expect to be well paid for my work. I regard my tumbler as a nearly essential tool in my operation. When I finish forging a piece it goes into the tumbler. When I cut off a drop, it goes into the tumbler. If something needs removal of rust or paint, it goes in the tumbler. Twenty minutes of tumbling with small pieces of steel aggregate leaves the pieces clean and deburred.

I can only imagine how much time this has saved me. It also saved buying numerous, grinding discs, flap wheels, sanding belts, cup brushes, etc. Perhaps most importantly, I don’t have to breathe the dust produced by those other alternatives.

Three tumblers were built before I achieved what I needed. If I ever build another one I would make a few more small changes but I like what I have pretty well. It has an inside diameter of about 16” and a length of about 5’. Usually I have it loaded with about 50-100 pounds of steel aggregate, carbon steel balls, punch drops and other small odds and ends of scrap. It can easily accommodate another 200 pounds of work steel. I haven’t actually tried to test the upper limit. I’ve tried a number of other aggregates, stone, corncobs, walnut shells all with unhappy results. For me now it’s only steel.

Like a lot of other studio tools it is powerful and could inflict severe injury. I have special respect for those things which rotate. My setup is designed so that to turn on the machine I must open my garage door and turn the timer. Then I exit, pull down the door and lock it from the outside so I’m well away while it’s working. Incidentally, I’ve also locked the other studio doors so no one can enter while it’s running.

In addition to it having the rotation danger it is quite noisy, especially if it has some large mass pieces in the load. On rare occasions I do work in another area with ear plugs while it is running and it is tolerable for a few minutes.

A lot of “dust” is produced with each run - magnetite, hematite, paint, and more depending on what is being cleaned. To contain the dust and also add another safety barrier I cut a 55 gallon drum in half longitudinally and put half under the tumbler as a catch basin and hinged the top half so it folds down like a clam shell over the cylinder. Then I fold down a tarp which hangs nearly to the floor. The dust falls into the basin as the tumbler door seams rotate to the bottom and the tarp traps the airborne particulate and makes most of it fall so less circulates throughout the studio.

I recently welded four 5/8” square studs on the non-motor end so I can insert a dedicated custom socket wrench to turn the tumbler to the desired position for unloading. A floor stand supports the front side door in a level position so it serves as a shorting shelf when open.

Changes I would consider in a next generation tumbler are these:
1. Increase the length to accommodate 80” pieces and diameter to 22”.
2. Make the shaft on the non-motor end hollow so a vacuum/dust collector could be inserted.
3. Place the 1” square cylinder reinforcement ribs on the outside surface of the tumbler.
4. Make the interior baffles bolt mounted so I can experiment with covering the interior with rubber stall mat or similar material to diminish the noise. That’s possibly futile but I think it would be interesting to try.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The Hanging Files Database

Over a decade of business let me with several file cabinets filled with hanging files relating to client projects, business records, design ideas, maintenance and operating manuals, publications, inventory files, etc. I felt they were reasonably well organized by general category but when a critical volume was reached I had a hard time finding an individual folder or when a file was removed for use I lost track of where it was located.

This year I was able to devote time to organizing them. I settled on a numbering system, somewhat like the Dewey Decimal system, which allowed the files to be grouped in large general categories and subcategories and numbered so that I could search a computer database and find precisely where the file resided. This took quite a few tedious hours to set up and still requires some attention to maintain but it is already saving a lot of frustrating searching time.

Most of the files are up in the loft which is generally cleaner that the rest of the space. If, for instance, I am working on a door knocker for a client I go up and get the door knocker design file and bring it down to the file cabinet by my layout table. On the computer database it is given an additional number which shows it is now temporarily residing with the work-in-progress files. When the project is finished the files goes back upstairs. It is a bit awkward to explain the system fully and I suppose each individual has to find an organization plan which suits their needs. This works for me.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Using Touchmarks

The beginning blacksmith may derive sufficient pleasure from the creative activity alone so that marketing and selling is not a consideration. However, the situation changes when making the transition to blacksmithing as a business.

The best strategy for growing a business is probably doing good work. When the work is good enough for the maker to stand by it may help the business to sign the work. Traditionally smiths and other craftsmen have used a distinctive maker’s mark to stamp the inverse of the mark in the finished product identifying it as their creation. They are also known as maker's marks.

Touchmarks are coining or embossing stamps with a unique image associated with a practicing craftsperson or shop. I have read that making a touchmark was part of the ceremonial transition from apprentice to craftsman and that the touchmark was destroyed upon the death of its’ maker.

It is my experience that clients who have commissioned work like the notion of having their work signed so that is sufficient reason to do it. However, another reason is archival. Well executed metalwork will likely be around for a long time and it is uncommon enough that there is some probability it may eventually attract historical interest.

In recent years I have helped students make touchmarks but I actually had mine made by a manufacturer specializing in stamping dies. I chose one stamp to strike my initials and another stamp to strike the stylized persimmon logo.

I don’t touchmark everything I produce especially small items which may be appropriate for sale at an art/craft show. Even a small custom item I would likely sign with just the logo stamp. Larger forged projects are signed in an inconspicuous place with the persimmon logo stamp, the DJE initial stamp and alphanumeric stamps which identify the month/year of production; for example, 10.09.

Each smith will have to decide whether to bother using a mark and what symbol would be appropriately unique. A well made tool steel stamp will hold up through thousands of strikes in hot or even cold annealed mild steel.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Presto Pen Marking

Correction pen marker fluid has a high visibility and has become a much used tool in the studio.

Originally I used the pens to delete ink lines on sketches, but now I use them when I want to mark a workpiece temporarily to designate some type of transition point where a punch mark would leave a permanent mark and a soapstone or silver pencil mark is sometimes hard to see or easily rubs off on the hot work. The white material deposited from the correction pen works something like a fast drying paint. It doesn’t come off easily even with a wire brush but can be cleanly removed with lacquer thinner.

The white line is very easy to see on hot iron. One point of caution, if the material is allowed to remain on the workpiece through several heats it may protect the underlying metal from oxidation, so the protected area might be visible on the finished piece as a local difference in reflectivity of the surface .

I find they are nice for labeling containers and for marking instructions on stock to be forged at some future time when I otherwise might forget the plan. They are handy for marking a date on machinery to record when the oil was changed for instance. In the offcut rack I sometimes record the length of the piece so I don’t have to pull out the tape each time I’m looking for a certain length.

I have tried several products and so far I prefer the Pentel brand Presto pens. I got some here on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NNXZ4W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000NNXZ4C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F245Y3BJDMAZKMD6YMW

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Laying in a coal supply

The Kansas summer heat was dreadful but nothing out of the ordinary for late July. When the heat is on I try to focus on cold work and keep the forging time to a minimum. This is a good time for repair and maintenance, building new equipment and laying in supplies.

I was lucky to get some gracious assistance from a blacksmith friend who found a relatively handy source for coal not far away in Oklahoma. He offered to show me the way and we set a date for the trip.

I have used bagged coal for years and didn’t have a bin for loose coal so I had to build one before the trip. I used a couple of sheets of 5/8” treated exterior grade plywood to construct a bin on the studio porch. I can back the pickup to bin to off load with a scoop shovel. It sits about 16” off the floor so a five gallon bucket can slide under and fill easily by gravity when the door slides open. The bin should hold about two tons.

On the scheduled day we drove to the mine and I was able to purchase a pickup load of smithing coal for quite a bit less than I was spending for bagged coal. The current price was $100 per ton and the trip down and back was about six hours total and then there was the price paid for gas to figure into the actual cost. When I add in the cost for the coal bin I may not come out ahead this year but as long as the mine produces I should be set for the future.

The process was really easy. Check in at the scale office and place the order, weigh inbound on the scale, drive to the loading area, get out of the way while the huge front end loader filled the bed of my truck, weigh outbound, and pay. Twenty minutes in and out and we were on the road again.

It was nice to get this chore done at a convenient time. With only a little prudence I should be able to avoid making a trip in inclement weather or running out of fuel.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

The Daily Routine

Developing a daily routine has really helped my productivity.

I’m usually up early, around 0400 - naturally I went to bed early too. I eat breakfast, then do computer work; check the e-mail, record on my computer any hand written notes made the previous day, write client correspondence, do design and bidding work, and prepare orders until around 0730 when I shower and dress for work.

My Regular Pocket Tools:
The day schedule - a single page outline style computer printout updated daily.
3” x 5” spiral pocket notebook
Presto Pen correction fluid marker
Silver pencil
Ink pen and graphite pencil
12’ tape measure
Soapstone
9" slip-joint pliers

Occasional Pocket Tools:
Aluminum folding pocket ruler - 72”
Small file
Scribe marker
Steel inside/outside pocket caliper

In the studio I first unload the tumbler and sort the cleaned items. Work pieces nearly ready for assembly get a rag wipe and a light spray of Minwax satin polyurethane to prevent rust unless I plan to apply some chemical treatment in a patina process.

The rest of most mornings I use to prepare pieces for forging, and work on design and assembly. I also run errands and obtain supplies.

In the afternoon an assistant arrives about 1400. We do forging until around 1600. Those items go into the tumbler for a timer-controlled 15-20 minute run. I turn it on as I leave the studio for the evening. With this schedule the studio functions quietly during the hours my neighbors are at home.

On weekends I often work in the studio if there are no other activities are planned. I use this uninterrupted time to experiment with designs and techniques and do quiet work.

Having a clear vision of what I need to accomplish each day and a overall plan of how to schedule the production process gives the work direction and momentum. Even with the best planning it seems as if a nearly unlimited number of possibilities for interruptions are ever present and must be accommodated. So the schedule is actually rather flexible in practice.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Flint and Steel Fire Starting

Recently a young man working on his eagle scout rank showed up wanting to learn some blacksmithing techniques. He will soon enter Flint Hills Technical College to pursue a program leading to welding certification. This gave me the excuse to work on a small project to use at an upcoming Missouri State Fair demonstration. I anticipated it would be hot in mid-August so a light-duty project would be in order.

A “C” style flint striker and fire starter kit was decided upon. It’s not the kind of thing I usually do but seemed fitting for someone who has mastered a lot of camping skills and a good beginner level project. We started with an old flat file and he was quickly able to learn how to start and run the coal fire, draw the tapers and scroll them. Later I did the heat treatment by oil quenching.

I also made some char cloth from an old 100%-cotton tee-shirt by cutting several approximately-two-inch squares and cooking them on the coal fire in an empty pint paint can with a pin hole punched in the lid to allow the smoke to escape. When the can stopped smoking it was allowed to cool and then opened to reveal the char cloth.

My flint was not very good but it was enough to get a few sparks and the first one striking the char cloth ignited it. We used dried grass as tinder and started a little fire. Even though I knew intellectually that this process worked it was still a bit delighting to actually accomplish it myself. No more need for matches.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Check out YouTube

With the heat index soaring over 100º recently I have been catching up on maintenance work and other chores which don’t require the forge.

I’m building two more 50+-pound power hammers adapted from the type Ray Clontz developed. One I’ll keep as a studio backup machine. The other I’ll deliver to a friend in Texas who wants me to build one for him. I currently use one I constructed a couple of years ago it serves as a prototype to work out design changes to correct a number of its little problems.

A couple of other projects are in the design phase so that work can proceed in the comfort of air-conditioning.

It has been quite some time since I have really taken a close look at the web to see what is currently offered by searching “blacksmith.” I devoted a few hours and discovered, from the coolness of my study, there is a great deal of quality information in video format on YouTube. When I last checked a couple of years ago I wasn’t much impressed but now the variety, image clarity, improved editing and and increased length of the segments seem to have changed everything for me.

I visited over 200 sites and watched all or part of them and copied their URLs to a file with some data relating to their subject, date of posting, length and number of views. After spending more time studying and reflecting, I’ll decide how to pass along this compilation of really delightful entertaining and educational material. I'm thinking of posting a list of active links to ones which I enjoyed.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Working Fast

Getting client work out the door and billed quickly is the engine of cash flow.

I came to the conclusion early on that with the type of things I was doing I couldn’t get along without a power hammer if I wanted to make money. I didn’t know much about them but took a leaf of faith and bought a 50 pound late model Little Giant from a friend. I then went to Sid Sudemier’s class in Nebraska City to learn how to rebuild them.

It has served me well and I have have done a couple of rebuilds and made various modifications and still use it every day. However, if I were starting out today I would build a spare tire power hammer (STPH).

At the 2008 BAM conference I bought a set of plans from Clay Spencer (designed by Ray Clontz) then went home and built mine with a few variations. It works very well and has a number of advantages over my 50 pound LG. It hits straight down not with the slightly glancing blow delivered by my LG. But probably more importantly I can fix everything myself quickly as nearly all the parts can be found locally.

Another aspect of working efficiently revolves around the most efficient way to heat what I’m working with. I found there were distinct advantages to making both a coal forge and a gas forge. I use the coal forge for working stock with large mass and stock that requires higher heat or is too awkward for the gas forge.

I use the gas forge when I need to work many small pieces simultaneously. I make a lot of small leaves and other plant parts to use in botanical sculptures. These are laser-cut blanks of usually 12 gauge 1011 steel. I can put 10 or twenty into my gas forge at a time and don’t fear losing any to oxidation.

After using a rectangular gas forge for several years and being frustrated by it’s fixed 6” square inlet I decided to make one of loose firebrick so I could shape the chamber to suit what I’m working with. It’s a bit slower to heat up because it doesn’t have the reflective refractory lining but I think the flexibility offsets that disadvantage. I still have the old forge to use if it seems a better choice. My propane tanks and forges are equipped with quick-connects so switching is easy.

Another part of working quickly is avoiding as much effort as possible in removing fire scale and that is where my tumbler comes in, and that’s a future story.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

What Women Want

Perhaps the most legendary American artist blacksmith associated with the resurgence of interest in the field of blacksmithing was Francis Whitaker. He apprenticed under the great Philadelphia artist metalworker, Samuel Yellen, and, in Germany, with Julius Schramm.

He returned to the United States and executed his talent first in Carmel, California, where his friends and clients included many well-known figures, then relocated and established his mountain forge in Aspen, Colorado. In the final chapter he moved to Carbondale, Colorado, and made a living/working agreement with The Colorado Rocky Mountain School. They built a teaching smithy and his living quarters and he worked and taught there until the end of his life.

I have felt many times that I have benefited from extraordinarily good luck. My meeting with Francis Whitaker qualifies as one example.

In the very early phase of shifting my “retirement business” plans from woodworking to metalworking I learned of ABANA and subscribed to “The Anvil’s Ring”. I felt excited to learn of living-breathing-teaching artist blacksmiths and an upcoming conference offered by the Rocky Mountain Smiths at Carbondale in August, 1996. I eagerly mailed my registration.

The event gave me a great deal of stimulation and satisfaction. I had no idea at the time of the importance of Francis Whitaker or that this conference would stand as his last teaching event.

A noon break offered an opportunity to buy some of his books. I picked out his Beautiful Iron and The Blacksmith's Cookbook . Then I had the opportunity to sit down with Francis and visit while he autographed the books. He asked a few questions about my background then proceeded to do his autographs. He then rather pointedly asked if I knew about Cyril Colnik. Luckily, I recently watched a television documentary about Colnik, a German immigrant blacksmith who became locally famous in the Milwaukee area in the early 1900’s.

Francis seemed very pleased that I recognized his name and asked what I knew about him. I told him what I knew and he seemed impressed and became very affable. He went on to ask, “Son, do you plan to make any money doing this?” I replied, “Sure, I hope so.” Then he said, “Well then, you’d better make what women want because men will come to your shop and admire all your tools but the woman will say, ‘I’d like to buy one of those.’” I took his advise seriously, as I think he meant it, and and it has worked well for me. The preponderance of my most satisfying work comes from the requests of women.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/

Working Safely

Blacksmithing involves intrinsically dangerous activities. Working with high heat, powerful tools, airborne particulate and dangerous chemicals requires vigilance and a plan for safe work. The following notes represent some of the guidelines I use.

I wear eye protection at all times. I’ve worn glasses since childhood for nearsightedness so this is no inconvenience.

I like the Howard Leight® QB1® HYG Hearing Band for hearing protection at appropriate times and always when using the power hammers and grinding. Visitors are required to wear eye protection. I keep a drawer full for them. I don’t wear jewelry or a watch while working.

I buy $3 pairs of cowhide welding gloves from the welding supply store. Since I usually only wear a glove on my left hand the right ones are saved for working at the BBQ grille or to give away.

Black Carhartt bib overalls with legs that come down over my steel toe boot tops are my usual work clothes. They are tough and don’t show black “dirt” as much as lighter colors.

At the forge I enforce a rule of “keep hot iron low” even when working by myself. It is especially important when working with assistants. It probably would be less expensive to burn a leg than a face.

I designate a hot spot where we will place forged work to cool. Usually this in on a cooling pan stand about a foot above the floor where we won’t step on it.

Another rule is to announce what’s hot to everyone working if the piece is not in the designated hot spot. I cool tong jaws in the quench tub before hanging them back in the rack. There is more than one reason to pull tongs out of the rack by the jaws.

I don’t quench steel unless I’m intentionally heat treating. This protects tools such as the bandsaw blade, cold shear blades and punches from being damaged by hardened steel which is unrecognizable as such. Tool steels are stored in one designated place. All other stock can be assumed to be soft mild steel.

I made a set of cheater pipes which I use to augment bending forks and to do some hot bending of bar stock. They are pieces tube of different diameters about 18” to 2’ in length. Red color is spray painted on the hot work end and green on the grip end. Color coding them usually prevents grasping the hot end.

I do read the instruction manuals that come with power tools. Building tools such as a treadle hammer or spare tire hammer usually provides me with the necessary understanding of the weak points to watch for potential failure. Careful frequent inspection and diligent maintenance is essential.

Things that spin around fast or have high torque are especially scary; the big drill press, power drills, angle grinders, wire wheels, cutoff saws, and the tumbler.

The only tool that has actually bitten me badly so far is a knotted cup brush on an angle grinder. After that I throttled it down with a router speed control so I can adjust the rpms to the minimum required for the work. I use a full face shield when using wire wheels.

When I think of it I do a mental fire drill, “where is the fire extinguisher?” I’ve never actually used one but I have managed to set a variety of things on fire, trash bag liners, sanding sponges, facial tissue, paper towels, polyurethane adhesive, steel wool, plastic pans, shop rags and my frayed clothing.

Most handled tools used under the power hammers have mild steel handles which will bend readily if misstruck so injurious force isn’t transferred to my hand.

I use silicone caulk as a general purpose shop adhesive. It dries fast, is strongly adhesive, and doesn’t catch on fire easily like polyurethane adhesive does. Running a bead around the post vise handles at the ball/shaft junction and tying a leather strip around over it provides a safety bumper that prevents pinching. I acquired an old post vise that had the handle bent into a gentle S. I think it was done intentionally to prevent the shaft from free falling when vertically aligned and that seems to work well.

“If you can’t hold it you can’t hit it”, said Francis Whitaker. When the hammer hits the anvil and rebounds toward my face it isn’t usually because I aimed at the wrong spot it is because the workpiece slipped out of position. Getting a secure grip on the work piece is essential for safe controlled work. I try to pick the best fitting tongs for the stock before I put the piece in the fire.

I think I have a pretty good grip on most shop hazards but haven’t licked the airborne particulate problem to my satisfaction especially during the cool months when the doors are closed. The forges and torches produce soot. The tumbler puts out a lot of “dust” which is a mixture of magnetite, hematite, steel, paint, and dirt. Grinding belts and wheels fling off abrasive particles.

I pickle in hydrochloric acid anything that is galvanized before it is heated and I use very little of that material anyway. I have a fearful respect for zinc and copper fumes. I spray protective finishes outdoors.

From time to time I think about devising some kind of air cleaning system (in addition to the furnace filters) that would make the air safer but it hasn’t happened yet.

The Artist Blacksmithing Association of North America publishes a “Safety_First.pdf” which I print and post in the studio. http://www.abana.org/downloads/Safety_First.pdf

Developing work habits which favor ergonomic efficiency and prevent overuse musculoskeletal injuries is a subject in itself.

http://www.persimmonforge.com/