Cheater Pipes/Bars

Years ago I got tired of searching for a cheater pipe when the need arose.  Usually, I had not done enough planning ahead.  The solution was to build a variety of these tools and organize them so they were handy.  The organization was just a matter of attaching a hanger and spraying on some paint so their application was easily recognizable.  Yellow & red is sprayed on the hot end and green on the cold end.

I didn’t give enough thought to attaching the first hangers and just welded a ring on the end of the pipe.  It then became apparent that the hanger limited the use of the pipe - it couldn’t slide all the way down a long workpiece.  This is important when the radius of the bend must be tight.  For me, the ring needs to be attached on the side of the pipe leaving the end unobstructed.

I tend to distinguish between cheater pipes (hollow) and cheater bars (solid) but apparently some people use “bar” for both types of torque multipliers.

There is a pretty good discussion of the theory and use of cheaters on Wikipedia.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheater_bar

Using Kasenit

I’ve had a can of Kasenit sitting around for quite a while and haven’t used it in such long time I can’t even remember why I got it.   Recently, I have been taking a hard look at each die I use and thinking about how it might be improved.

Each time I find a die which seems to need reworking because it has dulled I have been redressing the faces and giving it a Kasenit treatment.  It’s sort of a pseudoscience process because I have lost track of the alloys used in many of the dies.  If I make the judgement that it seems not to be as hard as I would like I take a shot at hardening it with Kasenit.

I heat the die in the coal fire to bright red and shovel on the black Kasenit powder and watch it melt and bubble and flow over the surface in a manner similar to flux.  When it is fully coated I put it back in the fire and bring it up to a bright red heat again then take it out and let it air cool until I judge it to be below the critical temperature then cool it briefly in water and lay it aside.

So far, so good.  I haven’t encountered any problems and perhaps the dies have been improved but, realistically, it will take more time and use to really make a more useful judgement.  At least I’ve moved into an experimental phase where I have a chance of learning more than I could by just looking at a can on powder sitting on the bench.

Forging Silicone Bronze

A few years ago I was approached about two projects which involved forging silicone bronze.  I had worked with copper a bit but felt I need to do some practice with the CDA 655 allow which would be the forging stock.

I ordered minimum quantities of several types of material.  It was pricey.  I only had time to do a little experimenting before both projects were cancelled.

Over the weekend, in the interlude of two 50º - 60º days before another arctic plunge, I did some cleaning and recycling and came across the bronze stockpile.  One piece of 1” round rod was purchased years ago to make some bushings but the piece of 1” square bar was ADA 655 silicone bronze.  I decided to test them both.

The last time I did bronze forging it was in the gas forge with a hand hammer.  Today it would be in the coal forge with a power hammer.  I waited until the end of the day when the fire was weak  and the light was dim.  Ken and I worked slowly and carefully taking at least twice the number of heats we would take with mild steel and forged a short tapered object, square at the base and transitioning to a round tip about 5” in length.  This would be my ring holder.

The bushing stock proved unforgeable.  Forging the ring holder was easy and not intimidating as I remember my pervious practice sessions.  I have some 3/32 “ sheet and some 9/16” round rod too, so, it is just a matter of figuring out a sculptural theme to use up the material.  I’ll probably start with some single element botanical pieces.  Probably most will be patterns which are representational but some may be fanciful.

I’m also looking forward to learning about how to create some different patinas.

Briefcase Stand Model

As part of my 2014 plan to reduce clutter and increase workspace I am trying to scan as many paper files as possible to digital pdf format.  My previous scanner was too slow for high volume work so I got a new one rated at 20 pages per minute.  Most of the things I need to scan can’t go through the document feeder so my actual speed will be more like five of six pages a minute.  This is still an improvement.

I need to make a stand for the scanner so I can work with it in a convenient place.  Temporarily, I borrowed a briefcase stand I made years ago.  It’s not quite right for this situation but it gives me a chance to study and figure out what I want to build.  I first noticed that it needs to be a few inches taller.

In my first career I used a briefcase to transport documents.  I still carry one to the studio every day.  Usually there are some project files kind of like in the old days, but, now there is also soapstone, tape measures, drawing supplies, small test pieces, pocket pliers, iPhone, and other odds and ends.  Today there is even a silicon carbide penetrator core from a 50 caliber round.  A friend showed me how to peel off the copper jacket and use the penetrator as a center punch.

I found my plans for the briefcase stand and I can modify them to make the new scanner stand.  If this were a client project it would be worth the time to include more forging.  In this case it will be a simple cut and weld job.  I’ve got too many other things which need attention.

I will point out that the top front corners ought to be rounded and smooth to prevent damage to the briefcase.  I used 1/2” square bar for the outer frame and 1/2” square tube for the interior pieces.  The two tray was designed as shown in the diagram.  I later added three short braces front to back in the center and that improved the design.

Mindy Gardner

I just came across this video of Mindy Gardner uploaded on YouTube December 5, 2010. Steel Repousse with Mark and Mindy Gardner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEho__tPwcc

In October 2003 Betty and I went on a trip to visit one of our sons who lived in the Chicago metropolitan area.  On the approach leg of the trip we arranged to make a stop over in Farmer City, Il to visit an old school chum and also to see the Flood Plain Forge owned and operated by Mark and Mindy Gardner.  On the day we visited George Dixon and Kirk Sullens were also there.  We got a tour of the historic shop and saw a display of some of Mindy’s extraordinary chasing work and drawings.  I had a short visit with them again at the ABANA 2010 conference in Memphis.

Some of her work is shown here.  http://www.floodplainforge.com

Linoleic Acid Grease

Shortly after my studio building was built I went looking for a 55 gallon drum.  The nearest source was a local bakery which sold various containers when they were emptied.  I had the help of one of the employees when picking out a drum.  He suggested a specific one and pointed out that it had not been cleaned and still contained about five gallons of linoleum acid grease.  He said was great grease, restaurant quality (edible) and would work well as an industrial grease.  I brought it home and cleaned it and, sure enough, filled a five gallon bucket and several quart jars.

It was a messy job but it has supplied all the grease I’ve very needed and still have five gallons of the stuff.  Perhaps I should look into starting a biofuel business.

Die Retainer Pin Modification

The quick change die holder system on my power hammers has worked very well for years.  After I got the rhythm of using them worked out I rarely dropped a keeper during a die exchange.  However, there was one with one problem.  The drop pin which locks the key in place is tethered to the key and the tethers have a tendency to break.

The first tethers were long leather strips. However if a hot work piece contacted the leather it would burn through it.  Later I tried a heavy nylon cord and that worked even less well for the same reason.  The current tethers are steel chain.  They have worked so well I think they may be the end of the story.

Keeper Key and pin in locking position.

Keeper key and pin in storage position.

2014 is Booked

Ken came a couple of days ago and returned a child carseat which he had borrowed for a grandkid visit.  We discussed the forging schedule and decided that the next day would be our first day for 2014.  I told him that over the holiday break I had studied the work schedule and decided I had already taken on all we could reasonably get done during the year so I wasn’t going to commit to any new work.

This was only acknowledging reality and it felt somewhat liberating to formalize it.  No deadlines this year.  I spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out a rather complicated jig which will be essential in determining whether a project can be made for a price which will make it marketable.

The order of business now is to clear out three tables which are nearly finished and taking up needed space.  Next, will come a lot of smaller projects which are partially worked.  When nice weather arrives I’ve made plans to set up a scaffold and replace the forge flue which is rusting away.  I’m working on a new design which will be modular and allow for replacement of individual sections.  Also, I plan to instal a topper which will prevent downdraft when there is a strong west wind.

Wired Bolt Followup

On 11/28/13 I wrote about wiring a pair of bolts on my spare tire power hammer.

http://persimmonforge.blogspot.com/2013/11/wired-bolts.html

Those nuts are still securely in place but one in the back pair loosened so I replaced them with wired ones also.  This modification has been in place for a couple of months without loosening.

January Thaw

Years ago I did some writing with observations about our natural world as the theme.  I loved reading other writers such as Thoreau, Muir, Edwin Way Teale, Hal Borland and many others who enjoyed describing natural events.  It was from Borland that I picked up the phrase “the January thaw.”  It may be more a construction of our imagination that a meteorological fact but it rings a bell with a lot of us.  Each year I anticipate it as it it were as sure as the equinox.

“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter.  One is the January thaw.  The other is the seed catalogs.”

Hal Borland

In his book Sundial of the Seasons, he wrote, “The January thaw is special because it opens winter’s door a crack just when it seems that the ice has locked it tight. Through that crack one can see the certainty of March and April somewhere up ahead....The worst one can say about the January thaw is that it never lasts. It lifts the heart, then drops it with a cold thud when the warm spell passes and the chill congeals the earth again....But when January does relent, even for a day or two, we can celebrate, cautiously.”

Typically, the thaw is described as a week or unseasonably warm weather occurring in the neighborhood of the 25th of January.  Today it is the 20th and the temperature got up into the 60’s.  This warmth isn’t going to last a week but it was the break we needed to get outside and take down the Christmas lights.

The Dragon Pillow

I believe it was Mike Smythe Boone who gave me the name for this tool.  I have seen several variations.  

The spine which locks in the vise is a foot long piece of 1/4” x 1” flat bar.  The pillow is made by slicing a 3” long block of 2” square bar on the diagonal. This gives an incline of about 34º to the work face.   The pillow is welded to the spine so that the spine sets in about 3/8” from one side allowing the pillow to rest on the vise jaw.

I use my tool in a 5” vise so I added two short pieces of flat bar to act as stops on both ends on one vise jaw.  I also added a couple of other pieces of scrap which prevent the tool from falling out of the vise when the work piece is removed for another heat.

To use the tool effectively takes a little planning.  If the piece is to be an animal head or a dragon or other figural object the ultimate size will determine the parent stock.  It could be as large as 2” square bar or as small as 1/2” square bar or perhaps a railroad spike.  If I were using 1” up to  2” square, I would cut off as much as I needed and weld on a lighter porter bar.  The vise will grip on the porter bar and not the workpiece itself. 

Figural pieces generally require unite a few heats to forge, chisel and punch all the detail lines so getting a comfortable work layout is helpful.  Even if I was only making a wizard head on a railroad spike I would weld on a porter bar so I didn’t have to use tongs.

My Dragon pillow too.

Dragon by Mike Smythe Boone - Grapevine Ironfest 2001.

Vise Grips

Almost every day I use large jaw locking pliers.  Actually, I own several styles but the large jaws get used the most.  I just call them Vise Grips.

I decided to see what I could find about their history.  Wikipedia gave a little information but I found another link which was more interesting.  http://executiveedits.com/content/tag/gear/?currentPage=5 Scroll down until the image of the pliers appears.

I was surprised to learn they were invented by a blacksmith, William Petersen, less that 200 miles from where I live.

Blade Bevel Guide

In the December 1992 issue of the Blacksmith’s Journal Jerry Hoffman illustrated a tool for helping make a smooth bevel of a blade.  Every couple of years I make some letter openers and this might be useful so I made a sketch of a version I might make.  I’ll plan to use something like S7 and make the bolts replaceable.

I didn’t want to take the time to draw a knife blade so I got an image from the 3D Warehouse.

Swarf Magnet

This small tool is used to clean up the workspace around the the drill press.  There isn’t much critical in the design other than the magnet must fit into the nooks and crannies of the cross-slide vise of the drill press.

I also wanted the magnet to remain securely fixed while stripping off the accumulated swarf glob.  I used a 1/2” rare earth magnet and placed it inside a drilled 1/2” hole and added some polyurethane glue.  Later I used a grinder to remove the excess steel around the magnet leaving only  a thin retainer rim.

This has worked much better that the small whisk brush I used to use.

ArtIron License Plate

When I was lining out a business plan, I got a lot of things wrong.  It didn’t help that I had never taken a business course although I had been working in a business for all my adult life.

One of the things I misjudged was the advertising aspect.  I could see that a website was probably essential the way the web was growing so I got that going.  If I were doing it today I would make it a lot simpler.  

I felt we needed listing in the phone directories.  That never helped in my type of business, though it has its place.  I had business cards printed but never paid for any other advertising.

Thankfully, I didn’t get signage painted on my truck and just settled for a license plate which might stir someone’s interest.  Over the years only one person has seen it and asked me If I did blacksmithing.

With experience, I realized that nothing sells work better than the work.  It’s something like saying, “Nothing succeeds like success.”  One of the best ways I found to do that was to donate things to worthy local causes, Friends of This or That.  Of course, no money comes directly from that but it helps the community and builds credibility and can lead to some commissions.

Most commission work is of the high-end nature, low volume but nice jobs and satisfied clients are good at work-of-mouth advertising.  For steady sales the gallery works well but the lower the price the more the items will sell.  A lot  of buyers are travelers with limited space, so that’s a consideration too.  My impression is that, with ironwork, items offered should generally be under $300.  That also assures they won’t be very large.

When I got the original “vanity plate” it was a small education.  First, I had to pay for a standard plate so I could legally drive the truck until the new plate was made and of course there would be an additional charge, and trip to pick it up, when it arrived.  The original plate read, IRONART.  When I was required to get my new 2011 plate, I was informed I would have to pick another spelling because someone in the state already was using, IRONART.  I suspected that person was me but I’ve pretty much given up fighting the law so I applied for ARTIRON and moved on.  Given more time to think I probably would have just requested a standard plate

.

Tire Shrinker

I don’t completely understand this video.  It appears to me to be just the first of two necessary steps.  In this first step the tire is made smaller more by buckling than upsetting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xubuFXZDpA0

It seems the second step should be to take another high forging heat at the buckle.  The lock the tire in the shrinker with the buckle directly over the anvil plate and forge the buckle flat and smooth.  The grip of the dogs prevents the forged segment from growing laterally, the hammering brings the tire back to proper dimensional thickness.  The tire does grow some in width and that can be removed by filing after the tire has been placed back on the wheel.

I looked through some of my old photo files and couldn’t find an image to the machine once owned.  A Google image search brings up a number of similar ones.  I’m just beginning to recover from what I presume was the flu apparently not prevented by my flu shot, so, I have no energy to pursue it further at this time.

My Tire Bender

About 15 or 20 years ago I found a tire bender in a flea market in really good shape, except for a missing crank handle, and soon after found a tire (or tyre) shrinker in a tailgate sale frozen with rust.  I bought both of them thinking they might be nice antique display items.

With penetrating oil, heat, force and time I got the tire shrinker apart, cleaned and in good working condition.  After it sat around a couple of years I got an offer I couldn’t refuse so I let it go.  The tire bender worked well for making large rings and I used it a few times before it became a permanent fixture on the porch.  It is one of a number of things I need to get rid of this year to make space.

Both of these tools served wheelwrights well.  The American one-piece tire was made like this.  The wood wheel perimeter was measured with a traveler and wrought iron of the appropriate width and length for the tire was forged.  The ring of the tire was created with the bender and the junction was forged welded.  The tire should be just a bit too small to fit the wheel cold but when heated it could be slipped on and quickly cooled with bucket after bucket of water shrinking and seizing around the wood.  I’ve seen videos of this but never actually attended a live fitting.

I once visited a historic site where just out side the wheelwright shop there was a foot deep circular pit where a corncob fire was started and used to heat the entire circumference of the tyre.  Next to it was a a worn out granite mill stone about six or seven feet in diameter where the wood wheel rested waiting for the fitting.  Buckets of water would be placed around the stone ready for dumping.

This video shows a more modern version of the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0gPGoz9Xhc

The shrinker was used when a tire needed to be made smaller.  After some use the tires would fret on the wood and wear it away and loosen.  The tire could be knocked off and heated to forging temperature for several inches in an area which might have already been a bit thinned.  When placed in the shrinker the dogs would grip the tire and upset it or buckle it slightly over an anvil plate and the tire would be hammered smooth again.  When it was appropriately too small the whole tire could be heated and placed back on the wheel and cooled.  I’ve never actually witnessed that either.

The Lift Bucket

I go up the stairs to the loft as infrequently as possible.  I had to do it a lot in the early years but after I got all my design files set up and switched from table drawing to computer drawings the loft was mostly a storage place.  I didn’t want to make the climb every time I had a file to return to some small parts to store so I rigged up the lift bucket.

The name is a little misleading as it spends most of its time just hanging.  Actually, it serves as a collection point where I can gather things that eventually make the trip up.  When the bucket gets heavy or full or I need to bring something down, I climb to the landing and use the pulley to haul up the bucket and unload it.  Often, I also find some cargo to drop.  Most of the time this relieves me of caring up or down an armful of things.

Weak as a Cat

Today, I’m on the verge of coming back to life.  This whole week has been a descent into the misery of some acute respiratory illness with some more widespread bodily effects.  I did get a flu shot a month or more ago.  Besides this was more insidious in onset than the usual flu.  First, a little nagging cough and general loss of enthusiasm.  Progressing to more cough and some shoulder and back ache.  Then, loss of appetite, really painful coughing spells producing ugly mucous.  Two nights of almost no sleep, chills, headache, lethargy.  Then, burning eyes, runny nose and sneezing.  When I crawled out of bed this morning I was just about ready to throw in the towel and maybe even go to the hospital.  I couldn’t even eat a bagel and just got a up of coffee and fell asleep in my chair.  A couple of hours later I woke up and felt improved.  I spent the day navigating from one kleenex box to another but generally getting better.  I was able to get some correspondence and year end paper work done.

I’m anticipating being able to sleep tonight and being able to work at the gallery in the afternoon.  Soon, I will forget all about it.  it was just another routine test of my immune system and the system worked.

Cutting Sheet Across the Vise

I haven’t used this technique in a while.  Probably it’s an exercise I ought to do once in a while just so it stays fresh in my mind as an option.  Mostly, I’ve used it when prototyping, making one-off items.  I remember when I was introduced to using a cold chisel this way many years ago and being surprised how accurate and effective it was.

I found a couple of clip art images showing the technique.  Both images show a straight line cut.  The last time I remember using it was for cutting some blanks for making magnolia leaves.  Those leaves have a gently curved edge and the technique still works quite well as long as the waste material is removed or bent out of the way so it doesn’t obstruct the positioning of the work piece.  The result is a curved appearing edge line which was cut with a series of short straight cuts.  That’s actually how the SketchUp drawing program makes curved lines too.

For me, this method would become impractical for sheet thicker than about 12 gauge mild steel or 8 gauge copper or brass.  Also, if the project is going to require a lot of pieces I’d be looking for another method.

My Fireplace Fireback

We’ve just come through one of the coldest spells in many years.  We have a heat circulating fireplace so I use it when we’re anticipating really cold weather.  

The firebox is designed so that when it is hot enough a thermostat circuit turns of a fan which moves air from outdoors around the box and into the heating ducts.  There is also a vent opening to the room which can draw off heat locally.  It works well and my only complaint is the noise of the fan.  If I had it to do over I’d locate the fan where it couldn’t be heard as much.  

Several years ago my chimney sweep advised putting in a fireback to give extra protection to the back wall of the firebox.  He has seen cases where the back wall had burned through and that was more difficult to repair than to prevent.  I think it takes users a while to realize a small fire works well in these units and that, in itself, goes a long way to protecting the steel of the firebox.

The design we worked out conforms in shape to the back wall.  It stands a inch or more away from the liner and it made from 7 gauge HRS sheet.  There are four slots along the bottom which allow the plate to rest on the firebrick floor by straddling the four grate bars.  There are triangular fins welded to the plate which creates good standing stability.  On each side there set screws made from 9/16” x 3” bolts sharpened to a point so they don’t tend to “walk around” when tightening.

The final touch was to add a few forged flame-like elements for a decorative touch as well as extra thickness in the hottest zone.

For years I’ve wanted to make a set of custom fireplace doors to replace the store-bought ones we’ve used since the house was built.  The ones I’ve made for clients are better in several ways and the doors are much easier to remove for glass cleaning.  Maybe, I’t get to that this spring or summer.

Roy Underhill

About the time I was making the transition from woodworking to blacksmithing, Roy Underhill was hosting a popular PBS show, The Woodwright’s Shop, featuring traditional woodworking techniques and occasionally peeks into other crafts.  Roy had been a master craftsman at Colonial Williamsburg.

I throughly enjoyed the episodes and eventually got four of his books.  I recently came across his current website and was glad to see he is still going strong.  I was even more pleased to see their courses include two taught by Peter Ross, who also served as a blacksmithing master at the Anderson Forge in Colonial Williamsburg.

On June 29, 2011 I wrote about his nail making dmonstration at the Saltfork Craftsmen Conference in Guthrie, Oklahoma in 1999.  It has been my pleasure to see him work several times since then.

http://www.woodwrightschool.com/name-stamps-w-peter-ross/

http://www.woodwrightschool.com/butterfly-hinges-w-peter-ross/

Additional links for the interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Underhill

http://www.woodwrightschool.com

http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/woodwright/order.html

Peter Ross at the anvil.

Calipers by Peter Ross.

Marak Adjustable Work Support

About once a year I usually page through all the back issues of the Blacksmith’s Journal.  I almost always find a few things that look useful now which I didn’t really notice earlier.  In the October 1991 issue on page 164 is Jerry Hoffman’s drawing of a work support idea submitted by S. L. Marak of Chula Vista, CA.

I never built one like it but it looks like a neat design.  I decided to draw a version of it in SketchUp and post the model on the 3D Warehouse  where it would be available for others to download.

The base was not shown, only the catch and release mechanism.  The shaft fits through guide holes which closely fit around it.  The catch is a toggle dog.  Lifting the leading edge disengages the dog’s bite on the shaft.  Gravity drops the dog into the locking position.  The shaft hole through the dog is a bit oversized to accommodate the toggle motion.  The dog is not securely attached to the frame.  If the shaft is lifted out of the guides the dog can be removed and the tooth sharpened.  The article states that the tooth should be hardened.

I drew the plan using 1/2” round rod for the shaft but 1/2” thread rod could be substituted and achieve, perhaps, more secure locking.

Published to 3D Warehouse 01/07/14.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=1d48dd635600ce7e4ee323db343c418a&prevstart=0

Catch position, release position, dog removal.

Dog dropped to catch.

Dog lifted to release.

Cut Most of the Way

I’ve mentioned before that I did woodworking in one form or another for some 40 years before getting into blacksmithing.

I had not been into blacksmithing very long when I began noting the similarities and differences in the techniques of the two crafts.  I learned that to do blacksmithing I must become familiar with a new skill set and break some old habits.  One of the first things which struck me as different occurred in cutting stock.

In my wood working experience I cut a measured piece off of the parent stock completely and that was that.  In my blacksmithing I often found it more efficient to cut a piece only part way off.

Examples:

Using the hardy hot cut - I learned not to cut off a piece all the way and let it fly.  Now I cut it most of the way and break it off by hand with tongs and put the hot drop in a safe place.

Cutting a piece of stock for incorporation into a weldment - cut it 90% of the way, put in a convenience bend to position the piece using the parent stock as a handle.  Weld the piece in place and break off the parent stock handle.

Using the bandsaw or a cutoff disc I stop just a but shy of complete severance.  That way I can break off the piece and store the remainder without dropping either on the floor.

When an exact length is not important I use a severing die in the hydraulic press to sever stock cold.  The blade has a slight relief so complete severance is avoided and the bridge is so thin I can snap it with an easy bend.

It seems like I’ve switched from the notion of, by default, cutting for severance to cutting most of the way but leave a thread of attachment.

Notch, bend, use parent stock for handle.

Weld in place and snap off handle.

Convenience Bends

I read an article a few days ago in which the author detailes a list of things he wished he had learned earlier.  It started me thinking about how I might have benefitted from more instruction.

Probably the first thing I could have done quicker is to lear to work at high heat.  This is in spite of hearing the “get it hot and hit it hard” phrase time after time.  The flip side is learning to stop forging when it ltill looks pretty hot and get it back into the fire for mor heat.  I tended to keep on working and let the heat fall too far.

Another thing I could have given more attention was ending a forging segment with an intentional convenience bend so the area to be worked next would be easy to position to catch the next heat.  Putting in convenience bends to avoid obstruction when forging seemed more obvious to me.

Those two things probably could have helped me a lot.  Today convenience bends to fit the fire seem second nature.  But now I have another reason for using them - my tumbler.  While Ken and I were recently forging a piece which was about 60” long I realized it would not fit into the tumbler which only accepts pieces up to about 56” long.  The solution, forge a convenience bend, or two, which would reduced the overall length to 56” and which could easily be straightened later.

Twenty years ago the possibility of these bends wouldn’t have occurred to me as my mind was so cluttered with other things I was trying to learn.  In any new endeavor it takes a while to develop a minimal competence which allows moving from the awkward self conscious mode to a Zen-like state of relaxed confidence.  That’s when it becomes fun.