Bob Cunningham hosted a great meeting for the Adirondack Chapter of the New York State Designer Blacksmiths.
His large new shop was well organized and very comfortable. The theme for the day was making a leaf veining die, but many projects were accomplished. Several of us did make the parts to assemble a veining die.
Leaf veining die.
We heated and forged the W-1 tool steel die blanks using the gas forge. They were forged both by hand and with the power hammer.
We had several new smiths at work. They made a long handle flux spoon that required a forge weld. That was done in the coal forge. They did a great job and worked hard.
Young Smiths forging
After lunch we had a tong making contest. I was on the team to forge a pair of flat jaw tongs by hand from 5/8 mild steel bar. The other team used a power hammer. The goal was to see who could make the best tongs the fastest. The winner would be the tongs that was finished and could pick up the other pair first.
Marty Snye and John Brunelle forge a pair using the Big Blu.
Eric Schatzel and I forged them out on the anvil.
The Power Hammer team finished theirs first. Since they were done before us we made ours the most handsome!
It was a fun project, taught everyone something, and inspired some fierce trash talk! A new member was given both pair of tongs. Hopefully he will break the “Newbie tool gift curse”! No first time visitor to the club that has been given a tool has come back to a second meeting! I am confident Joshua will break the trend, because I know where he lives! All in all it was a great Hammer-In at the NYSDB-ADK meeting.
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