I’ve been playing around with steel. I don’t have a welder and have never welded steel, but it’s something I think would help create a lot of art. For now I’m just pounding away at hand forged pieces with no welding involved. In reality the same ideas or base principles can be applied to blacksmithing as I have learned for precious metals such as silver, gold and platinum. The main difference I have found is that ferrous metals such as steel is worked hot while the non ferrous metals such as silver, etc are worked cold. I really like pounding away at something like metal. It’s actually quite relaxing and fun. You get to see the metal transform slowly before your eyes. For me blacksmithing is something I’m just starting to experiment with and I find it harder to work in the sense that for me it’s a pain to keep hot all the time while I work it. Silver and gold is so much easier to work cold and then heat up to anneal it.
So here is an image of me pounding away at some metal. I make a Fairy Hair Pin in a similar manner. It’s pretty much my first product that I make and sell in steel. It’s not too hard to make and it’s fun. I love how it turns out every time. Each one is unique or at least the scroll and hammer marks are always slightly different. The small twist near the back end is made by taking the round rod and hammering a section flat and then twisted in just that area. Both ends of the hair pin are hammered to a point that involves hammering the tips of the rod into a pyramid shape flat on all four sides. You keep drawing the tips out like this until the desired length and thickness is desired. Then the edges are rounded back out so that the tips are then rounded. The scroll on the end is the funnest part. I like slowly bending and rolling the tip upon itself while red hot. It’s so interesting how metal is so hard until heated hot enough. While red hot it bends like butter. Love it. These hair pins are then finished with a hammered finish and a bees wax seal to keep moister out so they don’t rust. A true fairy hair pin that looks great when worn. As a side note, these pins can also be used as a level of protection. They are well made and strong so I’m just saying that it could be used as a weapon too, but you didn’t hear that from me.
So I hope to create more blacksmithing products. I’ll be sharing more of my ideas as I create them. I hope that you’ll stay tuned to see my new ideas as I evolve as an artist. I love to make functional art. Lets hope that it’s both beautiful and functional. I mean what is the use of having something you like and not be able to use it? Blacksmithing to me is another fun way to help create just that.
Blacksmithing
