Winter Wolf Forge

So we finally got everything moved to bend, mostly. We’ve still got two vehicles, half a dozen boxes, a table, and a few odds and ends to move tomorrow. Lots of work, and considering we used a 17ft standard lift box-van and a 6×12ft uhaul trailer, not to mention the front half of a goos-neck horse trailer and a truck cab, plus the entire empty space in my 65 mustang, a lot of stuff as well. Apparently we’re bigger packrats then we though, but considering the “donations” we got in the form of old towels and crock-pots from our parents, it’s not entirely our fault…

Good news is my metalsmithing (black and silversmithing combined) stuff filled a 2 car car port, so I have a lot of stuff to play with and get working. Can’t wait to have some shop stuff set-up and ready to go. Have to finish a feast set for a Chaos Wars 13 prize, a dutch oven lid-hook for Chris Teeter, one of the few people who supported my interest from the get-go, and I think I owe Heather a trowel since I broke hers yesterday, hah. Good projects, good practice.

On other notes. Late post, but I didn’t get accepted for Tidefest. Near as I can figure it was a combination of a few things. I think the rush to get a lot of stuff done dropped my submission quality on my third item, but also I didn’t tailor my submission selection to what I could have guessed about the judges, and instead picked submissions that would fit in the show. Unfortunately I guess that wasn’t the best plan. Either way, I’ll still be doing administration assistance with Crew Moss, so all is not lost. And with my new found freetime, I will try and apply to the Bend Street Fair, and see if I can get into that next spring.

Lot’s of work to do!

Learned something new today: retinning is the process of re-applying tin to a previously tinned object, such as copper pots. By this you might assume that tinning is the process of applying tin the first time, but tinning is in fact commonly used in modern days to refer to the process of copper plating steel and tinning that. Basically a process by which you create a very weather-proof, non leeching metal sheet.

So, technically then, I am retinning… even if its the first time.

On other notes, I have completed a forming stake, and once I get a hold of a forming hammer or two I will begin doing some basic vessels to retin and use for dish-ware. The only problem now is the flux. I’ve found that Rosin and sal amoniac are the two most commonly used for this, but how much of what mixed in what vehicle is still a little sketchy. I’ve even got a recipe that involves tallow. Cow fat in my flux? I am going to do an array of samples and determine what works the best by guess and check, because the researching is about at an end. Wish me luck!

Currently I am working on some personal experiments/projects, and some apprentice work.

I am currently apprenticing with Alan Flashing (www.flashingforge.com), and we’ve been doing a lot of projects that require me to do extensive texturing to copper sheet and cold chiseling on iron.

The experiments are a little more interesting, though not as impressive. I am attempting to discover the semi-lost art of retinning/tinning of copper. Unfortunately I am having trouble getting a hold of pure Tin, and I need to find a good source for rosin, or some other acceptable flux.

Otherwise, another curias is in order as I am having forming withdrawls, so expect to see one soon.