After taking several weeks away from the forge to let my elbow rest(bad tennis elbow), I was back on the forge yesterday. My arm held up well and I think that part of the problem was that I was using the wrong length hammer handles. I had bought a new handle that had a better fit and found myself using a 3 pound hammer all day when in the past I've had trouble with using the 3 pounder for more than half an hour.
Anyway, I got back to work on a post that helps support the verge and foliot. The smithing work is now done on the post and I am doing cleanup work with files. I didn't take any new photos but this is a photo of the old post to give you an idea of the part I am talking about. Look for the piece that is just to the left of center of the photo.. It is coming out of the top of the clock.
I remade this piece due to some issues with it not fitting quite right and partly because I could have done better with the overall appearance.
I am switching to doing more file work for the cleanup on the pieces. In reality, that was the mistake I frequently have made in the past. Because file work can be slow and tedious, I tended to avoid it. With this project I can't do that.
I did finish the forge work on the piece and then I tried something new. I let the piece soak in muriatic acid (basically, hydrochloric acid) for about 30 minutes. This helps to break apart any scale on the surface of the piece and makes it easier to file. For any other smiths reading this, muriatic acid is nasty stuff. If you don't want to work with it, you can also use vinegar but you need to let it sit overnight. I started in on the file work and I'm happy with the results so far. I promise new pictures soon.
With the time change last weekend, I will now have another hour of daylight in the evenings. What that really allows me to do is get on the forge after work more easily. I hope to get this moving.
