I have finally restarted my clock project and it feels good. Today was probably the most satisfying day I've had at the forge in many years. Even though the work is not all that impressive to look at, it is an important first step. So without further delay...
Today was beginning work on the frame. The most important pieces for the frame are the corner posts. This is not just because of the structure but also because they are decorative in nature. Getting these done is an important morale booster for the project.
First step is to cut the posts to length. I rough cut them first (a bit longer then they need to be). That is because dealing with a 10 foot piece of metal is a bit unwieldy. The photo below shows the rough cut pieces. There is also a drawing on the left that is the pattern for the corners.
The photo below shows the pieces cut to length. At this point I am getting ready to transfer from the pattern to the metal. I trace where I need to make cuts and then make small nicks in the metal to show where to cut.
This photo shows the beginning of cutting. I am removing part of the side of the post. This is for decorative reasons. I start by tracing the pattern with a type of steel pencil. This pencil makes a thin scratch in the metal that I can see once the metal is heated. I then follow up with a small chisel to etch the line a bit deeper. This photo shows that.
I begin following up with deeper cuts. Once the line is well defined, I switch a larger and heavier chisel and begin hitting much harder. This also begins to curve the piece.
As things progress, the metal curves more and more. I don't fight that curving. I will clean it up once the waste piece is removed.
The last photo shows the waste piece now gone and the full curvature of the post. Once again, I will correct that later. My next post will show why I did not just go ahead and do it while the piece was still warm. Well, that's it. The sun was setting and not too much to show but it definitely feels good to start up again.
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