A lot in the works

So it has been a while since I updated the lessons section.

Partly this is because I am writing ahead a fair bit, and partly because we have been busy. Mayfaire snuck up on us, went well enough (except for me getting really sick on the last day). We are making a lot of stock for the summer season, and have designed two new tools that I will detail here in coming posts as part of the lessons. These tools will make some of the future lessons easier, and should just be fun for others to have and use.

The first is a medium sized treadle powered helve hammer and the second is a new kind of spring vice.

The helve is an ancient form of power hammer, which was later reduced in size and adapted to be either motor powered or human powered. You don't see a lot of them in use in blacksmith shops any longer, even though they are easier to build than some other treadle hammers.

The spring vice we are working on and testing is actually going to be useful for more than just metal smiths. With a few simple modifications, it should also be a boon to wood carvers, or anyone else that needs a portable, versatile clamping system for reasonable sized stock. As usual, the big hang up is the art work. I may just resort to photographs for these articles.

They will also be up on our main site when the articles are done, and will probably be there before they show up here.