Had an order for hooks so I had to crank up the forge yesterday. The (boring) order didn't get done but somehow the "play" project moved right along. Here is a brand new "old iron cross".

 
It's made from an old rust pitted railroad spike. The head's flattened to form the base. It's cut in half up from the bottom and then down from the top at 90 degrees, so the arms are bent down and out and the top around and up so you see the twists around the center hole where the cuts overlapped.

I left the rust pitting and saw marks proud. It's funny that back in the day when hammering was the only way to form steel they used a flatter to take the hammer marks out. Now days I can't sell anything if it doesn't show hammer marks.

The top arm looks long and I'm wondering if it's worth shortening it. Those club crowns are a trick to chisel in, but then what's one more trick in a project like this? Try flattening the top of the head without distorting the spike side, that takes some fancy hammering.

The thing is I made one and while I was writing up a discription to put on Etsy it got lost. I've spent about as long looking for it as it took to make it. The current theory is that the cat ate it. It seemed like a more pleasant solution to just make another than to sift the litter box.

It's beautiful!!

Mr Strode-

Quite a beautiful, hand-wrought, art piece.  To my untrained eye, it looks like it would've been a simple object to make, but then, the devil is always in the details, as you have noted.  The "art" always involves knowing what the problems and limitations are when manipulating a medium, and then overcoming them, with skill.  The hammer leaves the grace and beauty.  How I would love to pull up a chair and watch you change a lowly, object of limited utility, into an object of veneration.

Thanks for giving us a peek at a dying art.  I can only guess at all the wonderful things that came from your anvil and hammer. 


Frank

Nice work.

I got the hooks done and treated myself to some time on the cross. I cut that top arm down and I think it looks a lot better.

 

Of course, having a backdrop. and the sun coming around to give better light helped with the picture. you can actually make out the texture in this one.

I make hooks and knives out of railroad spikes too. I'm going to take samples up to the railroad museum in New Haven and see if they want to carry my stuff before I post it on Etsy. I haven't been real impressed with the orders I've gotten through Etsy, but then I haven't been real good about posting either.

Lovely work...My father side of family is from long line of generations of Coppersmiths... So I know what it takes to work with metal.
Sadly, being in the list of Dying Arts, these professions will be missed and no one will be able to do anything about it due to the financially non-feasable nature.

Tom, I want to thank you and wish all the strength to keep this spirit of survival going :)

That's very nice work.  I agree, it looks better in the second picture.

Very nice!