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Charcoal Retort Day 1
“Charcoal!”, he retorted. This is my first foray into high-tech low-tech clean charcoal production but I am stoked to try it out. For background information on fuel alternatives, see the post entitled: Sustainable ‘Smithing?. For this project, I visited the good folks at Demxx and picked up a steel drum along with a 6″ diameter…
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Island Workshop Day 6
Built a reclaimed fir boardwalk at the front of the shop, installed the leg vise and post drill, and built the charcoal retort, beta version.
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Island Workshop Day 5
Spent most of the morning rebuilding a hand-cranked blower, hooked up a light and a power outlet, and rearranged more tools.
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Island Workshop Day 4
Installed the chimney with lots of ground help from Neido~chan, built shelves, and started to organize tool boxes and scrap steel.
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Island Workshop Day 3
Built wall racks for steel stock and cleared some of the floor space. Moved the stump and anvil into place and leveled the earth floor.
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Island Workshop Day 2
Cut down the oversized smoke hood and installed it over the forge, finished set up of the forge table and installed the firepot.
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Island Workshop Day 1
Unloaded all 4000 pounds of steel and tools, stashed most of it under cover and out of the rain. Set up the forge table and sorted tools.
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We Are Moving Shop!
After several years hiatus in Japan, it was time to pack up the tools from cold storage in Canada, dust off the anvil, set up shop on Vancouver Island, Canada, and get the fire going. We are packing up house here in Kansai, heading to Canada this Fall, and will be located mid-island in the…
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A Call for Submissions
Dave enjoys collecting old tools and reusing found materials for his projects. If you are in the area, let us know if you have some high carbon steel, wrought iron, hardwood, lumber, or interesting blacksmithing, farm, or wood working tools that need a caring home.
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Sustainable ‘Smithing?
One of the draws of this type of craftsmanship is the deeply ingrained appreciation for ‘real’ and natural materials and simple methods. Many of the shop operations depend on human power and handwork. The charcoal fuel for forging is made from reclaimed wood.
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Handcrafted Knives
Inspired by the Japanese art of swordsmithing, Dave began making knives in 1990. His approach brings together a fusion of cultural and artistic styles from his experiences in Africa, North America, and Asia. Highlighting the potential for creative transformation in discarded objects, most of his raw material is sourced from worn out tools, farm machinery,…
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Ornamental Ironwork
1992 marked the completion of an intense short-term foundation course under a skilled career blacksmith. The next decade was focused on furthering the skill set for creating chandeliers, furniture, utensils, candle holders, and other useful decorative items while developing knifemaking skills on the side.
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D.i.y. Technology
Blacksmithing is a unique craft with the ability to produce and modify its own tools. Understanding of various properties of wood and metals have led to applications in several areas including interior design, playspaces, pyrotechnics, tool repair, and skateboarding.
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Mini Brass & Ebony Spring Folder
This began as a prototype and was my first attempt at a folding knife. Due to the small size of the piece I opted for a spring-tension lock system rather than an actual lock. This is quite a bit more complex than a friction folder and was a good challenge to take on. The shape…
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Linen Micarta Integral
*UPDATE* this knife was stolen from our vehicle January 19, 2018. If seen or found on the market please notify, collect payment, or return to its original home. I made this knife in 1996 at the age of 18. I wanted to continue to develop my integral survival-style camp knife pattern with this piece. The…