#forgingisfun

Forging progression of a chefs knife. I like to say, “It looks like shit until it doesn’t”. I hear so much frustration from so many beginner smiths because after a heat or two their metal looks gnarly and nothing like the knife they want to forge. Learning to embrace the funky shapes that are necessary to get the final desired shape is a skill of its own. It’s not unlike growth in our daily lives. We often go through challenging and messy time periods and having the foresight and trust to navigate through them to the otherside makes those times easier to swallow.
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Happy forging!
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston
#forgedinfire #forgingisfun #blacksmith #lifelessons #shoplessons #learningaswego #forgetherapy (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpNPIdjOZN/?igshid=k0w8fu3xn5gt

Forged copper arm torc. I just love the magical warm glow of forged copper.
This was forged to shape and detail stamped using chisels, no dremel. I prefer the look of stamped in runes to rotary carvings.
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There was very minimal grinding - just a lite grit to soften some of the edges and a quick run on the buffing wheel to get some of the high spots to pop.
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My favorite thing about this one might just be the triangle stamping along the outer edge. If you look carefully you can see where it subtly pushed out the edges in little bulges. They were then cleaned up with the flat side of a small ball pein hammer.
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Fun to forge and fun to wear!
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #coppersmith #copper #viking #dragon #runes #forgedinfire #forged #forgingisfun #blacksmith #armtorc
(at Frankenmuth River Place Shops)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMa1BxuDGDI/?igshid=1h3ngeybk6ev5

It was an incredibly cold day, or maybe we should have put the long underwear on, but we managed to get through a knife forging class from bar stock to a hardened dao knife blade. Handle round will come eventually.
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I’ve been working through some teaching methods before these classes officially get added to the options at @bavarianblacksmithexp keep and eye out over there if you are eager to learn.
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedinfire #forgingisfun #frankenmuth #puremichigan #hotwork #blacksmith #forgeyourown (at Frankenmuth River Place Shops)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL6qYP-jmqU/?igshid=z4cgu752bp2k

Took a few minutes today and dusted off my shamrock forging skills… I felt really rusty. I followed the same process that @cloverdaleforge illustrated awhile back. It’s a fun little project and perfect for the onset of March.
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedsteel #forgingisfun #clover #shamrock #bottleopener #irish
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Photo by: @silvernaile_snapshots
The crew at @bavarianblacksmithexp will be making these this month - get em while you can! (at Frankenmuth River Place Shops)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2hbv3jfHy/?igshid=1uz0lygf31v2c

Full day class with an inspiring man. He’s 68 and picking up a new hobby. I ran him through the ropes and directed him through the steps of forging a long chefs knife. He was incredibly teachable and responded well to the large amount of information thrown at him in one session. I can only hope that when I am 68 that I can still be as receptive to new information and ideas as he was.
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In the end he had a beautiful hand forged 1095 and I learned that you can teach an old dog new tricks so long as we are open to the old Biblical addage, “As iron sharpens iron, so do we sharpen each other.”
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedinfire #knifeordeath #knifemaking #knifenut #ironsharpensiron #learning #newskills #forging #forgingisfun #blacksmith
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Steel: 1095 from @nj_steelbaron
Handle: Koa from @forrester_woods
Grinder: @wuertzmachineworks
Protected with @axe_wax (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLt0-_mj6j0/?igshid=17j56v7iqlp5m

The glow of the forge is an intoxicating thing. The warmth keeps bringing me back for more. With a little heat and some pressure from a small hammer great things can be made.
Keep those fires lit.
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedinfire #forgingisfun #blacksmith #anvil #hot #hotwork #fire (at Frankenmuth River Place Shops)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK350ZkDy2U/?igshid=1u0g8uehnz8p8

Forged a quick little #kiridashi in the shop today with @stilken103 We shot some video that may end up on YouTube later. And made another thing from another thing (more details later).
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedinfire #forgingisfun #letsgethammered #blacksmith #forged #sharp (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/COjb4UADNzc/?igshid=1dakeypj5av9c

Sometimes it’s good to take a break from more complicated items and just forge something simple. Youtube video is up for the bronze brooch!
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Bronze from @onlinemetals
Forged with @hilltopforge hammers
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgingisfun #blacksmith #viking #rune #historical (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/COSkyvZDSM5/?igshid=12by8uug0p96j

I’ve recently had a lot of requests for that Serbian chefs knife that’s going around. Here’s my first take. Note that I am not trying to recreate exactly someone else’s design. I am going in my own direction on these. I have a couple more to go but this was a good start. It was forged from a 2"x2"x.6" piece of 25 layer @bob_rankin_custom_knives damascus. It was a challenge to get this knife from that cut off, but in the end I got it! I decided to grind in a little hollow to release tension on cut veggies. Seemed to work pretty well and it added a nice dramatic flair.
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Handle material is from @forrester_woods
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #forgedinfire #serbianchef #chefs #cleaver #choppah #knifenut #cooking #papaya #damascus #forgingisfun (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/COQAeLzD3Q8/?igshid=1xp0jfbdub6j5

A quick and fun little project for your wrist! This is a spider web themed bronze bangle. We’ll be forging these through May at @bavarianblacksmithexp to celebrate mothers! You can forge your own with us and stamp your kids’ initials in as well as texture.
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#thepxsmith #joshaweston #bronze #forgingbronze #forgingisfun #forgingexperience #forgedjewlery #spider #spiders
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Forged with @hilltopforge hammer using silicon bronze from @onlinemetals (at Frankenmuth River Place Shops)
https://www.instagram.com/p/COL2rH0D0zn/?igshid=abf56gkdc2kg

A couple viking inspired arm rings in copper. Hand forged with @hilltopforge hammers and all the details are hand debossed with chisels.
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#joshaweston #forgedinfire #vikings #forgingisfun #copper #jewlery #viking #celtic #handmade #madeintheusa (at Pixel Smith - Josh A. Weston)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5Tjeyj3EE/?igshid=1a8do93qjbzj5