Big Horn Ram's Head Fire Steel

[Schwert]

My Mom was out visiting the past two weeks. We spent three days down at the Oregon State Fair in Salem Oregon. Like all state fairs it has a diverse collection of folks, from the carnival barkers to the hawkers selling all sorts of unique and “must have” household items. Acres of livestock barns with chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, llamas and horses coupled with the traditional ribbon awards for prize vegetables, preserves and a host of other home crafts.

In one corner of the Fair there were several demonstrations of skills ranging from wool spinning and glass blowing to wood carving and blacksmithing. One of the Smiths had an array of iron works for sale….several C-steels were buried in his hooks, latches, hinges and fanciful items like forged chili peppers. I picked this steel up, struck it and found it good. Put it back when it was quoted at $30….but all the time I was watching the wood carvers I kept thinking of this Big Horn Ram…..

Back to the Smith….offered $20…settled at $25 with my choice of rocks.

Both happy and I am glad to have found this rather unique piece.

 

[StJon]

I really like that, a wee bit of decoration always makes me smile, plus you feel as if you got a bargain,
jon

 

[rancid badger]

I think you got a bargain there Schwert

There certainly appears to be quite a bit of work gone into making it.

Is that a piece of flint that it is resting on or something more iron based?

best wishes
Steve

 

[Bernie Garland]

I like that,and as RB said some work involved making it.

Bernie

 

[Eric_Methven]

Is that a piece of flint that it is resting on or something more iron based?

It looks like the slabs of treacle toffee my grandma used to make.

 

[Mike Ameling]

That looks like a couple pieces of Knife River Flint to me - with that "rootbeer" color. Great flint!

And a nice flint striker.

I've made a number of ram's heads for various projects over the years - in all sizes. They are a lot of work, and harder to get them to turn out right. (Sometimes people curl the horns the wrong way! And it takes a bit of looking/pondering to figure out what just doesn't look right with them until you get that "ahah" notion.) Many smith's will also twist the horns to get a little different interpretation of the natural ridges in those horns. These are closer in look/shape to the natural ones, but without some of the rings/ridges.

Yes, you got a good deal for the work involved, and for the quality of that work.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

 

[Schwert]

Thanks guys. I was quite attracted to the steel when I found it in the Smith's bin. He had several standard C-steels but only this one unusual piece.

Funny thing about the stones. He had a handful of them with the steels and I asked him about them....

He said "picked them up in the parking lot"

I said "really where?"

He said "In Wyoming"

Got me on that one. I am not sure what they are, They look like a volcanic agglomerate to me but I just don't know. They definately fracture with a sharp edge, and seem much less fragile on that edge than my "real flints".

 

[Singeblister]

very nice that

 

[Schwert]

That looks like a couple pieces of Knife River Flint to me - with that "rootbeer" color. Great flint!

And a nice flint striker.

I've made a number of ram's heads for various projects over the years - in all sizes. They are a lot of work, and harder to get them to turn out right. (Sometimes people curl the horns the wrong way! And it takes a bit of looking/pondering to figure out what just doesn't look right with them until you get that "ahah" notion.) Many smith's will also twist the horns to get a little different interpretation of the natural ridges in those horns. These are closer in look/shape to the natural ones, but without some of the rings/ridges.

Yes, you got a good deal for the work involved, and for the quality of that work.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands

Thanks Mike. I never...well almost never bargain for prices. Somehow I thought this fellow would appreciate the attempt. He did tell me it was a bit time consuming to get right and I felt it well worth the trade.

After roaming the carnival areas of the fair it was a bit of fresh air to enter the hands craft area. Slow down and watch. His forging of the Red Hot Chile Pepper was quite a show. Only at the end did the odd shape reveal itself to be a pepper.....red hot it was too, for a bit at least.

 

[Mike Ameling]

I've forged a couple chili peppers from iron rod and some pipe before. It is an ... interesting ... project. And kind of hard to get to turn out right. I've also watched Rob Gunter from down in Arizona make some, along with forging a section of pipe into an Apple shape. He also has years more experience doing things like that.

There are a number of blacksmiths playing around forging/shaping round and square tubing/pipe into new and interesting shapes. Some are pretty surprising.

Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands