Fiery Friday, The Twisting Wrench

Hello Everyone,

   First off I'd like to thank everyone that stopped in and visited us at CreekFest in Ortonville last Saturday. Jennifer and I had a lot of fun and got to meet a lot of nice people. The only downside was the sun. I forged in the sun next to my propane forge and I think I went through 7 Gatorades to keep hydrated. But, we did have a few sales and I got a few custom orders, so all in all it was a good day.

I wanted to show you some of my tools once in a while so you can get a better idea of how I forge. This is a twisting wrench used to, yep you guessed it, twist steel. The hard part about being a blacksmith is that you can't just go to the local tool store to find blacksmithing tools. The great thing about being a Blacksmith is that you can make your own tools and make them the way you want to. Actually, I have to admit that sometimes I enjoy making new tools more than using them. Anyway, the key to a good twisting wrench it that it is adjustable and has a handle on both sides. Since it's adjustable I can use it with just about any size stock that I use. Here I took an old adjustable wrench and welded a piece of steel on the end of it so I have a good handle on both sides. This allows me to keep the steel straight while it is being twisted. You have to keep in mind that when the steel is yellow hot, it is very malleable and not only easy to twist, it will also bend back and forth very easily. If you are looking to make your own twisting wrench a great place to look is the flea markets. I picked mine up for $4 at our local flea market. Now I have tons of ideas for Fiery Fridays here at Iron Oaks Farm, but I would really be interested in hearing from you as to what you want me to show you. Let me know what you want and I'll see what I can come up with.

Thanks for stopping in,

Zach