Moving the Coop, 40 Chickens, 40 Miles West

Check out my new Community Chicken's article where I share a story very near and dear to my heart. Moving the Coop, 40 Chickens, 40 Miles West.

Fiery Friday - Aluminum Chisel Plate

Today I'm going to show you how to make an aluminum chisel plate that can be re-used over and over again. For about a year I've been using a piece of aluminum about 6 inches long, 2 inches wide and 3/8" thick to put under any hot steel that I need to chisel or sometimes punch through all the way. Since aluminum is much softer than any of my chisels or punches, when they cut through the hot steel they will easily continue through the aluminum. If it wasn't there then the chisel might hit the face of the anvil and probably put a dent in the anvil and dull the chisel. It's not too difficult to reface a chisel, but I would rather spend my time forging instead. Nor do I want to put a thousand little nicks in my anvil.

The only problem is that over the past year I have sorely abused that piece of aluminum and had actually cut it into three pieces from chiseling onto it so much. So I figured I needed a new one.

Here is what I came up with, it's a big thick chunk of aluminum.

What I did was melt my original scrap of aluminum I was using along with some cut up pieces of a busted spindle housing from the lawn tractor that just so happens to also be aluminum. I first cut the pieces small enough and put them into a little cup I made a while back to hold some of my chisels and punches. In the forge it went and after a few minutes, I had molten aluminum.

This picture shows me adding another chunk of spindle housing to the already molten metal. Just below that is the mold I'm about to pour the metal into. It's made from some 1/4" x 3/4" for the sides and 1/4" x 2" for the bottom. I figure it was a bit over kill, but it's what I had on hand. I made sure to angle the sides out just a bit to allow the ingot to be removed easily.







Here is a video of the pouring process. I have to admit pouring liquid metal is rather satisfying.





Thanks again for stopping in.

Great Blog Alert! Meet Yarn Nerd

I wanted to share one of our customer's blogs with all of you. She is a very talented fiber artist and has a new blog full of wonderful fiber tips, techniques, and some of the most beautiful hand spun yarn I've seen. Can't wait to see what she's got spinning next! Check out her blog at http://yarn-nerd.blogspot.com/,   Love the name! 

Feeding Time Problem Solved

If everything is going according to plan, (which doesn't always happen around here, but none the less...) Knit and Purl should be pregnant by now. As I've been told by several people, including our vet, it can be next to impossible to tell if a goat is pregnant without doing expensive ultrasounds or blood tests. Some goats hardly show until right before they deliver. Our vet, who I love, with his no nonsense attitude and patient faith in animals, told us that we'll find out when we need to. I have a hard time with this, it's been my biggest struggle with raising other living things. Whether it be a radish or an elephant. I tend to "mother" things. Sometimes to absurd measures. I promise I always have the best intentions, and believe it or not, I work really hard to have these unsuccessful ventures slap me in the face.

But, I'm working on it. I have a hard time allowing "farm" nature to take it's course. I feel like I should be busy doing something to help it along. Then I look at Knit and Purl with their gentle eyes, and suddenly, I know what the vet's talking about. They're not worried. That's why I love animals so much, they have such a calming affect on a spastic worrier like myself.

Whether it's hopeful imagination, or if there really is something going on, I think they are showing some signs of babies. Especially Purl, she looks larger in the tummy area, evenly on both sides. I keep feeling to see if they're making their udders, but not much has changed in that department. I rest my head against their tummys, tying to listen for extra heart beats, but I only hear the healthy purr of a ruminants gurgling stomachs.  Its been more in personality that I feel there's something different with my girls. They've been sort of aggressive with food, even Knit, our most docile goat, and they've been eating like pigs.

We've always fed good quality hay, it's a bit more pricy for second cutting, but the goats prefer it, (and I send back bales that aren't green, and ask for another one. (The guy at the feed store sees me coming, and I swear he wants to run in the other direction.) I hate to admit this but, yes, I'm "that" customer. One day he asked, what kind of "horses" I had. I told him it was for goats and he looked at me like I was nuts. My latest thing that has them raising their eyebrows, is my search for sea kelp. (But while we're on this note, if anyone knows of a supplier of sea kelp in large quantities I'd be grateful for the info.)

Anyway...the problem lies in that we need to start feeding different types/amounts of food to each of the goats with different needs. We're also going to be starting a vitamin E supplement as the girls get closer to their due date. With six goats, and possibly six more on the way, we wanted to have more control over our feeding routine, as the routine is now, a stampede of hooves to the grain buckets, and very bad manners. We would also like to start getting our girls more used to a stanchion type setting. Even our buck Sulley will walk on a lead, but none of them have ever been tethered to anything for any period of time. I wanted to get them used to a bit of patience while Zach and I handle them all over, and take care of their needs like milking, hoof trimming, lice inspection, de-worming, checking their rears, eyes etc. So we set up a system that is modeled after Fias Co Farm, a wonderful site by the way, with TONS of information about raising goats. Each goat has their own bucket, spaced a good distance from their neighbor's bucket, with a short lead that prevents them from bullying their way into someone elses dinner. We know exactly what each goat is eating, and the amount. This lets the slower, more timid eaters finish without being shoved out of the frenzy. We lead each goat peacefully to their bucket, once everyone is hooked up, we feed. When everyone is done, they get released. They are ONLY tied up during meal time. We've been placing buckets under them, and handling their udders, in a sort of mock milking routine Not really sure if this is even necessary, as no one seems to mind us touching them, but it feel like good practice for us and the goats. Meal time is no longer this hurried frantic scene. I think the goats are even more at peace as there's no competition to eat as fast or as much as they can. I see them "coming up for air" and actually enjoying their meals, not just inhaling them.

Sewing Project, Flat Sheet Curtians

I've been on a mission to find curtains for our bedroom. Just plain, white, cotton, curtains. I didn't think this would be a hard venture, but I was wrong, so very wrong. White sheers, now that's something that's easy to find. White with polka dots, stripes, flowers, frogs, miscellaneous embroidered things...everywhere. There's also a bumper crop of curtains that come in every color under the sun except white.

I did finally find some at some of the higher end stores, but I refused to pay sometimes over $80 a panel for plain, white, curtains. For our three bedroom windows that would be $480 not including rods etc.

So I tried the fabric stores. It was still going to be pricey with the amount of fabric I would need, even with a half off coupon. I also wasn't thrilled with the weight of the cotton they had to offer. I considered linen, but again, no white.

Then I found an awesome deal! I found twin, white, flat sheets on sale for $5! The material was horribly stiff for sheets, heavy and kinda rough, I felt bad for the person who had to cuddle up with this material every night in their bed. But the stiffness was great for sheet material. The great thing was that half the work was already done. I used the large hem at the bottom. Hung the curtain rods and measured to the floor molding. To this measurement I added 1 1/2 inches for the rod pocket, and an additional 5 1/2 inches for the ruffle, I double this measurement to create the pocket that folded back on itself, adding 1 inch for the inside hem. I surged the end, folded at 8 inched and sewed straight across for each pocket. Voila, 1 curtain panel. I used one twin sheet for each panel, for a total cost of $30! There was enough material left over to make the pullbacks. I simply folded 8 1/2 inches of fabric in half surged the edge, turned them inside out and ironed them flat. Then I hemmed the ends and sewed a piece of green ribbon in a loop to slip onto the hooks. I starched the heck out of the finished curtains and ironed them crisp. Zach is going to forge us some decorative rods and matching hooks, so for now we have the inexpensive ones that work just fine.

Thinking Outside the Pot

I happened upon a cute little store the other day called the Weed Lady. Her store was like a breath of fresh air in the dull and dreary gray months of winter. The shop has a great collection of shabby chic decor, nature and whimsical woodland and garden themes, antiques, candles, handmade items and all sorts of fun things to see. But it wasn't until I went out to the nursery, a modest looking green house from the outside, with large pots scattered in front of the opening, but once inside I felt as though I had stepped into a magical garden.
Succulents!

Succulents everywhere! Every surface, the floor, the ceiling, some in shades of green and blue, purple, plum, burgundy, pink, orange and red. Some smooth and shiny, some prickled, some that looked like they were dusted with a perfect coating of powder. Some were leathery and portly, others, tall and slender, some trailed to the floor out of hand thrown pots, some bellowed out and went to the ceiling. They looked like little forest creatures, each one with their own personality.
What's really great about this nursery is that she sells a great assortment of small inexpensive specimens, but you can browse around and see what these beautiful plants will look like in a couple of years. I had to bring some home and try my best at growing a bit of this wonderland.
I chose 5 different species. But didn't want to just throw them in a pot, they needed something more cozy, more nestling. My mom has this old wooden coke crate, that my dad bought her at an antique store. He was supposed to make it into a doll wagon, but never had the chance. So I adopted it for my plants. I lined the inside with an in expensive, disposable catering tray from the dollar store. Filled the container with some succulent loving soil (a light weight mix with lots of peat), planted the little gems, and to give it an extra woodsy feel, I tucked in a layer of moss around each plant.

New Products!

We've been sooo busy lately. But...we have some new products out that I hope you'll all enjoy.

The first is our new line ~Live Simple~ Farm Tee's! We create the designs, make the screens and print them ourselves. We have lots more T-shirt designs, blogs and videos on the screen printing process coming soon. For now we have our

Iron Oak Farm Logo shirt available in Men and Women sizes.

We have the No Bees, No Food available in goldenrod for men,

and a nice butter yellow for women.

I've also been dying lots of our 100% mohair roving for all you spinners and felters.

I've been doing large batches so there's more to work with, for larger projects.

Look for more Troll Owls, I have them made just need to take some decent photos and get them posted. Blessings to all and have a great weekend!

Waiting for the Bees

I was going to wait to share this with everyone until spring, but I just can't, I swear I'm like a little kid sometimes, can't keep a secret to save my life. I got Zach a hive and supers to start his own apiary this spring. He's been building the frames and boxes in the evenings and while, there's not much to show at this point, it's still pretty exciting for us.

We have so much planned for this coming year, sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed, but it's a good feeling. It's a chance to really start what we've been dreaming of for so long, and really take advantage of the spring and summer months at our new home. I feel as though this year will be a test of Zach and my endurance. What are we really made of, so to speak. What can we produce, what will be successful, what won't? In the meantime, we're practicing patients, and humbleness. One of the hardest lessons learned in this kind of life is that nature really does have a season. And so much of it is out of our hands. You can give it your all, your soul and your heart, but the thing at hand is larger than any one person or family, and in realizing this, a deep respect for life, for food, and for things beyond our control begins to grow. Many times, I write this blog, and realize that I have so much to learn from all of you. Many times, I feel the longer we do this, the less we find ourselves knowing. When one problem is solved, another presents itself. One that I've never read of, or heard about. But don't get me wrong I'm not complaining, I find it incredibly inspiring.

So for now we wait...We wait for the bees. We wait for frost free dates, and chickens to hatch chicks. We wait for the goats to give birth, heck, we're still waiting to be sure that they're even pregnant. We wait for the mohair and angora to grow, for the sun to warm the earth and force the green pasture above the soil. Nature will know when it's time. Without clocks, or schedules it will happen right when it's supposed to. Our greatest blessing is the gift to be here to witness it.

Screen Printing

Zach and I had our first go at screen printing the other night. It is SO MUCH FUN! Seriously addicting, and since I know what can be done, my brain hasn't stopped thinking of designs and ideas. I've been sketching some doodles and thinking of photos that we have to be printed, and we will be having lots of fun new products coming soon!

The first screen we made was our logo. Zach built a wooden frame from some scrap wood in the barn. Then he made a screen stretcher by stapling a bazillion staples through a thin piece of wood so that the tines of all the staples were exposed. These act as little grips and stretch the screen across the frame. Then we glued it with this apoxy-like glue that almost melts the screen to the frame and make it really secure.

Then we locked ourselves in the spare bathroom where there isn't a window, and worked under the yellow light. While making the screen, it's sort of like working in a dark room for photography. Light exposes the emulsion, that's why I have no photos to share for this part. We applied a coat of emulsion to each side of the screen and let it dry.

Then we printed the design out on two sheets of transparency paper to double the thickness and make sure no light can pass through. We taped the image to the screen and exposed it with an ultra violet light for 12 minutes. This next part is like magic, the area where the image was black rinses away and you're left with a perfect copy in the screen! So cool!

 We gathered up a bunch of old T-shirts to experiment on. Zach made a shirt form out of a scrap piece of wood so the material would be even.

Then we sprayed it with hair spray to keep the shirt from moving, and smoothed out the wrinkles.

Then we taped off the screen where the emulsion didn't reach

and placed the screen on top of the shirt.

We then ran a length of ink across the top of the screen

and pulled the ink across the image with the squeegee.

When we picked up the screen we had a perfect image of our logo on the shirt!

I dried the ink with a hair dryer and then we set the ink with an iron. 

Troll Owls, Meet Waldorf

I love owls, and I've been messing around lately with some different materials, some from nature, some not, but rustic none the less, and I've started making these Troll Owls. I came up with the name because they remind me of little trolls, or owls that live in gnarled branches of forgotten forests where trolls still reside.

They're made from bits of this and that, things you might find in shadow boxes, button tins, or your grandfather's old desk drawer.

This is Waldorf, he has acorn cap eyes, a scruffy yarn body, a beak made from a Red Wood pine cone, and real feather "owl ears". 

They're available for purchase on our Etsy site in the right column of the blog. I have many more to come!

Summer Citrus in January

It's springtime in our sun-room! The winter sun beats through a crisp blue sky and warms our new dwarf citrus trees, and the sweet little things aren't any the wiser that it's a "balmy" 35 degrees today.

Zach bought me a Kefir Lime tree and a Meyer Lemon tree for Christmas. The lime tree has 8 fully developed limes, waiting for us to pick them. The Kefir lime is the most interesting lime, as its rind is rather thick and bumpy. The juice of the lime is delicious and tastes somewhat sweeter and more floral.

The Meyer Lemon is just bursting with dozens of flowers and the whole back of the house is heavenly with the scent of citrusy, blossoms.
We got these trees at a local nursery for 50% off. I spoke with a lady at the nursery as to how to care for citrus trees, and it was surprisingly simple.
-Place in a sunny window.
-Water weekly.
-Prune to a shapely size after fruiting.
-Once a month I am to mist the entire tree with a mixture of 1 Tbsp mild dish soap to a gallon of water, as the citrus can attract fruit flys. I use Seventh Generation scent free variety.
-They can be fertilized with an organic fertilizer 4 times a year.
-And they should be taken outside for the summer after Memorial Day and taken in for the winter before Labor Day.

It occurred to me as we sliced the first lime the other day, that this is probably the freshest piece of citrus I've ever eaten. Living in Michigan, I assume that all the citrus we eat is shipped in from somewhere warmer. I must admit the trees make me smile. They're like little tropical miracles, standing bright and green against the snowy landscape, just a window pane away.

100% Mohair Roving

The new roving is available for purchase! I am extremely excited about the quality of this batch of roving. It has an incredible luster and spins like a dream because the girls were a little longer this shearing. I dyed the first pound tonight and it took beautifully. I'm going to start selling in one pound dye lots to allow for larger projects. To purchase our roving visit our Etsy Shop by clicking on any of the thumbnail links in the right hand column of the blog. 

Open Faced Egg Salad Sandwich with Dill and Avocado

Check out my latest Community Chicken's post Open Faced Egg Salad Sandwich with Dill and Avocado.