Date & Time Activity Commentary Pictures with Captions

Friday, October 6, Tonight, I went to I should have made a

2017 the Home Depot complete list of all the
6:00 pm – 7:00 and bought the materials I needed so I
pm materials for my wouldn’t have to travel
1 hour forge. Then I drove to so many stores to get
to my friend’s what I needed. I was
house to pick up lucky, however that a
sand and plaster of friend of mine had sand,
Paris for my plaster of paris, and a
homemade 1.5 inch drill bit I could
refractory lining. borrow. I am feeling
After I gathered the confident in my ability
materials I returned to make a working forge
home went through and look forward to
a checklist to make pouring the mixture
sure I had all of my tomorrow.
materials. I was
missing a five
gallon bucket for
mixing so I ran to
Walmart to buy one
and there I also
bought a hair dryer
for the air flow
component of the
forge. At this point This is a picture of me meeting with my project
I had everything I facilitator during which I explained my plan to
needed: a metal build a forge and shape metal. Mr. Van Gorpe
pail, dry materials is the CFO of a Steel Manufacturing Company
for my lining, a five so he has knowledge of metal allows and
gallon mixing technical information.
bucket, a 5 quart
mixing bucket, a
2.5 quart mixing
bucket, a metal pipe
and hair dryer for
the air flow
component, a drill
bit for drilling a
hole in the side of
the furnace (for the
air flow), and
plenty of scrap
metal.
Saturday, October This evening I The process of making
7, 2017 decided to begin the furnace was much
4:00 pm – 6:00 the mixing and messier than I had
pm pouring process of thought. I was using my
2 hours the refractory hands to mix the
lining. The lining is material, which was a
made by mixing mistake because it stuck
plaster of paris, to everything and made
sand, and water it difficult to touch
using the 2.5 quart anything else. Also, the
bucket. 4.375 refractory lining
quarts of plaster of splattered all over my
paris, 4.375 quarts driveway when I poured
of sand, and 3.125 it in the pail. The plaster
quarts of water in the mix caused it to
mixed in the five bind to the driveway.
gallon bucket The only way to get it
creating a concrete off was to spray it with
like substance That water while scrubbing it
hardens in about with steel wool. The
twenty minutes. I cleaning process was
poured the contents totally unexpected, but
of the five gallon overall it was a good
bucket in the 10 day because the forge
quart pail and the turned out well. I am
pushed the 2.5 excited to fire it up and
quart bucket into start working metal
the center to create soon. This is me testing the lining after it was poured
a mold of sorts. and hardened. I observed that it was still pretty
Once dried the wet and I decided to let it sit a day or two.
bucket has a 2.5
inch thick lining of
refractory material.
The next step was
to drill a hole in the
material for the air
tube before it got
too hard. I created
the actual air flow
device by taping a
metal pipe to the
hairdryer; the pipe
is inserted into the
forge hole to feed
air and make the
coals burn hotter.
After all of this was
done I set the forge
in my garage to
harden overnight
and then began to
clean up the mess I
had made.
Monday, October The forge was The hammering process
9, 2017 already built and was quite a bit harder
4:30 pm – 6:30 everything is ready than I imagined. After
pm to so I decided to an hour of hitting metal
2 hours pick up some I felt quite tired, but also
charcoal at the accomplished about
store. When I what I had done the past
returned home I set few days. The metal was
the forge on my very hot and I need to
driveway and get thicker gloves. I
inserted the air think I will go to the
tube, which was store soon and buy
plugged in to the welding gloves, a
wall. I filled the leather apron, and more
center up with charcoal. The cleaning
charcoal and lit the process was quite a lot
coals. When they easier this time because
had a settle glow to the ash washed right off.
them I turned on Overall it was a very
the air flow unit. I enjoyable experience.
let this run for
about thirty minutes
to dry out any
excess moisture.
When I was
confident that the
material was fully
hardened and ready
for forging, I got
my anvil and
hammers out,
which I picked up
at a hardware store
Sunday, October 8.
Because this was
my first time
forging I decided to
not make anything This is me keeping a close eye on the forge as I
in particular but run it through the drying cycle before it is ready
just work a piece of for actual metal working.
scrap metal to get a
basic understanding
of everything to
start out. I did this
for an hour and
ended up with a
distorted piece of
metal that loosely
resembled a spoon.
Once I cooled the
spoon down with
water and set the
forge aside I began
to wash the ash off
the driveway and
 put all of my
materials away.
LOG 2
Saturday, October This afternoon I I was excited to finally
4, 2017 drove to the Hobby go buy all of the leather
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Lobby in Kennesaw working tools I needed,
1 hour to pick up a few but I was a little
materials for my overwhelmed at the
leather working. I selection so I decided to
bought a roll of get the basics.
leather (about 5 feet Designing the wallet
by 1 foot with a 2 was interesting because
mm thickness), a I really didn’t know
leather punch, a what dimensions I
four prong leather should have made it. I
punch, an x-acto decided on 3.5 by 8
knife, wax leather inches. Hopefully this
working string, and works out when I break
leather string. ground on the wallet.
When I returned
home I decided to
start designing my
leather wallet. I
wrote the
dimensions I This is a photograph of me designing the wallet
thought would be and coming up with the dimensions I want to
the best on a piece use. I did this after I picked up the materials at
of printer paper and Hobby Lobby
then put the
materials away for
the night.
Sunday, October I started working The process of cutting
12, 2017 on the leather out the leather pieces
4:00 pm – 6:00 wallet today. I that go together to
pm started by looking create the wallet is one
2 hours over my drawing to that has to be precise. I
get an idea of cut the pieces to the
where I wanted to correct dimensions but
start. I decided to they were slanted so it
measure out the didn’t come out right.
dimensions on the This was very
leather with a yard frustrating, but it was a
stick and cut the learning experience and
pieces out with an I am excited to try again
x-acto knife. This in the next few days. I
seemed like it was think I will slow down a
going well and after bit more and really
a while I had all of make sure that I have
the pieces ready, the pieces right.
but they seemed to
be a little slanted. I Here I am finishing up using the leather punch
kept going hoping to create guiding hole to keep the wallet I line
that I could work when I drill the holes with the bench drill.
around the flaws. I
marked the holes
with my four prong
 punch and began to
drill with my bench
drill. When I got to
the outer corner of
the wallet I noticed
that the hole
markings had gone
off of the leather so
half of the wallet
was useless. I had
spent close to an
hour and a half
crafting this wallet
so I decided to cut
off the half that did
work, thread it and
create a pouch. This
isn’t what I wanted
but it still functions
as half of a wallet
or a business card
holder.
Tuesday, October I knew that it was It felt very good to be
14, 2017 necessary to get the able to identify and fix
5:00 pm – 7:00 pieces of leather the mistake I made on
pm that go together to the first wallet.
2 hours create the wallet to Especially because I got
the right a working wallet out of
dimensions. This it. I am very pleased
time I decided that I with the way it looks
would cut the and I think I will be
smaller pieces out using it often. I can wait
and then cut the to try wood working and
holes out of the more metal working in
larger one and the the upcoming weeks,
shave the leather but I also want to
off of the two when perfect my wallet
they were paired. making and make other
This way the leather goods too. This
smaller pieces wallet was slightly small
would hug the large so I will try once more.
piece with exact
precision. This
worked and when I
started marking the
holes on the leather
everything was
looking good. The
holes were drilled Here I am finishing up the second wallet. This
and everything is the string threading process, It takes the most
lined up so I began time, but is very important because it keeps the
to thread the wax wallet strong and together.
string through the
holes. I got into a
rhythm and started
to get good at this
 process, as it took
the most time to
complete. Once the
string was laced
through the leather,
the wallet was
complete.
Log 2
Monday, Today I began The wallets this time
November 20, work on a third were much more
2017 wallet. The past impressive. So much so
4:00 Pm- 5:00 Pm two came out to be that I decided to use one
1 hour too small so I as my daily wallet and it
decided to create works great so far. This
another one that is definitely a win. I’m
was a larger size. I feeling great about my
went through the accomplishments.
same process but Although boring at
used larger times, I took my time
measurements to and came out with two
contain the contents great looking products.
better. I also
decided to create
two in the larger
size to make sure at
least one came out
nice. I cut the larger
pieces out and
punched the holes Here I am measuring the dimensions of my
and threaded the leather wallet. I decided to increase the size of
lace through the the dimensions on this one in order to make the
leather. The lacing wallet encompass the cards and such.
process definitely
went faster this
time due to my
practice in my
earlier wallets.
Once these were
finished I was very
satisfied with both
of them.
Sunday, Today I decided to This was very
December 23, take out the forge interesting and for sure
2017 and begin work on a learning experience,
2:00pm- 5:00pm a fork and a knife but despite the cold I
3 hours for my set of still got hot working
kitchen utensils. It with metal that was
was a cold day so I around 2000 degrees
thought it would be Fahrenheit. The metal
smart to forge. I shaping was pretty hard
began by getting and frustrating but I
the components out figured out that the best
and putting thing to do it get a rough
everything together. shape and then grind the
This includes my metal down to the
forge, air intake desired shape with the
blower, and a five bench grinder. The
gallon bucket. Once dremel tool with a
everything was cutting wheel is the
together I filled the easiest way to cut
forge with coal and prongs in a fork too.
got the fire burning. Today has been a
When the coals learning experience for
were burning sure.
enough I turned the
air on and the forge
started to heat up. I
place a piece of
rebar and an old
scrap railroad nail
in the forge and
began to heat them
up. At this point I
got my anvil and
hammers ready to
go. The rebar got
hot enough to mold
first so I took it out
and began to In this photo I am grinding the grooves into my
hammer it on the fork with the Dremel tool. The fork started out
anvil. Once it was as a handle with a flat front, then I cut groves
cool I put it back I into the flat part to create the prongs.
the forge and got
the railroad nail
out. After working
these two pieces of
scrap metal they
began to take
shape. When I was
done with the forge
I took the two
pieces of metal, one
resembling a fork
and the other a
knife to the grinder
and began to
perfect their shapes.
 I used my bench
grinder to shave
them to a more
precise shape than I
could with the anvil
and hammer. When
that was finished I
used my dremel
tool to cut the
prongs in the fork.
Wednesday, Today I decided to Being the first time
December 27, bring out some working with wood in
2017 4:00 Pm- wood and work this project I was
6:00 Pm with it. Before I did worried that id mess
3 hours this however I met something up, but it
with my facilitator went very well. I like
to show him what I working with wood
had done so far. He because it gives the
was interested and craftsmen the ability to
was satisfied with create art and shape the
my work. He gave wood in the desired
me some feedback shape. This is surely one
on the fork, saying of the most satisfying
that I should shave parts of the senior
the prongs down project.
more to make it
easier to use. I will
surely do that. After
In this photograph I am meeting with my
the meeting I
Facilitator yet again in order to show him the
headed back home
final products and get his input on them.
ready to work on a
spoon. I want to
make a spoon out
of wood because
the metal was too
hard to work with. I
think it will be
easier and more
practical to cut a
shape out of a slab
of wood. I traced
my spoon in a
plank of oak wood
and began to cut it
out using a hand
saw. I had to make
small cuts
perpendicular to the
spoon and then cut
parallel to the
spoon to get a
rough shape. When
the rough looking
spoon came out, I
used my Dremel
sanding tool to sand
down the wood into
a better shape. It
was a long process,
but the shape came
together, and it
began to look great.
Once I had the
shape finished it
was time to create
the concave portion
of the spoon that
would hold the
food. I used the
Dremel tool and
sanded the spoon
out to create the
concave portion.
When I was done, I
was pleased with
the product.