IN A NOT TOO FAR AWAY SPOT..... THERE WAS BUILT A PIZZA OVEN.

And the Oven's maker,"Mark", came to me with a request for some tools to use in the wood fired oven. The catch was...he needed them in a week so he could give them to Shannon for a birthday present to go with the oven. He described what he was looking for over the phone. This is what I came up with.

And as the sun sank into the West we partied the night away, filled with Shannon's pizza and Sangria. It doesn't get much better than this. Thanks Mark. And thanks to Shannon for the best pizza I ever tasted. Happy Birthday.

IN A SECLUDED FOREST, NOT TOO FAR AWAY........

There stood a Totem Pole. It was carved almost thirty years ago from a single Redwood log. It was set in a concrete base about four feet square.

Although its characters remained bright and alert, it suffered from the elements of weather and insects.

When I was called in to take a look,.."Max", the property owner wanted to try and extend the life of the pole without having take the pole down. It was so rotten at the bottom, he was afraid it would blow down in the next big wind. I devised an idea for a steel spine that would be routered into the back of the totem pole. The person who carved it had the foresight to cut a groove down the back of the totem pole, so that it wouldn't check or crack. It was widened to accommodate the spine.

The spine was a "T" shaped piece about seven feet tall. It was fitted into a slot in the back of the pole, and then bolted down to the original 4 X 4 foot base. The pole was attached to the spine with two giant "U" brackets. The brackets fit in the grooves between the Totems. Then, the footing was capped with new concrete to cover the steel feet of the spine. It will probably outlast us all.

"Everything Under The Sun"..... A Very Interesting Place

"Everything Under The Sun" is a fair trade store in Point Arena, that literally has just about anything you can think of in the way of gifts, interesting clothing, jewelry, whatever.... It's probably in this small shop, in one form or another.
When my friend Lena, the owner, approached me about making a sign for her, she already had the main portion of it in her shop.

These two Sun Faces were hammered out of oil drum lids in Haiti. Since they were hand made, they were slightly different from each other. Just different enough, so that I couldn't just put them back to back and make them align. My solution was to build a center plate that would attach to a frame.

The frame was built from a recycled sample railing, a wrought iron fence top, and a plant hanger. Put them together and add the faces of the Sun by riveting them to the center plate,.... and voila! The sign was born.

I think it came out pretty nice, don't you?

Art In Need of Balance.....

When I say "In Need Of Balance", I don't mean the piece needs any changes or alterations,.... It just needs to be able to stand and show itself.

When a very talented Ceramic Artist I know approached me with this project, it presented a couple of problems.
#1. Try not to break it while I created the base.

(Always a challenge when working hot iron around ceramics)

#2. Just how do you attach an attractive base without overpowering the delicacy of the piece?

The answer........ Check it out.

My first instinct was to try and make a rectangle with feet that the piece would sit in to. After a try at that, I realized that a straight line going across the lower section of this piece did nothing to enhance its flow of style. It needed to be gently cradled with flowing lines like the horse hairs that etched their design across the piece.

I think I captured what it wanted to say. What do you think?

Where Is The Fireman's Forge..... And How Can I find it?.... And, Will I encounter the Naked Blacksmith?.... Hey, It could happen.

Some people have asked me how to find the place. My answer...... "Just follow Ten Mile Road until you see a "Naked Blacksmith".


I'm about six mies out of Point Arena on the East/left side of the road. Definitely call 707-882-3912, or email me before you come out. Our road is next to the sign. When you see the anvil at the "Y", go left..... you can't miss it.
If you're coming from the Bay Area, take Highway 1 to Gualala. Go right on Pacific Woods Road. Left on Old Stage Road. Right on Ten Mile Cutoff Road. Once you turn on to the "Ten Mile Cutoff", we're three miles (just past the 2.99 mile marker). We're about ten miles from Gualala, on the right side (East side) We're the only long, straight, white rail fence on the road.

Good luck on the journey. We'll look forward to seeing you.

In The Name Of Love.....

When a buddy of mine came to me with an idea for his friend's wedding, I thought it was a great idea for a wedding gift. He was in charge of creating an arch for the Bride and Groom to say their vows under. He's a wood working guy by trade, so his first idea was to make a wooden trellis. Then he came to me with the idea of using steel that could be installed as a garden path entrance after the wedding was over. I searched the scrap pile and found a couple of water tank bands to use as the arches. Then I welded 1/2" round stock for the posts to the band halves. A few 1/2" square pieces from an old banister, and a little creative incentive of "two hearts joined together"(the theme of their wedding),..... and behold,... The Matrimonial Arch.

215 Main St. ...... A Pub with character.

My friends Bill, Titch, and Andy told me they were going to open a Pub in Point Arena.
When they described their vision for the old brick building that had recently been vacated as an art gallery, I was inspired to offer my services, and build them some unique shelf brackets for behind the bar. They didn't want the brackets to hang from the walls, which are unsupported brick. Instead, they wanted something that would be hung from the ceiling joists. I forged some brackets that I feel are suitably unique for their establishment.



The first thing I did was cut some half inch square stock into pieces 120 inches long. Then I forged and drew out the ends to points that brought the stock to 134 inches long. Then, I added 4 selected twists to each piece, and bent them into rectangular brackets 8.25" X 50.5". Then,.. I heated and wrapped the drawn out points around each other like vines.
You tell me. What do you think?

Here's another project that tanked.....

Pressure tanked, that is.
I built this BBQ for the Garcia River Cricket Club. It's another project made from a well pressure tank.
Here, in Point Arena, we spend some Sunday afternoons in the civilized endeavor of playing Cricket. In a beautiful meadow next to the Garcia River, we run around in a loosely formed game (there are one bounce in the tree rules for an out), drink gin and tonics, and have the nicest pot-luck barbecues, you can imagine. The Webbers had disintegrated into very short BBQs, propped up by rocks.
It was time for an upgrade. I cannibalized a couple of old wood stove doors for the vents, and added a sliding opening for a chimney. It works pretty well.

I take that as a sign......

A horseshoe sign, that is.....
One of my favorite recycle projects is to make signs out of old horseshoes. They're perfect for that ranch name, or country home.
It really gives a unique flair to an entrance. Here's a few that I've done for some friends. So if you've got something you want to say, don't just paint it,.... add a little style to it. Say it in horseshoes. Send me your message, and I'll give you an estimate of just what it will take to make it permanent in steel. Check out the "Terreno Verde" sign further down in the blog.

Dick and Cindy's Railing

When Dick & Cindy built their new house, they approached me about building a railing and gate between their house and garage. They wanted it to match the diamond shaped details in their leaded windows. It presented a few problems that required me to put on my creative thinking cap. The first was that the gate must be able to open both directions, and latch by itself when closed. The second was that the pad between the house and garage was already in and the uprights couldn't be set into the concrete. The third problem was, that in order to create the diamonds, I had to forge, cut, and weld about a five hundred different pieces of steel for the assembly. When it was finally finished, it was beautiful. It also reminded me of why I try to stay away from "fabrication" work.

Naked Blacksmiths..... I'm not the only one

This might be my favorite example of "naked blacksmiths" depicted in art. The truth, however, is that they are not blacksmiths. They are "Mechanics" using a giant punch press. The statue is called "The Mechanics Monument". It was created by Douglas Tilden, and installed in San Francisco in 1899. In the 1906 earthquake the city was virtually destroyed around it. The Monument was relocated in 1951, and again in 1973. I believe it sits today at the corners of Bush, Battery, and Market Streets, in S.F. The statue is 180" X 108" X108", weighing 10 tons. The base is in two stages 132" X 132" square, and weighs 30 tons. It is, in my opinion, one of his finest works. The dramatic view of the monument, taken after the 1906 quake, surrounded by the destroyed city is truly amazing.

You light up my life... So, I thought I'd do the same for you.

This project was this year's Christmas present to my daughter, Jenny. Many years ago I had made a lamp out of a hubcap. My son ended up with the lamp, and I'd always promised my daughter that I'd make one for her. This year I finally got around to it. It's not a hubcap, but it's definitely recycled, and interesting iron. The shade is made from a very old toy wagon wheel, a gold mining pan, and a large bandsaw blade. The base is a timing pulley, and the post was forged from a one inch steel pipe.

Tanks..... You're welcome... Don't toss em... create something.

These are well pressure tanks. I decided to make a Christmas present for my son and daughter-in-law. They had talked about putting a fire pit in their back yard. The old pressure tank that I turned into their gift was just right. I cut an old tank that I'd lugged around for the last 20 years in half. Then, I cut 18 points like a crown. I bent them down so that it looked like a big Sunflower. I made a ring out of a piece of re-bar, and bent the points of the crown around the ring. The result was a place you could rest your feet on to get them warm. The base is an old plant stand that I bent out to accommodate the pit, and be stable enough not to tip when leaned on. I added a few holes with the torch for decoration, and a coat of 1000 degree heat resistant paint. They loved it.

Two Bells for the Bizarre Bazaar

Every year my neighbor, at "The Brandybuck Ranch", opens her pottery studio up for a Christmas Fair. It's known as "The Bizarre Bazaar", and items offered sometimes live up to that name in spades. I try to have some items for the Bazaar when ever I can. This year, it's these two bells.

Raven in The Wind

This project was done for my neighbors. It presented a bit of a challenge in regards to the pivot point of the weathervane, and a means of giving the Raven some depth on a flat silhouette.
After many searches, I found a wood block card that had two Ravens printed on it. I was able to copy a pattern, and enlarge it. Then,... a little creative torch work for the details, and the Raven emerged. He faces the direction the wind is blowing, and the arrow points the direction the wind is coming from.

Diane's Mystery Container

She found this old wooden container, and although she didn't know what it was for, she made another one out of clay, and then asked me to make the handle for it. Bending the eyes through her ceramic version presented a few interesting problems, but I managed not to break it. It's my guess that the original wooden one might have hung under covered wagon as a grease container for the wheel hubs. What do you think?