Dragon head door knocker - Part 1

Lets get started on the Dragon Head Door Knocker project using the wrought iron supplied by Christ Centered ironworks. In part one we will forge the body and start the head for the dragon.

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Blacksmithing and related activities can be hazardous. These videos are not a substitute for competent professional instruction. Your safety is your sole responsibility. Always use appropriate safety equipment including eye and ear protection when working in the shop. Follow manufactures safety guidelines for the use of all equipment. In the event something shown in one of these videos seems unsafe, it is up to you to make the appropriate changes to protect yourself.

[stephenjohnson]

Serious question. Who/what kind of person thumbs down any of John's videos? Thanks for all your content John!

[johnscarboroughregenerativ]

As a fellow youtuber I completely understand the camera struggle. LOVE ALL YOUR WORK!

[HisWayHomestead]

the dragon is coming along well!!! great job John!!!

[douglaspost]

Your comment about the toothpick reminded me of the preacher that put a cough drop in his mouth at the beginning of each sermon so when that was dissolved, he knew he preached long enough. That worked well until one time he did that and kept preaching on, and on, and on. He finally discovered he had put a button in his mouth by mistake.

[williambarrier]

I'm learning ornamental and practical blacksmithing and wanted to thank you for your videos. They are very easy to follow along to and look forward to seeing more.

[dblizz]

I love it. He tossed the broken horns and said that will probably be nails to hold it on. Waste not, want not. Way to go.

[Maestro-AL]

Great pt.1 video. Thank you for not editing the breaking of the horns out. It truly shows that even an experienced blacksmith can have problems witth metal. This is one of the reason why I like watching your videos. It's a learning experience for both you and your audience. Take care.

[carsemonkey]

Listening to you draw out the body on the horn was like Listening to a metronome. It was very relaxing. 😄

[workwithnature]

Things don't always go the way we plan, but it is part of the fun of knowing how it needs to be done differently. At least for me I could learn from where it went wrong for you too. So I appreciate you leaving it in and your relaxed attitude. It will still come out looking great and being functional. Looks like that toothpick is the way to go.

[clydebalcom]

I love the intro. You have a wonderful sense of humor.

[ChristCenteredIronworks]

To fix a small blow out like the hole take a small piece of wrought the same size width as your parent bar stock and approximately 1/3 the parent bar thickness Scarf both ends and weld on the side that has the crack.. Same with the horns you can scarf them and weld back on with a little additional material. Did a great job John! Remember to keep those heats high and put it back in the fire before Orange to bright red temperature.. This Dragon is going to be awesome!

[stankrieger]

I do use the toothpick quite often, a big hit with my young men that come by my shop to make their projects

[MrGWillickers]

Just excellent. Thanks so much for this video, John. Showing the pros and cons to working with wrought iron was extremely helpful, and your project is just phenomenal,

[larrypoe]

Other than horse shoes and railroad spikes, wrought iron is what I have worked with the most. Purely because I had so much already here and I didn't have to buy mild steel. Your example of wood grain is exactly what I always say too. Go against the grain and it splits, just like cutting wood vs splitting firewood. It truly reminds me of the more open grain wood species. Not that I'm any kind of expert in even the most remote sense. Every once in awhile I find a piece that is harder to shape and that piece invariably is less prone to splitting. Like twisted grain in wood. I don't know if it's purer, more refined and consolidated, or has more carbon than the rest. It's just different. Sometimes different from pieces from the same source material. Just an amateur's observation, so take it for what it's worth.

[mccallthompson]

I liked the toothpick video and the many different angles you show us of the world of blacksmithing. Thank you!

[larryking]

Great Project , I will have to keep my eyes and ears open on everything to attempt this
One !

[rvb]

HAHAHA thumbs down? THANKS! Nice one...

Nice video, sir.

[johndilsaver]

I'm really enjoying this and I'm admiring how -- when things went a bit wrong a couple times -- you just adapted to the difficulty and made things go your way. Very smoothly done.

[dougthomas]

Thank you for sharing. You are a gifted teacher.

[MarkDavisCFM]

Great video John! Learning what to do when things don't quite go as planned is priceless!