Gabino, I am not even close to mastering anything...but thanks for the kind words. The boss on each rein is too thin for my liking. The offset needs to be more crisp, and the neck is thin too. We had shop night at my buddy's house last night. He had a similar pair which is where I got the idea. He also has a power hammer which makes drawing the reins out a 2-3 heat process.
Had another go. Decided I needed some dragon hot fit tongs. At least the bottom jaw is pointed...cows definitely don't have top teeth or pointed lower jaws. The reins are loooonnnnggg...about 2 feet. I still need to trim them up and find a ring so they will lock.
Excellent work! I'd like to see more width behind the eyes and maybe a smaller snout. And the bottom jaw not rounded so it can sneak in and get any piece of steel. What's the easiest way to go about my wants? Bump it back into itself or use a different size stock?
These were made out of two pieces of 1/2" x 1", 7 1/2 inches long. They are set for 5/16". The very first thing I did was make the section for the jaws and it wound up being about 1/2" square, 1 1/4" long. To get more width behind the eyes, that could be set down longer and bumped up to 5/8" square. Not sure about the bottom jaw. I tried it on an 0 shoe and it fit those nail holes perfectly. I'm sure I will make another pair eventually.
A Petrocarpus species. "Amboyna" refers specifically to the burl figured section of the tree - the "warts." The un-figured section of the tree is known as "Padauk" <<Link - a favorite of custom guitar builders.
