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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Metal Working.

A wise man once said "Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the night.  Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life".  Fire is an important tool and having metal tools to manage it is very helpful.  A poker helps you arrange or rearrange wood on the fire.  It can drag coals around.  And they look cool hanging by the fire.  Let's make one!

The coolest way to make one is by blacksmithing.  Start with a bar of steel or iron, heat up the end and work it on an anvil.  Here's an excellent video including a forge weld for the spur:


Here's a video of three different pokers, made from rebar (not the best raw material) and requiring no forge welding.  Regular welding is still needed for two of the designs:


To complete this BB, the minimum requirements is to make a poker:
  - steel or iron
  - spur/hook at the end to pull on logs with
  - simple handle

To document your completion of the BB, provide the following:
 - A picture of your poker partially assembled
 - A picture of the finished poker
COMMENTS:
 
Posts: 133
Location: Kooskia, ID
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Approved submission
First time making one of these. It was fun. It turned out pretty good.
D5010375-3ADD-4AD9-B185-81F47E717152.jpeg
Fireplace forge
Fireplace forge
94A64395-8513-46DE-86D1-1E24DB22EC1C.jpeg
Two pieces
Two pieces
2B44C9CA-521F-4F39-8EEC-829D19CD382D.jpeg
Cut and fitted
Cut and fitted
51C17DB0-4420-4DAC-9F39-A02ED9CB5005.jpeg
Welded
Welded
1FFB2C3A-BBC5-4194-A280-E8D0D207D597.jpeg
Choosing a handle
Choosing a handle
8107BB32-0BAD-43CF-B883-AC5718D16DA0.jpeg
Drilling it out
Drilling it out
D8F5DBF7-C18F-44F9-A2C6-8669C4232FC9.jpeg
After oil treatment
After oil treatment
1F8E796A-C14D-4E81-86E8-29BE8176F5CA.jpeg
Finished
Finished
Staff note (Nicole Alderman) :

I hereby certify that this badge bit is complete!

 
pollinator
Posts: 245
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fungi foraging fiber arts medical herbs woodworking ungarbage
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Approved submission
Welded up a fire poker tonight. I used pieces of salvaged mild steel. The T for the handle and the main piece are tubing- to keep the weight down. I filled the end of the long tube with weld and ground it to shape. I'm very happy with the weight and balance of it. I hate using the one we currently have because it's long and heavy and feels awkward.

Hopefully we can use it this weekend 🤞
20240220_170901.jpg
mild steel tubing cut to size
mild steel tubing cut to size
20240220_171622.jpg
in process
in process
20240220_172759.jpg
glowing red hot filling the end of the tube
glowing red hot filling the end of the tube
20240220_180255.jpg
completed
completed
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
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https://permies.com/wiki/permaculture-gifts-stocking-stuffers
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