Brothers in Smithing - Monthly Metal Challenge

Send us Fan Mail   This month's Challenge was to create a Pride theme piece of art.  Kipling used colourful alumium wire to weave a progress pride version of a canadian flag, while Andrew took 10lbs of steel and made 11 little people holding a large sign that says “Stronger” each person being a colour of the progress pride flag. This month our esoteric eggel has us telling pride related stori...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge was to make a fish themed soap dish - cause who dosen’t want one of those. Kipling made a bookend like fish scene with LED lights but his epoxy might hide some of his details while Andrew tried epoxy for the first time making three different designs and settled on a sardine can. This month our esoteric eggel has us trying new languages. Check us out on...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge was to create a candle holder with 6 tall beer cans. This challenge was just that: a challenge to create something out of such thin material.  Kipling used the colour on the cans to make leaves for a fall tree, while Andrew used bare cans to create marsh grass with a duck lifting off. This month our esoteric eggel has us reminiscing about the best worst...

Send us Fan Mail This month's challenge will be to create an award using an animal from March Mammal Maddness.  Kipling chased out a Northern Shrike (and yes we are aware a shrike is not a mammal) and got creative with the colouring and name plaque. Andrew made a Thylacine trophy with a neat pedestal using some creative welding.  This month we talk about annoying consumables and our esoteric...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is to create an art piece inspired from the phrase "fierce courage”.  Kipling got out his casting equipment and made a copper child holding a teddy bear about to open their closet door with a ghost behind it. Andrew made a baby bird leaving the nest for the first time.  This month we talk about annoying consumables and our esoteric eggel gets us ta...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is to make a viking inspired piece with a hidden compartment. Andrew made a metal shield that stores post it notes inside.  Kipling got a bit more completed and made a viking ship with a removable mast and deck to store stuff, maybe pens or something. This month we talk about how we deal with scraps pieces of metal (so fun). Our esoteric eggel gets us t...

Send us Fan Mail    This month's Challenge is to make an art piece with a lighthouse in it. Andrew made lots of metal scrolls from past work and made them into a crashing ocean that seems to threaten two small metal people in the piece.  Kipling used copper to create a cliff scene with a lighthouse high on a hill and an epoxy sea below. This month we talk about our least favorite part of thes...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is to create a set of three decorative birds. Kipling used three differnt metals to create a family set of chickens that can nest together or stand alone.  Andrew made a copper birds set in a forged steel loop. This month we talk about learning new skills and tools. Our esoteric eggel gets us talking about our best bird stories. Check us out on social m...

Send us Fan Mail   This month's Challenge is to use metal to create a bat decoration that includes hinges in the piece somewhere. Kipling used repousse and chasing to form a bat out of copper adding a lever and spring to his piece to make an automatic opening action.  Andrew made a metal bay with hinged wings, cuter and with brass brushing on the inside to reflex a hidden candle. This month w...

Send us Fan Mail   This month's Challenge is to use metal to make a mirror into a piece of loon themed art. No one wants the bad luck of breaking a mirror and this one has us both on edge. Kipling used repousse and chasing to form a loon into a piece of copper adding cutouts to show the mirror underneath.  Andrew made a thick frame for his mirror in order to reflex the forged metal waves whil...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is to make a unique thermometer. Who really uses thermometers anymore anyway… we each broke a few glass thermometer bulbs building our version of a unique thermometer.. Andrew made a metal daisy-like flower and the leaves come out at the correct temperatures and Kipling took fun weather related sayings and made them into temperature makers out of brass...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is framed shark, to honor Shark Week. Andrew bent and welded up wire and mounted it to a fancy light box and Kipling took coloured wire and made a pride shark with a copper wire background.  This month we talk about new tools and new sources for material and our esoteric eggels gets us laughing about great costumes of the past.. Check us out on social m...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a garden decoration inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Andrew forged a shepherd's hook with a cheshire cat face that hangs in front of a sign and Kipling made a cheshire cat face that watches over a spattering of other components that make up a bird bath and feeder.. This month our esoteric eggels gets us talking about our gardens and pets. Check...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is to create a candle holder for a pile of old copper pipe. Andrew created a feather candle stand with shiny feathers behind to reflect light and Kipling made a hinged tea light holder that all folds up to a nice sun decoration. This month our esoteric eggels gets us talking about our musical talents and Andrew talks about his new small flypress. Check...

Send us Fan Mail This time we recap our first season of podcasting. Our favorite challenges and the challenges we might want to forget.  Hear more detail about the challenges by the numbers. We also get into a little bit more of our market sales and how these challenges help stock our tables and entertain both our customers and us. Check us out on social media to vote for your favourite @brothersi...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is an original animal created by mashing up two or more other animals. This challenge was inspired by a high school assignment and the fun had following March Mammal Madness (linked below).  Andrew created a Koala Spider trying to make the creepy spider cute and Kipling made a Bat-Eared Falpion, combining a falcon and scorpion with bat ears. This month...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is an art piece inspired by the term “Wild City”. This challenge stands out as just an art piece, when most of our creations have some type of function these purposes are just art.  Andrew made a city covered by grass and dandelions he calls “Weeds above us”  and Kipling made a copper tree as it up roots a house he calls “treed House” This month our eso...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is an original cast copper Monopoly piece. We both had issues learning the new skills needed to create successful castings from melted copper.  In the end Kipling made a sleigh a rustic Aladdin lamp and Andrew made a polished mini anvil.  As is now tradition we talk about some esoteric eggels and share our favorite pranks we have pulled and chat about o...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a sleigh shaped candy dish. Kipling made a sleigh with a great tufted pillow seat out of copper and aluminum and Andrew made a sleigh from steel and struggled to find the inspiration on this project.  As is now tradition we talk about some esoteric eggels and share our favorite Christmas  foods and Andrew asks what material other than metal that we w...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a Miniature Christmas Village house. Kipling made a tinsmith shop out of copper and Andrew made a steel blacksmith shop (because of course he did.)  These are meant to be added to a miniature Christmas village display. As is now tradition we talk about some esoteric eggels and share our favorite Christmas  decorations and we talk about Dolly Parton a...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a chess set. Kipling made a set of different flowers out of copper and Andrew made steel gnomes.  Kipling is a better chess player but can he make a better set of pieces?  We have been making these for months  As is now tradition we talk about some esoteric eggels and share our favorite halloween decorations and we both added something new to our sho...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a Trivet. Kipling made a brass celtic knot and Andrew made a steel pineapple.  Yes they both work as trivets or hot plates. As per usual we talk about some esoteric eggels and share our favourite recipe and Andrew Asks a somewhat related question to our work..   Check us out on social media to vote for your favourite trivet @deerrunforge and @tapley_...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a Animal Brooch .  It had to be an animal we had not made before, and it had to be small enough to be worn as a brooch. Kipling used copper and epoxy to make a loon brooch.  While Andrew made a wire frame silhouette of a wolf with scrolls inside out of a coat hanger.  As now tradition, we talk about our shop woes and wonders and share an esoteric egg...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a Metal House Plant . Kipling made a copper money plant from scrap copper cutoffs using a broken texturing die and Andrew made a steel Venus Flytrap with multiple heads and sharp pokey bits..  As now tradition we talk about our shop woes and wonders and share some this time some vintage musical esoteric eggels too.   Check us out on social media to v...

Send us Fan Mail This month's Challenge is a Bird Bookend. Kipling made a brass and cooper woodpecker with fancy cutouts and Andrew made a humming bird with small flowers on a heavy metal base.  As now tradition we talk about our shop woes and wonders and share some esoteric eggels too.   Check us out on social media to vote for your favourite  @deerrunforge and @tapley_tinsmith and @#brother...