Banazir's recent activity
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThanks! Admittedly, mild steel tools like these are far easier to make, I don't have to worry about the steel cracking from a fast quench or ruining a good heat treatment with a bad temper job....Thanks! Admittedly, mild steel tools like these are far easier to make, I don't have to worry about the steel cracking from a fast quench or ruining a good heat treatment with a bad temper job. Realistically, most people could do this kind of work with four things: a hot enough fire, something hard to place the metal on, something to hit the metal with, and a bucket of water. I recommend that everyone who is interested give it a try!
That said, I'm not trying to devalue your compliment. Thank you for your appreciation, it does mean a lot!
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentI'm actually concerned about the tongs - the bolster on the rivets didn't spread as much as I would have liked, so it's relatively thin steel holding the whole thing together. It's the most likely...and will probably last a lot longer
I'm actually concerned about the tongs - the bolster on the rivets didn't spread as much as I would have liked, so it's relatively thin steel holding the whole thing together. It's the most likely failure point, which would mean re-doing the whole set from scratch again. I can certainly do that with lessons learned from the failure, but right now my only real recourse would be to use thicker stock and draw out the portions that can be thinner.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkA Hand-Forged Fireplace Set My friend bought his house over five years ago, and despite using his fireplace every winter he has yet to acquire tools to make using it easier. Given that I (finally)...- Exemplary
A Hand-Forged Fireplace Set
My friend bought his house over five years ago, and despite using his fireplace every winter he has yet to acquire tools to make using it easier. Given that I (finally) picked up blacksmithing early this year, and I made a poker for another friend's backyard fire pit, I decided to make a set for my friend to use. There are two pieces in the set, a poker and tongs.
The Poker
This started as a 12" (30 cm) piece of 3/4" (~19 mm) round mild steel. I started so thick because I needed more material at the poker end so I could split it, similar to making forks. The first step here was to forge it square, resulting in roughly 5/8" (15 mm) square stock that was the same length as it started. This then got drawn out to a longer square bar that went from roughly 1/2" (12 mm) to 3/8" (9 mm). This is how I ended the first day of forging.
On the second day, I flattened the thick end to 1/2" x 1/4", then evened out the rest of the length to 3/8". Once I was happy with the thickness throughout, I flattened the handle end and looped it back on itself, creating something similar to a saber handguard. The working end got split in half with a hot-cut chisel before I refined the two points and bent one forward to create the classic poker hook shape. Finally, just to make the whole piece a bit fancier, I put a chamfer on the remaining length (think of a square cross-section with the corners missing) and put a twist in the middle. After a bit of polishing and sanding, this was the result.
I could have stopped there, but I decided that this needed one last touch. When you heat steel to the right temperatures, it will change color. You often see this in the form of purple or dark blue discoloration when the temper gets ruined from overheating a knife, but you can get a few other colors as well. I chose to bake the poker at 450° F until golden brown. Then I pulled it out and gave it a minute to cool before applying beeswax. When it cooled a bit more, I used a cloth to rub the wax in a bit more and remove any excess. This is the final coloration of the poker, and the end result is better than I had hoped for.
The Tongs
The tongs were a different challenge than the poker. While I needed more brute force to get the poker into shape, mainly while drawing out the material, the tongs took more finesse. I started with two pieces, one longer piece of 3/8" square stock and one shorter one of 1/2" square stock.
The longer piece was simpler: I didn't have to draw it out, I just flattened and curved a handle like I did for the poker, curved the other end, and punched a hole for a rivet. I did flatten out the tong end a little bit, but most of the material actually went untouched.
The shorter piece was more technical. I picked an end and split it in half lengthwise for the last 8" (20 cm), giving me a fork with two 1/4" x 1/2" prongs. This took a while, as I could only make half a pass at a time before the steel got cool enough that I worried about blunting my chisel, so I'd have to put it back in the forge to re-heat. After roughly 2 hours of work, I finally got through, and I was able to treat it like an odd version of the long piece. I did draw out the remaining length so it was 3/8" square with a similar starting length as the other piece, but I miscalculated and didn't have enough material to make a whole guard-style handle like the other side. The forked end also had to be curved (easy) and punched (hard), and then the pieces bent specifically so they'd only separate after the point where the rivet joined both pieces of the tongs. One rivet later (which is way harder than it should be), I had successfully made a pair of log pickup tongs for my friend!
I didn't take pictures during the tong process, but I took plenty at the end. Here's the tongs while shut, here's them open, and here's them open with my hand for scale.
The tongs are still unfinished, they need to be sanded/polished and waxed before I'm ready to wrap and gift them. However, given the challenge of making them and the lack of time (I only got three days at the forge this month, so roughly 12 hours of work time), I'm proud of the result.
As said earlier: A Hand-Forged Fireplace Set.
-
Comment on Looking for movies that combine religion mythology and supernatural elements in ~movies
Banazir LinkI know you asked for movies, but the Moon Knight show would probably fit that bill. Note that if you're a fan of him in the comics, like me, the character has some very noticeable differences from...I know you asked for movies, but the Moon Knight show would probably fit that bill. Note that if you're a fan of him in the comics, like me, the character has some very noticeable differences from the source material. However, the basic premise is the same - Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon (and various other things) has chosen Marc Spector to protect the travellers in the night from things that might prey on them. The show pulls more specific creatures from Egyptian myth, so they kept a tighter focus on that than usual, but I that's why I think you'd enjoy it.
There's encounters with several other Egyptian deities as well, and they delve a bit into the afterlife. If you're into that sort of thing, I'd say give it a go.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 3 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkThe fire poker I was making is functionally complete. On Sunday I was able to draw most of it down to 3/8" (roughly 9mm) square, leaving the far end roughly 5/8" square. The working end got forged...The fire poker I was making is functionally complete. On Sunday I was able to draw most of it down to 3/8" (roughly 9mm) square, leaving the far end roughly 5/8" square. The working end got forged down to 1/4x1/2", then split into two 1/4" square tongs roughly 3" long. The other end was flattened and bent back on itself to create a handle similar to a saber handguard.
The process was really helped by the hook ruler I made so I could stop eyeballing lengths and thicknesses. I had a steel ruler I was using before, but it has a cork back so it would get hot and char if I held it against my workpiece. Having a quick measuring tool made it feel like I worked faster because I could tangibly measure progress.
Yesterday I hand-sanded the entire poker. It's not all shiny now, but it has bright edges and spots where the hammer blows show. I will heat-color it later today - putting uncoated steel in the oven at about 450° F will give it a nice straw gold color. Then I just need to apply beeswax and the poker is complete!
The log pickup tongs I wanted to make are halfway forged out as well. The other "half" will take more effort, as I am splitting it lengthwise for about 10" (25 cm) of length to create two jaws with one handle. The handle will also need to be drawn out, and I will need to punch two holes instead of just one, but I think I can do it. I definitely won't have these done with the same polish as the poker by the end of the month, but I'd be happy to have a functional result first.
-
Comment on Death in D&D 5e, the various revival spells, and their impact on the game in ~games.tabletop
Banazir Link ParentI do play around with this trope. I'm playing a gnome, with a max lifespan of around 500 years. He has spent a good chunk of the last century at a university doing in-depth theoretical research,...I do play around with this trope. I'm playing a gnome, with a max lifespan of around 500 years. He has spent a good chunk of the last century at a university doing in-depth theoretical research, and is now trying to practically apply that knowledge. He is by far the oldest member of the party, yet in terms of actual experience he has (or had, we've been playing for a while) no more than a fresh PhD grad. Still, I joke that he's been in college since my party members' grandparents were in diapers, and everyone seems to forget his age.
-
Comment on Death in D&D 5e, the various revival spells, and their impact on the game in ~games.tabletop
Banazir Link ParentWho says the events of your first paragraph don't happen? The story doesn't have to mention them if the party never encounters those battlefields or sects. Yes, the party are the "main...Who says the events of your first paragraph don't happen? The story doesn't have to mention them if the party never encounters those battlefields or sects. Yes, the party are the "main characters", but that doesn't mean the world can't continue without them.
Regarding royal immortality: Resurrection does not work on subjects that die of old age. It does remove mundane poisons and restore missing/damaged body parts, but it doesn't remove magical diseases or curses. True Resurrection does cure all damage, magic or mundane, but it still doesn't work when the subject dies of old age. Functional immortality is out of reach with this approach. IMO, it wouldn't matter anyway, not in a world where elves can live for a millennium and humans top out at 80. Want a functionally immortal ruler? Stick an elf in charge of humans.
-
Comment on Death in D&D 5e, the various revival spells, and their impact on the game in ~games.tabletop
Banazir Link ParentThis, especially your last sentence, sounds like you don't have much experience with RoR2 and you're using what you think it is as an argument. There is almost no true meta-progression. You do...He's using a game whose expected gameplay loop involves dying frequently with shorter runs compared to other games, using a meta progression system to get more powerful, and then going back out to get a little farther than before. I believe in RoR 2 this is primarily in the form of additional characters to play.
This, especially your last sentence, sounds like you don't have much experience with RoR2 and you're using what you think it is as an argument. There is almost no true meta-progression. You do unlock more items and different characters, but the items just mean it can be harder to get the items you want via RNG and the characters correspond to different playstyles. There's not a way to make your character stronger from one run to the next. Suddenly losing a run that you were doing well on and had a good build going sucks because there's no guarantee that the next will work in your favor.
I think a campaign that takes four years to resolve from start to finish with PCs that don't hit level 20 is a glacial pace to play.
We haven't been chasing the same goal the whole time. Just like how JRPGs go from "collect 5 seashells" to "kill god", so has our campaign. We started out helping track down a prison break and some stolen artifacts, now we are throwing down with divine champions and demonic summons for a completely different cause. We have stopped violent coups, slain dragons, and prevented dark rituals. One player left due to lack of time as their schedule changed, one retired their character voluntarily for a change of scenery. The game is long, but none of us has felt constrained or bored so far. IMO, rushing to some sort of end goal would remove the feeling of exploration and mutual storytelling that we have managed to create. Don't feel like you have to adhere to an arbitrary pace that WotC set.
-
Comment on Death in D&D 5e, the various revival spells, and their impact on the game in ~games.tabletop
Banazir LinkLast night I got downed during our D&D session, the second time anyone has downed at all in the 3.5 years my group has been together. Luckily one of our two clerics immediately healed me to...Last night I got downed during our D&D session, the second time anyone has downed at all in the 3.5 years my group has been together. Luckily one of our two clerics immediately healed me to stabilize me, and our warlock ended the fight soon after, so I never even made it to death saves. However, I did feel a small stab of fear at the thought that this character would die half-finished.
I honestly agree with the second paragraph of that summary. Their point is that losing a RoR2 run is frustrating enough after getting lucky enough to get a decent build; how much worse would that be after several years of effort and time spent? Having almost experienced that (and having lost countless promising RoR2 runs), I get their point fully. Removing ways to prevent death should also mean lowering the chances of death occuring, otherwise the game can feel harsh and punishing.
Where does it say that you're expected to hit level 20 after 36-52 sessions? We use milestone leveling rather than exp, and we're only level 14. Granted, we don't play weekly (we go for biweekly, sometimes it's longer between sessions), but I feel like 52 sessions to hit level 20 is really fast. That means getting a level every 2-3 play sessions, even for higher levels where (imo) it should be harder and take longer to level up. It means less time experimenting with what you already have and just constant adjustments to new tools, and imo that's less fun for both players and DMs. I'd rather have a long story and not hit 20 than to hit the cap and just be stuck for however long it takes to wrap up. Having a pre-set time on how long that should take takes a lot of the adventure out of the game for me.
Regardless, I am dusting off my backup character sheet and updating it to our current level, just in case. I have some ideas on how to fill my current niche (necromancy wizard used as a control caster) without just copy/pasting, so even if I lose my current character I look forward to what the game brings next.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 2 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkNo progress this week, as I didn't have a chance to get forge time. However, I did pick up a whole 3/4" x 30' sucker rod (cut into 5' lengths) and some 1/2" square stock which may be useful for...No progress this week, as I didn't have a chance to get forge time. However, I did pick up a whole 3/4" x 30' sucker rod (cut into 5' lengths) and some 1/2" square stock which may be useful for making those log pickup tongs I have been considering.
-
Comment on What code editor / IDE do you use (2025)? in ~comp
Banazir LinkSublime Text has served me well for the past 7-ish years. I used it without a license for 4 of those years, and finally bought a license 3 years ago just because I wanted to support the dev(s). A...Sublime Text has served me well for the past 7-ish years. I used it without a license for 4 of those years, and finally bought a license 3 years ago just because I wanted to support the dev(s). A license isn't required, there's just a pop-up that comes up once every few times you open it. I honestly don't use any special features it offers, but I do like that it's not Electron (like you mentioned) and the plugin system offers many of the same options (or at least, options with the same functionality) as the VSCode ecosystem. The only downside is that it's not open-source, but it's one of the few times where I make an exception to my preference for FOSS options.
Another option that might work for you is Lite XL. I used it for a while, but then I installed a Vim plugin so I could use my muscle memory again and the two just don't mix. The built-in keyboard shortcuts in Lite XL interfere with Vim shortcuts and commands, and I just got annoyed before too long. Since you mentioned not wanting to use Vim, you might have more luck with it.
-
Comment on Recommendations for a Linux based job/ticket management system in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentA quick search for desktop kanban programs resulted in FocalBoard. It looks like it hits all your major criteria and feature requirements, although I haven't used it myself to have any real input.A quick search for desktop kanban programs resulted in FocalBoard. It looks like it hits all your major criteria and feature requirements, although I haven't used it myself to have any real input.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentThe course I took also used coal, most of us were on small rivet forges with hand-cranked blowers. They had enough space at the real forge (a big brick/stone permanent structure installed at the...The course I took also used coal, most of us were on small rivet forges with hand-cranked blowers. They had enough space at the real forge (a big brick/stone permanent structure installed at the renaissance fest grounds that the class was held at) for a few students, but I didn't have a chance to use it. Unfortunately, buying a coal forge is expensive unless you get a lucky find on a used one, and making one requires space and tools I don't have (although I looked into making one from a steel drum and a brake rotor for the fire pot).
Double-check that anvil to make sure it's steel! You might be able to get by with cast iron and a steel plate welded on top, but I still wouldn't expect that to last long. For the hammer, 1.5-2 lbs should be plenty for most work, but lighter hammers are fine for the more common small projects. I'm not sure what you're working on in class, but things like hair pins, s-hooks, blanket pins, and similar trinkets are my most common projects. That might be due to the long 1/4" garage door spring a friend scavenged for me, but even the stock I bought from a shop near me would be workable with a pretty light hammer.
I definitely encourage getting into it in some way. You've spent the time and money on a class, now put that to use! I'm a weekend blacksmith for now, but I still enjoy every minute I get with my scrappy little setup. Maybe next year you can make something for Timasomo!
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir Link ParentMy setup is small and portable since I'm in an apartment. It does limit what I can do with it, but it's functional enough for me and I can still get most projects done with it. I dreamed of...My setup is small and portable since I'm in an apartment. It does limit what I can do with it, but it's functional enough for me and I can still get most projects done with it. I dreamed of getting into this for almost two decades, so I'm happy with what I have. I did take a beginner's course a couple years ago, but it was just two Saturdays of work, 8 hours each. Youtube and forums had taught me a lot of the concepts, so the biggest thing about the class was the opportunity to actually apply that learning.
Here's my setup:
The forge itself is a single-burner Vevor propane forge, I think they cost about $75 USD. In hindsight I wish I had gone for the two burner model that costs just a little more, as this one takes a while to get "large" stock hot enough.
My anvil is made of two pieces of railroad track welded together. My dad made it a while back then never used it, so I asked if I could have it. It's about 65 pounds, which is fine when it's chained down to the stand I made. A similar anvil would be about $150 from Vevor or Harbor Freight as far as I'm aware - just make sure to get steel, cast iron won't last long enough to be worth the cost.
The rest is done on a budget. My hammer is the only purpose-built item and I got it on sale from Blacksmiths Depot - a 800g (~1.75 lb) French style hammer. Before that I was just using a cheap "blacksmith" hammer from the hardware store, but it was too heavy and wore me out too fast. A basic 16 oz ball-peen hammer is a good cheap starting point imo, they should be $30 or less.
My quench bucket is a plastic kitty litter bucket. The lid is convenient because I don't slosh water everywhere when carrying it out, and the bucket was free anyway. My current tongs are homemade, but I started with just pliers to make my first set. If I had a coal forge I could have gotten away with no tongs at all, but propane forges tend to spread heat along the entire piece rather than just the working area. Still, pliers work until you need something that can reach into the forge, so making or getting tongs early is a priority.
You really can get a basic setup going for relatively cheap. You just have to be a bit creative and be willing to make some sacrifices. There's no time to start like the present!
-
Comment on What happens when the internet goes out at your work? in ~tech
Banazir LinkMy entire team gets pulled out of whatever else we're troubleshooting to take a look at switches, routers, and firewalls to see what broke. Those of us (un)lucky enough to live within driving...My entire team gets pulled out of whatever else we're troubleshooting to take a look at switches, routers, and firewalls to see what broke. Those of us (un)lucky enough to live within driving range of the office come in to check for hardware issues while the rest check what logs they can get to.
Granted, I work in IT so my and my team's reaction is unique in the company, so IDK what the rest of the company does.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Week 1 Updates in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir (edited )LinkI got a good forge session in on Sunday, and I made more progress than I expected. I am midway through making a fire poker as a Christmas gift for a friend. I started with 12" of 3/4" round stock,...I got a good forge session in on Sunday, and I made more progress than I expected.
I am midway through making a fire poker as a Christmas gift for a friend. I started with 12" of 3/4" round stock, which I forged down to a 24" square bar going from 3/8" up to 1/2". It took about 4 hours, a lot of which was waiting for the bar to heat enough for me to work it efficiently. When I made another fire poker several months back, just getting to this point took me twice as many hours, so I'm happy with what I have now. I did run out of fuel for my forge at the end, which is what made me stop where I did.
My next step will be to flatten the thick end to 1/4 x 1/2", then use a chisel to cut that in half along the last 3". This will make the traditional poker end with a hook and a spike. The rest will be forged down to just under 3/8", chamfered, and maybe twisted for style before I forge out the handle. I expect this to take me another 4 hours, maybe less depending on how efficient I am that day.
Additionally, I made a few smaller items while waiting for the big piece to heat. Another fork down, and a nice leaf pin to boot!
-
Comment on Way past its prime: how did Amazon get so rubbish? in ~tech
Banazir Link ParentThis is how I've been using Amazon for the past 5 years. I try to buy local first, then from specialty stores, then Amazon last; the few items that get through the first two steps end up waiting...Now I just wait until my cart has more than $35 in it to get free shipping
This is how I've been using Amazon for the past 5 years. I try to buy local first, then from specialty stores, then Amazon last; the few items that get through the first two steps end up waiting for a large enough purchase to be worth it. I have slowly pushed my family away from Amazon wishlists, and I think my parents are cancelling Prime soon as well.
-
Comment on Timasomo 2025: Roll Call in ~creative.timasomo
Banazir LinkI'm going to forge out a fire poker for a friend. If I have the time, I'd like to make log tongs as well, but I will probably get 12-ish hours at the forge all month so I don't want to push too hard.I'm going to forge out a fire poker for a friend. If I have the time, I'd like to make log tongs as well, but I will probably get 12-ish hours at the forge all month so I don't want to push too hard.
-
Comment on What game is your personal "Silksong"? in ~games
Banazir Link ParentI'm with you, I genuinely enjoyed the Halo 4 campaign and multiplayer at launch. I loved the Spartan Ops co-op missions, and the fact that Chief actually got some humanization and internal...I'm with you, I genuinely enjoyed the Halo 4 campaign and multiplayer at launch. I loved the Spartan Ops co-op missions, and the fact that Chief actually got some humanization and internal conflict was fantastic. I did think that the QTE final boss fight robbed me of an epic finale like Halo 2 had, but other than that I enjoyed every minute of the game.
That's so clean at the end! Electronics is one of those things that I always want to do more with, but I always scare myself away from the basics for some reason. I've managed a few basic projects involving button inputs, but nothing groundbreaking or truly interesting. I'll be looking forward to your more in-depth writeup when it's ready!