The anatomy of a project: house numbers to fit into a 2 x 4 rectangular porch frame

Goals; challenge my design, drawing, pre-prep, and forging skills. Precision dimensions were important.  Time worked on this went out the window with experiments, mistakes, changes, terrible weather, etc. 

thumbnail drawings

1/2 scale drawing 

full scale drawing on metal sheet

Could't forge the corner bend on the sevens so reverted to laser cutting the approximate shape and forging them to shape.

forging of all parts done

looks about right, preparing to drill holes for riveting

dry fit, preparing to hot rivet

Hot riveting; don't have an oxy/acetylene torch so punched hole in sheet metal which allowed the rivet shaft to get hot and not get lost in the coals.

almost done hot riveting

grinding and finishing,  hiding the top rivet heads.

Grinding and finishing,  hiding the top rivet heads.

My friend wanted to leave tool marks and a have  little rusting over time so I cleaned up the forging with a flapper disc a bit and clear coated part of  the surfaces.