ornametalsmith

I've made a plate from castable refractory to deal with this issue.

Nice repousse, and Welcome to IFI. Enjoyed seeing the work on your site. LOVE the hat......it ROX. :D

that's great.....and you can almost Feel the lil buggers enthusiasm. Sounds like some wonderful Kodak moments, both stills and video. His first hook should no doubt end up a family heirloom. His square taper looks better than some I've seen my beginner's do. I think he's a natural......it's obvious he's been paying close attention and wants to be "just like his Dad" when he grows up. Look forward to following Mikey's progress.....tell him...HIS FAN CLUB awaits. congrats, MIKEY. happy hammering

hmmmmmm I have to agree with Finnr....... seems a shame to melt that down. AND.......I also agree....you really want Sterling, and not Pure Silver for rings. The first thing that comes to mind.......is what kind of ring did you want to make? By that I mean what type design? Plain band? or elaborately detailed design? That could help determine the best process. you can make simple designs by melting it, or other scrap sterling, into a carved negative in a charcoal block. I've done many items in this way...... Nuggets pendants and such are popular..... I'd be happy to take some pix of my charcoal block with a bunch of different "carved negatives" in it....if it might help get your creative juices goin. For the more detailed designs.... lost wax casting is the best option. Much more involved, requiring much more equipment.

Good to have you with us, Dallas. I really enjoyed reading about your experience and how it effected you. This is a craft that NEEDS as much new blood as we can find. And as you described most blacksmith groups are gettin long in the tooth .......SO........tell all your friends........and you know. It only takes one time playing with the hot metal to hook you. I'm looking forward to following your progress. Happy Hammering,

I'm sure you've seen engraved metal. It's done cold. on small scale stuffI(jewelry, knives, guns) it's done with a small hand graver, both manually and pneumatically assisted. here's a site with examples: Engravings of Steve J. Lindsay And all you'd have to do is take a larger piece of tool steel(say....1/4in to 3/8in round or square, Duff's were about 6-8in.long) and grind the "KITE" shaped tip(see link below*), like the smaller versions, and you'd hold the Large Graver in one hand, at about about a 30-45 degree angle, and strike the top with a hammer and "steer" it along the design. You can control the width and depth of the line by adjusting the angle. There are many examples of " Eisenhowering (Carving Steel)". Ward Grossman is quite famous for it. BUT he goes WAY over board LOL:D he uses a variety of different shaped chisels. *link to shapes: http://www.ottofrei.com/store/icon.php?categoryid=990 BUT.....you could get away with just a few, I'd suggest the Lozenge, round and flat(see link above) ...depending upon how detailed you wanted the design. I was at a meeting not to long ago....and John "Duff" Medwedeff demo'd some large scaled engraving. He said he'd been signing some of his large scaled sculpture this way. It takes a lil practice(start with something soft, i.e. aluminum, copper or brass)....but would be MUCH easier than trying to repousse 1/4in thick steel plate hope this gives you some insight into the process

another thought that comes to mind if you REALLY want it to be "in" the 1/2 in. plate. You could make some large scaled "gravers" and carve the relief into the stock. Then you could "chase" as much detail as you'd like into and around it. food for thought. :D

lil buddy.......put that down :D

just trying to keep it real, Ted. thank you. happy hammerin :cool:

I use a magnetic tray on both my...bench top drill press and my HUGE 21" Cincinnati (dinosaur) floor model. Used string before getting the trays.

thought I should at LEAST throw a shot of my TH out there. FWIW, my anvil is the End of a railroad axle. hmmmmmm this is my first attempt to add an image......hope it works. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed:D

good point TP..........imagine hand forging hot metal on a hollow anvil. Resistance is a good thing ..................they don't make em solid for the heck of it. It's all relative.