Fe-Wood Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 I've been wanting to spin a ball form for a while. I've thought about how to do it and join it. Then I learned a key bit and here is the result. Its not soldered yet, I just made it and the mandrels this afternoon. A couple more fixtures and I'll have it soldered :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 looks great fe - what you going to do with it? did it take long? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Very cool Fe, that has a lot of posibilities for end use. What do you plan to do with the balls? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share Posted September 7, 2010 Making the tooling was the work. Spinning the shells only takes a few minutes. I'm not sure where I will go with this now that I know I can make them but I'm sure I will be trying to make bigger ones.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcrucible Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Making the tooling was the work. Spinning the shells only takes a few minutes. I'm not sure where I will go with this now that I know I can make them but I'm sure I will be trying to make bigger ones.... Shouldn't those be done out of brass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Shouldn't those be done out of brass? Why ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Material choice is a matter of opinion. Brass is just punny. That looks good, but isn't the solid slug cheating? Just kidding. Now that I have a lathe I am reading a bit about spinning. It amazes me what can be done! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge9001 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Shouldn't those be done out of brass? haha don't worry I got the joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 A note of caution, drill a small hole to let the hot gases escape when soldering, I was recently soldering up some mixed brass, copper and silver beads, 1" diameter, and when soldering the two halves together, KABOOM !!!! I don't know if it was just from hot air or from the flux but when it let go I had a spray of hot solder go every where. Right along the seam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcrucible Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Why ? I guess no one gets the joke... http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/brass Slang brass balls "toughness, courage" (emphatically combining two metaphors for the ssme thing) attested by 1960s. And because of the nature of the joke, someone created this: http://www.amazon.com/Brass-Balls-Keyring-Keychain-Novelty/dp/B001PV1UK2 Or another alternative derivation, perhaps http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/cold%20enough%20to%20freeze%20the%20balls%20off%20a%20brass%20monkey.html There were earlier balls version - Bluestones' The Private World of Cully Powers, 1960 has: "Man, I'm so hungry I could eat the balls off a brass monkey". There's little doubt that the phrase was circulating almost the general public before WWII - some years before it appears in print. In Arthur Mizener's biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald The Far Side of Paradise, he includes part of a letter written by Fitzgerald's wife Zelda in 1921: "This damned place is 18 below zero and I go around thanking God that, anatomically and proverbially speaking, I am safe from the awful fate of the monkey." Later, but still before WWII, Eric Partridge, in A Dictionary of Catchphrases, repeats this report: Shortly before WW2, The Crazy Gang at the Palladium played a sketch wearing fur coats, hats, gloves etc. When the brass balls fell from a pawnbroker's sign, one of them exclaimed, "Blimey, I didn't know it was that cold!" The last reference is especially pleasing to the joke since this subforum is "Cold worked metal." And in modern usage... (skip ahead to 3:55) http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/58887/february-09-2006/big-brass-balls-award Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 7, 2010 Share Posted September 7, 2010 Oh Ha Ha, my apologies, no sense of humour when dealing with techniques. I just wondered why it should have specifically been brass, when any ductile material can be used. Having said that, I understood the term freezing the 'balls off a brass monkey referred to cast iron cannon balls stacked on the grills on His Majesty's Royal Navy's fleet when they were colonising the globe amongst other tasks, and they froze together in to one mass which then proved a danger in high seas I would like to point out that I may be getting on a bit, but did not have actual experience of this phenomenon, just hearsay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share Posted September 8, 2010 Shouldn't those be done out of brass? I was wondering where this would go I kinda prompted it with the "bigger balls" bit Bentiron- thanks for the heads up. Glad you didn't get hurt. That slug is spun too, so it hollow. Funny- I didn't sleep real well last night. I was dreaming of what to do with these balls and how big I could make them and of what materials.... Nightmare :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 A note of caution, drill a small hole to let the hot gases escape when soldering, I was recently soldering up some mixed brass, copper and silver beads, 1" diameter, and when soldering the two halves together, KABOOM !!!! I don't know if it was just from hot air or from the flux but when it let go I had a spray of hot solder go every where. Right along the seam. It was from expanding gas. Physics 101 Air/ gas created by the soldering process/ combo of the two or even three (oils in the metal) inside ball expand when heated. you are correct that a relief hole needs to be drilled and then plugged later. Plugging can be done without heating as much gas before it blows out the hole as a rule and most of it (except the plain air) is burned up anyway by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 It only hurt a little when my wife beaned me for burning holes in one of my newer tee shirts from the silver solder hitting me. I also have some small burns on my stomach, they are a mite tender too. Are you using silver or soft solder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted September 10, 2010 Author Share Posted September 10, 2010 Someone suggested I tig weld them together. So yesterday I started to do this. Its my eyes I new I needed readers (+1.50 magnification) to read... But to weld too So now I will resume with the readers..... If it looks good when I'm done, I'll show it, if not I'll never tell ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted September 10, 2010 Share Posted September 10, 2010 Fe- you can get a "cheater" lens for your welding helmet, they come in different powers of magnification. And what do you mean "If it looks good" we want to see it all messed up too if that's what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medieval Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 Someone suggested I tig weld them together. So yesterday I started to do this. Its my eyes I new I needed readers (+1.50 magnification) to read... But to weld too So now I will resume with the readers..... If it looks good when I'm done, I'll show it, if not I'll never tell I have done some tig welding on copper. It works great. Holds together better than aluminum, but at 'some' temperature it slumps. Also the filler rod gets hot. I also use 1.5 magnification inserts in my helmet. I need to use an 'old time' helmet on small stuff, as the coating on the electronic helmet lens distorts the image. After welding (or soldering ) the ball will be dead soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Oh Ha Ha, my apologies, no sense of humour when dealing with techniques. I just wondered why it should have specifically been brass, when any ductile material can be used. Having said that, I understood the term freezing the 'balls off a brass monkey referred to cast iron cannon balls stacked on the grills on His Majesty's Royal Navy's fleet when they were colonising the globe amongst other tasks, and they froze together in to one mass which then proved a danger in high seas I would like to point out that I may be getting on a bit, but did not have actual experience of this phenomenon, just hearsay. Hi John, As an ex gunner I can tell you that the 'brass monkey' refered to is/was a lipped brass tray fixed to the gundeck designed/gauged to hold the base of a piramid of cannon balls i.e. 5 x 5 balls the lip extending just over half the hieght of a ball. This lip was intended to be a tight fit to prevent the piramid collasping due to wave motion. The thermal shink co-eficient of the brass was greater than the iron and thus in the colder climates the tray shrunk and popped out the balls, hence the term 'froze the balls off a brass monkey'. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianinsa Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Hi Fe, Nice die, these balls look like those old fasioned toilet cistern floats, Going into the potty Buisness? Hang on, you do Blacksmithing a buisness that has recently gone somewhat to potty. They would look great as a base for a weather vane!Stunning job, thanks for sharing. Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 Ian- This is what came of one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Cool piece FE, I like how you left the solder joint, a little patina would be nice on that one. Got any more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 Thanks Michael! Got anymore what? Pieces or balls? I thought about Patina but I like the raw metal finish for this one. I'm conjuring up another piece that I may do some finishes on. I may venture into the Bronze I have too. Nothing takes a patina like Silicone Bronze! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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