Scampbell Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Ok so I am still new to the smithing thing and I have seen some crazy works of art when it cOmes to blacksmithing projects..... So how do you/they or anyone make the spring Swages with the differant texture ? Maybe I'm over thinking the whole process..... Anyway you tell/show us how it's done. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ric Furrer Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 Ok so I am still new to the smithing thing and I have seen some crazy works of art when it cOmes to blacksmithing projects..... So how do you/they or anyone make the spring Swages with the differant texture ? Maybe I'm over thinking the whole process..... Anyway you tell/show us how it's done. Thanks The simplest way to have texturing dies is to let a new blacksmith come over and use your power hammer...after a day the dies will be nice and textured without you having to do anything...especially if they are making hemisphere dies by sinking a sphere into a hot billet to make an impression for a bottom swage........a sphere, being a very strong shape, will impress both the cold upper die as well as the hot billet. Spring swages can be made may ways..there was recently a good discussion on how to make them in a way where the electric weld, if you use that method, will not shear after a day of forging. From there it is a matter of the texture you wish to make...many very good textures are developed on some very rough means....rocks,ball bearings,hack cuts with a chisel,mill cutters..etc Basically you are making the texture into what will become upper and lower swage plates in the spring swage..you can make the texture on a bar and sink that into the hot swage or take and old bit of already textured material and use that as the striking surfaces of the swage or or or.....the end result is the same...allowing you to get the pattern to the target material. OR buy the existing texturing swages which are out there. Over Thinking: Often it takes and idiot or a genius to get to the simplest design....simple and elegant is very hard to do in any endeavor.....most of my tooling is styled after Rube Goldberg. Ric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scampbell Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 So when you say textures made from rocks .... You mean take a heat put some rocks between the hot metal and cold then just hammer away? Does anyone have any pictures of the process of making your own. I don't have a lot of $ so I will be trying to make everything I can. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I do not think you would use rocks thats a good one. You are over thinking it. I have made a few the best example is for tree bark. take 2 pieces of steel and do a bunch of passes with out gas on one side of each piece all e regular . Then bend a piece of metal in a U line up the 2 plates with the mugger-ed welds facing each other weld the plates to the U shape spring and there you have it . I have seen old files used you are only limited by your imagination. Blacksmith depot catalog is a good reference they have a bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 I know a bladesmith who does very cool, crunchy-looking work with parts of the blades unfinished. He textured a hammer face by welding little bits of scrap to it, and he uses that for texturing the unfinished parts of his blades. It leaves a gnarly surface. I imagine you could do the same with swages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Some of the most startling effects can be made with the most simple tools. The bracelet pattern was made with a hammer that I used a zip disk to put cross cuts across its face. The bracelet is bronze, but the pattern could be put in any metal. Just heat the metal... and hit with the hammer. Changing the orientation of the hammer handle to the metal produces an infinite number of patterns. No two results will be the same. Overstrikes just make the pattern finer in looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhartironwerks Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Some of the most startling effects can be made with the most simple tools. The bracelet pattern was made with a hammer that I used a zip disk to put cross cuts across its face. The bracelet is bronze, but the pattern could be put in any metal. Just heat the metal... and hit with the hammer. Changing the orientation of the hammer handle to the metal produces an infinite number of patterns. No two results will be the same. Overstrikes just make the pattern finer in looks. Nice work! My daughter has been after me to make some jewelery for her. I just like beating up big steel, so thinking smaller is a challenge. Thanks for the inspiration. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scampbell Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 WOW.....! Now that is a work of art. Very nice work, so I guess I am just over thinking the whole process way too much. Simple enough! But I wold love to get some more ideas on how to do differant patterns, let see some others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 If you are patient, sometimes you can find metal with the texture already there... Just find a use for what you see. I am making vessels from plate that has been laying outside somewhere for decades. I found it, as a large sheet, at a steel reclying yard. The only limitation for its use is your imagination. This plate is 5/16ths thick. I have used thinner material also. Shapes are cut with a metal band saw, then the edges sanded (belt grinder) and sometimes polished after cleaning. I use the electrolytic derusting process to remove the rust (Google for info). These vessels were made with a press... pushing with a solid round into a ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 dave the textures are great ! i love the hammer becasue like you said - infinate variations, the bracelet looks beautiful. also i really like how youve finished the edges of your bowls. thanks for the pics :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Thanks everyone.... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scampbell Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Man that's wonderful ! Thanks for sharing , I havnt been using my Imagination I guess, but you are helping open my eyes to new ideas thanks Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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