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pulled out spirals


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sorry dont know the proper name, but when you do a tight spiral, is there a way you can pull it out, so you can play with the shape? i have tried knocking them down over upturned bick in the anvil, but i seem to be damaging them, i know i have missed The Proper way top do this. do you know what im on about??? :)

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Depends on what sizes you are talking about, and whether flat scroll like an ammonite, or tapered like a walnut whip

Get it hot, hold the ends in tongs and pull, use a wide blade like a large screwdriver to tweak to shape

or

Heat it, place it over a suitable sized hole in a swage block (or anything else of a convenient size) and push the centre down,

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i used to make lots of candlestands with that as the central upright.. what I would do is take a long bit of round stock, taper the end then make a right angle about 50mm down, take a long heat, then put the taper end in a vice to where you bent it, and start to wrap the length around it, wrap it around a few times.

Next, then take a heat to the other end, the same length that you wrapped already, near the end put a right angle in, and then do the same to this end, put the end in the vice so the corner is just proud and wrap the length, coil it around it until you run out of metal, you should then have two coils meeting each other. Put this all back in the fire, so it's all heated evenly, then again put one end in the vice, and gently pull out the other, sometimes need some scrolling tongs to get the spacing evenly so it comes out as a coiled spiral ball....

Oh, I see John B has just replied and this is not quite what you were looking for!!!! doh!! Anyway, will do this and take some pics if you haven't done it cause it's quite a nice little element!!

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no thats not quite the one i wanted colleen, but i could def use it! i just wanted a single directioned spiral opened out without damaging it, didnt want to leave an end on to pull which id have to chop off! thanks for the ball idea though, thats great :)

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IIRC there was a Blacksmithing book published by Popular Mechanics around 1913? that went into quite a lot of details on doing this type of ornament.

I'll try to remember to dig out my copy and get the cite as it's been reprinted by Lindsey books

Ahh yes http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks9/goog/index.html

It also showed a lot of neat stuff with baskets

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beth, colleen, I would like to see both ideas in a picture, or even demonstrated in a series of pics. If you get the chance to photograph either of them, I'd be most grateful.



Here's another one that is self explanatory used as a key ring or light pull or whatever

post-816-0-72169200-1330037515_thumb.jpg post-816-0-41455100-1330037656_thumb.jpg

Can also be used in finials etc these are from the scrap pile made in early 1800's (not by me I might add)

post-816-0-01546300-1330037940_thumb.jpg post-816-0-07644100-1330038238_thumb.jpg
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There is a pdf of Googerty's book on line at http://www.evenfallstudios.com/woodworks_library/hand_forging.pdf. Just an FYI.


Brian Pierson

Could the spiral cones be constructed like a corkscrew? You would have to vary the size of the ring then pry it apart with a screwdriver. I know Hofi posted a pictured topic on how to do them a couple of years ago.

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To do these, I roll a tight scroll. Then I put a punch in the vise, business side up. I use a smallish round flat faced tool. Heat the scroll and register the work at the start of the scroll but one revolution in, and using the peen of your hammer gently hammer the scroll down. Move along to the inside of the scroll. This beats hammering into a depression, you can really control your final form.

Hope this helps.

post-979-0-95956900-1330053471_thumb.jpg

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flemish coil :)| thats the one i meant. thanks nuge - i had tried the method you suggest but ended damaging them a bit. i will try all methods again. i did have the hofi corkscrew method in my mind, but didnt want it barrel/even shaped... thank for the help, as usual you lot :)

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Thanks to Richard Thibeau for pointing this one out,
BP0559 Wire Coil Spiral Cage

I'm not sure how to get the link to it!!

It's not exactly the same as what I was trying to describe but pretty similar, except I leave ends on mine to continue. I will try to do one and get some pics, but won't be til Sunday at least as that's the next time I'll be in the workshop.

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