Spears Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I picked up a very large wrench at a flea market so I tapered down the handle and made a snakes tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 coolio!!! i like that :) groovy texture... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Gaddis Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Pretty...but now it will not fit in the tool box! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 That is a great looking wrench. How'd you texture it like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted March 12, 2012 Author Share Posted March 12, 2012 I started by smoothing a long taper under the power hammer using a rocking tool like Mr Miller showed on his thread. The tool I constructed is also pictured there. Leaving that tool in the bottom, I bolt the texturing tool into the ram. The texturing tool is a solid dome with hacksaw slits placed in a row and then small holes drilled along the slits hardened and tempered. Strikes overlapping and imperfect still may look patterned to the eye though the work piece is dented. Use lighter repetitive blows. Use a stump with a rawhide or wooden mallet to bring the piece back into one plane while texturing and final curve bending so the texture isn’t destroyed. The small test piece came out a bit easier than the big heavy wrench two feet long. Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 that is very cool... thanks for the photos, completely clear now :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Nice texture ! Excellent explanation of tooling. All of my sculptures include reptiles. Never have textured them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 THAT is too cool! I have got to make myself one of those. Thanks for sharing. Now, what if you heated the area right behind the "head" and turned it 90 deg's?.......... MItch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Now, what if you heated the area right behind the "head" and turned it 90 deg's?.......... MItch The open end ports on my gas forge won't allow this thing back in after shaping which means heating it up in the large side door opening. I really do like the idea of taking this project further but the equipment limitations start to get frustrating. I would like to own a coal forge or an induction forge so I could heat up small specific areas of irregular shaped assemblies but funds for the hobby are on hold right now. I'm glad you like the texture. Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 A small charcoal forge should run you under US$5 to build---unless you want to do a ground forge in which case it should be free. You're doing too nice a work to get hung up on forge limitations! Was that a spud wrench originally? Or just a long 1 ended open end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRobb Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 You can always use a torch for localized heating. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 The wrench was one ended very flat and wide, not a spud. The head was bent at 45 degrees edgewise. Perhaps altered this way to get into a tight spot on very large machinery. I would have liked to have seen how they cocked the head on that thing edgewise because I could barely bring it back to almost straight having it cherry red. Then edgewise hammering the handle to a square it became very long and a job to work with. Something I would have never undertaken without a power hammer. Spending the time to put together equipment inexpensively gets done yet never gets done. Monkey around and build it, or take the hit and buy it. My wife just told me I spend more time building tools than making art. Win lose and/or lose win. LOL. Just last week I built a bending fork. After using the fork to bend the snake tail I wondered why I never built one of those sooner. I guess I was too busy getting the work done without one. Yes Mr Powers, I do way to nice of work to have certain limitations. I say that every morning I walk past my workshop door to get in my car and go to work at my day job. When I no longer need the day job, I will walk into my shop and do things with real time abundance, I just hope you’re around to see it! Sincerely, Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old South Creations Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 sweet! I love the texture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I love it! I'm hoping it wasn't a chromed wrench to start with. Bringing chromed steel to forging heat is really BAD for your health, hexavalent chrome is not only toxic but a serious carcinogen. I mention this as much as a warning to other smiths wanting to give wrench morphing a try. I'm also really taken with your texturing tool. Ain't power hammers grand? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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