Need help forging a 'frog'

[territorialmillworks]

It sounds funny to me too but I'm working on a woods type piece and my artistic director (wife) thinks an inch and half frog would be great. It's my own fault because I was fooling around and made an 'eye' punch. I tried a few search terms but came up empty.......so point me in the right direction....thx, Keith

[Ted T]

Forging a Frog
If I was going to forge a frog, this would be my approach.
1. Find a photo of a frog that I (you) would like to produce.

2. Buy some clay. -- Yup! I said clay.

3. Measure how much clay stock you have before you start.

Here is a Suggestion on how to measure for how much steel stock you will need:
Lay out three pieces of square stock (side by side) that you will be using to forge with.
Then remove the center piece of stock.

Fill in the center (between the remaining pieces) with clay.
Pack it in, and then use a piece of round stock to roll over the two pieces of steel so as to pack the clay that is in-between uniformly.
Or you could trim it square with a knife (you get the idea).

Bottom line is that you will make the clay stock the same size as your steel stock you are going to use.
Now, measure the length of how much clay stock you have made.

3. Next; rough mold the clay with your hands into the size and basic shape of the frog you want to forge.
After you are satisfied that you have molded the basic shape of the frog, re-measure the clay you have left.
Subtract the amount that is missing from the amount of stock you started with, and that will give you a rough idea of how much steel stock you will need.

4. By using clay to practice with you can also test the punch patterns such as the eyes, slits, half-rounds, and on and on.
This will quickly let you know if you need to make a new punch or modify the punches you have.

Note: I would suggest that you leave a pigtail of steel on the frog (work piece) to use as a control handle during forging, one that you can cut off later.

5. I would also figure an order of operations based on (first things first) of how you are going to shape the frog.
By practicing with clay first, it may assist you in determining what tools you may need to assist you to obtain the shape you want.

Skilled use of clay forging practice will aid you with the concept if you hand hammer it lightly just as you would hot steel.

The bottom line is to apply forging basics, basics, basics.

I hope this helps with some ideas.
The best to you!
Ted Throckmorton

[rthibeau]

ya mean one of these guys???...... http://www.iforgeiro...995-steel-frog/

[Ten Hammers]

ROADKILL !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve McCarthy]

Go to Bamstie.org and open the news letters. Im not sure which issue maybe last November. Anyhow one of them has a pretty good how to on forging afrog