nerdsmith Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Hello craftsman, I have a few fullering tool ideas that i would appreciate some feedback. First of all the main goal of this project is to make a fullering tool for the anvil without the use of welding. My ideal setup would be a guillotine design with different bits, but i lack the material or welding capabilities for such a tool. So i Have numerous amounts of 1" rebar, and a few pieces of scrap that i will include a picture of. I have drawn up a few designs of how i think will be the best solution for my situation, and need. The drawings pretty much says what I need to accomplish. This design is based off of a piece of scrap in the last image. Scrap... Potential tool ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Menard Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It seems to me that to achieve the fullering effect you are drawing, a spring fuller would be the easiest to make and use. I have seen numerous versions of spring fullers on this site. Most recently a video for making bolt tongs by artistblacksmith.com The spring fuller I am thinking of is one designed by Mark Aspery and is featured in his second book. It is made with one piece of 1/2" rod and there is no welding needed. Check it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 While you could get most of your designs to work, anything can be MADE to work. What I'm saying so poorly is they're over thought. A fuller is actually a simple tool, just take a piece of round stock, double a section a couple inches long to fit the hardy. Then bend one section back and up in a semi circle, as the spring, and back over, past the shank a few inches. The other end coming off of the shank lays on the anvil and extends a few inches. The two need to be aligned with the long, springy end on top leaving an inch or so space between for your stock to be worked. That's it, they're really simple, I can make one faster than it took to write this. I hope this isn't more confusing than the tool by a huge margin. Just experiment with a paper clip or similar bit of springy wire and you'll have it. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I'll second Frosty on the spring fuller. VERY easy to make. I'm a complete noob, and I made one in about an hour. I looked at about 5-6 different ones, locked the concept in my head, and made one. And it was quite a bit of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old N Rusty Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Re-bar! That material is barely good enough for pouring concrete all over it, It is a barely mixed ammalgamam of automobiles and scrap, and often rolled so cold it is stress cracked. You will find it to be inconsistant in quality, and very hot short. A big waster of a blacksmiths time and fuel, and the UGLY is on it deep. Oh,and it don't weld well with ANY process. Forge, electric, or gas. Stay off, it is a dead end street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 May I suggest you find a nice automotive coil spring for FREE and use it instead of the rebar? Much nicer steel to work with. From your drawings I assume you want to be able to fuller down the center of long objects (blades?). I would take a nice length of round stock from a straightened spring, bend double a bit closer to one end than the other. Forge the bent section to fit your hardy Then bend the bottom piece to sit flat on the anvil face Then make a 90 degree turn a ways out from the hardy and still flat on the anvil face. Space the top piece with a gap over the bottom piece but with the same configuration Round the ends of the bent 90 pieces so they won't make marks in use. The longer they are away from the hardy the "bouncier" they are for both good---easy to hammer and bad---more prone to offsets Normalize the entire thing. However by asking this question it seems like you are wanting to jump to more complex smithing without getting the basics in. Much more frustrating and *slower* way to learn stuff as the simple mistakes keep cropping up to mess up the more complex stuff that has their own issues you should be able to concentrate on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdsmith Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thnx for the reply guys, I forgot to mention the spring type fuller ive been studying on anvilfire how-to's, the problem is the lack of rod for the spring fuller. I can beat out a 1" thick rebar down but id rather just avoid that all together, But i just recently got a hold of some coil springs so it looks like it all came out in the wash. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Blythin Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Steel really is an inexpensive material ... if you don't believe me - take up woodworking for a while and come back to smithing when you're run out of cash ;-) If you're going to go to the trouble of making tools, make sure you've got decent material to work with. Yes, automotive coil spring is a half-way decent tool steel. If you have some, great. But if not, rebar (ug, really?) isn't your next option. Go to a metal supply store, and spend the $5 or $10 on some new stock. The piece you'd need for a spring fuller won't cost much at all. It'll still be way cheaper than buying a commercialy made tool, and you'll save yoursel a lot of frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Entrance Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 The 1/2" cold rolled round stock I made my spring fuller from cost me about $6.50 at Lowe's for a 36" length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdsmith Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Rebar is only their because its just abundant. Its just their for experimentation. I guess i havent used it enough to know the crap quality that its infamous for. I did just get my order of 5160 bars so dont fret their is good metal here for when its appropriate. Yes woodworking by far is very expensive, but making the tools for wood is the huge chunk of the price. Just made an ash flat-bow carved with a draw knife i forged, the price of the draw knife's alone are shocking. But i found a place with fair prices for White Ash at least...(off-topic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Ouch; that is expensive on a per foot basis compared to buying a 20' stick at a steel dealer! You may be surprised to find where you can buy steel cheap---my best local source is a Windmill Sales, Repair and Installation place they sell metal by the stick as they get a better price the more they buy from the big dealers. Their price is about 1/3rd off that of the local lumber yard. The closest "real" steel dealer is about 50 miles away---the joys of living in the country! I usually search the scrap yard first and if I can't find something I can use hit the Windmill place on the way home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric sprado Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I make all sorts of tools,including lots of fullers and punches from old tire irons found at yard sales and thrift stores for fifty cents. They seem to be 5160 and have never let me down. You can square up the wrench end to fit your hardy hole and not waste anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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