I saw this piece done by a blacksmith Joff Hopper. I like the twist pattern he does in the metal. I am sure it has been covered here in the forum already, but with some searching I could not find it.

 

can anyone tell me what this twist is called and the steps to creating it?

 

 

PoundHound

When I do that, I call it 'the waterfall'

 

Neil

I always called it the Reverse Twist, you make it by clamping the stock on two sides, then twist in the middle. Move along the stock, repeat.

 

Somewhere I remember seeing a jig made out of small adjustable wrenches mounted on allthread and placed in a vise, but I can't find it now.

Reverse twist, often done with a torch to localize heat

Dick Quinnell used it quite a lot. He referred to it as "water twist".
He made it using a gas torch to isolate the heat as well.
As far as I remember he just held one end of the bar in the vice and with a twisting bar or wrench on the other end just heated and twisted one way and then heated again and twisted the other way rather than gripping in the middle and trying to do two together.
I think that avoided getting any bruises from the wrench.
Alan

thank you all for the information. I will find a torch and give it a try. look like it can add some pizzazz to a rod shape.

 

poundhound

I've had good success at this straight from the forge to the vice.

I start an inch from the vice jaws and do my first twist with a wrench or visegrips.

Then I move down an inch, by then the first in is starting to cool because of the vice acting as a heat sink and I twist in the opposite direction and so on down the line.

I can do about 4-5" inches in a heat on a RR spike forged down to maybe half inch square, maybe a little smaller.

On a square the high spots are more pronounced. I really like the round stock with a taper.

It has a great look and I can imagine it in all kinds of little projects.

Sorry to re-kindle an old thread, but ive been having fun with twists lately. I use a wet rag to cool the finished twist before reversing. That or a dip in the slack bucket.

On 4/11/2013 at 1:41 PM, Alan Evans said:

Dick Quinnell used it quite a lot. He referred to it as "water twist". He made it using a gas torch to isolate the heat as well.

Did you work with Dick at Leatherhead, Alan?

The twists in Albert Paley's bench at the Victoria & Albert museum are pretty amazing. The the bar must be about 100mm square and twisted to the point of shearing.