bottle openers

[tantofolder]

Here are a couple of bottle openers I made recently.I'm not particularly fond of either of them,but it is practice.

[toolish]

hehe like the bottom one, kinda looks a bit like a shark head.

Maybe you could work with that and make a whole shark with that style of opener???(even if you just put a little eye on it or something lol)

[Dan C]

I like both of those and agree w/ toolish's idea of adding eyes.  I've seen ones like the top one in a heart shape, which would be a good seller on Valentine's Day.  What tool do you use for the horizontal groove along the sides?  I'd been thinking about a tool, maybe like a spring fuller so you could do two sides at once.

 

Here are the ones that I currently do.

 

Dan

[Frosty]

The important question being do they open bottles?

 

I agree with Toolish's shark idea. It'd be pretty straight forward to flatten the spike head sideways to make a fin. It'd need some trimming to hold scale but it'd look good. Try breaking the corners on the stock before you twist and it'll make a proper cable/rope twist. The ladies LIKE cable twists, it's easy to hold and not sharp so it feels good.

 

I like them.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[tantofolder]

toolish,I have seen keychain bottle openers like you descibe.I did this one as a quickie graduation gift....and the working end is what I dislike about that one.It looks  machined rather than forged.....well,because it is. :D

 

dcraven,I think all of yours look much nicer than mine....much more fluid and better designs.For the grooves I just used a cutoff wheel in an angle grinder.Some type of fuller would probably be much faster,but I don't have one.Thanks for the comments and photos.

 

Thanks Frosty,....yep they work.I have been experimenting with the twists and have knocked some divots into the corners.....but they stretch considerably when twisted.I am practicing for a larger project. :)

[Frosty]

I use my veiner to incise the faces for cable twists. Metalmangler, Mark made me a rope swage for under the power hammer or by hand if I' had Wheaties for breakfast.

 

I can't recall who told me about this technique for mouths and bottle openers, etc. but he puts a bearing in the mouth and forges it closed a bit around it.  It REALLY adds depth and realism to mouths, especially for fangs, snake heads are greatly improved. He's a really well known smith and his name will come just as soon as I click the "post" button or more likely just after the edit button goes away.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Dan C]

Frosty, I agree about softening the edges and do so by rolling them lightly on my belt grinder at the end which gives them a stripped look.  And yes they do work, have to do quality control testing at the end of each batch.  I recently had a batch of 8 go out as grooms gifts.

 

Would you post pictures please of what you do to the edges, as well as the bearing in the mouth suggestion?

[Frosty]

Frosty, I agree about softening the edges and do so by rolling them lightly on my belt grinder at the end which gives them a stripped look. And yes they do work, have to do quality control testing at the end of each batch. I recently had a batch of 8 go out as grooms gifts.

Would you post pictures please of what you do to the edges, as well as the bearing in the mouth suggestion?

WHAT? Oh DARN, I HAVE to go out to the shop and do a story board and dig out the cable swage? . . . Okay I'm ON IT, right after I grab a bite and walk the dogs. <grin>

Frosty The Lucky.

[Frosty]

Try two. <sigh>

 

My veining tool. You don't need to use so wide a veiner, a chisel works well but I like the way the wider incision closes up on cable twists.

 

Incising the four faces is when the curved edge of a veiner or chisel really shines, it's much easier to go straight but don't take my results as evidence. <grin> typically I make my first cut at the stopping point on the bar to help get the lengths even.

 

Breaking the corners. this pic came out pretty bleary and it's the best of three. I ought to get someone to snap pics eh? Using the flat face at low red heat I use light blows on the corner, then rotate the piece a few degrees and the same back. The idea is to break the corner into three fairly even facets. The corner on the anvil will of course match the struck corner pretty closely but it doesn't hurt to check and tweak them if needed. When you have the corners faceted evenly, start rounding them, again at low red heat, up with rapid light blows as you rotate the piece back and forth.

 

When you have the corners rounded as you like, twist it till the incisions close and straighten it on a wood block with a wood mallet. My mallet used to live as a baseball bat till it got sold at a garage sale and was reincarnated as a mallet.

 

And that's it, regular twisting techniques apply.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

 

 

[Dan C]

Sweet, that makes sense now.  Thank you for doing the story board!

[Frosty]

Sweet, that makes sense now.  Thank you for doing the story board!

Story board! DRATS I knew I forgot something. <grin> My pleasure, I like twists of all kinds and recently I've needed to show twists and finials to a few people who only knew they wanted hand forged but no idea of what. I don't usually do furniture but it looks like I have some coming up. Anyway I need to put together some samples in a story board, packing a bucket with different samples in it just doesn't strike me as "professional."

 

tomorrow I'll try and remember to find my 3/4" cable die, the 1/2" one isn't so hot to look at.

 

I'm going to see about doing a dragon bottle opener to show how the bearing works. I've been wanting to play around with a twist variant to see if it'll make scales.

 

Attaching pics is good for me too I've been slogging along learning Windos 8 and there is some neat things it does. If I can figure it out better it makes handling and editing ics a LOT easier than the system I was using.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[John B]

Hi Frosty, for the twist samples, what works well is a series of twists made from same size and same length materials, and then I place these into holes bored in a piece of 2"x2" timber (old wooden baluster in my case, these are arrange so as to show the progression from cold twist through tighter twist when hot, incised two sides and twisted,(mimics two flat bars twisted together) incised for sides and twisted, (mimics four square bars twisted together), incised four sides and two corners knocked off (mimics two round bars either side a flat bar / two square bars), four sides incised and all corners removed and twisted (as yours, mimics rope twist), then incise through, twist forward, twist back 1/2 the turn and open up to a cage, then onto the pineapple twists etc.

In the block you can display progression, and people can handle them for preference or in awe.

Here are some old samples, captions explain methods on most of them (sides and corners may be similar context), sorry I haven't got a picture of them in the holder, will try to get one and post later.

[Dan C]

Those are some great samples, thanks for putting them out there!

[Black Frog]

Jonn- love the last pic, care to elaborate on the method?

Or I could guess at it?  Bundle up 8 small dia rods, forge weld one end of the bundle.  Then twist pairs of rods, then forge weld the far end.

Then twist the entire bundle (2nd example), then slightly untwist (3rd example)?  Am I close?

 

[mitch4ging]

All, thanks for all the pic's and info. I have several spikes, and never made an opener, and now I'm inspired to give it a go.
Regards!

[Maillemaker]

Here are some old samples, captions explain methods on most of them (sides and corners may be similar context), sorry I haven't got a picture of them in the holder, will try to get one and post later.

 

Show-Off.  :D

[Frosty]

Yes John, THAT'S a story board! Thanks for posting the sample board. It sure shows me variants I hadn't seen or imagined.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Quarry Dog]

I like that easy flattened reverse twist.  It looks kinda like a shaved rose stem, like what one would buy for their old lady.  I'll have to experiment with getting those points sharper sometime.

[John B]

 

Jonn- love the last pic, care to elaborate on the method?
Or I could guess at it?  Bundle up 8 small dia rods, forge weld one end of the bundle.  Then twist pairs of rods, then forge weld the far end.
Then twist the entire bundle (2nd example), then slightly untwist (3rd example)?  Am I close?
 

 
Hi BF, Not far off, to make it easier if it is done slightly differently,

Take four rods (3/16" diameter x12" to 14" long) and double them back on the centreline, forming two rods already joined at one end,

Twist these individual pieces and make sure all are twisted the same amount,

Place in a bundle and forge weld the ends,

Repeat on other end, and form for scarf or squat ball/ball/cube end

The first example is a slow twist in the same direction as the initial twists,

the second example is twisted up tighter, to form more bead like (corn on the cob?) appearance,

The third one is reverse twisted which opens up the rods.

These can be done with 3, 4 or more elements and make a great handle for pokers etc, very comfortable and tactile, fit the hand nicely.

[Frosty]

John: Will you be our twisty guru? maybe put up a few youtube videos so us slowboats will get it?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[John B]

Thanks for the ask Frosty, any particular ones? Most are basic and can be described step by step easily enough,

My problem is I do not have my own workshop, so forge time is difficult, let alone the video technology, but I will endeavour to try.

I think IIRC I have posted these (or some of them) before on here probably in Members groups, Blacksmiths Guild UK

Link here http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/16055-twist-pictures/

Edited May 15, 2013 by John B

[Frosty]

Thanks John, nothing in particular, I just can't visualize well from descriptions anymore. Making the twists that look like corn on the cob or grain heads just won't come to my mind's eye.

 

I used to visualize this is the kind of thing effortlessly and it's now a real chore. I believe that means I need to work harder at it and not just ask to be shown. I'm heading out to the shop to try a variant of a pineapple twist, tightening it up considerably to see if I can get good scale representations for oh say dragons, etc. I also need to make a rope die for 3/8" stock.

 

I'm just going to print your description and take a lash or several at it, till I get it figured out. If I just can't get it, I'll ask for a picture tutorial or something. It really irks me to get whipped by a piece of steel and a bit of work. <grrr> (That's a curled lip, snarl of determination) <wink>

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[JimsShip]

I'm with Frosty- I learn better by seeing it done. (Monkey see monkey do...)
I've read how to do the twist that makes it look like a chian link a million times, but just don't understand it.
Even you description of the corn cob one throws me a bit...

[John B]

Here for Frosty is a picture of the twists in the wooden stand I mentioned earlier in the post,



Here also is a picture of a selection of basic scroll ends we use for demo' purposes, mounted on a crescent base for illustrating different types of scroll endings and advising where they should be used when we do a basic intensive blacksmithing course.



Now I have the Devon County Show out of the way, I will see if I can do more on the twist pictures for you in some form or other.

[Black Frog]

John, thanks for the pics.

I'd like to see a closeup of your scrolls example if possible, very nice to see them all close for comparisons.

Thanks!