Testing out some angle iron forms today before the rain hits.  I'm still not sure how best to join these, whether with bands, welds or rivets.

I'd go with hidden rivets.  Countersink the holes real well and upset the rivets down into the countersink and then dress the tops flat with the workpiece so they are invisible.

I really like that form. I'll add that to my list to try. I've been looking for a nice simple trivet project to use to work on basics. This seems easy enough. Any suggestions on what you used as a form or stock size? Looks like 1/2" square tapered with an upset corner 90 deg to the taper.

How about another right angle bend, ending in a tenon riveted through the bend above the leg?

Dsw: yep, these were cut 1/2 square.  I might try the hidden rivet approach on the next one.

What best contributes to your concept or view of the character of the piece?

In my view the elegance and subtlety of the forms require an extremely light touch.

If you had wanted to emphasise the swirl/vortex effect you could run a chamfer around the top ring edges, which would then create a shadow line vee between the elements.

As made, the quiet understatement of the swirl would be best served by not disturbing the flow with visible fixings. A simple weld fillet underneath would be least obtrusive and strongest. A weld would have the advantage over riveting, by not disturbing the patina and surface finish you achieved direct from the hammer.

You are the only one that knows what effect you were trying to create, let that be the guide.

Alan

Thanks Alan, Good hearing from you! I appreciate the insight.  I tried using collars yesterday and it wasn't working visually.  I think I will stick with a clean arc weld underneath so not to alter the sides.  Are you headed to Ypres next year?  I'm going to try and make it over for the 2016 conference.

very cool look. I was going to say rivets, but I like Alans idea better.

I have to agree, as invisible a join as possible to preserve the elements as they are looks best to me.

Hidden rivets come in behind a clean dressed arc weld underneath and last but not least a copper or bronze braze.

The arc weld will as Alan says preserve the current patina and texture well. A copper braze might show some bleed in the joint but that may be an attractive feature, I'd have to experiment and see to decide. I also don't know how a copper braze would patina with age. I think brass or silver solder would be too much contrast and draw attention from the piece.

Very nice trivet, I like it a lot.

Frosty The Lucky.

On 13 December 2015 at 14:57:11, JRigoni said:

Thanks Alan, Good hearing from you! I appreciate the insight.  I tried using collars yesterday and it wasn't working visually.  I think I will stick with a clean arc weld underneath so not to alter the sides.  Are you headed to Ypres next year?  I'm going to try and make it over for the 2016 conference.

I intend to be there. I have offered my considerable forklift driving skills qualification to put up the forging stations...

Alan

I’d like to see a little jointery myself. If you don’t want to change lines of the outside how about riveting the pieces with the head on the inside and then countersunk and filed flat on the outside.

This is really elegant. Great design. Somehow I feel that the eye wants to see what is joining the pieces. My eye that is. a subconscious fell that it may fall apart if I sneeze. I would go for brazing even at the cost of the finish. The design fits a between war's style so I think that the top could be made shiny with the copper line visible. I wish I could design such a beauty.

 

I would think a rivet at each corner with a slightly oversized head to the outside and countersunk and filed flush on the inside.

Beauty through elegant simplicity!

If it were me, I'd forge down and sharply bend the tip to make a rivet.

I'd also leave the rivet head looking like a flat disc instead of a rounded top, to better match the overall design.

Another try with this idea, shortening the legs and using a longer section of angle iron.

 

 

Looks great!

did you end up welding the bottom or..?

 

2 hours ago, JRigoni said:

Another try with this idea, shortening the legs and using a longer section of angle iron.

 

 

That doesn't look like angle iron.  Beautiful job, BTW.

Arkie: it is though.  Using slices of angle iron saves the step of forging a square corner.  Forge a taper along one length and cut back one side and this is what I got.

1 minute ago, JRigoni said:

Arkie: it is though.  Using slices of angle iron saves the step of forging a square corner.  Forge a taper along one length and cut back one side and this is what I got.

Clever! Must steal! 

(Or steel, as the case may be....)

Wow, optical illusion....your very fi

2 hours ago, JRigoni said:

Arkie: it is though.  Using slices of angle iron saves the step of forging a square corner.  Forge a taper along one length and cut back one side and this is what I got.

Wow, optical illusion.....!  Even in your very first picture, it looks like square bar.  I guess the shadowing makes it look that way.  I had thought you really had fun making the square corners from thick bar. 

It's still a very nice, simple and functional trivet.  I like it.

 

Arkie, they are sections sliced off of large angle iron. You are looking at the cross section of the angle, it is not angle iron used lengthwise. The short leg was one side cut down to size. 

Ah! I thought it was angle bent at a, well an angle. Much simpler to just cut it down to size though.

3 hours ago, BIGGUNDOCTOR said:

Arkie, they are sections sliced off of large angle iron. You are looking at the cross section of the angle, it is not angle iron used lengthwise. The short leg was one side cut down to size. 

Ahhhh....now I see it.  Slices.  Thanks.  Had a hard time wrapping my feeble mind around the angle iron.  Cool way to get the square corner!!

They look really nice mate.

 

I'm wondering how you got the curves so accurate and even.  Could you show a photo of the forming process please? 

Thanks, FlyingXS: the curves were achieved with a simple, heavy wall pipe.  Forge each taper to the same length and bend around the same pipe and it should get you close.