My mother has asked me to build a rose trellis, and it's going to be a large monstrosity, basically 2' wide, 1' thick, 7' high, and 9' long.  I'm building it from 1/2" square bar, and will be doing scrolls from 3/8" round bar in between the 1/2" square bar.

I'm looking for a way to make repeatable scrolls, or a scrolling jig.  I've got an idea of how I want to built it, and I can draw a scroll, but I'm looking for decent pics or tips on how to build the jig.  I have gas and coal forge, oxy/propane torch, electric welder, and other metal working equipment.  I guess I could forge them all by hand, but there's going to be a lot of scrolls and I want an easier way of doing it.

Thanks

Stupid disappearing post bug is still around I see. It won't let me post the youtube link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKfMt1epUus

 

I know I've seen better demos on line but I can't find them this evening. Pretty much just make up one scroll to use as your jig by hand, and then weld it to a piece of angle iron you can clamp in the vise. If need be you can use a vise grip to lock the start of the scroll in place.

 

 

Something like these what you are looking for?

I've seen one where the smith torched the spiral in a piece of heavy plate and then heated it and "pushed" it up---if you need a multipass scroll you generally offset the jig and then flatten the scrolls afterwards.   So having a big wooden mallet and a flattening plate as well as scrolling forks AKA bending forks, disposable vice grips to hold the tip as you run around the shop with the other end, etc...

Thanks, that's what I was looking for.  Looks like you clamp the end to start the scroll?  I've been thinking about something like that with maybe a pin to hold the starting end in place.  Or maybe like the last photo it looks like a hook forged in and looped over the start.

Thanks, this is my first real architectural blacksmith project.

I've seen it done both ways. In some cases guys will just clamp the end to the jig with say vise grips or even a small U shaped clip. In others I've seen guys forge the end of the bar and manually start the scroll, then this hooks to the end of the scroll jig. This is often don say if you want a penny scroll, as the penny helps lock the stock in place as you start the bend. As you said the hooks shown would do the same thing.

There are many ways to make the stop on a scrolling jig: Pin, Clips, Clamp, etc.

They all leave that flat little end that's the hallmark of bender scrolls. If you forge the scroll's start it's taken care of and they look a lot better. They look more hand made, even if they are anyway. Scrolls are decorations and you have to ask yourself if the commission or your "product mark" is worth the effort.

Business is about decisions.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Suggest you have a look here, http://www.hlcollege.ac.uk/PDF/CraftPublications/WroughtIron/WROUGHT%20IRONWORK%20PART%203_tcm2-18921.pdf includes most you need to know about making scrolls and a scrolling jig.