i want to get into armouring and have been smithing for about 6 months. i have a basis 55 gallon side blast charcoal/coal forge (i burn a mixture). I have a two lb sledge and a 1 lb ball pein i was thinking about getting/making dishing forms or dishing hammers if anyone has any suggestions they would be much appreciated. THank you

An excellent dishing tool is a hardwood stump.... Take a hammer and mash out a round depression, then using a ball pein smooth the interior. Once you have heated some sheet metal, place over the depression and hammer in... use small strikes, constantly moving the hammer and metal and you form it. The wood will smoke a bit, but will diminish after several uses. Depending on the size of the stump, you should be able to get 4-10 good shapes....

hibjib,
whereabouts in fuquay do you live/work? That is my home town as well:D

BP0298 Nickel Silver Bowl
I Forge Iron*-*I Forge Iron
this is one way of dishing,
most of the armour guys dont heat the steel when forming basic shapes, only for smaller or more complex things like helms and gauntlets

BP0444 Cold Forming Armor or a Bowl
BP0445 Cold Forming Armor or a Bowl 2
BP0039 Candle Pans and Cups

My favorite dishing forms are the bottoms of scrapped high pressure tanks---like O2, N2, Argon, etc or the toroids used for lifting large pieces of machinery or as tow equipment on military trailers.

You need to invest a lot of time and effort on your hammers. A two lb sledge and a 1 lb ball pein isn't even close to the inventory of hammers you could use. Start collecting old busted rusted hammer heads to rework into Polishing/Shrinking/Planishing hammers. Learn how to polish the faces to a mirror finish, how to fit handles on them, and how to take good care of them.

Everyone talks about the possible anvil like items that can be used to shape things but not enough emphasis is place on the hammers. You can never have to many hammers, and don't forget, they are half of the equation.

There, that's my 2

Blueprints on armour making are encouraged. (hint - hint)

If you want a dishing stump you know you just had to ask ;> we can work up the elm stumps in my yard if you want

You can also call some of the welding supply places and see if they will sell you their busted O2 tanks. Once they have been drained and the plug removed the bottoms make excellent dishing forms.

If you find someone let me know and I can help pick em up for you.

-Solvarr

i want to get into armouring and have been smithing for about 6 months. i have a basis 55 gallon side blast charcoal/coal forge (i burn a mixture). I have a two lb sledge and a 1 lb ball pein i was thinking about getting/making dishing forms or dishing hammers if anyone has any suggestions they would be much appreciated. THank you

Blueprints on armour making are encouraged. (hint - hint)

I would love to do one up but, I fear that I might use bad words like "gas" or some other word that people on here might find Inappropriate.:)

thank you all for your help i will try some of of it.

I would love to do one up but, I fear that I might use bad words like "gas" or some other word that people on here might find Inappropriate.

Whats wrong with gas??? :D

Whats wrong with gas???

well since you asked I will tell. you can not tell people that your "brain passed gas" IE made a mistake on the forums. It is "Inappropriate Language". Nor can you tell people that you are mad at yourself for making said mistake. You will get a warning like I did today. Please don't ever do this because of all the young and tender ears that might read your postings.:o

If you want some patterns for armour here is site Armour Archive -- Pattern Archive: Great Helm by Sinric that has helmets and other items.

Ohh. That kind of gas. Well, its not like a slip of the tongue. Fingers on the keyboard are much easier to control :)