Good interior finish? Paper towel holder.

[Jmercier]

So yesterday I forged out a paper towel holder for my mother as a belated mother's day present (I"m seeing her this weekend when i'm up in New Hampshire for the New England Blacksmith's Spring Meet) but I'm not sure what the best finish for an interoir item is?

here are links to a few quick pictures i snapped of it, and I'd like to retain the forge finish look. Would beeswax be the best finish? or what?

I'm still a total beginner despite having been doing this for a year and a half now, and I know the 90 bend looks like xxxx and has a krink in it, but i couldnt for the life of me figure out how to bend 3/4x1/8 flat bar around a corner like that and have it still look nice without cutting it and forge welding it, which I didnt have time to do.



http://www.tharkis.com/images/smith/papertowel3.jpg

Sadly just that took me 2 hours to do. I need more shop time so i can get better at this stuff !

[Frosty]

I don't see anything wrong with that.

Getting a nice crisp 90 bending the hard way is always tough, that's why it's called, "bending the hard way."

There are a number of good interior finishes.

Clear matte Krylon being one. Bees wax is good, as is Carnuba. Linseed oil with Japan drier is good too if you have time for it to dry. Apply a coat or two of wax over it for good measure.

2 hrs. isn't bad time, especially for a hobbyist.

No matter how you finish it your Mom's going to love it.

frosty

Edited May 29, 2008 by Frosty

[MRobb]

You did a fine job. Like Frosty said, nothing wrong with it. I sometimes use Johnson's paste wax. Wire brush it good & heat it up a bit to melt the paste wax. After it cools, buff it out. The hotter the metal, the darker the finish.

[larrynjr]

One idea I've had for bending the "hard way" that I haven't had chance to actually try yet is to use a piece of angle iron on that outside corner and hammer that against the piece you want bent. I guess you'd need to be careful not to hammer too hard and leave gouges in the straight sides though.

[chyancarrek]

Nothing wrong with how your holder looks at all - your mom's gonna love it!

Those ol' 90's can be tricky . . . one of my mentors used to tell me;
"upset it - ease it - then true it" . . . I'm still workin' on that one.

The finishes mentioned above all work great - any of them will do well for you.

Let us know what your mom thinks of it!