Wood look

[Cade-o]

Hello all, I've been creeping the fourm for about a year and I have no found anything about trying to get a wood grain look in metal. I have a customer who want a smoker set, meat hook ash scoop and fire poker and he wants the handles to have a wood grain look, kinda like petrified wood. The set will be made of 5\8 round mild steel. I have some thoughts as to how to make it with a few different sized chisels, and have even thought about flattening the section and peining in the grain and then wrapping the flattened section to create a cylinder but I was wondering if anyone else has done this before.

[Cincinnatus]

Saw this out there but never tried the technique you mentioned. 

[tkunkel]

Cade-O,  I have not used the technique you are describing.  I have made wood grain texture and other textures by cutting lines in the hammer face with an angle grinder and then hitting the metal at orange/yellow heat to imprint the texture.  Good luck with your project!  Tom

[Cade-o]

Thank you for the info! That sounds much better than my original plan. It also seems pretty obvious and one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments. 

[beammeupscotty]

I don't know about a petrified wood texture, but to get a "viney"-"barky" texture, the two methods shown here already will certainly do the latter job.  I opted to not use the spring fuller approach and instead modified a hammer as has been suggested.  You also need to make a matching bottom swage.  This is what I use:

 

Note that the lines cut into the face of the hammer are at a 45 degree angle compared to the axis of the hammer.  This is to allow you to make parallel texture grooves while holding the hammer out of line with the stock.  I like hammer application because you can more easily introduce some randomness to the texture, making it more natural looking than if you use a spring swage.

 

Video of discussion of and use of the pictured hammer/bottom tool.  Texture application starts at about 18:54.  Hope this helps.  

 

[Cincinnatus]

I like that technique better that the spring swage - I am making a list of tools to make and this has been added.  Thanks for sharing!

[anvil]

Use wrought iron and etch it deeply.

[Guest]

the bark texture spring tool is not very good I have one texture doesn't go deep enough into the steel that said there is a wood texture spring tool that looks like wood I have that two & use it often Grant S / Iron Anvil here made them back then we talked about re-doing the wood bark one but he past soon after that talk  off center forge - Blacksmith Depot has them now 

[ThomasPowers]

If the work piece can support it giving a slight twist to it after texturing can help with the "natural look"

[Farmweld]

I used a textured spring swage and twist techniques as suggested by Thomas above to make these door handles. Four 12mm round bars for the main part and a fair bit of sweat twisting them up using an Oxy/Acc with a heating tip. I cheated with the leaves and grapes using pre-made components but it looked alright in the end. I would have liked to make my own but I was already pushing the customers price point as it was.

[Cade-o]

So I modified a hammer and made a Hardy tool to give a back like texture like the posts above and it worked great for a "tree bark" look but I want a more wood grain look. More long consistent lines rather than the almost random short line. Any ideas for getting a more consistent wood grain pattern.

I'm trying to include a picture but I'm not sure if it will show, but something more like the this. 

[Jbradshaw]

I know it doesn't answer the original question, but what about giving the handles wood scales?

[NelsonR]

Sounds to me like a fun Damascus project haha. In all seriousness though a setup like beammeupscotty's should work great, its very similar to what I have used and should give you a nice directional wood look

[Cade-o]

Jbradsaw, I like the idea of wood scales and had already mentioned it to the gentleman I'm makeing it for and liked it as well but decided against it.  NelsonR,  I'm still pretty new to the forging thing, and I haven't tried forge welding yet let alot pattern welding, but as I continue down the path I will get there. I think a Damascus smoker set would look amazing though. I will keep playing around with the set up I have and post pictures when i get it all finished. 

[John McPherson]

Cade-O, those look like commercial pickets made by rolling bars thru or between dies to get the texture. Sell the hand-made appeal, not the cookie cutter catalog look.

[Cade-o]

John McPherson, yes the picture is off a metal suppliers website. I showed the gentalman some samples of what I have made and much prefers the hand made to the commercial bar. He said it has more "feeling" and he only saw pictures. Thanks for the input.