Tapering handle end of steak flipper

[Forgingforfun]

Working between rain storms I need a roof.lol

[Donal Harris]

I can’t get it to play. 

[Glenn]

The video image is huge !!  Can you repost the video with a much smaller image?

[Forgingforfun]

Dont know how to do that resize....

[Donal Harris]

Post to YouTube and link it?

[BillyBones]

I used a giant umbrella for a while. Worked good for shade and as long as the rain was not to hard or sideways it kept me dry also. 

[Forgingforfun]

Dont know how to link to utube but is on there lookup k3xtx

[Frosty]

On 6/4/2019 at 3:20 AM, bill duckworth said:

Dont know how to do that resize....

If you're shooting with a smart phone pick a smaller file size when you send, this works on my Iphone. Or do a "save as" and save as a smaller file size under a changed name. I usually just add 01 to the original file name.

Frosty The Lucky.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning Bill,

Welcome!  Where are you? Please enter your place of Shadow making, in your AVATAR.

Yes I saw your video, it took a bit to load, but it loaded.

Just a tiny bit of polite criticism. I was always taught "You are not Brushing Paint" when you are Forging. Straight down works better than "Brushing". I know, it feels like it should work. Square, Octagonal, Round (SOR).

Enjoy your Steak Flipper!!

Neil

[Forgingforfun]

 

Thanks Neil how do I prevent twisting as I hammer? Seems when I go to octagon stock wants to rotate am I hitting it to hard?

Edited June 8, 2019 by Mod30
excessive quoting

[Steven NY]

You need to line up your opposite square corners on the diamond and hit it straight down. If your square corners are not both inline with each other and perpendicular to the anvil face you will tend to have a twisting of the stock in the transition from square to octagon. 

 

Have a great day,

W

[anvil]

1 hour ago, bill duckworth said:

how do I prevent twisting as I hammer?

Practice.  I suggest the Beatmore technique. thats,,,  beat more iron. 

[ThomasPowers]

And practicing is not just more hitting---it's *trying* to hit correctly each and every time until it becomes a mite difficult to hit any other way!

[John B]

Always remember the shape of the section on the faces you produce is the  same as the anvil face in relation to your hammers face, any slight angle from parallel will be reproduced, and that has a bearing on the next section that is formed from your next hit.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning Bill,

Sometimes rotating in the opposite way than you would naturally turn, will correct the misalignment a bit. I buy Play-Doh from Wally World ($1.00) and I teach people to work with it to learn/see if you should adjust your position/stance/swing/tension in your forearm and wrist/etcetera. Sometimes trying too hard will tension your body. Loosen your grip on the Hammer, watch which way the material is moving and let your Hammer blow make the adjustments needed for better results. Hammer grip is between your thumb and the side of your forefinger, your little finger controls the whip action. If you are not lifting the Hammer over your shoulder when using heavier blows, you are not getting the whip.

So much to learn, one blow at a Thyme.

Neil

[Frosty]

Don't let this bother you Bill, it's just one step on the learning curve, we all had to overcome. It's a matter of good practice and not necessarily at the anvil with hot steel. Your wrist WANTS to turn 90* or so close it doesn't really matter. How you hold your stock and address it at the anvil makes a big difference.

First is recognizing what your wrist does naturally and working with it. Hold your "tong" hand out in front of you relaxed. now lay it flat on something: table, anvil, countertop, doesn't matter. Palm down your thumb points inwards, towards your other hand. Yes?  Now rotate it thumb up.

Soft tissue and joints WILL stop it about 90*, not exact but more than close enough. Yes? hold your stock like a pointer in a general line with your arm and it's EASY to rotate it 90* back and forth. NOT around and around. You ONLY rotate it 90* back and forth. The hammer and anvil WILL form the steel on both sides, making them match is your last step, NOT something to do while forming.

Now to practice, find or buy a piece of square stock, wood trim, etc. works nicely, 3/4" is a good size, easy to hold and large enough to feel how it lays on a surface. 12" long is plenty but a little more won't hurt. What you're going to do with your practice stick is practice rotating it 90*, thumb up, thumb in, back and forth on every darned surface you walk or stand next to until you can make that 90* rotation in your sleep.

You do NOT have to be standing at your anvil to practice basic blacksmithing skills. Once you have the 90* as trained muscle memory drawing down becomes easy, doing SOR is only a matter of shifting your grip on the work 45* to work on the edges to octoganal and planish round. 

And there's the ONLY time you want to rotate stock more or less than 90* planishing smooth at black heat.

I now that's darned long winded I wish we were at the anvil You'd be off and practicing with a stick by now. It's a technique I've used successfully many times. Drawing down with an udesired twist is normal beginner's issue and easy to correct. Nothing anyone else has said is wrong, this is just an easy way to learn the necessary skill.

Frosty The Lucky.