Recent Cool Tools columns
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If you've read this department for long, you'll
know I have a shameless obsession for hammers,
but that's only the half of it. If I have a
hammer in one hand and some sheet in the other,
the next logical thing I'll look for is something to
strike against -like an anvil, stump, stake, or
forming block. Most metalsmiths are introduced
to the forming block at about week four in Metals
101. First, you'll make friends with your torch and
your saw, and once you've played around with
piercing, cutting, and piecing sheet, you'll hunger
to venture beyond flat.
That's where the blocks come in. With nothing
more than a hammer, some daps, and a good block,
you'll be able to spend hours and hours forming
shallow hemispheres, domes, donuts, bossed
sheet, dimples, and dents. With the grooved tubing
block, you can form sinuous tubes, pods, tapers,
and tendrils using just a hammer and the block -
but don't get so engrossed you forget to anneal. If
you're ready to move past flat, get yourself a couple
of forming blocks. They are much cheaper than
silversmithing stakes and are almost as much fun.
Plus, you'll be building a good skill set for when
you do decide to get some stakes, because you'll
be learning how metal behaves as you form it. In
case you partied too hard and didn't get to week
four in Metals, here are the CliffsNotes®:
 DAPPING A HEMISPHERE
{Photo 1} Cut out a circle. Refine edges, sand, and prepolish metal
surface. Anneal.
{Photo 2} Choose a dimple in the die that is a bit larger than the
circle. Choose a punch that will comfortably fit in the dimple and
still make contact with the metal. Your choices will depend on the
gauge of your metal -thicker metal calls for a smaller punch.
{Photo 3} Strike 1 or 2 gentle blows straight down into the dimple.
Stop when the metal makes contact with the bottom and sides of
the dimple.
{Photo 4} Move the dapped metal hemisphere to the next smallest
dimple and strike again, using a smaller punch. Stop again when
there's good contact in the block.
Proceed in this fashion until
desired depth is reached. If you
begin with thin-gauge, well-annealed
metal, you can usually
dap a hemisphere down 2 to 3 sizes before needing to anneal again.
FORMING A TUBE
{Photo 1} Cut a metal strip to the desired length, plus extra for
cutting a point on the end. Refine edges. Anneal. Mark a lengthwise
centerline from the point to the other end.
{Photo 2} Lay the strip in a groove in the forming block. Set a
round mandrel or rod along the line. Strike the mandrel with a mallet.
{Photo 3} Move the metal to the next smallest groove in the
block, and with a smaller mandrel or rod, continue to form the tube
with the mallet. Ensure the point is well formed and centered.
Anneal. Continue forming until metal is in a C shape. Anneal.
{Photo 4} Pull the metal through a drawplate by grasping the
point. Continue pulling until the edges of the metal meet -do not
allow them to overlap. Solder the seam if desired.
AND ANOTHER THING
If you don't have a forming block, don't despair! It's
easy to
improvise one with a block of wood and a round rasp. Just file
an angled groove in the edge of the wood block (or the edge of
a stump) and hammer away. If the block is small, you can clamp
it in a vise to hold it steady.
Cool Tools is a regular feature of Jewelry Artist. If you have a tool you would
like featured, a useful tool modification, or interesting bench trick to suggest,
or, if you'd like to join our studio of experts, contact Helen Driggs, Managing
Editor, Jewelry Artist, 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355,
or hdriggs@interweave.com, subject line "Cool Tools." Please include your complete
contact information with all submissions.
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