Bird feeder hanger | "Traditional" Blacksmithing | Forum

Nice Job Tom..... I like the fact you took the time to make the nails to go with...

Tom Allyn;11436 wrote: The little slugs are popping right out now.

I started curling the fishtail over the horn but then switched to a chunk of round bar held in the vise. That worked better.

Yeah, it's real satisfying when you finally get on top of punching. I use a press for most everything but the smallest of the small and it's still satisfying when you get a nice clean slug just drop out

You might want to try starting the fish tail over the far (radiused) edge of the anvil then flip it over and keep "hitting down" on the curve. With practice you'll be able to shape to any desired radius and do quite nice scrolls by eye

Nice hanger. Did you do anything to keep it from rusting?

One of the things about forming scrolls (and bending) at the anvil is that you're basically working over air, not the specific shape of the anvil parts. Most of your blows will be struck off the edge or at angles because the intent is to bend the metal rather than pinch or dent it. (I personally distinguish between 'forging' which changes the cross section of the material and 'bending' or other operations which do not affect the cross section. Bending is not forging, so you don't want to to trap the metal directly between the hammer and the anvil.)

So, using David's excellent little sketch as an example: first step is to bend the metal over a nicely rounded far edge of the anvil. Try not to hit on the corner and pinch the metal, I usually can bend a little more than 90 degrees before the tip of the scroll starts hitting the anvil and getting in the way.

Second, turn the bend upwards and pull it back onto the surface of the anvil and use angled blows (back towards yourself) to close up the curve. You can change both the angle you're holding the work (raise or lower your left hand) and the angle of the blows to tighten up different parts of the curve. I am still amazed how large a piece of metal can be moved this way once the curve is started over the edge of the anvil. Francis Whitaker says to change either the position of the work or the angle of your blow every stroke to avoid sharp spots; like most things in blacksmithing, it's more of a guideline than an actual rule.

Heat the next section of the bar and repeat. It works great until you try to make two scrolls that match. :furious:

Thanks to David and Lewis !!

I have been having trouble shaping scrolls, I think this will help me .

LeeRoy