I am trying to clear my to-do list of lots of little tasks - some are personal items, some for The Adventurous Silversmith.  

Thus I have come to the "make stakes" for the teapot project.  One of the prep items for this was to talk to Kevin Potter of PotterUSA, when I pass through Tucson, Az a few weeks ago when coming back from Texas. He said he would make the stake heads for me and to just send him the drawings. 

Which brings us to to now.  I have to do four drawings: The planishing stake, the rounding stake, the upper top curve, and the lower bottom curve. 

I use QCAD to do my drawings so I can then print them out - or send along and get them made.  I have templates for the curves but I must measure them, several times, before I actual enter the information into the program. 

Over the 3-day, Labor Day weekend, I was up in Arroyo Grande, California giving a private tool making workshop to Jan who makes metal sculptures and also does chasing & repousse.. Jan, I met via Facebook but we have never actually met until she attended the In-Saign workshop just a few weeks ago. It was during this workshop that Jan and I discussed a chasing & repousse tool making workshop, as she had never made any tools before; she had just seen demonstrations. It was after she went home, that we settled on having the workshop over Labor Day.

I arrived late Friday night so we could start Saturday morning, making tools.  We went over the basics and started her off making a tool and by lunch time Jan's first tool was completed. She was very excited to have accomplished this.  After lunch,  Jan completed a second tool as well. While Jan was working on her tools, I was working on a few for myself, all the while watching and instructing her. 

We finished up the tool making at around 4pm so we went for a walk with Sophie, Jan's dog and afterwards we played with learning how to get a red-oxide patina on copper which had been a topic we had discussed with Saign our awesome teacher, during the In-Saign workshop. 

On Sunday, day 2, Jan made THREE more tools and I made her a bonus tool too. As the day ended we took Sophie for another walk and just enjoyed the weather.

On Monday, day 3 or 2.5, I gave Jan as soldering lesson with the goal that we would make, together, a tool canister. Jan, being a metal artist knows how to braze and weld but not solder - go figure. We cut the canister bodies from pipe, the bases from sheet and then went for it and by lunch the can's were soldered and now she just has to trim the bases and clean them up. 

Here is a little side/movie of the days adventures.

This past weekend I taught a 2-day workshop on making chasing & repoussé tools at the Palomar Gem & Mineral Club in Escondido, California. Again, Diane was my shop elf and there were 6 students.

On Saturday, day one, I had all the students make the same tool from rectangular stock. The tool has a full half circle profile when viewed from the short sized with vertical sides when viewed along the long side. This was a tool that everyone during the worskhop for the Squash Blossom & Vine Cuff.  The students chose this tool and I knew that they could finish this shape easily on the first day which would then give them the skills to make 1 or more the second day.

We discussed tool steel, files, annealing, hardening, tempering, quenching in oil or water, making templates, sanding, polishing and most importantly SHOP SAFETY.

Almost everyone finished their tool by 3pm on the first day and so we then sat down with my vintage tools and each student chose a tool and had to tell us why they chose it.  I wanted to use this exercise as a way to make them think about WHY and WHEN to make a custom tool vs. a general use tool.   Since we had time, I had them anneal the tool stock they would need for this new tool and thus have it ready at the start of day two.  Several students chose smaller tools and even my custom micro tear drop tool I had made for the Squash Blossom cuff; other chose medium and larger sized pushers (for repousse).

Sunday morning arrived early (930 am) and hot and humid and by lunch time most were well on their way to finishing their second tool.  By late afternoon most of their first tools of the day were done and several had started a second if not third tool.   As 5pm approached, all of us were hot, dirty and tired but the students all had a great sense of  accomplishment and empowerment at their new found skills and completed tool.

As usual, here are lots of pictures of the students and work. 

It would have been nice if it was fairy dust but no such luck. 

Why am I covered in Delrin (acetal) dust - I just finished making more tools. I made 3 different types of tools in 5 different sizes for 8 sets which means I made a total of 120 tools.  

This time I added 2 new sizes - 1/4" and 5/8" and 2 new shapes one of which can be used for under cutting or lining when doing chasing and repousse. 

​So head over to the store and buy some! 

​Here are a few pictures to tempt you.

When I first started learning chasing & repousse, I learned how to use wood dowels to flatten the metal after the repousse was complete because it could be bowed from all the hammering. Why ? well you would like your piece to lay flat, if it is supposed to be flat.  So using a dowel allows you to get in close to the design because a mallet may be too big.  A flat down can be used to flatten large areas and a knife edge can be used to get close to the design, do a bit of undercutting and get in-between tightly grouped elements.  You can used a domed tool for repousse or to push the work out if that is what you need for something like a synclastic shape.

I also learned to use a knife edge dowel during fold forming when you need to pry your folds open. 

But over time, the dowel ends get all mushed and they start to break apart. This is not good cause you are always making new ones. 

Being the engineer that I am, I knew that a PLASTIC (and I use that term loosely) tool would last much longer.   I have been experimenting with various materials and have found Acetal (a.k.a Delrin) to be the best material as it is not brittle, it won't bend when hit, even on the smallest diameter tools, and it holds up really well over time.

I made my first 2 tools over 3 years ago and my set now has 12 tools - some are domed, some flat, some knife edge and all are different diameters depending on what I need for my projects. When I started to teach, I would bring my set to class for the students to use and of course over time, they wanted a set too.  

Last year I made 8 sets and sold them all before I even had a chance to put them up for sale in my store.  Making these 8 sets took time as I had to not only cut the rods to length but then shape them.  I have since done more research and found a new supplier who will cut the rod stock to length; which is a big time saver.   

So, here they are - 8 acetal tools: 2 different working faces in 4 different diameters with a length of 4 - 4.5 inches.  
With time, I will add domed tools and some other sizes but these should get you started.  

Use this link to buy a set for you or your metalsmith friends! 

I have to admit it - I have a lot of chasing and repousse tools, over 300 of them. But trust me, I know a few people who have more than double that.   Yet, I did not make the majority of them.  Yes, we know I am a hammer whore and I love tools in general but with the day job I found it easier to buy or to get tools made for me. 

Back in 2010 I took a tool making class at Metals Week in Idyllwild, California. This was a week long class where I made straight and curved liners, a large mushroom pusher, a few small pushers and I also learned to customize a hammer. I have also learned tool making from Nancy Megan Corwin; so I do know how to make them. I just don't do it very often.

Then there are those time where you want to make a tool for that special project.  

​A week  ago I finished the teaching sample for the squash blossom cuff. And I had the tools to do it. But I was making it, I thought that making a tool that would make the making of the points of the blossoms easier would be nice - a tear drop.  I also could use a small-er round tool for counter sinking the petals of the round flowers.   So what the heck, lets make them and not only would making my cuff be easier, the students in my workshop, next weekend, could use them too. 

Friday night I went into my tool blank drawer and found two small punches, a pre-shaped tool blank and a tagane blank (a Japanese chasing tool blank) all just begging to be worked on. 

The two punches were 1/32" and 3/32" in diameter so they would be the micro-rounds I would make. The pre-shaped tool blank would be the micro tear drop and for the tanage blank, a nano half round. 

Yesterday, I did the annealing and shaping. After that I took a nap because I am still sick and not sleeping well.  Today I hardened them, removed the scale, polished and the tempered them.  They are now ready for use.

Enjoy the pictures and remember, clicking on one will open it in a new, larger window and from there, you can scroll through them all.  And a thank you goes to the shop elf who took the pictures while I was hardening the tools.

I took another road trip to Texas and on the way back, the shop elf and I stopped at Potter USA. I got a new 12" shear and then spent time talking to Kevin about a jig I want for me and to sell.  After that Kevin, Danielle, the shop elf and I just talked about stuff for three hours. During this time the shop elf discovered that his flashlight addiction has a name flashaholics - and that Kevin has it too. Danielle and I just rolled our eyes and did a bit of giggling at the two of them going on about water cooled flashlights. 

Here are some pictures of the visit.

Planishing is the process of smoothing or flattening of metal.   And with raising or sinking of holloware or other hollow forms - and that can include some jewelry; a traditional silversmith will use a highly polished hammer.   The hammer can be flat, with softened edges for working on synclastic curved pieces thus preventing the edges from "dinging" the surface. On flat work, usually the hammer face has a slight dome to it thus keeping the edges, again, from dinging the surface.

If the time and patience is taken, a very shiny and smooth surface can be obtained even before proceeding to polishing.

I already have a few planishing hammers but during my workshop at Nechamkin Silver Studios, I was shown a light weight hammer and told how to make one.  If you watch the little movie I made you can see it briefly.

As with all the other tasks I came home with, making one was on the list. I bought the metal and a week ago I spent time in the garage with the shop elf drilling a center hole for the handle mounting.  The next day, while I was at work, the shop elf was very excited and decided to mount the handle - BEFORE I had finished the faces.  Yes, I know I could have knocked out the wedge and removed the handle except for the fact that the shop elf, in his eagerness also epoxied the handle in. Oh well.

Today I went into the garage and with hand files, sanding belts, several grades of sand paper and finally the polishing wheels I shaped the faces. One face is flat with rounded edges and the other face is ever so slightly rounded. 

And while the shop elf was drilling I was shaping a cheapie nylon hammer from Harbor Freight so it could be a small raising hammer. Hey, for 12 bucks, why not??!!!

So here are the process. Remember, you can click any image to open a larger version and then use the arrows to move to the next.

Last week I cut my first wood stake. That stake is for the upper half of the tumbler and I did that stake first as it was the easiest to do.  

Yes, I have a steel T-stake that would also work but this was an exercise in cutting a wood stake. 

Today I cut the second wood stake for the lower half of the tumbler - also it should be noted that when I raise another tumbler, this second stake will actually be used first but the reason it was made second was so I could get a feel for working with the wood. 

This stake is a bit more complex because the diameter of the tumbler and thus the wood, increases as the the height of the tumbler increases from the base.  At the base it is 2" in diameter and it is 3.25" at 2" in height. The diameter then stays constant at 3.25" for another 1" of height (thus the other stake).

I also cut this stake on the other end of the wood so I have two stakes but only once piece of wood.

So, shall we get to the pictures???  And at the bottom there's 4 pictures. Two of the original stake that Liza made and two of mine.

When I went to Nechamkin Silver Studio's back in September and learned to raise a tumbler, I started the raising on a wood stake and then changed over to a steel stake. Since then I have gathering my tools and equipment and making a technical drawing so I could make a wood stake such that I could raise another tumbler in my studio.   

Today I started that project. 

I went to the wood working store in San Diego and bought a 2" x 2" x 12" spindle blank (Osage Orange wood, as they did not have maple) that would allow me to cut a stake at each end.  One end would be for the lower half of the tumbler and have a compound (synclastic) curve since the diameter of tumbler increases with distance from the base. The second stake would be for the upper half of the tumbler and would be a constant diameter. 

I started with the second stake since it would be easier to make. 

Into the garage I went with my drawing, templates for the various diameters and my block of wood. Out came the files. Into the vice went to the block of wood and using my templates, I drew marks on the wood for the radius and the distance from the end to indicated where to stop filing. So the project began. 

Much sawdust was created. 

Then about 2 hours later after checking with the templates and the actual tumbler and switching from rasps to coarse files to fine files and fine sand paper. The first wood stake I have ever made was done. 

Once I raise a tumbler on this, I will then get steel stakes made.