[TheForge] Snarling iron (Re: Minimum Tools...) begins.)

[Mike Spencer]

> One of the neatest tools I have is a nicely polished snarling iron I
> made years ago for working the insides of deep vessels.  It drops
> into the hardy hole of the anvil or into the stake plate. I've used
> it for everything from reshaping silver pitchers for repairing
> pewter mugs that had been fallen on.

Here's a notion about making snarling irons that may be a solution to
a problem that wouldn't exist if I weren't impatient.

A snarling iron has got to bounce nicely and that means that when its
working end is inside a vessel, you still have to be able to hit it on
the sweet spot.  If you make it to go in a stake plate or hardy hole,
the geoemtry is fixed.  You have to grind or forge it to tune it.

If you make it to be clamped in a (sturdy) vise, you can tune it by
moving it up or down in a the vise, making the vibration properties
different and finding the best bounce response by trial and error.
(Aluminum vise jaw liners keep it or other stakes from slipping.)

I made one years ago but I've only used it a few times.  Comment or
contradiction from someone with more experience welcome.

I'll be using it soon.  I have an antique copper hand pump in perfect
condition.  Um, except I dropped a $HEAVY_OBJECT on it during the shop
move.  Now it has a big ding in it and I think a snarling iron is the
way to get it out.

- Mike

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Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer@tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^

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