[TheForge] Upsetting the middle of a bar

[Shannell Sugrue]

Have you tried just using the bar and a floor anvil or a metal plate? Heat
the area to upset and hold the top of the bar and bang the bottom of the bar
on the anvil or plate, you could even try adding some mass to the top of the
bar with a clamp or something.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen McGehee" <irony at epowerc.net>
To: "The Forge" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 12:10 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Upsetting the middle of a bar


> Y'all:
> I have a stair and a parapet railing to make with about 60 balusters,
> each having a long leaf forge welded near the middle of each bar.  My
> stock is 5/8 square.  I am looking for a simple way to upset each bar
> for the weld and am not having much luck.  I have used my coal forge
> with a fairly narrow fire on some and on others, a rosebud to make the
> heated area shorter.  I have been using a 2-1/2" depression in a swage
> block as a base and either a 4# hand hammer or a special tool for my air
> chisel that is a cup about 3" deep.  Either way the process seems far
> too slow.  If I use the air chisel and keep the rosebud on the stock
> constantly at almost a welding heat it barely upsets the metal even
> after 5 heat/upset/straighten distortion cycles.  Using the hand hammer
> seems to be the fastest way, but even that way it still takes 5 heats or
> so.  Is there something basic I'm not seeing here?
>
>  Stephen McGehee
>  Publisher of
>  Irony, the sketchbook of an apprentice blacksmith
>  P. O. Box 9822  Pine Bluff, AR 71611
>  irony at epowerc.net
>  (870) 540-0142
>  (479) 643-3299 (farm)
>  You can see a sample of IRONY magazine here:
>
>   http://lametalsmiths.org/news/page4.htm  )
>
>
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