[TheForge] Baskets

[Ries Niemi]

On Oct 12, 2005, at 9:26 AM, ductility at juno.com wrote:

> Hi All,
> I haven't been on this list for quite a while but ran into a problem
> yesterday and thought I could find the answer here.  I am making
> refrigerator pulls for a client that require a basket in the middle.  I
> chose to use 6 strands of 3/16" round stock with a stub in the center.
> As one of my friends told me (these are my very first baskets) "making
> baskets is easy."  I found he was right, although making "perfect"
> baskets, and two that look alike became a challenge.  I welded the ends
> together, heated, twisted and then untwisted using a vise and tongs 
> with
> a little inward pressure.  I find the baskets don't untwist evenly and
> the ends are out of alignment.
>
> I wonder if there is a method for getting them "perfect" during the
> untwist phase for maybe I need to adjust them cold?
>


I find its easier to adjust em cold- I use a big screwdriver to tweak 
the openings all the same, maybe a little tap here and there with a 
hammer- Tweaking in general is a skill that comes in handy all the 
time, and only takes doing a couple of hundred of them before you can 
do it in your sleep. Of course, by that time you are usually finished 
with the job. And next time, you do something different....

Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist

http://www.RiesNiemi.com