[TheForge] Scrolls

[Jerry Frost]

I can't disagree with you on this and am certainly NOT going to compete with 
power tools in the hands of an expert. I must wonder though if you've 
included setup time in your estimate?

While I'm unfamiliar with automatic benders, rollers, etc. I do know they 
take at least some set up and am willing to bet I could get at least a few 
scrolls turned before the first one came off the machine. My set up requires 
a soapstone outline to match and heat up time on the forge. Okay, so maybe 
you'd have to spot me the forge warmup.

Regardless, I'd be sitting in the corner enjoying a frosty one long before I 
wore my arm out. Hope you'd join me.

No, my comments were strictly a personal comparison of manual benders, 
scroll wrenches and hand turning on the anvil of thin stock the easy way.

I grew up in a production shop though we didn't do the cool stuff you do. My 
Father used to stand back with visitors or prospective spinners while I 
worked at the lathes, shears, press, etc. You're kids are lucky, as I was.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

From: "Ries Niemi" <rniemi at fidalgo.net>



> As for hand bending versus machine speeds- well, I have hand bent a lot of 
> scrolls, hot and cold on the hossfeld, and there is NO question in my mind 
> that this sucker will beat Frosty hands down on the first one, and by 
> number 200 or so, while my 12 year old is still slapping in the 48" long 
> pieces of 1/2" round stainless, hitting the start switch, and pulling one 
> out every minute or so, my guess is that Frosty will be over in the 
> corner, nursing a sore arm and a frosty one himself.
>
> Hand blacksmithing is great for one offs, but in production situations, 
> great smiths use labor saving devices. Not to say that I am a great smith- 
> I am just an artist who uses metal- but people like Samuel Yellin were 
> always quick to pick up on power tools that did NOT compromise the quality 
> of the work. And properly done, a scroll bender need not compromise the 
> quality one bit.
>
> Ries Niemi
> Industrial Artist
>
> http://www.RiesNiemi.com
>