[TheForge] Drawing Down Bar Stock

[Bruce Freeman]

Hmmm,  I'm probably the last person who should give advice on forging,
being rather a hack blacksmith, but it happens I have drawn down
rectangular stock, both by hand and on a treadle hammer.

Are you drawing down the thickness or the width?  Either way, the bar
tends to spread in the crosswise direction, so you have to flip it 90
degrees every few blows to correct that, but that problem is worse if
you're drawing down the width.  If you don't correct often enough, you
run the risk of folding over an edge, making a cold shut.

Are you drawing down an entire bar or a long section of one, or just a
short section?

I prefer to draw down the width between matched fullers.  A spring
fuller or hinged "guillotine" fuller works well.  You slip the bar in
flat-wise, then twist to open the fuller.  (The thickness can be drawn
down without fullers, or over the horn.) 

BTW, the rule SOR - that says to draw down on the square - doesn't
apply here.  "Rectangular" IS square, in the sense of that rule.

I can't think of anything else to say on this.  The process is pretty
straight-forward.

Bruce
NJ

>>> debmiller at fuse.net 5/8/2006 12:31:04 PM >>>
Hi People!

After all these years I come to realize I have never drawn rectangular
bar stock. Round, square, but not rectangular.

I don't want to wast a bunch of material on trial and error for an
urgent project.

The bar stock is 1/2" x 2". 

Hints?


Ray
Cincinnati
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