[TheForge] oxy-propylene

[Kathy]

That's OK, Frosty. I don't mind trolling as long as it takes to get your feet
wet >:-)
Mikey

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of Jerry Frost
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 1:15 PM
To: Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] oxy-propylene


From: "Kathy" <keporter at comcast.net>


> Frosty,
> Have you ever thought of writing a modern text on the 
> ins and outs of metal
> spinning?
> Mikey
>
>
>


There are a couple reasons it's pretty much out of the 
question.

First, I haven't touched a spinning tool since I turned 
16, nearly 40 years ago. At that time I wasn't strong 
enough to be a full fledged spinner in Dad's shop, I 
did mostly finish work. Rolled beads, sharpened 
corners, trimmed, polished, etc. I spent endless hours 
holding torch while spinners worked: Monel, jet & 
rocket engine alloys, Titanium and numerous other 
unpronouncable, cassified and forgotten (by me anyway) 
alloys.

Second is technique. Ours was a scissor tool shop and 
that's been almost entirely taken over by CNC, 
automatic and hydraulic machinery. What manual spinning 
is still being done is mostly what's known as "hand" 
spinning, using simple lever tools rather than compound 
lever roller tools.

Every so often I search the web for people doing the 
kind of spinning I was familiar with and so far there 
seems to be few if any still out there. I've been told 
a number of times how scissor spinning isn't "really" 
metal spinning at all. REAL craftsmen don't spin that 
way you know. You gotta let it go though, hand spinners 
were saying the same thing 40-50 years ago when Dad 
hired them and trained them to make a living. They're 
also the same ones who are generally terrified of 
spinning stainless; something we did routinely.

Maybe if I'd actually been a full fledged spinner and 
kept up on at least a little but as it stands anything 
I wrote would be more dangerous than useful. I'll set 
up a lathe when my shop's closed in but it'll be for my 
own little projects like a "proper" burner. <grin>

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

Meadow Lakes, AK.

http://www.artmetalradio.com/

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