[TheForge] metal spinning

[Peter Fels And Phoebe Palmer]

My father once, any years ago, introduced me to "the best spinner 
I know". The guy had a thumb and 2 fingers....total.

Jerry Frost wrote:
> Terry:
> 
> If you want to make an analog using clay, look to a potter's wheel. They 
> not only look like the same process is going on, it is in large part the 
> same process.
> 
> As the tool is passing over the blank the metal is usually stretching to 
> conform, however it can and must be upset as well to prevent failures.
> 
> Rotation speed is determined by a number of variables: dia., material, 
> thickness, shape of the finished part, type of tooling, (specifically, 
> hand vs. scissor tools) personal preference and skill among other lesser 
> factors.
> 
> Annealing may or may not be necessary depending on many of the same 
> factors that determine rotation speed. Pure Al is generally easily spun 
> without annealing as long as the shape isn't too extreme and the 
> spinner's skill level is decent. Most people are taught using Al as it's 
> so easily spun. On the other hand the wrong type of Al can be a real 
> PITA to spin, most of the AL we spun in Father's shop was far FAR from 
> easy to spin. I thought SS was easier and most spinners look on SS with 
> fear and dread.
> 
> My personal favorite is mild steel, it likes to go fast, (high rpm) 
> responds well to a sensitive touch and almost never fails 
> catastrophically. (read flying shrapnel) Brass is a PITA usually 
> requiring multiple heat treats unless you're spinning a very simple 
> shape or one you can really hog.
> 
> Copper is like spinning taffy, requires little force and spins really 
> well but work hardens suddenly so you have to be on your toes and have a 
> good feel for it. Still, copper is good teaching material.
> 
> I don't know of any good books that cover the kind of spinning we did in 
> Father's shop; we were a production shop and used almost exclusively 
> scissor tools. Most people spinning manually now use hand tools and I'm 
> unfamiliar with the technique. I'll have to ask a couple of my old 
> contacts and then get back with the name of decent books.
> 
> However, on the practical side. Are you thinking of trying metal 
> spinning Terry? If so you're not going to meet with much if any success, 
> it's VERY phisical and if you let it get away from you extremely 
> dangerous. Think about a 6-9" diameter metal blank spinning maybe 3,000 
> rpm. coming out of the lathe and ripping it's way up your arm. A part 
> can also explode if pushed too far or hard and the shrapnel can be 
> almost impossible to avoid.
> 
> I've personally practiced 1st. aid on the aftermath. On one occasion it 
> took three of us to apply pressure to enough places to control the 
> bleeding. Though nobody died in Father's shop a number of guys lost 
> fingers, the use there of and in one extreme case his entire hand. Dad's 
> insurance paid for LOTS of stitches.
> 
> Metal spinning can be very challenging, intensely satisfying, 
> hypnotically beautiful to watch and cripplingly dangerous. It also takes 
> a number of specialty or specially modified machines.
> 
> Frosty
> -------------------------------
> If it ain't forged
> it ain't real.
> Wrought iron is.
> The FrostWorks
> 
> Meadow Lakes, AK.
> 
> 
> From: "terry l. ridder" <terrylr at blauedonau.com>
> 
> 
>> hello;
>>
>> the other day i happened to be watching the
>> discover channel program 'how it's made?'.
>> this episode was concerning metal spinning
>> pots and pans. at best the information given
>> was just a terse overview. the episode did not
>> explain metal spinning itself. it is clear that
>> a great many things are happening all at once to
>> the metal.
>>
>> the most basic example from the episode was taking
>> a large aluminum disc and making a large stock pot.
>> the form is a simple straight sided cylinder with
>> a flat bottom with a rim at the top. the aluminum
>> disc is placed on the bottom of the form and the
>> metal spinning lathe is spun up to speed. then using
>> a tool which reminded me of a huge roller skate wheel
>> the disc was pushed up against the form and into the
>> shape of a cylinder. to try and understand what all
>> was happening here, i took some plasticine clay and
>> made a disc an 1/8 of an inch thick. i then placed
>> the disc over a small metal measuring cup. it was clear
>> that the disc would have folds and creases if i were
>> to attempt to make a clay pot in this manner.
>>
>> so what is happening with the metal spinning tool and
>> the disc? is the disc being drawn out using the tool?
>> the episode stated several times that the discs were
>> pure aluminum. they did state that the pots and pans
>> had to be heat treated during the process because they
>> were become hardened by the process.
>>
>> one thing that was not mentioned in the episode is how
>> fast the metal spinning lathe is spinning the metal disc
>> that is to be fashioned into a pot or pan. would anyone
>> have a rough idea what the rotational speed of the metal
>> spinning lathe would be?
>>
>> are there any good books available that gives a reasonable
>> working knowledge of metal spinning? does lindsay books have any books 
>> on metal spinning that someone would recommend?
>>
>> -- 
>> terry l. ridder ><>
>>
> 
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