Doming and Texturing

[Di Sandland]

Okay - it seems pretty obvious to me (but maybe I'm wrong) that, if I want a textured, domed shape, I dome first and then texture?

But - if I do that, won't the texturing mishape the dome? And also if I do that, do I do the texturing with the shape placed on the punch?

Cos - if I do it the otherway won't the act of doming remove the texture?

:confused::confused::confused:

[Polly]

Hi Di

Yes, you need to dome in the first instance and then texture it using the dapper upside down in a vice to maintain its shape and support the piece whilst texturing it.

Can't wait to see your finished piece!

[Emerald]

how are you texturing and how deep does it go?

[Di Sandland]

I haven't got quite that far yet Jo, but I'm envisioning it quite deeply hammered on 1mm thick silver sheet.

[Emerald]

lol, i would dome then hammer xx

[Petal]

You beat me to it with the doming and texturing questions Di, I was saving those up for the New Year, so thanks for that :X

It feels slightly more Christmassey now so.. :merryxmas:

[Ominicci]

AH BUT....if you have a wooden doming block and punches you can texture first and then dome. It is much easier doing it that way than trying to keep the dome supported when trying to hammer it! :Y:

[caroleallen]

I always hammer first and then dome - so much easier and works perfectly for me. It's even better if you have a Bonny Doon as you can add any texture you like and it still stays.

[Di Sandland]

Thanks guys - it boils down to preferences really I suppose. Trial and error.

And, Carole, when I have a Boony Doone I'll remember that!

[lorraineflee]

I bought a "dental prosthetics" hydraulic press on eBay and it seems to be working okay (less than £100 with postage - 'cos the seller underestimated how much it would cost him to send it!)

I'd love a proper Bonny Doon though!!

Lorraine

[bustagasket]

ok showing my noobness again, erm, Whats a Bonny Doon please guys?

[Petal]

Thanks guys - it boils down to preferences really I suppose. Trial and error.

And, Carole, when I have a Boony Doone I'll remember that!

I've tried Googling a Bonny Doone and got strange things in reply! What on earth is a Bonny Doone then??

[MuranoSilver]

It's a press that allows you to shape metal really quickly.
They sell them at Rio Grande (http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/ProductPage.aspx?assetname=110501&page=GRID&category%7Ccat_300%7C1104=Presses+and+Press+Kits) in America
(though I used to think it was a small Glen where a Leprechaun who looked like Tommy Steele lived ;))
nic x

[ben b]

You'd probably want two bits of kit here. A doming block and corresponding punches, which ideally you'd want in wood and metal (the punches!) and some 'stakes' which are most usually used in silversmithing.
You can place a domimg punch in a vice, but stakes are better.

If you are texturing by imprinting with a rolling mill, obviously you have to do that first...you cannot do it once it is domed. Then anneal, and use a wooden punch to dome the tetured sheet, and i would oil the doming block, especially around the outer edges, but clean the piece before annealing again.

If you wish to hammer a pattern, then dome your sheet with the doming block and metal punch, and particularly with fine silver, or just silver generally, rather than gold, this will harden it nicely to keep its domed shape whilst happering pattern to it. For this id transfer to a stake, domed, but slightly smaller than the actual dome, and move the item around as you hit in one spot relative to the anvil (or stake). By even rotation you should maintain the domed profile, though the edges will distort, though you can hammer these carefully, so you controll the line.

If you want a hammered finnish (similar to the hammerite paint effect) then what you are actually doing is what silversmiths do to make a dome, by raising, (rather than doming in a block) only the marks would be removed, but you want these as a feature, so you will be crossing two tchniques here. You will get some re forming of the metal, but not much, as youve already domed and hardened it, your just denting its surface...and this is where hammer skill comes in, both in how hard you hit it, the frequency and direction and crossover of hits, and how confident you are in holding and moving the object as hitting.

:xmaswave: