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View Full Version : Anvil or Stake for raising a copper bowl



OCG
05-02-2013, 05:10 PM
Hi All,

Having never worked with metal before I thought it would be fun to try raising a copper bowl. I understand the technique but am having problems deciding on the tools needed. I would probably be looking to start off quite small - around 6" diameter disc in 0.7mm copper. I cannot find many stakes for sale and those that are seem very expensive. Therefore I was wondering if the "horn" side of a small anvil could be used (was thinking on the 4.5kg draper anvils widely available). The one I was looking at, the horn is powdered (blue) - would this be suitable or would it mark?

I would just be using a ball pein hammer to raise.

Thanks for any help or advice you can give!

ps_bond
05-02-2013, 05:54 PM
Evening.

You're probably not going to like this... Stay away from the Draper "anvils", they're really not very good.

If you want to raise a bowl, then you need a raising stake of some sort - and a raising hammer, not a ball pein. If you look at David Huang's site - http://davidhuang.org/gallery2/main.php - he has (or at least had) some ideas for DIY raising stakes that involve some decent size bar & an angle grinder. They're not cheap, whether you make them or buy them. My main raising stake is a 3 legged one that I picked up a while back.

If you want a more inexpensive way to form a bowl, then sinking one (rather than raising) can be done with a block of end grain pine & a ball pein - you'll need thicker metal though as it thins the material considerably.

You'll probably also want a domed or spherical stake to planish on...

OCG
05-02-2013, 08:53 PM
Thanks for the advice Peter - I would rather find out that they weren't very good before wasting my money! I assume the Rolson 11kg ones can also be lumped into the same category of not very good then?

I think I will keep a lookout on ebay and car boots for used stakes (or anything like a old railway spike that could be used), I don't have the tools (or the skills) to make them. Is there any particular shape you would reccommend for raising bowls?

Perhaps I will try sinking a bowl just to get the feel for it, then I will know if it is something I would like to persue.

Thanks again!

ps_bond
05-02-2013, 09:25 PM
Afraid so - they're cheap cast iron and tend to be described as ASOs - Anvil Shaped Objects. Not well suited to much more than some light rivetting, stamping & the likes.

Raising stakes are usually curved down towards you so you can force the metal down & in on itself; they also have a shallow curve across. No sharp edges anywhere.

Cuzner or Finegold & Seitz have some good drawings on the tools as well as excellent directions on the processes.

trapper
18-04-2013, 06:51 AM
Hi I do a lot of turning both with wood plastics and metals. For a project such as this I'd probably use copper sheet use a wooden form and a process known as metal spinning........ can be done on a woodworkers lathe. There are several excellent tutorials on Utube.