Decorative (hand hammer/force) shot plates

[AnnabelNew]

Hi, does any one know if a manufacturer or supplier in the UK of Decorative Shot Plates? The ones for scrap shot balls that can be hit with a hammer & force rather than a hydrolic press.
Buffalo Rutland sell lovely ones from the US (see attached), but as they are so heavy, the postage makes them really expensive.
Any suggestion ?

[Dennis]

Ha ha, the requests on here are getting evermore exotic. Never seen them from a UK supplier. You might have to settle for decorative punches and pierce around the design, or bite the bullet and pay the freight.Dennis.

[ps_bond]

I think Potter USA are also selling shot plates. The theory of making them is not tricky - most are made through hobbing with a carved master, then hardening the plate. Hobbing needs a gutsy press though.

[Paul Kay]

I have happily used this supplier based in the UK: https://www.etsy.com/shop/elsilversuppliesuk?section_id=21829314

Elsa maintains/imports an ever changing stock of similar items. Also here on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1680254885580105/

N.B. I am not involved in this venture, other than as a happy and satisfied customer.

[ps_bond]

Have you used her shot plates? The country of origin makes me twitch.

[Paul Kay]

Have you used her shot plates? The country of origin makes me twitch.

Peter, Yes, I have used them repeatedly and extensively, both with a hammer and, more recently, with a 6 ton hydraulic press, and I have had no problems.

Could you please explain your concerns, re: the country of origin, it may just be me, but it seems odd, so perhaps I can allay your fears.

[CJ57]

Wonder why you’d want a swastika on one of them:/

[Paul Kay]

Wonder why you’d want a swastika on one of them:/

Caroline, the swastika was in use in the east and the sub-continent, and in some native American nations long before it was adopted in the 1930's by the German Nazi party. A little research on-line will help your understanding. My suggestion would be to start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

There are also many examples in Christian Artwork throughout Western Europe and the Near East dating from the early (Christian) Roman, through Byzantine periods onwards.

An extract:

'A swastika is a symbol found in many cultures, with different meanings, drawn in different styles.
The swastika (as a character 卐 or 卍) is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon used commonly in the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and Southeast Asia, where it has been and remains a sacred symbol of spiritual principles in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In the Western world, it was historically a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck; but in the 1930s, it became the main feature of Nazi symbolism as an emblem of Aryan race identity, and as a result it has become stigmatized in the West by association with ideas of racism and antisemitism.

The name swastika comes from Sanskrit (Devanagari: स्वस्तिक) and denotes "conducive to well being or auspicious". In Hinduism, the clockwise symbol is called swastika, symbolizing surya (sun), prosperity and good luck, while the counterclockwise symbol is called sauvastika, symbolizing night or tantric aspects of Kali. In Jainism, a swastika is the symbol for Suparshvanatha – the 7th of 24 Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers and saviours), while in Buddhism it symbolizes the auspicious footprints of the Buddha.'

[ps_bond]

Could you please explain your concerns, re: the country of origin, it may just be me, but it seems odd, so perhaps I can allay your fears.

I have had no end of trouble with Indian made tools, to the point that I won't buy them if at all possible. The quality control hasn't been good enough - particularly hardening & tempering of steels.

On swastikas, there's also the sayagata pattern used in traditional Japanese work.

[CJ57]

Caroline, the swastika was in use in the east and the sub-continent, and in some native American nations long before it was adopted in the 1930's by the German Nazi party. A little research on-line will help your understanding. My suggestion would be to start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

There are also many examples in Christian Artwork throughout Western Europe and the Near East dating from the early (Christian) Roman, through Byzantine periods onwards.

An extract:

'A swastika is a symbol found in many cultures, with different meanings, drawn in different styles.
The swastika (as a character 卐 or 卍) is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon used commonly in the Indian subcontinent, East Asia and Southeast Asia, where it has been and remains a sacred symbol of spiritual principles in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. In the Western world, it was historically a symbol of auspiciousness and good luck; but in the 1930s, it became the main feature of Nazi symbolism as an emblem of Aryan race identity, and as a result it has become stigmatized in the West by association with ideas of racism and antisemitism.

The name swastika comes from Sanskrit (Devanagari: स्वस्तिक) and denotes "conducive to well being or auspicious". In Hinduism, the clockwise symbol is called swastika, symbolizing surya (sun), prosperity and good luck, while the counterclockwise symbol is called sauvastika, symbolizing night or tantric aspects of Kali. In Jainism, a swastika is the symbol for Suparshvanatha – the 7th of 24 Tirthankaras (spiritual teachers and saviours), while in Buddhism it symbolizes the auspicious footprints of the Buddha.'

I do know that Paul but that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to use now.
I can’t imagine with other designs that are on the sheet that Japanese art is where it was intended.
But always love a bit of mansplaining

[ps_bond]

Well, you might experience some difficulty trying to use a shot plate to duplicate this -

11335

[Paul Kay]

I do know that Paul but that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate to use now.
I can’t imagine with other designs that are on the sheet that Japanese art is where it was intended.
But always love a bit of mansplaining

Caroline,

I think they possibly feel that it is entirely appropriate to continuing using, in their context, a symbol that they have used for hundreds of years, even after it was ill-used by others, elsewhere, for a mere 15 years. The plates in question were made for use in the culture they were created in. I'm sure had they, or were they to, make plates targeted specifically for a market where the swastika was felt inappropriate then they would not include it, but that is not the case here. Therefore it becomes a choice whether to buy plates with the symbol included or not, and then whether to use that symbol or not depending on your target market.

I don't understand your Japanese art reference, could you 'womansplain' that one for me?

[Paul Kay]

I have had no end of trouble with Indian made tools, to the point that I won't buy them if at all possible. The quality control hasn't been good enough - particularly hardening & tempering of steels.

Peter, Ditto, agreed, I have had similar experiences, particularly with drawplates. Or to be correct, a draw plate. Tried one, it was rubbish and didn't last a single use, what did I expect for three quid :)

But with other items, I tend to try a sample first and if it works, all well and good. Of course, time will tell, some may not last, others I suspect may well outlive me and my use of them