How do I (again!)

[trialuser]

This ebay seller has urethane. Would any of them be suitable?
Seems a tad pricy but that may be the going rate, particularly if it's hard to source.

[ps_bond]

It is a bit; I've not been able to find sheets reasonably priced in the UK. I've got some of that seller's urethane (65 & 95 duro); it works well, although I wasn't hugely impressed with the combined shipping costs IIRC.

[Dennis]

At Pentonville Rubber you can get SBR rubber and also neoprene for approximately the same price per metre as one of those littltle squares of urethane.

For occasional use three metres of different thicknesses would last you fifteen to twenty years. Unfortunately you can only order on the phone: 020 7837 7553. Dennis

[ps_bond]

I've got some 3mm neoprene sheet I can spare a chunk of if needed.

[trialuser]

Thank you to everyone for the advice and offers.
I have some neoprene on the way now - I might sus out the ebay blocks also.
Oxford is my local town and we have a work standby point literally 100 yards (old units especially for Dennis and Peter :-) )away.
Although looking on google street view I'm not to hopeful about picking up in person.

[Exsecratio]

Neoprene, Urethane,Hypalon and most of the rest of that family can be gotten from Gill Curry Industrials, (theplasticshop(dot)co(dot)uk

They often have offcuts available for pennies in small sizes of most stuff.

best wishes

Dave

[Patstone]

James, you make everything you do look so easy. Mere folk like me would struggle to do this sort of thing, I struggled the other day to make an oval that was dished and eventually used a big round doming block, but it didnt look right so I abandoned the idea and did something else. I didnt even realise you could get oval doming blocks.

Hi Martyn, If you are not planning a production line you can also make any type of domed shape easily with a domed hammer on a block of lead. I make many shapes this way.
A while ago I prepared a short photo tutorial for another forum, it shows how I shaped a copper leaf using a domed hammer and a lead block, you may be interested in seeing it so here is the link; http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nena...metal-leaf.htm .

James

[Goldsmith]

Pat, if you do have a lead block and a hammer with a slightly dome face, you can dome any shape quite easily. I always advise anyone to experiment with sheets of copper scrap to perfect the method of hammering and as I have said before I always make copper patterns to check whether my ideas work, such as in the leaf tutorial. This same method works well for me when shaping flower petals, leaves and even bird's body parts. I wouldn't be without my lead blocks and home made doming and shaping hammers. I buy standard ball pein and cross pein hammers then grind or file them into shape. You can see some of my home shaped standard cheap hammers in this photo, you can buy reasonable hammers suitable for re shaping for under a fiver online.

James

[Wallace]

Given the recent discussions that included lead as a major toxic player in the game of life, would pewter (lead free) be a suitable replacement? I know it is a little harder, but surely safer to use and to keep around the house, animals, children, etc?

You could melt it easily enough in an old bean tin and pour it into a small aluminium container, I would imagine? I use and old bit of wood with dinks in it, but may try and do a pewter block as I need space.
Just a thought.

[Patstone]

I thought that lead was only dangerous when it was holding drinking water as in a lead water pipe, not just touching occasionally when doing doming work. Dogs cant reach my bench anyway, and no kids visit, so should be ok. I have probably had more than my fair share of lead anyway as until about 20 years ago have lived in houses older than 300 years so most of the water pipes were lead.
Next question is where can I get a chunk of lead.