Anvils

[Patstone]

I am thinking of buying an anvil, it would be very useful I think. Which one though, there are what they affectionately call jewellers anvils that are about an inch long and useless unless you are going to wear it. All the bigger ones seem to have a rough surface, can this be smoothed or is it too time consuming. I read on ebay about one that a lady used for the same purpose as I want it for, making silver jewellery and she said that the surface was rough and showed through. I have a bench grinder but that seems a bit drastic. The one I was looking at was from Toolzone, £24. Can I have opinions please.

[ps_bond]

The dinky sparrowhawk anvils are good for working on small items, such as bezels, while the anvils like the Toolzone ones are what some blacksmiths refer to as "ASOs" - Anvil Shaped Objects. Made from cast iron, they will break if you do any serious forging on them; fine for light stuff, but nothing more. I've got 2 - one is a small "laptop" anvil at 45kg, the other is about 120kg.

What do you want to forge?

[Patstone]

The cuff I made will be back from assay office today and as its 2mm thick I need to put a slight curve in it where it hits the front of the wrist. Don't want to hammer anything this time, just lean on it a little.

[ps_bond]

An anvil isn't what I'd use for that - if I've understood correctly; I'd use a stake. And a mallet.

[Patstone]

It is a hammered finish so I cant bash it too much, but when she tried it on the bit on the front of her wrist (the bit with the opal on) is a bit flat, it fitted her perfectly but thought it may look better a bit more rounded, plus there will be room for air to circulate. I dont have a stake for bangles, what I normally use is a bit of wood left over from our bannisters which is oval and just the right size but this time its a cuff so needs to be tighter fitting. Never made a cuff before, so not really sure how tight they should be, but hers looks as if its painted on. hahaha. If I put a bit of pressure on it with my hands, it would bend enough, but I cant find anything solid enough to bend it on.

[ps_bond]

Nylon wedge mallet wouldn't damage the finish much. Your bannister should do fine with some care.

If the hand turns blue, it's probably too tight

[Goldsmith]

Pat check out this stake for bangles on Amazon; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Proops-Oval-.../dp/B00IKGG6FY cost plus postage £34.
Or a wooden one; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Proops-Bangl...R33VQSCQBJ85SC cost plus post £10.

James

[art925]

I would also urge a word of caution Pat regarding bending the cuff with the stone set. If I read your comments correctly you want to bend the cuff at the front; the position of the stone, I know you put a lot of effort into getting that opal set, so be careful not to dislodge it if you go ahead with bending the cuff.

[Dennis]

It is a hammered finish. If I put a bit of pressure on it with my hands, it would bend enough, but I cant find anything solid enough to bend it on.

Pat, A bench anvil won't help with this, but anything large and round like a ring mandrel would do. When all else fails, try a broom stick, or a rolling pin.

Dennis.

[Patstone]

That is very true Les, I did put a lot of effort in to setting it, pain in the ass comes immediately to mind. It fits her as it is, but in my opinion it needs to have a slight curve, not much, just a little, my wrist is quite round, but hers is flat, and the cuff is flat too. Not sure what to do, Dennis's idea of a rolling pin may work, as it doesnt need to be much. Will think about it a bit more as it didnt arrive in the post today, hopefully tomorrow as she has already paid me this morning.