Anyone know what's this is?

Copper Craft - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 12:55am

I found this video on youtube... What I want to know is what is he pounding the metal on... Does anyone know what type of material is he is using as the backing...
Thanks for any help! Wade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WAKU0Ls_tI

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Looks to be working on a

Fred Zweig - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 8:07am

Looks to be working on a steel stake. The embossing and chasing is stretching the metal as he hammers the tool into the metal... He does it with confidence and ease of a skilled craftsman who has done this many time in his life. No pitch to deal with and rather fast. The risk is thinning the metal too thin and breaking through.

Thanks for finding this one.

Fred Zweig
Metalsmith

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Thanks

Copper Craft - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 4:15pm

Hi Fred,
Thanks for the insight... someone told me I should just send him a message and ask him, I'll try that let you know if I hear back from him... Thanks again Wade

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I don't think he's working

Rich Waugh - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 10:25pm

I don't think he's working on a steel stake. I'd guess it's something more on the order of high-durometer urethane or rubber, based on the couple of brief glimpses I had of the reverse side of the piece. (One at about 3 minutes and again at about 5 minutes.) In both those views, I could see significant deformation/debossing of the reverse, which couldn't happen if he was working on a non-resilient backing. As you noted Fred, working on a steel stake runs a high risk of thinning the metal too much because it can't move through displacement, and yet I see a lot of displacement in the piece he's working. Ergo, has to be a resilient backing, I think.

If he answers the email asking him, perhaps we'll find out for sure.

Rich

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Rich, The craftsman has made

Fred Zweig - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 10:50pm

Rich,

The craftsman has made several videos and the others show clear images of the steel stake. I am amazed at the fluidity of his craft. It is obvious that he has done this for a great many years.

The process that I call (LMD) Localized Metal Deformation creates alot of relief and I work directly on a hard faced anvil.

Note the sound of the blows are another indication that he is working on steel and the matting would probably not make such a strong impression on a resilient backing.

Here is a video that shows the stake he uses in the first minute of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fng6DQBiUpw

Fred

Fred Zweig
Metalsmith

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Fred, I agree that it

Rich Waugh - Tuesday, July 21, 2009 - 10:51pm

Fred,

I agree that it certainly did look like a standard stump anvil, but I didn't have my sound turned on the first time around. With the sound I could clearly hear that he was working on a steel stake.

I'm familiar with obtaining deformation through stretching that way, it just looked like too much movement for too little hammering. (grin)

I do believe you're absolutely correct though, he's working on a stump anvil.

Rich

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I agree about the stump

visitor - Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 1:35pm

I agree about the stump anvil. I found his hammer curious. It has a square face and claws at the other end. It also looked as if he were using a tool that must have started its life as a chisel. I wonder what gage th metal is?

marilyn

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