Warren,

All axles are not 1045H. Some are, some are regular 1045, some are 4140, and other alloys. The one I used was actually from a Nascar race car, so it may have been a more modified alloy than 1045H, but it acted like 1045H. Works for me.

I like axle stock for stakes and similar tools because it will get hard enough to resist deforming and is very tough. Its also not too hard to come up with axles if you hit the car repair shops.

I'm surprised that ou could get the 1018 hard enough, even with Superquench. There really isn't enough carbon to harden. However, if it works that's great. Even without hardening it would be fine for non-ferrous such as copper and silver.

Nic,

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. If I was to make another one, I'd use my newest revision of my bending pin set-up and use a wider difference of radii on the curves of the sine waves. I need to make another one that way, starting with larger diameter stock, for some larger forms I want to play with. This was the learning piece.

I probably could see a few stakes like that, ond some others I've done. I'll have to give it some serious thought. I really love making tools, but I really hate repeating myself, too. Too often, doing something you love for money makes yo uquit loving it so much - I had that happen with silversmithing, and I'd hate to have it happen again with tool-making. Still, there are a lot of people who would probably like certain stakes and have no way to make them themselves. I'll think about it.

Rich:
I will study your design and for the nonce, you are my teacher. We crossfertilize our ideas and who knows what might turn up? I believe Creative Play is the road to discovery, especially if travellers on that road have good imaginations.

This weekend I will be taking Fohn Fix's 3-day Class in Forging non-ferrous metals at Peters Valley Craft Center, so I will be seiving his brain for ideas too. I probably will not make a stake as ambitious as yours since I sold my English side-draft forge in 2000. I miss it now since it had a water-cooled tuyer and a really good draft hood into an 8" chimney pipe.

Nic East, Jim Thorpe, PA USA
Creativity begins with a novel thought.

Anticlastic Raising is a technique of metal forming whereby sheet metal is formed directly with a hammer on a sinusodial (snake-like) stake. A flat sheet of metal is shaped by compressing it's edges and stretching the center so that the surface develops two curves at right angles to each other. The pattern of the sheet plays a major role in the form that will be achieved, however, many different forms can often be made from the same pattern.

Nic East, Jim Thorpe, PA USA Creativity begins with a novel thought.

OK, so, Nick and Rich: How do you know all this stuff? When I grow up I hope to be that smart!
Rob

Well, too soon we grow old, tool late we grow smart; at least in my case, anyway. I don't know about Nic, but for myself I can only say that I'm probably more what I'd call clever than actually smart. I read and research a lot and try anything and everything that comes to mind and then try to figure out why it either did or didn't work.

I generally learn more from the failures than the successes, of course. Failure provides me with the option (necessity) of studying it to determine what went wrong and thereby learn something. Success teaches us nothing, but serves only to confirm our superstitions. Not that I mind having a success now and then, mind you!

I once tried to learn farriery and discovered that I had no ability for it whatsoever and that the horses frightened me more than just a little bit.

Rob:
Since I don't know your age I cannot comment about inexperience except to say that your mind follows your curiosity which should cause you to experiment and learn. As Rich says, we learn from our mistakes and failures. Experiments that come out as expected are simple validations while the real lessons are in unexpected outcomes. Indeed, it is in those surprises that we gain our experiences and sometimes even wisdom.

A good foundational and ongoing education is the basis of acquiring the best and fastest applicational information. I have a background in Physics, Quantum Theory, Industrial and Graphic Design plus 13 years working for the telephone company as an analyst. We all get our educations either formally or down in the trenches and who can say which is more valid?

Nic East, Jim Thorpe, PA USA
Creativity begins with a novel thought.

Nic has described anticlastic raising quite well below, and that is one thing I'll use it for in a general sense. As I noted, I'll use it to put compound curves in forged leaves to make them look more natural. It is also a handy tool for turning lips on spouts and vessels, and for swaging small stock as well. I find it handy for dong quick swaged down sections in pipe, like when making bamboo nodes or necked-down steps to isolate stock for later tapering on the power hammer.

I'm not a purist about tools - I'll use whatever might work to perform a given function, regardless of the intended use of the particular tool. You can get mentally hamstrung by thinking of a hammer as only something that you hit things with. A hammer is also a luseful top tool, some have features that can be used as swages or dies, etc. Good to have options.

Rich:
Sometimes I "double-pein" a texture using a dapping tool in the vise and a ball pein hammer on top.

Nic East, Jim Thorpe, PA USA
Creativity begins with a novel thought.

You may know that I do alot of botanical stuff. I would really like to see a picture of what you are talking about with leaves.
When you get a minute.
Thanks, Mele

As noted in the posts above, a sinusoidal stake is used for anticlastic raising and other work with sheet stock where you are trying to create compound-curved forms. Think of it as a series of "U" swages of differing radii and cross section and you'll understand, I think.

Rich, Okay it came from an axle. And it must of been a rear end axle. Here is a front axle 

Truck axle

I got it a couple of years ago and made these stakes for raising.   A little use on them. Not sure the steel but sure does work nice. It clamps very nicely in a vise.axle stake

I might stop at a truck stop on the way to the Shindig and see if they have any broken rear axles. Since it is at Elmers Roush's shop, well he makes some beautiful hammers and the steel is right for a hammer head. 

warren http://www.metalrecipes.com