Raised copper closing back in on itself

[kerrystagmer]

this is just a series of pictures I found of my first raised copper vessel. It starts about 5-7 annealings into the process and continues I THINK one picture per annealing.

20 ga copper (aHHH dont use something this thin unless you must), Fully raised, no dishing. Mostly wooden or plastic hammering till the end, you can kind of see the change in the pictures. It represents about 20 hours including grinding a custom raising hammer from a junky donor body shop hammer and I learn at this point from a one page sheet of directions from a 50's metal working book. I got more instruction for the later stuff of course, but this is my start.

the last 2 pictures are NOT showing a polished vessel, but a jewel like finish created by polishing my planishing hammer repeatedly while working. The vessel is now undergoing a change as I attempt to close it in even more, very hard on thin stuff, no cracking yet!

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda3.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda4.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda5.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda6.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda7.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda8.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda9.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/metalsmithing/raiseda10.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/raised1.jpg

http://www.baltimoreknife.com/raised2.jpg

[george tichbourne]

Yes that thin material is a real challenge but don't worry about cracking now, the rim of the bowl will start to thicken up as you bring it back in.

The limit will be your stake diameter and patience. Good work so far.

[rkilgore29]

Hi Kerry,

Nice bit of copper work. Thank you for the photo essay.

Did you have to anneal it more than if it were thicker?

How about a couple of pictures of the stakes and hammers you used. We get a tease with them in the background.

Thanks again.

[Matt Ferrari]

Very well done!

[Kirsten]

Beautiful, so consistent and symmetrical
I'm impressed with the work.
What size disc did you start off with?

[kerrystagmer]

if I remember its a 7" disk. I have one from a 14" disk of the same material almost to shape now. It represents a pile of hours. The same vessel in 18 ga works very fast and is much easier to keep to shape.

One thing is I didnt realize how much the cleaning at each annealing made things easier at the end. If you dont clean it well each time you do considerable damage to the surface as you work it.

This is from awhile back now and I have made several vessels in copper, silver and steel.... some fully chased.

[Kirsten]

What kind of surface damage? I haven't done a lot of raising. I don't clean much in between annealings while chasing. It doesn't seem to make a difference in my surfaces, but I don't use polished surfaces.

[kerrystagmer]

in the chasing its quite different as your changing the surface completely. when your raising with the hammer your driving the scale deep into the metal and once you pickle you are left with surface pitting.

[wtowns01]

Not only do you get a little bit of pitting the oxidation on the copper turns into a powder/dust while hammering. The powder/dust tastes awful and not being a doctor probably not good for ya. Furthermore when you have nice polished stakes and hammers it also blemishes the polish surface.

[kerrystagmer]

you right on.....

also I'm told the copper dust is quite bad for you in this concentration.... traditionally the part is scrubbed with fine sand to clean it off

[Gene_Olson]

You can be green without envy. :mrgreen: