I was skimming through various sites for kicks and wondered how do you bend/forge/whatever metal to make stuff like a Knight helmet or metal bowls or motorcycle gas tanks.

I saw one episode of the Great Biker Build off and they show the basically beating the crap out of a piece of sheet metal for a gas tank, but my question is how do you get out all the dents once this is done?

Thanks,

Matt

I haven't done it myself. But if you watch American chopper and a few other programs on Discovery. They show that after the tank is finished that it get bondoed. (Know I spelt that wrong sorry.) Then sanded and painted. Hence the perfect finish and apearance.

As to just a pure metal tank that has only been clear coated. Hammered with forms to get all the major dents out with lighter and lighter hammer blows till the surface is almost perfect. Learnt that at my first black smithing leason. Their are still imperfections. Just they are harder to see. You can then go back and file or sand the surface to get it smooth.

You can check out Lindsy publications. Belive they have a few books on the subject.

An English wheel is your best bet for that kind of shaping. Leaves you with a smoothly formed surface without dents to deal with.

For a helm check out this it has many things that could be used for other projects and it shows the old way to do it. Has a beautiful chrome like finshed helm at the end helm building (http://www.anvilfire.com/21centbs/armor/NormanHelmet/top_index.htm)

Zonker that's a great link!!! Thanks!

Scott you had a black smithing class? Where did you take this at? A community college or what?

Glad you like it
English wheel (http://www.roddingroundtable.com/tech/articles/12ewheel.html)
Here's a how to on an inexpensive English wheel. Small but for a helm or motorcycle parts should do a fine job. I am thinking of doing a rider's of rohan (lotr)theme chopper and doing me a helm to wear as a brain bucket.

That's the machine that they were using on the show. It didn't look like it was doing too good of a job. I'll have to do some more reading on I think I got an idea of making some cement forms and see if I can't heat the metal and force it into the form with a hydraulic jack. If it doesn't work the only thing I wasted was a $5 bag of cement and some time.

-Matt

Go check out this web site: http://www.metalmeet.com/ They have a forum that can answer any question you could have.

jgro

I had to join the CBA (California Blacksmithing Association). Each state I believe has a blacksmithing association. You just have to look them up on the web. So were you take it will depend on were you live.

I went out to a guys shop and it was great. Their were only two of us their. I got a lot of personal attention and got to watch the other student who is more advanced then me use the power hammer. (Note eye and hearing protection are a must.) What would have taken me 30 or more minutes with a hammer he did in a few minutes. Also he got a little carried away since it was his firlst time using it and got the bar a bit thinner then he wanted.

Though to be far it was my first time and my work didn't look as good as the instructors and it took me three times longer to get the same or close to it result as the instructor. Need to work on my hammering. Also were and how you hold it is important.

Lets see advice if you take a course. Usual eye and ear protection. Plus a single glove for your non hammer hand. the one you'll be holding the tongs in. Expect to get a blister on your palm if your not use to hammering.

http://www.calsmith.org/

I'm close to San Francisco and the closest class was in Santa Clara. Also their is a place in Oakland I belive called the Crucible that has more formal classes.

Kind of off topic but did anyone catch "motorcycle mania 3" on DC? JJ makes a gas tank out of copper sheet, pretty impressive stuff, no bondo.

Also the American hot rod episode where they make this rod out of aluminum, body and all hand made, no bondo or paint?

Might as well be magic to me, that level of craftsmanship is just amazing. I'm sure it goes on all the time, those shows were just my first look at it.

Let me know how that cement form goes. I basically use the same three tanks building motorcycles and thought about tamking a fiberglass mold of each of them then making a concrete form and using a mallet to shape them. Then ewheel them smooth. Just haven't got to it yet

Zonker,

There's a foot of snow outside and it's 25 out. The real deal will be in a couple more months, but I'll dig up this thread if it's gotten buried by then. I am curious too. I was thinking that I'll pour the first half in a bucket put in the form. When I do the top form I'll layer the bottom mold with seran (?) wrap to stop the cement from mixing with the bottom layer. But we'll see :)

-Matt