Appleton Presentation

[weldeworld]

Absolutly beautiful... I was just telling someone, there are amazing metal artist's out there. I am glad I saw oyur work. NICE!!!

[twg6669]

What type of Aluminum are you using, I worked with some structural grade aluminum and it just cracks every time I hit it. Heat or no heat. Its a hard alloy i'm sure, it welds great though. Do you know the grade of this aluminum?

[ornametalsmith]

@twg6669

sure do.......the majority of the aluminum forged in this video is either 6061 or 6063. All the solid round bar is surface textured(hammered) cold......no annealing. The forged tapered ends are forged hot. All the sheet aluminum is again.....forged cold....no annealing. Having said that......there are many other aluminum alloys that can be forged. You MAY have had a 7000 series aluminum, which is more "brittle", it will crack just trying to bend it. IT can be forged, hot/annealed.

[twg6669]

@ornametalsmith thanks, the one thing that I hate about aluminum is that there is no heat reference. Which is annoying, one secont too long with the heat and its all over :) Thanks though man, I'll mess around with my aluminum today, you have inspired me to dust all that stuff off and work with it again. thanks.

[ornametalsmith]

@twg6669

LOL,well there are ways to TELL..the proper forging/annealing temps. I have another video on YouTube (Large Scaled Fold Forming).....that shows one of them. Use a paint stirring stick. When you rub it on the cold aluminum, it has "drag" feels like an eraser, and leaves NO MARK. As you heat up the aluminum.....rubbing the wood on the surface starts to feel less like an eraser and starts to leave a light brown mark. Keep heating until the stick leaves a dark brown mark and feels slippery

[ornametalsmith]

@ornametalsmith

had to add more. :) IF you get the aluminum TO hot.....and you SEE "smoking black mark", and FEELS very slippery.....the aluminum is TO HOT....and if you move/hit/ bend etc.........it will fall apart. BUT you can be patient and let the aluminum come back down in temp......and continue to forge or anneal it. I could get into the other methods but would take more space than they give you here. :(

[twg6669]

*second*

[Blutquell]

Somehow, working with aluminum myself made me realize it's beauty is a bit forgotten; Seen by most as just "the stuff soda cans are made of", when it once was a precious metal.

Beautiful work indeed.

[ornametalsmith]

@Blutquell

thank you...........:)

[wotare]

Beautiful work, You have inspired me to do some of my own metalsmithing.

[ornametalsmith]

That make my day. Thank You.

bill

[LongIslandEddie]

You've got some really nice stuff here and you are really talented. Keep up the fine work!

[ornametalsmith]

your to kind......thank you. ;)

[WCBlacksmiths]

Extremely nice work!Keep it up.

[ornametalsmith]

thanks, Jason. And...... I enjoyed seeing the vids you guys are doing.