Work from Friday,
I spent most of the day working on some methods to make the finials on the top of the corner posts. This is a close up of the finials from the British Museum website. On the left and right the finials can be seen.
This is a quick sketch I put into TurboCad showing the finials in a line drawing.
Anyway, I've decided on how the top part of the finial is probably made. I'm going to start with 1" square stock. I made a spring fuller (I will post pictures of it later) out of 1 inch round stock. The fuller is designed to press the metal from both sides. The idea is that the round stock will make a circular indent in the metal. I will do this on all four sides making a half circle indent on the metal on all sides. Then that piece is cut in half producing the rounded pyramid top shown above.
What I'm having trouble figuring out is how to make the socket without deforming the top. I'm thinking of making a die to put the finial in that will support the shape of the finial. I know this is a bit complicated so I will try to post pictures if it works.
2 comments:
I have taken your advice, and am running around getting photos of ironwork while I can. Found some interesting stuff in Saarbrucken, including a very nice coat rack of all things, which I will duly post when I finish the roll. (your illustration of finials brought that on.)
Regarding horology- the current issue of Discover has an article on a 10,000 year mechanical clock currently being built as prototypes, the final version will be over 60 feet tall. It's definitely not medieval, as it uses a mechanical binary computer through a system of pins, cams, and gates- but it's definitely pretty darn interesting, astrolabe and all.
Hey there, I didn't see your comment before. Thanks for the info! I'll go check it out.
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