[Innovational Iron] 7:14 pm: Ok.....lets get started!
[Innovational Iron] 7:14 pm: Hello and welcome to the second online demo at the Metal Artist Forum! Tonight’s demo is on how to make and heat treat Repousse tools.

First, I feel I must start this demo with a light warning. Heat treating tools involves high temperatures and exposure to potentially hot oil. There can be flame ups during quenching that could start a fire. All quenching should be done outside with protective clothing and a fire extinguisher rated for oil fires should be handy. I can not be held responsible for un-safe practices and heat treating is done at your own risk.

[Innovational Iron] 7:15 pm: Ok…before we get started there are a few things I feel I should mention. The first is that this demo is to help you get started with making Repousse tools. Most of the info will be focused on heat treating, Shaping tools is pretty straight forward and I’m assuming if you are reading this, you have the basic skills to operate a belt or disk sander.

This is not the definitive answer for making Repousse tools or heat treating. Tool shapes vary from artist to artist and you will be the best judge as to what tools you will need as you start to create things with the Repousse process. The tools shown in the demo are the very BASIC tools you will need to start a project.

Two great books for Repousse that illustrate tools shapes are Moving Metal by Adolf Steines and Metal Techniques for Craftsman by Oppi Untracht.
[Innovational Iron] 7:16 pm: Last note about heat treating. I use O-1 tool steel for Repousse tools. The procedure for heat treating varies by source. I really have no idea why. I have seen temperature variations of several hundred degrees for quenching. I have read in one source that the tools should be set upright and should be laying down in another. The procedures shown in this demo might not be the same as what you have already done. But, they work for me. I have subjected my tools to heavy abuse under a power hammer to test the treatment with impressive results. Repousse will put a fraction of the stress on these tools that a power hammer will. So for those of you that already know how to heat treat, I offer this suggestion: Just take in the info (just like all the other conflicting info) and hopefully you will find something here you can use. I personally feel that most all procedures from reputable sources, despite their small differences, will produce safe tools.

On to the demo…..


[Innovational Iron] 7:17 pm: Supplies and Materials:
O-1 tool steel is commonly referred to as “Drill Rod” and comes in 36” lengths.

¼ round O-1 drill rod
¼ square O-1
3/16 round O-1 drill rod

Minimum tools required:
Belt or disk sander. (preferably a belt)
Oxy-Acetylene torch
Metal files
Various grits of sandpaper
Band saw or Chop saw

Ideal tools:
Medium and fine 8” Unitized fiber wheels mounted on a bench grinder. (this will replace the need for files and sandpaper.)
Vibratory tumbler

The basic tools shown here are:
Liner (for tracing or the image you want to put on your metal)
Push tools (round and rectangular)
Planishers (square and half round for smoothing things out)

Don’t forget that Saign’s demo next month will show you how to use these tools.

There will be less breaks for Q&A because I feel the photos really explain most of the procedures. There will be plenty of time at the end for Q&A as well.

[Innovational Iron] 7:19 pm: I only use one grit on my belt sander for Repousse tools. And that’s a 180 grit. The reason I use 180 is because it’s aggressive enough to shape the tools and a Unitized wheel will quickly remove all the scratches. This is a huge time saver.

Cut your tool steel into 4.5” lengths. The reason I use 4.5” is because it divides into 36” evenly and you won’t waste and steel. I use the guide on my band saw to keep the pieces even.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo1.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo2.JPG

If you do not have a band saw, you can use a chop saw.
[Innovational Iron] 7:20 pm: This first thing I do is what I call “Rough Shaping”. I rough shape all the tools before moving on.

Let’s start with the liner. Here is a photo of a completed liner.

www.innovationaliron.com/webimage58large.jpg

Start by grinding a point.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo3.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo4.JPG

I like to grind flat spots the width of the belt onto the ends of the tools. This gives more finger control to a round tool.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo5.JPG

Repousse tools should have a nice taper down the length of the tool. Gently grind this point to create a taper.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo6.JPG

View of the taper.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo7.JPG

Finish the hammering end by knocking off the edge.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo8.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:22 pm: Next is a round push tool and a rectangle push tool. Here are some completed pics.

www.innovationaliron.com/webimage59large.jpg
www.innovationaliron.com/webimage62large.jpg

To create an even tool, I use a cordless drill for the round push tool.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo9.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo10.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo11.JPG

The rectangle tool is pretty self explanatory. Just be sure to taper the points on the sides like the liner.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo12.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:25 pm: The last tools are the square and half round planishers. Here are some completed photos:
www.innovationaliron.com/webimage56large.jpg
www.innovationaliron.com/webimage57large.jpg

The square tool is pretty self explanatory.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo13.JPG

For the half round, just grind a long taper until you have removed half of the end of the tool.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo14.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo15.JPG
[Innovational Iron] 7:25 pm: PAUSE FOR Q&A Any questions before we move onto Heat Treating?

[saign charlestein] 7:26 pm: a couple notes I want to add
[dablacksmith] 7:26 pm: i didnt catch was it 1/4 in stock?
[Innovational Iron] 7:26 pm: So far yes, just 1/4 stock
[dablacksmith] 7:26 pm: k
[Innovational Iron] 7:26 pm: Go ahead Saign!
[saign charlestein] 7:27 pm: is for me 4 and half ends up too small and I end up hitting my nuckles alot I like 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 and.....
[browbrew] 7:28 pm: Any reason not to use water hardening rod?
[duck] 7:28 pm: what is a Medium and fine 8” Unitized fiber wheels mounted on a bench grinder
[Innovational Iron] 7:29 pm: Duck, we are not there yet
[saign charlestein] 7:29 pm: the square is alot more expensive than the round so I use 3/16 1/4 and 5/16 round and just do alittle extra grinding
[Deafboy] 7:29 pm: scotch brite
[dablacksmith] 7:29 pm: ive used water hardening and oil hardened it
[Innovational Iron] 7:29 pm: Browbrew, most any tool steel will work. I just like O-1 for cold work.
[saign charlestein] 7:30 pm: personal preference I have larger hands
[duck] 7:30 pm: okay then... I'm way out in front again
[Innovational Iron] 7:30 pm: Any other questions?
[Innovational Iron] 7:31 pm: Ok, let's proceed then.
[Innovational Iron] 7:31 pm: Now that your tools are rough shaped, you have a choice on how to proceed based on the equipment you have. If you have a set of Unitized wheels, you can proceed with the heat treating. If not, you need to get out your files and sandpaper.

Repousse tools need to be smooth and free of sharp edges. If you try to file the edges down after heat treating, you won’t have much luck due to the hardness of the tool. Removing the file marks with sandpaper is a pain as well. So you need to get your tools looking the way you want them before you do any heat treating. (If you are filing)

[Innovational Iron] 7:32 pm: Unitized wheels will remove edges, remove scratches, remove fire scale from heat treating, and polish your tools in one shot. Even after the tool has been hardened. So there is no point in removing any edges yet (if you have Unitized wheels) because you still need to clean the tools up after heat treating so don’t waste your time.

[Innovational Iron] 7:33 pm: Heat Treating.

Here is a link on heat treating. For those watching the demo live, please click the link later so you can stay up with the demo.

http://www.innovationaliron.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=352

I have detailed different methods for heat-treating based on various types of equipment in that link. However, I use a kiln and that’s what I’ll be using tonight for the demo.

[Innovational Iron] 7:34 pm: I use flux when heat treating. It is NOT necessary to do so. However, flux creates a barrier around the tools while heat treating that keeps the oxygen out. Oxygen causes fire scale. Since the majority of tools I make these days are for the public, I want them to look as nice as possible. Fire scale is ugly and can be tough to remove if it penetrates too deep.

Since a kiln takes longer to heat up, standard blacksmith fluxes can burn away leaving the tool exposed. I called the nice chemist at Superior Flux and told him my problem and he sent me a sample to try. I liked it so much I bough a bottle. I just wet the tools with the flux in a plastic bag before heating.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/flux.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:35 pm: To anneal, I place the fluxed tools in a French fry basket and bring them up to about 1450 degrees and then shut the kiln off and let it cool with the lid closed. The tools will be cool in about 12 hours.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo16.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo17.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:36 pm: To harden, I re-flux the tools and bring them up to 1500 degrees and quench them in oil. Here is a quench tank I made to accommodate long tools or knives, and a basket made from perforated sheet. You should pre-heat your oil if possible to reduce shock when quenching to about 150 degrees. You must agitate the tools while quenching to keep the tools cooling evenly. This usually results in splashed oil and small flame up’s so BE CAREFUL.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo18.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo19.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo20.JPG
[Innovational Iron] 7:38 pm: To temper, you need let your tools cool to about 150 degrees and then temper them at 350-400 degrees for at least two hours. Do not temper O-1 above or near 500 degrees. It is important that you don’t let your tools cool below 150 degrees before tempering. Tempering needs to be done as soon as your tools dip below 150 degrees.

I keep an eye on my tools between quenching and tempering with a digital thermometer.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo21.JPG

I temper in my kiln. After removing the tools for quenching, I shut off my kiln and leave the lid open. When it drops to 250 degrees, I put the tools in, shut the lid, and it creeps up to 400 degrees where it sits for several hours. This can be done in a conventional oven as well.

[Innovational Iron] 7:39 pm: Here’s what they look like out of the kiln. They have some fire scale and some baked on oil.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo22.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:40 pm: Now, you can sand these down and probably use some solvent to cut the oil. I use a cheap vibratory tumbler from a gun shop. For media, I use band saw shavings, drill press shavings, and various small pieces of scrap.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo23.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:41 pm: After about 12 hours this is what they look like.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo24.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:42 pm: If you filed and sanded your tools before heat treating, after cleaning them you’re done. Cleaning will also consist of various grits of sandpaper to remove any fire scale. You should finish with 400-600 grit paper and buff them out smooth.

[Innovational Iron] 7:43 pm: Here are the medium and fine wheels mounted on a bench grinder.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo25.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:44 pm: Simply start with the medium wheel to remove scratches, edges, and fire scale. Move to the fine wheel to polish and do any final shaping.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo26.JPG
Before
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo27.JPG
After
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo28.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:45 pm: Your tools will get warm during this process (no where near enough to effect the tempering) and I keep a small water container handy to make them comfortable to hold.

www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo29.JPG

[Innovational Iron] 7:45 pm: Here are the completed sets. These tools had no buffing, only the polishing from the wheels.
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo30.JPG
www.innovationaliron.com/demos/11-02-06/demo31.JPG

Thanks for joining the demo tonight and I hope this helps!


Supplies:

Tool Steel.
I have never ordered tool steel online. I suggest calling your local steel supplier and asking them to point you in the right direction.

Unitized wheels.
I honestly cannot remember where I bought my last set. An internet search for “Unitized Wheel” turns up several suppliers. I personally have been using the 3M brand.

Books:
Moving Metal by Adolf Steines
Metal Techniques for Craftsman by Oppi Untracht.
Heat Treatment, Selection, and Application of Tool Steels by Bill Bryson

[Innovational Iron] 7:46 pm: Simple, right?
[The Guild]: ornametalsmith has entered at 7:46 pm
[dablacksmith] 7:46 pm: neat idea the tumbler ... gota try that for my small stuff ....
[Deafboy] 7:46 pm: WoW matt! thank you for the demo!
[Innovational Iron] 7:46 pm: Its cheap media for the tumbler!
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:46 pm: cool
[warrent] 7:46 pm: Matt thanks for the demo.
[Deafboy] 7:46 pm: I had know idea it was very involved
[browbrew] 7:46 pm: Thanks Matt nice demo!!
[saign charlestein] 7:47 pm: sweet demo
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:47 pm: I have been sweeping it out the door, I think I will start saving it
[Deafboy] 7:47 pm: Do you have to use a tumbler?
[warrent] 7:48 pm: Matt can you temper with out a kiln, just a regular oven works right?
[Innovational Iron] 7:48 pm: No, but you will need to remove the oil and sand off the scale by hand
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:48 pm: do you think you could use a blast cabnet?
[Deafboy] 7:48 pm: hummm
[dablacksmith] 7:48 pm: on the heat treating if you use a propane forge ... out a piece of heavy wall tubeing inside the forge and your steel inside that it keeps it from oxidizeing as bad
[Innovational Iron] 7:48 pm: Warren, change your color man! I had to highlight you to read it
[Innovational Iron] 7:49 pm: But yes, you can temper in a regular oven.
[Deafboy] 7:49 pm: ?
[saign charlestein] 7:49 pm: or you can use a buffing wheel with the greasless compound
[ShawnM] 7:49 pm: So, the annealing, hardening, and tempering steps are all needed, in that order?
[dablacksmith] 7:49 pm: yup
[Innovational Iron] 7:49 pm: Is it me? I can't read warrens post
[dablacksmith] 7:50 pm: same here
[ShawnM] 7:50 pm: he is being stealth
[saign charlestein] 7:50 pm: definate need of a color change
[Innovational Iron] 7:50 pm: That's correct Shawn
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:50 pm: blue on blue, I have to highlight to read
[duck] 7:50 pm: Matt, the tool I traded with u are they buffed or not?
[Deafboy] 7:50 pm: Why do you need to anneal if your going to harden anyways?.. stupid question I know...
[ShawnM] 7:50 pm: so some means of getting it really hot is needed, an oven ain't gonna cut it!
[Innovational Iron] 7:50 pm: No Duck. They were just cleaned on the Unitized wheels
[Deafboy] 7:51 pm: :whistle:
[dablacksmith] 7:51 pm: anealing relieves stresses
[Deafboy] 7:51 pm: Thanks dablacksmith
[Innovational Iron] 7:51 pm: Shawn, you can use a torch but you need to heat it as even as possible to keep the tool from warping
[ShawnM] 7:51 pm: gotcha
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:52 pm: Matt, where did you come across the termometer
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:52 pm: ops, spelling sucks
[Deafboy] 7:52 pm: when using a torch, it's all eyeballing right?
[Innovational Iron] 7:52 pm: As Dablacksmith said, annealing relieves stress caused by grinding, forging, etc
[duck] 7:52 pm: Unitized wheels...gotta try um
[Innovational Iron] 7:53 pm: Dan, yes, you need to judge your heat by the color
[warrent] 7:53 pm: also the type of annealing Matt did is also called aging? or not?
[Innovational Iron] 7:53 pm: There should be a color chart in the link that goes back to the forum
[Deafboy] 7:53 pm: ouch! my eyes!
[Deafboy] 7:53 pm: :D
[dablacksmith] 7:53 pm: never heard of ageing....
[saign charlestein] 7:54 pm: warren just cant win for losing with the color chart
[Innovational Iron] 7:54 pm: Ideally, your tools should be kept hot as long as possible during annealing. That's why I like my kiln.
[Innovational Iron] 7:54 pm: Me either
[warrent] 7:54 pm: well what color do you want
[saign charlestein] 7:55 pm: I use vermeculite and it takes a few hours to cool
[dablacksmith] 7:55 pm: ya i tried that at a friends shop
[dablacksmith] 7:55 pm: worked well
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:55 pm: better warrent
[Deafboy] 7:55 pm: Matt, how long do your tools last?
[saign charlestein] 7:55 pm: that ones good warren.... we just want to see you;)
[Innovational Iron] 7:56 pm: Still going after many years.
[duck] 7:56 pm: okay I'm gonna go smoke another one .. thanks for the demo Matt..I'll be back
[Innovational Iron] 7:56 pm: Ok Duck
[saign charlestein] 7:56 pm: ha
[dablacksmith] 7:56 pm: ya was a good demo !
[Deafboy] 7:56 pm: cough!;)
[dablacksmith] 7:56 pm: see ya
[Brent Beal] 7:56 pm: Thanks Matt, my first time view of chat night. Very interesting, I'll visit again.
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:56 pm: off topic, the mash is one for April 19th right?
[Innovational Iron] 7:57 pm: Hope it gets you started. You will end up making MANY tools if you start!
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:57 pm: ops. one=on
[Deafboy] 7:57 pm: Great info Matt.. I'll be back to re-read to whole thing
[warrent] 7:57 pm: time to go again thanks and bye
[Innovational Iron] 7:57 pm: Take care!
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:57 pm: really cool demo
[saign charlestein] 7:57 pm: later warren
[The Guild]: warrent has left at 7:57 pm
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:57 pm: later warren
[The Guild]: dablacksmith has left at 7:58 pm
[The Guild]: Brent Beal has left at 7:58 pm
[saign charlestein] 7:58 pm: I never knew you had to temper while still warm
[Deafboy] 7:58 pm: l8r you all!
[Innovational Iron] 7:58 pm: see ya!
[saign charlestein] 7:58 pm: peace DAN
[ShawnM] 7:58 pm: Thanks Matt! Great job. Good night all!
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:58 pm: later Dan
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:59 pm: see ya shawn
[saign charlestein] 7:59 pm: bye shawn
[browbrew] 7:59 pm: N all
[Spiderwebdesigns] 7:59 pm: night
[saign charlestein] 7:59 pm: later
[Innovational Iron] 7:59 pm: Good night and thanks!
[saign charlestein] 7:59 pm: good job matt
[The Guild]: ShawnM has left at 8:00 pm
[The Guild]: browbrew has left at 8:00 pm
[Innovational Iron] 8:01 pm: OK all, i got to catch a flight iin the AM. See ya later!
[Spiderwebdesigns] 8:01 pm: I think the tool fever will bite me after the first of the year
[saign charlestein] 8:01 pm: later matt thanks
[Spiderwebdesigns] 8:01 pm: have a safe flight
[saign charlestein] 8:02 pm: ya travel safe
[Innovational Iron] 8:02 pm: nite!