Wednesday, December 31, 2014

The fragility of some metal

Over the last couple of days I have been reminded that all metals are not equal; nor are always reliable in terms of strength.

The cases in focus are: the metal from the trays I have been given to create pieces for the family from; and the treadle for our Lightning Jogger letterset printer.

As you can see from the photos below metal from one tray suddenly split after three annealings and hammering whereas the others have not. I will decide what I can do with the split bowls.



And we were amazed when the treadle for the press snapped - at a place it had been welded before - see photo below.


So I decided to repair it by bolting steel plates on both sides of the treadle and across the break; and fill in the spaces and gaps with "plastic steel". The photos show the process and the treadle bolted back in place.





The challenge with breaks and splits is how to ensure the repair or added design element fits with the original piece. I think the press repair fits with the industrial look of the press. A coat of black paint and it will look like part of the original and possibly stronger.

5 comments:

  1. And good thing the press was in the home of a metal worker!

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  2. Hello, Barry.

    Happy New Year. I wish your best.

    I dedicate a lot of thanks for your support.

    Warm Greeting
    From Japan, ruma ❃

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  3. A beautiful repair on the treadle - that's quite a mending job, B, so I hope it is successful as it looks. I know the bowl splitting must be frustrating but I know something amazing will come of it...

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  4. A wonderful opportunity to apply Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing. Little holes drilled on either side of the split and then sewn together with wire. I have a feeling you have already thought of it. As Sandy commented, how fortunate you are a metal worker and have been able to fix the treadle yourself.

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  5. S, Ruma, C & R - good to have the blog community and thanks for your visit and comments. S - useful sometimes!!! Ruma - happy NY to you - may we continue to support each other though our comments. R - you have taught me a new term - thanks. And as you know from my later post I did create a repair that is similar to the Kintsugi approach - birding the gap with metal. All - peace. B

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Comments are welcomed - it is good to connect with fellow travellers.