Have you got the scrolls?

[puffernutter]

No I always walk like that!

But seriously, I'm looking to build a weather vane and I have a number of the parts courtesy of Gerry form this group. I would like to use scrolled steel (is that the right word?) for the the steel between the points of the compass and for the vane itself.

I haven't got the time (or the equipment) to make it, so can you buy it "ready made", if so, where?

(The alternative is to nick someone's front gate and cut it up :-)

Cheers

Peter

 

[gordon stephenson]

Hi Peter, just google wrought iron scrolls. Any number of suppliers, I have used "DC iron" a few times and been very pleased.

 

[J.B. Welding]

X2 for DC iron. It is against my beliefs to buy in components, but I buy drilled forged balls in from them and they are the best for price and service-by far.

 

[cumbriasteve]

DC Iron user here too, I used to make them but steel cost and time proved not worth it compared to the low cost of ready made.

Only handicap if you are wanting just half a dozen is the min £10 delivery charge....think it's still that.

 

[puffernutter]

All, thanks for the leads.

Much less than half a dozen - just the one to make, so rather uneconomic unfortunately. Back to nicking the neighbours gate........

 

[MattF]

End of the day, all you actually need to make a basic scroll is a couple of pieces of rod held firmly in a base or vice, and work the strip around between the two as you shape it. Flat mild isn't usually too hard to work cold and manually, and you can always heat it if you feel the urge.

 

[Cobbler]

End of the day, all you actually need to make a basic scroll is a couple of pieces of rod held firmly in a base or vice, and work the strip around between the two as you shape it. Flat mild isn't usually too hard to work cold and manually, and you can always heat it if you feel the urge.

I made some simple scrolls this way for some railings I made. I made a thing that looked like a tuning fork to fit in the vice, them bent them bit by bit as Matt says. After I did the first & got it how I wanted it, I drew round it on a piece of cardboard & matched the rest to that. It only took a few minutes each once you got the first how you wanted it

 

[puffernutter]

Do you "scroll" them cold or hot?

 

[Tigman]

have a look in my picture album there is a small scroll maker in there very simple to make , bend the scroll cold !

 

[puffernutter]

Ah, a terminology problem (my fault!) not scrolls, twist or rope?

Cheers

Peter

 

[J.B. Welding]

you may struggle scroll forming anything over, say 30x5/6 cold. A lot of scrolls you see are made from 13x3 and that can be worked by pliers or hand, the hardest thing is not to get kinks. Knocking 75x12 on edge into a scroll requires a bit of heat And you end up looking like this

 

[Tigman]

twist and or rope buy from F H Brundles

 

[Cobbler]

Do you "scroll" them cold or hot?

I did mine cold.

 

[steve t]

if you want to twist a half inch square bar cold clamp one end into a solid vice and put stillsons or large adjustable spanner on other end and twist, the hardest part is keeping it straight

 

[Kent]

Try looking at North Valley forge (NVF). To be fair its on on-going difficulty for many until you build a forge and acquire the tooling and skills required. Doing a lot of the same though people like NVF can sell good forged scrolls for less than you might make them

 

[awemawson]

if you want to twist a half inch square bar cold clamp one end into a solid vice and put stillsons or large adjustable spanner on other end and twist, the hardest part is keeping it straight

Put it in a tube as you twist it to keep it straight

 

[Kent]

A bar twister is easy enough to make.
Take a section of the square you want to bend, pack it with slight clearance with the same on each of the four sides, fill in the corners likewise. Now tack it all up and add some round bar handles (effectively making a big tap wrench). Heat were you want to twist and twist away.

Twisting half inch is hard going cold

 

[Windy Miller]

How much do you need, and what size? I have some going spare in the garage that I made up to try out a bar twister that I'd just bought. I think it's either 10 or 12 mm...

 

[jim44]

No I always walk like that!

But seriously, I'm looking to build a weather vane and I have a number of the parts courtesy of Gerry form this group. I would like to use scrolled steel (is that the right word?) for the the steel between the points of the compass and for the vane itself.

I haven't got the time (or the equipment) to make it, so can you buy it "ready made", if so, where?

(The alternative is to nick someone's front gate and cut it up :-)

Cheers

Peter

Did anybody know that almost all weather vanes/cocks on tall old buildings used a Marble as the bearing.....
did not need grease or metal bearing....great idea as they were out of easy reach...
jim g4rek

 

[Wendelspanswick]

That's how I always do mine, fixed round bar upright, marble, and then tube with design attached over the top.