For many craftsmen who decide to try their hand at creating forged figured products, the snail for cold forging becomes an important tool in the work. This machine is rarely found on sale, so it is advisable to assemble it yourself. Structurally, it is a device for creating solid products or individual elements in the shape of a spiral: such objects are often parts of forged gratings, fences, decorative ornaments made of steel and other systems. snail for artistic forging suitable for bending samples with a diameter or side (in the case of a square cross-section) up to 10-12 mm; if necessary, the equipment can be equipped with automation and an electric drive to facilitate the work of a specialist and speed up the production process.

Features of creation

Most varieties created independently and having manual view drive, suitable for processing thin workpieces. Snail cold forging machines can also cope with larger parts, the thickness of which exceeds 12 mm, but its dimensions are too large, which is not always convenient. If the workshop has limited area, it makes sense to improve the device in another way - install an electric drive. The power of the machine increases, due to which it is able to process thicker workpieces, the dimensions of the tool itself do not increase.

If you need to make an automated snail for cold forging with your own hands, then it will be more difficult and you need to focus on the following features:

• The cold forging process proceeds at low speed, since when it is exceeded, the geometry of the workpiece is sharply deformed, and this leads to the formation of cracks on the surface. If the machine will be used to create thin and figured curls, ornate ornaments, there is no need to design it with an electric drive.
• It is important not only to correctly determine the power of the electric motor when assembling the machine with your own hands, but also the gear ratio of the gear teeth in order to ensure uniform and smooth processing without the risk of visible defects.
• When creating a drawing of a snail, it is important to determine the design of the automation and the location of the trigger element, control buttons and other parts so that the operation of the device is as efficient as possible.

Basic elements of the structure

In most cases, the design of a snail for forging includes the following items:

• Main share.
• Drive axle.
• Levers for mechanical application of force.
• Fixing elements for workpieces.
• Levers for monitoring and controlling the pressure rollers, the pressure shafts themselves.
• Finger for attaching plowshare elements.
• Grooves for moving the pressure shafts.
• Spring for attracting the shaft.
• Shaft lever control axis.

For a better understanding of the design, you can look at the drawings, which contain projections of the machine in different sections and should indicate the ratio of the dimensions of the parts to each other.

Creation technique

This procedure is performed in stages, and the algorithm of actions will be as follows:

1. Before making a snail for cold forging, preparation follows, during which a drawing on paper and a template for the future design are created. At the same stage, you should decide what size materials will be processed using a homemade tool: the larger the diameter of the rods that will serve as workpieces, the wider the machine step should be. The dimensions of the latter always exceed the diameter of the workpieces.
2. Working surface: a cold forging machine has a platform, which is made of a sheet of metal, its thickness is 4-5 mm minimum. The area of ​​the surface itself depends on the size of the parts to be processed, since during cold forging the volute must remain in such a position that it is convenient and safe to work with it.
3. To create a form you can take metal sheet from 3 mm in thickness, so that the finished device is easier to work with. It is advisable to fix the edges of the workpiece; for this purpose, the device has pressure rollers. In addition, a cut rod, which is equal in length to the strip of the workpiece, can serve as a fastening element. It is important that the fixation of the material is reliable, since it is physically impossible to hold it manually when the cold forging machine is running.

The main parts of the machine can be assembled within a few hours if you use detailed drawings and instructions. A homemade snail for cold forging can have a monolithic or collapsible system: the choice depends on the preferences of the craftsman and the time he is willing to spend on creation. Prefabricated models are especially relevant if the workshop is equipped for a while; if the room is equipped on a permanent basis, it makes sense to design monolithic device. The snail itself can be made from the following materials:

• Thick metal rod. It is bent in the desired position with the required number of turns and attached to the work table by welding.
• A metal sheet from which segments are cut and bolted to the surface.

If necessary, work with various workpieces and create parts that differ in shape and number of curls, you can assemble work surface, on which there will be several devices that allow you to release items of the desired type.

How expensive is the process?

The work of constructing a snail with your own hands is relatively inexpensive, and the costs consist of the following:

• Materials for preparing the spiral, work table, as well as fastenings with which the structure will be assembled.
• The complexity of structures that can be created using a machine.
• The cost of materials that are used to form shaped metal products.
• Funds for finishing(primer, paint, varnish, etc.), the choice of which depends on the type of product, purpose and design features.

Self-assembly of a snail machine for cold forging takes a little time, but allows you to significantly save on purchasing a ready-made version, which costs at least 20 thousand rubles. In addition, ready-made devices of this type can rarely be found in a factory version: they are not only difficult to obtain, but also more difficult to repair if equipment breaks down.

Construction drawings

Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare drawings of the snail model machine, according to which work will be carried out to create the machine: they can be found in finished form or draw a design for a future tool yourself, taking into account individual wishes and range of applications. Usually the template is made on graph paper, each new turn of the spiral has larger size. If the drawing indicates step parameters, it must be drawn up taking into account this proportion.

The cold forging machine, which can be used to produce various decorative and interior decoration items forged from metal, is an essential tool for the metal craftsman, and the creation is a multi-step but uncomplicated process. If you have instructions, drawings and time, you can complete the work alone, using rolled metal (channels, sheets, rods, etc.) and tools like a grinder, drill and lathe.

One way to decorate areas is to use forged items. Fences, benches, gazebos, stair railings and other similar structures look very decorative. Moreover, in most cases, these products are not forging in its traditional sense. Most often, this is done not in a forge or with a hammer and an anvil, but with the help of some devices that allow you to create a wide variety of patterns and products from metal strips and square rods. To make such products, you will need cold forging machines. Some of them you can make with your own hands, others are easier to buy.

Fences, railings for stairs and balconies can also be made with your own hands. Railings for a porch are a decoration, and not a purely utilitarian device.

What kind of devices are used?

Cold forging is characterized by various curls, bends, twisted rods, etc. Almost every type is made on a separate device - a specific machine. Their drive may be manual, or perhaps electric. For small volumes “for yourself”, manual cold forging machines are used. Although they are not particularly productive, they are much easier to manufacture. If it is necessary to put production on stream, similar devices are made, but with electric motors. In this case, there is almost no need to physically work, but the complexity of making the device increases significantly. In our material we will talk about manual machines for cold forging.

What devices are used:

For a beginning craftsman, the most relevant machine for cold forging is a snail. Only with its help you can make many interesting things - from a fence and gate to a bench and other similar products. In second place in terms of necessity is a torsion bar machine. It adds variety to the details. All the rest can be purchased or made as you improve and gain skill.

Homemade “Snails”

Essentially this is a modernized one), but these improvements make it easy to make curls from fairly thick rods (up to 10-12 mm cross-section) and repeat them with a high degree of accuracy.

These cold forging machines have several designs, but the easiest to implement is the one with a round table, which has a central leg. A lever with rollers on bearings at the end is movably attached to the leg. They make the bending process easier.

The table surface can be made of steel sheet with a thickness of 10 mm or more. For the leg, you can use any thick-walled round pipe. It is important to make the structure stable, since lateral forces will be applied, so side posts, spacers, and a stable base are needed.

Drawing of a cold forging machine “Snail”

It is easier to make a lever from a square pipe with a thick wall - at least 2-3 mm. The cross-section of the pipe is 25*40 mm or so. Attaching the lever to the leg can be done on a bearing, or you can simply take a small piece of thick-walled pipe of a larger diameter, put it on the leg, and weld a stop strip on the bottom so that the lever does not fall down. The option with a bearing gives easier movement, but if there is lubrication, the second option also works.

The shape of the lever is also important. Double lever upper part- working, lower - supporting. Wherever there are connections, it is advisable to add reinforcement, since the efforts are significant.

A mandrel or jig is fixed on the table - the shape along which the curls are bent. They make them different diameters- so that you can make curls of different diameters. Such mandrels can be prefabricated to form a larger number of bends. Each such sample must have rods that are installed in holes in the table. This is how this template is fixed. Also, its shape must be designed in such a way that the end of the rod is well fixed in it.

Often mandrels are machined from a metal circle of a suitable diameter using a grinder, but there are options made of metal with steel plates welded onto it and bent accordingly.

How to make a similar machine for cold forging - in next video. There is also a good description of how to bring the ends of the workpiece to a decent condition - ordinary raw edges look very rough. There is special equipment for processing them, but, as it turns out, you can do it without it.

Torsion bar machine

As already mentioned, these cold forging machines allow you to make longitudinal bends on the rod. This is a relatively simple design. The main task is to fix one end of the rod motionless, attach a lever to the second, with which you can twist the workpiece.

A piece of profiled pipe with a thick wall (at least 3 mm) is suitable as a base. The retainer can be welded from the same rods, leaving a square gap of the required diameter. You can use a properly sized cable clamp (available at a rigging store). Any of these stops is welded to the base.

Cable holder - excellent rod clamp

Next, you need to somehow ensure grip and torsion of the second part of the workpiece. This can be done using two bearing units. A pipe of a suitable diameter is inserted inside, and a handle is welded to it on one side - the design resembles the letter “T”. On the other hand, a clamp is made in the pipe: four holes are drilled, nuts for 12 or 14 bolts are welded into them. The result is a good clamp - the bolts are tightened after the rod has been inserted.

An even simpler machine for making torsion bars using cold forging is in the next video.

Video about homemade devices and machines for cold forging

One can only envy a person who is partial to forged products. He has everything you need to realize the most daring design projects. Devices for making cold forging elements can be purchased ready-made or made with your own hands, but in one case or another, you can be sure that working with them will be convenient and easy. In this case, great physical strength is not required; all that is needed is to press the necessary buttons and turn special levers in a timely manner.

The only thing to remember is that cold forging requires strict rules and consistency. In other words, cold forging is a step-by-step technological process in which metal blanks are deformed, depending on the desired project. To have a better understanding of this work, you need to understand what types of forging there are, what the popular ones are called forged elements and what it looks like to make forged products with your own hands.

In the manufacture of metal products, 7 types of cold forging can be distinguished. These are a kind of stages of creating elements that need to be performed when working with blanks.

All work must be carried out in accordance with the requirements and rules, otherwise you should not hope to receive a beautiful forged product.

The most important stage is forging metal blanks. This is the largest, most responsible, complex and serious process, so you need to treat it very carefully. Cold forging can be of several types:

• Upsetting - it is performed under high pressure. This is necessary in order to increase the workpiece on the sides by reducing its height.
• Broaching - this stage is performed by heating a metal part and then hammering it. This is necessary in order to reduce the cross-sectional area by increasing the length of the metal rod.
• Firmware - this stage involves making holes inside the workpiece. When doing this work, you can get holes of different diameters and lengths. It can be open or closed.

Upsetting and broaching makes the structure of the metal workpiece more fragile, therefore further work must be carried out very carefully to prevent damage to one or another part of the structure.

Cold forging devices

The production of forged products using the cold method involves the use of several devices or machines. As mentioned above, you can purchase them or make them yourself, but first, let's figure out what parts can be obtained using various machines.

For products made by hand, you will have to make special templates that allow you to create elements various shapes and magnitude.

You can see how to work with the snail mechanism in the following video:

• Universal mechanism - it allows you to perform several functions, cutting, riveting and forming metal products. By the way, such a device can easily be assembled with your own hands, which will significantly save your budget.
• Gnutik - this mechanism allows you to create arc deformation of a metal part. But here you need to carry out accurate calculations and measurements so as not to make a mistake with the bending radius.
• Twister - the mechanism of this plan allows you to bend the workpiece along the longitudinal axis of the finished product. The principle of operation of such a mechanism is to bend the product by clamping it on one side and the other. In this case, the rotating handle will allow you to twist the part.
• Wave - a mechanism of this type makes it possible to obtain wave-like parts from metal blanks. It is customary to produce “Boyarskie” or “Volna” gratings on such a machine.
• Stamp press - the name speaks for itself. This mechanism makes it possible to apply metal parts stamps with various carved elements. Each master should have several such stamps in his arsenal, then the finished products will be more diverse. The principle of its operation is very simple, under the influence of pressure on metal elements Clear prints from the templates remain.
• Mechanical unit - this mechanism allows you to bend metal rods into a circle. However, the diameter of such products may vary. Therefore, such a device is indispensable in the arsenal of masters.

Do-it-yourself cold forging, step-by-step instructions and expert advice

Oddly enough, but forged products can be made even at home. Of course, they will not be as elaborate as hot-made elements, but they have no equal as a decorative design. All you need is a few tools described above, materials and most importantly, desire. The rest is compliance with technology.

The manufacturing process consists of several stages:

When starting work, check your calculations again; even a small error can spoil the appearance of the finished product, not to mention the fact that it may not fit the intended composition. Correcting and adjusting finished parts is always more difficult; it is much easier to check everything several times.

After making all the parts, you can begin to assemble the intended composition. It is better to use welding for fastening, but you should not overdo it, so as not to damage smaller elements.

The final stage will be the processing of the finished product, which involves sanding and painting the finished composition.

If you have taken up the production of cold forged elements, then you have probably studied the price market and assessed your financial capabilities. If not, then first pay attention to the cost of materials, necessary equipment and methods of processing the finished product. But in any case, a handmade product is worth all the costs. And you can reduce them using equipment if you make it yourself.

Forged products in architecture and interior design have been highly popular for a long time. Grilles for windows and fireplaces, fences or staircase balusters forged from metal always look elegant and attractive. Today, despite modern technologies in metal processing, hand-forged metal products are more popular than ever. Of course, forging metal with your own hands is not an easy task, and without proper preparation it is difficult to make a beautiful forged product. But for those who want to master this ancient craft and are ready for hard physical work, you will have to familiarize yourself with the types and technology of forging metal, understand the metals for forging, understand the forging process and be able to handle the blacksmith’s tool.

Metal forging

Metal forging is the process of processing a metal workpiece to give it a specific shape and size. There are actually two types of forging - cold and hot. When performing hand forging of metal, it is necessary to understand both types of forging, since each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

During the hot forging process, the workpiece is heated to a certain temperature, at which the metal loses its strength and becomes ductile. High ductility is the main advantage of hot forging. It allows you to easily give a metal workpiece a certain shape and size. Hot forging also allows you to use most of the forging technologies itself, which has a beneficial effect on the variety of work options.

But heating metal also has its drawbacks. First of all, this is the need to equip a special forge and the cost of fuel for it. This can be a real problem for those who want to do hot forging of metal with their own hands in an urban environment. In addition, working with fire is quite a dangerous activity and requires increased fire safety. Another factor that can significantly influence the choice of forging type is specific knowledge of temperature conditions for forging metal.

Unlike hot forging, cold forging of metal does not require a furnace to heat the metal. The whole point of cold forging is to shape a metal workpiece by bending it, pressing it and welding it. Cold forging is somewhat simpler to perform, and it does not require much space to set up a workshop. The entire process of creating the finished product does not require the use of high temperatures, which has a very positive effect on overall safety.

But cold forging has one significant drawback. All work has to be done with certain semi-finished products without the opportunity to correct your mistake. Of course, this does not apply to all cold forging work, but in most cases, a damaged workpiece is only suitable for scrap metal or a teaching aid.

In any case, regardless of the type of forging, you will have to become quite familiar with a number of important points. Firstly, this concerns metals and temperature conditions for their melting and forging. Secondly, you need to know and understand metal forging technologies. Below we will look at what technological techniques are used for forging and how they are used in work.

Metal for forging

Hand forging metal is a rather labor-intensive and complex task that requires the use of certain metals, or rather, metals with certain characteristics. For manual cold or hot forging, the most important characteristic is the plasticity of the metal, because the simplicity and convenience of changing the shape of the workpiece depends on it. But it is worth noting that the ductility and strength of a metal are interrelated. When one of these characteristics increases, the second decreases. Therefore, it is so important to understand the characteristics of the metal and know about the composition of the workpiece.

Important! There are other equally important characteristics of metals. But since we are considering forging decorative products such as fireplace grates, balusters, fences, etc., there is no need to focus on wear resistance, red resistance, etc., as well as on alloying elements.

The following metals are used for decorative forging: copper, brass, duralumin, steel, as well as other copper, magnesium, aluminum and nickel alloys. Essentially, hand forging uses a soft, malleable metal that can be easily bent or shaped into a specific shape. In order to select the lightest malleable metal, you need to look into the Steel and Alloys Brand. In it you can find detailed description all metals and alloys with their characteristics and composition.

Despite the fact that the most malleable metal is copper and its alloys, craftsmen prefer to use ferrous metals for cold and hot forging. This position is due high cost non-ferrous metals. After all, the price of forging metal largely depends on the cost of the original workpiece, and not everyone can afford to purchase a fence or balusters made of copper. When choosing a soft ferrous metal for forging, you need to focus on steel with a minimum carbon content, about 0.25%. And also with a minimum amount of harmful impurities, such as chromium, molybdenum, sulfur and phosphorus. In addition, structural and tool steels with high content carbon from 0.2% to 1.35%. Such steels are the least ductile and difficult to weld.

When choosing a particular metal, you must use a Steel and Alloy Marker. But if you don’t have access to it, you can use the tables below to determine the carbon content in steel. The determination process itself is quite simple, just bring the workpiece to a working sharpener and look at the sheaf of sparks, and then compare it with the indicators in the table.

Today, thanks to industrial metal production, there is no need to create blanks for forging yourself. Modern forges use ready-made factory products for cold forging. The most commonly used workpiece sizes are the following: 30x45 mm, 40x45 mm, 10x10 mm, 12x12 mm, rods with a section of 10 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, 25 mm, 30 mm, 50 mm, sheet metal with a thickness of 3.5 to 6 mm, round pipes 1/2", 3/4", 1", profile pipes from 20x20 mm to 30x30 mm.

Metal forging tool

Carrying out any metal forging work is impossible without special tool. Blacksmith equipment for hot forging is quite diverse and includes an anvil, forge, various hammers, tongs, etc. The cold forging tool is somewhat simpler and consists of several special machines. Of course, modern tools such as welding machine, grinder and grinder are used in both cold and hot forging. Knowing the purpose of a particular tool, you can perform any work correctly.

Hot Forging Tool

• Horn. There is no way to do without it in hot forging. After all, it is in it that the workpiece can be heated to a temperature of 1400 °C. For the most part, the forge is a furnace designed for high temperatures and with blowing.
• Anvil. This tool is the support on which forging is performed. The anvil itself has several types, among which the most popular is the two-horned anvil weighing 200 kg. But the weight can vary from 150 to 350 kg.

• Shperak. When performing various artistic and decorative forgings, it is shperaks that are used. They have many various types, and every master can make them for himself. A common feature any shperak is that they are inserted into a square hole in an anvil or secured into a wooden log. The photo below shows the most common shperaks.

• Sledgehammer And Handbrake. This is the main tool of a blacksmith. The sledgehammer weighs from 4 to 8 kg and is used to deliver strong blows. Depending on the type of work and the thickness of the workpiece, the weight of the sledgehammer is selected. The handbrake weighs from 0.5 to 2 kg. Used to give the final shape to the product.
• Ticks. Mining pliers are the second most important tool. Without them, it is impossible to hold a hot workpiece for processing. There are several types of forge tongs for a specific profile and size of the workpiece. The photo below shows forge tongs of various shapes.

• Shaped hammers. When performing artistic forging, it is necessary to create curved blanks or blanks of a certain shape. For this purpose, shaped hammers are used. They can be either lower, on which processing is carried out, or upper. There are many options for shaped hammers and each master has his own. The photo below shows the main auxiliary tool.

In addition to those described above, various measuring tool, such as usual roulette,double calipers, blacksmith's square, templates And calibers. The choice of blacksmith tools is huge, it seems difficult to list them all, so each master has his own set of only necessary and frequently used tools.

Cold forging tool

• Gnutik(photo below). This is a basic cold forging tool. As the name suggests, it allows you to bend a metal workpiece at a certain angle. In addition, the bend allows you to create arc elements of a certain radius.

• Snail. The name speaks for itself. Using a snail you can create various spiral shapes decorative elements. The spiral is made according to a specific pattern, which, if necessary, can be changed to another one with a smaller or larger radius.

• Flashlight. This machine is designed to create a decorative element of the same name.

• Wave. Allows you to create wavy elements. When pulling a rod through this machine, the output is a beautiful sinusoidal workpiece.

• Twister. According to the principle of operation, this machine is similar to the Flashlight, but unlike it, the twister only twists the workpiece along the axis.

• Ring machine. As with all previous machines, the name speaks for itself.

In addition to those described above, there are also universal machines for riveting, cutting, crimping and adding volume. All of the machines described above can be made either independently or purchased in a store. Of course, homemade devices for cold forging will be somewhat inferior in quality to factory ones, but this is compensated by the uniqueness of the elements created with their help. For the manufacture of cold forging machines, drawings can be found both in the public domain and purchased from specialists.

Important! Cold forging machines can be manual or equipped with electric motors. Despite the presence of transmission gears, manual cold forging is quite labor-intensive and time-consuming, and to obtain large volumes of forged elements, it is better to equip the machine with an electric motor.

Separately, it is worth noting industrial machines for cold forging. Prices for similar cold forging machines are about 6,000 USD, but one such machine can perform almost all technological operations of cold forging. An example is the Master 2 machine from MAN. In the video demonstrating cold forging you can see the capabilities of this machine.

DIY metal forging

During the forging process, various forging techniques and methods are used to give the workpiece a specific shape. To perform each of them, a certain technology and tool for forging metal are used. The technology of forging metal using hot and cold methods is significantly different. As already noted, hot forging requires heating the workpiece to change its shape, while cold forging only bends the workpiece. Based on this, the main technological techniques are highlighted, knowing which you can safely take on forging metal with your own hands.

DIY cold forging of metal

Doing cold forging with your own hands is quite easy and special effort not required. All work is divided into several stages: creating a sketch or drawing of the future product, purchasing materials and the process of metal forging itself.

The drawing can be created in a special computer program, purchased ready-made, or drawn by hand. You can find drawings for cold forging for free. To do this, just contact the craftsmen who have been forging for several years and ask for one or two drawings for training. Essentially, the drawing serves several purposes. Firstly, to know which elements will need to be produced by cold forging. Secondly, having such a project in hand, you can calculate the number and type of metal blanks, such as rods, profile pipes and so on. Thirdly, a drawing will be required to assemble all the elements into a single whole.

Separately, it is necessary to consider the cold forging elements that make up the project. Today you can find quite a lot of different forged elements, but they can all be combined into several classic groups.

• Paws. This element is the end of a metal rod rolled out in some form. This group includes the so-called Peaks. Despite the pointed end, the Peaks are made using similar technology.

• Curls. This group includes several common elements: volute, red and snail. Volute or Baranka It is a rod whose ends are bent in one direction. Chervonka- a rod whose ends are bent in different directions. This element is sometimes called the "dollar" because of its similarity to the American currency sign. Comma or Snail- a simple curl, one end of which is curved and the other straight.

• Rings. This element is created quite simply: a round or round rod is screwed onto the blank of the machine. square section, the result is a spring, which is then cut into individual rings.

• Torsion. This element is quite easy to recognize by its screw twist along the axis. There are quite a few options for torsion bars, and one of the most common is an element such as a Flashlight, as well as a simple helical rod for a lattice or fence.

The entire process of manufacturing cold forging elements is based on the following generally accepted forging technologies - bending, twisting, drawing.

Hood is a technology that involves increasing the length of a workpiece by reducing its cross-section. In cold forging, one of the drawing options is used - rolling. It is with its help that various paws and peaks are created. To create the paws, a special rolling machine is used. The end of the workpiece is brought in and then the rolling mechanism is started, as a result the end is flattened with or without relief. A pressing machine is used to make peaks. The procedure is the same, but the end result is rolled out and pressed into a certain shape.

Bending. This forging technology involves bending the ends or another part of the workpiece at a certain angle. The bending itself is performed on almost all cold forging machines. The bending process can be observed during the manufacture of the workpiece on the Snail machine. First, the end of the workpiece is placed inside a special template and then bent at a certain angle. These works are performed on the Ulitka machine.

Twisting. This forging technology involves twisting the workpiece along its axis. In cold forging, this process can be observed when using a Twister machine, on which various torsion bars are created. To do this, one end of the workpiece is placed in a vice, and the other end is rotated along the axis. The Flashlight element is worth highlighting separately. For it, two or more rods are used, which are first twisted along the axis, and then compressed along the axis, as a result of which the rods diverge to the sides in a certain place.

Assembling all elements into a single structure performed by welding on a special assembly table. Today, a welding machine is publicly available and is a must-have tool for modern blacksmiths. Homemade cold forging is quite common among novice craftsmen and private entrepreneurs. It does not require special knowledge, skills or large premises for work.

DIY cold forging: video tutorial

Do-it-yourself hot metal forging

Compared to cold forging, manual hot forging is much more difficult and requires the master to have experience in handling the tool and good physical fitness. The work is carried out in several stages: creating a sketch or drawing, purchasing materials and forging.

Essentially, the difference between hot and cold forging lies in the technological processes used to process the metal. Firstly, this concerns the processing method. Secondly, almost any metal blank can be used for hot forging. But for convenience, it is customary to use ready-made rods of square and round cross-section. Thirdly, in artistic hot forging there are no frames for the elements of the finished product. Of course, you can stick to creating classic forging elements - curls, paws, peaks and others, but hot forging allows you to use the full potential of the master’s imagination, which opens up unlimited possibilities. All hot forged metal products are created using the following metal processing technologies: upsetting, drawing, bending, twisting, cutting, pattern incision and relief printing.

Draft used in metal forging to increase the cross-section of the entire workpiece or part of it. When forging, depending on the need, complete or local heating of the workpiece is carried out for upsetting.

Hood consists of increasing the length of the workpiece by reducing its cross-section. This can be done either by striking with a sledgehammer or handbrake, or by rolling out metal between the shafts on a machine. Unlike cold forging, creating peaks using drawing requires precise and careful blows.

Bending. This operation is performed to give the workpiece a curved shape. It should be taken into account that bending thick workpieces can lead to their distortion and it is necessary to perform upsetting to give the original shape. For bending workpieces, various shperaks, anvil horns, shaped hammers and jigs are used.

Twisting. This technology forging involves twisting the workpiece along its axis. As in cold forging, the workpiece is clamped in a vice and rotated. But unlike cold forging, the workpiece can be heated locally, which makes it possible to easily do local twisting.

Forging technologies such as cutting, pattern cutting And relief padding used in artistic forging using chisels. The edges of hot blanks, depending on the project, are cut and twisted using pliers. Also, while the workpiece is hot, a different pattern is printed on its surface.

When hot forging metal, it is important to know temperature conditions heating This will help process the metal more efficiently. Forging of ferrous metal is performed at 800 - 1250 °C. Of course, it will be impossible to measure a hot workpiece with a thermometer, and to determine the temperature you will have to rely on its color. The table below shows the temperature and color of ferrous metal workpiece.

Hot metal forging: video tutorial

Forging metal with your own hands is quite an exciting business that requires constant improvement. This applies primarily to the creation of various artistic and decorative elements. Those who have just started forging will have to work hard to ensure that their work has an ideal shape and high quality.

Let's look at the types of devices and the figures that can be obtained with their help. We have prepared drawings and thematic videos for you. We will also consider the sequence of making a cold forging machine with your own hands.

If you are just going to organize a cold forging workshop and want to avoid large expenses, then making your own machines and fixtures will help you create your own small business without excessive costs.

Basic devices and machines

Cold forging machines are mainly designed for arc or angle bending, as well as twisting. They can be manual or electrically driven.

The main types of machines and devices for cold forging:

• "Gnutik"
• "Twister"
• "Snail"
• "Globe"
• "Wave"
• "Flashlight"

Device "Gnutik"

Purchased or self-made “Gnutik” - universal device, allowing you to get an arc or angle from a rod. It consists of a base with a slider, on which a stop with an angle (90° or another as necessary) and two cylindrical fixed stops are fixed. By moving the slider and the angle stop, the rod bends at an angle. To obtain an arc, a third cylinder is provided, rotating on the side opposite to the angle stop.

The device can be made on a horizontal or vertical platform.

Axonometry of the device "Gnutik" - vertical arrangement

To scale the dimensions, here is a drawing of the bottom bar of this “Gnutik”.

Bottom bar

This device is universal. With the help of attachments you can not only bend, but also cut and punch holes. But this will be the next step.

Getting an arc on "Gnutik"

Getting an angle on "Gnutik"

This is what a homemade “Gnutik” looks like:

Twister device

“Twister” is a tool for twisting rods, mostly square, along the longitudinal axis. This simple device can be manual or electric. Operating principle: both ends of the rod are secured, then one fastening begins to rotate, twisting the metal to the required shape.

Appearance of a purchased manual “Twister”

Look at the photo of a homemade “Twister” with an electric drive, assembled using used electrical equipment:

There is a special machine for making “Lanterns” and “Cones”, but for starters you can also use a “Twister”, as shown in the video (English, but everything is very clear).

Video 1. How to make a blank for “Flashlight” on “Twister”

Device "Snail"

The Snail Tool is designed to create curls (or spirals) and “currencies” (S-shaped pieces). There are various designs.

One of the design options: 1 - snail ploughshare; 2 - base of the machine; 3 - pressure roller; 4 - lever for controlling the pressure roller; 5 - fastening the base; 6 - finger for fixing the plowshares; 7 - groove for the pressure roller; 8 - control lever axis; 9 - spring for pressing the roller; 10 - clamp for the workpiece; 11 - driving ploughshare of the snail; 12 - main axis; 13 - levers

The result should be something like this:

Another lightweight design for bending rolled products with a cross-section up to 12 mm:

1 - cochlear segment; 2 - eccentric; 3 - handle; 4 - base; 5 - guide runners; 6 - axis; 7 - slider; 8 - axle nut; 9 - roller fastening axis; 10 - roller; 11 - drive axis; 12 - eccentric guide; 13 - central segment of the cochlea; 14 - eccentric wing; 15 - main leg; 16 - connecting pin of cochlea segments; 17 - adjustment screw; 18 - connecting ear of cochlear segments

Often the “Snail” device is made on a support, especially if you need to bend thick rolled products.

Several useful videos on homemade “Snail” machines.

Option with a massive base on a support:

Video 2. Making the base

Video 3. Making a snail

Video 4. Machine operation

Tabletop option:

Video 5. Part 1

Video 5. Part 2

We will talk more about such designs below.

"Globe" device

Such a device is similar in appearance to a school protractor and is designed for making arcs with a large bending radius from a strip, square, circle or hexagon. First, one end of the workpiece is fixed with a bend, then it is bent along its entire length according to the template. The principle of operation is somewhat similar to the operation of a canning machine.

Appearance of the device

Video 6. Working at Globus

Using exclusively muscular strength, arc large diameter can be made on a template screwed or welded to a workbench. It is good for bending strips, thin-walled pipes, etc.

Device "Wave"

You can produce wavy products from a round, square, hexagonal cross-section or tube using the “Wave” device. The deformation of the workpiece occurs between vertical rolls by scrolling.

Wave device and resulting products

Video 7. Device in action

Flashlight device

This machine produces blanks for “Lanterns” or “Pine Cones” elements, which can consist of 4, 6, 8 or more rods. According to the principle of operation, the machine is similar to the “Twister”, but here the workpieces are bent around the guide shaft, which forms a more correct and accurate configuration of the product.

Flashlight device

Video 8. Operation of the device for making “Flashlight”

Device for cold forging of the “Clamp” element

The cold forging element “Clamp” is designed to fix other structural elements together.

The device for bending the “Clamp” can be made according to the attached drawings.

Devices for making crow's feet

“Crow’s foot” - flattening with the application of beautiful notches at the ends of the workpieces to make the structure more elegant or to reduce the thickness for various joints.

The ends of the elements are decorated with “houndstooth”

This operation can be performed using a machine with a die or fixture and a heavy forging hammer on an anvil. We provide both options in the form of videos.

Video 9. Machine for making crow's feet

Video 10. Devices for forging crow's feet

Video 11. Detailed Process stamp making

Below is a rolling machine to perform the same operation.

Machine for rolling "crow's feet" (the distance between the rollers is adjustable). Materials for a rolling machine: gears and shafts - spare parts from a used combine

Operating principle

Making a "Snail" with a drive

The electrically driven "snail" facilitates the production of curls and "currencies". This is especially valuable when the work is not “for the soul”, but for the production of a large number of similar products on stream when working to order.

Below are the stages of assembling a machine for bending a rod with a maximum cross-section of 10x10 mm. The 0.5 kW/1000 rpm engine operates at the limit of its capabilities. Performs 6 shaft revolutions per minute. The snail segments are machined from a round blank St.45 without heat treatment, 25 mm high and 20 mm thick. The snail is mounted on a shaft on bearings from the rear wheel of a motorcycle - 7204. The support roller is firmly fixed in the groove. Pulleys are installed between the engine and the gearbox.

Below are drawings of the cochlea segments.

Snail element 1

Snail element 2

Snail element 3

Snail centerpiece

For a more massive rod (from 12 mm), the motor power should be more than a kilowatt. The photographs below show a machine with a 2.2 kW, 1000 rpm motor, giving a shaft output of about 10 rpm. This is already a machine for professional use. A used gearbox was used, the matrix was cut from a 30 mm thick blank - the most labor-intensive process.

For cold forging you will also need an anvil and a hammer. A forge is not needed, it is only required for hot forging.

Advice! Before starting work, draw a life-size sketch of the future structure. This will help you adjust the elements and not get confused during assembly.

People have long noticed that metal heated in a forge can be given almost any shape. Forged products look great in any interior. They can be a decorative element of both wooden and stone cottages.

Among the owners of private houses there is hardly a person who would not like to have a wrought iron fence, railing or staircase. But, despite many advantages, products obtained using hot forging, a process in which metal becomes plastic under the influence of high temperature, are not available to everyone due to the high price. There is an alternative - cold forging of metal. Its main advantage is not only low price, but also the availability of technology for independent repetition.

Cold forging of metal is a process in which the metal is not heated, and the product is shaped by bending, pressing, and welding from several pieces.

Some experts believe that the name “cold forging” is not entirely correct. In their opinion, only the process of plastic deformation of hot metal can be called forging. But the name of this metalworking method stuck. Moreover, users believe that in some cases, cold forging of metal can be a worthy replacement for hot forging. We will tell you whether this is actually true in today’s material.

Features of cold forging

There is a common opinion that products obtained by bending come out monotonous, more like factory stamping put into production. However, practice shows that with the proper approach, using cold forging you can create real original works.

Most often, metal is made using cold forging:

• bars on windows;
• elements of canopies, railings and awnings for the entrance area;
• decorative elements for fences and gates;
• curly legs for tables and chairs;
• decorative elements: flower stands, fireplace grates, picture frames, mirrors, etc.

For artistic hot forging of metal, products are produced using the cold deformation method on special equipment, which are then welded into one whole: elements of a fence, fence or gate. Moreover, an uninitiated person will not immediately understand by what forging method this product was made.

Goblin 2 FORUMHOUSE user

In my opinion, forged elements made by cold deformation (bending) look no worse than the same elements made by hand - hot forging. And they are cheaper.

Kholmoff FORUMHOUSE user

Cold forging of metal allows, using a fairly simple set of equipment, to create standard elements - torsion bars, rolled peaks, volutes, spatial bending elements. And then, combining this set (from about 10-15 types of standard elements) to create complex patterned products. Any person who owns a metalworking tool can master the bending process if they have the desire.

Regular geometric shapes, combined with curls and waves, can look very beautiful in metal, because... Any most complex pattern consists of many simple elements.

A significant advantage of cold forging of metal over hot forging is high performance. It doesn't require much space to work. There is no need to set up and light a forge, forge, or hammer on an anvil. By changing only the equipment, you can quickly create a variety of elements, but to connect the nodes you will need to master welding well.

Kholmoff FORUMHOUSE user

I once did cold forging and learned how to weld semi-automatically in two days.

To receive good result, the process of cold forging of metal should be divided into a number of successive stages:

• Idea and problem statement.
• Schematic sketch of an idea by hand on paper.
• Accurate drawing of the product, either by hand or in a graphics program.
• Breakdown of the entire product into individual simple elements.
• Drawing, or printing on a printer, the components of the product in full size.

Some printers support poster printing, i.e. they print parts of a large image on A4 sheets, then all that remains is to glue them together.

• Calculation of the amount of material required.
• Manufacturing of individual elements.
• Grinding and assembly (welding) of individual elements into a single structure.

Despite its apparent simplicity, cold forging of metal requires a thoughtful approach and competent calculation of all the details of the future product. FORUMHOUSE experts advise - to visualize the idea, pre-make individual knots from wire life size. This will help you understand how different elements will be combined with each other and correct mistakes in time, or find a more successful combination of patterns and individual elements.

The main elements obtained during cold forging of metal include:

• Paws and peaks. These elements are rolled out from a metal rod.

• Curls. Includes: volute, chervonka and snail. The volute, or, as it is also called, the steering wheel, has the ends bent in one direction. The chervonka looks like a $ sign. The snail resembles a comma.

• Rings are made from a rod, round or square, wound on a special mandrel. The result is a kind of metal spring, which is then cut into rings.

• Torsion. One of the most common elements. It is obtained by twisting one or more rods.

All of the above elements can be made by combining just three technological processes.

1. Hood. Thanks to this process, by reducing the cross-section of the workpiece, it increases in length. In this way, legs and peaks are usually obtained, for which the metal is placed in a special rolling or crimping machine. By passing the workpiece through the rollers and gradually reducing the distance between them, the material is rolled out. Also, relief notches can be applied to the rollers, which give the surface of the workpiece a certain texture.

2. Torsion. The metal (strips or rods) twists along its axis. You can twist one, two, three, or more blanks. To do this, one end of the workpiece (or workpieces) is placed in a vice, and the other begins to be rotated along the axis. If you twist several rods and then compress them by applying force along the axis, they will diverge in an arc. You will get a thickening of woven rods called “Flashlight” or “Basket”.

3. Bending. Metal is bent to special machine using templates.

To bend metal in different planes, you need the simplest equipment and simple machine tools. There are many cold forging machines available in the market. But due to the high price, their purchase is justified only if further profit is planned. A novice master doing cold forging “for himself” can easily get by with bending metal.

At first, you can get by with simple jigs and mandrels inserted into a regular bench vice. You can make a torsion bar by holding the end of the workpiece in a vice, then put a pipe on it, and, using a wrench, twist the workpiece along its axis.

Alexei62 FORUMHOUSE user

All cold forging tools (except welding machine) can be made from available materials.

The following tools are most often used for cold forging of metal:

• Gnutik. With its help, the workpiece is bent at a certain angle.

• Snail. With its help, the workpiece is bent in a spiral. By changing templates you can change the bending radius.

• Flashlight. It is reminiscent of a lathe tool. Using this tool, metal blanks are intertwined with each other to obtain the element of the same name.

• Wave. The principle of operation of this tool is clear from the name. With its help, the metal is given a wavy surface. The distance between the “crests” of the waves and their height can be adjusted depending on the machine settings.

• Twister. Twists a strip or rod along the longitudinal axis.

The operating principle of all the above machines is very simple. It is based on applying a certain force to the workpiece through levers, leading to deformation of the metal. Metal bending on machines occurs manually. To make work easier, some machines are equipped with electric motors, which increases their price. Many home craftsmen prefer to make cold forging machines themselves. Also, with the arrival of experience and an increase in the complexity of products, it is necessary to retrofit machines with a variety of equipment - templates, jigs, stops, limiters.

There is a lot of scope for creativity here. Each master makes adaptations for his tasks. It is important to observe the principle of reasonable sufficiency. The most beautiful products can be made using a minimum of equipment.

Secrets of cold forging

One of the main questions for novice craftsmen is: “What metal is suitable for cold forging.” According to members of the forum, you should take the time to visit the local metal warehouses and get acquainted with the list that they offer. For cold forging, the most common “ferrous” metal is used. The running size for strips is width 14 and 16 mm, thickness 2-4 mm. The rod is a square with a side of up to 10 mm. This material is easier to bend. Thicker material, a strip of 20x4 mm, etc., will have to be cut first.

Blacksmithing is hard physical work that requires special equipment combined with specialized knowledge and experience of the master. However, to make some artistic elements, you simply need to bend the blanks at the desired angle. Metal deformation can be performed without heating mechanically, cold forging machines are used for this. What features do such units have will be discussed in this article.

Selection of tools and materials for forging. Tips for beginning metal artists. Description of the forging process, features and warnings.

The main working force required to deform the material will be taken by the support, so the base of the future machine must be strong. An I-beam or a pair of channels welded together are suitable for this purpose. Stability of the base will be added by paws made of a similar profile, welded to the overall structure. Next, you can start making other components - the tailstock and spindle.

In each of the components of a homemade cold forging machine with your own hands, the cartridges intended for placing workpieces in them must have strong screw clamps (for the purpose reliable fixation). Due to the reduction in the length of the workpiece when twisting, the tailstock is always sliding. It is possible to construct a headstock from a vice, securing them to the base with bolts of a standard size of at least M16. On the same axis with the clamping unit, a bushing is installed for the moving part of the machine, in which holes for the clamping bolts are pre-drilled.

The moving part of the spindle is rotated by a handle consisting of 4 levers, which are of sufficient length to absorb the force applied for rotation. You can add rubber grommets to protect your hands from slipping.

The main difference in assembling a universal homemade cold forging machine is the design of the moving part. It should provide for screw feed when making lanterns and baskets and be fixed during normal twisting of the metal. Therefore, the moving part is equipped with a set of two spindles - smooth and screw. In this design, the sliding headstock requires a locking screw for fixation.

Useful advice! If it is necessary to make a workpiece that is not twisted along its entire length, but only in certain areas, limiters are added to the design of the machine. They are made like a tailstock - with screw clamps and the ability to slide.

Working on a torsion bar machine is physically tiring; quality products difficult in large quantities. Therefore, introducing an electric drive into the design would be an appropriate solution.

How to make a cold forging machine

The bending machine is monumental, massive, simple in design and assembly, but difficult to find and fit parts. Its purpose is to bend under different angles workpieces, so the force on all components will be equally large, which means that the requirements for assembly parts are high.

A thick steel frame is selected for the base of the machine. It is worth considering that the machine will be mounted on a table. Usually they make fasteners bolted connection, for example, like a vice. There is a guide in the center of the frame that will be movable. It is driven by an eccentric mechanism, which, in turn, is fixed to the base frame. Additionally, three stops are installed, creating a kind of “fork” - these are the working elements of the structure. Depending on the bend profile, they are changed: round rollers - for making waves, “hammer” - for forming corners.

Working elements are made only from structural steel. Their strength is the reliability of all equipment. Processing and fitting of such products require exclusively professional equipment. Therefore, if there are difficulties in ordering, purchasing or manufacturing the main components, then it would be advisable to buy a machine for cold bending forging in a store. Its cost is low, but it can be additionally useful for bending pipes.

Do-it-yourself snail machine for cold forging: design options

The algorithm for assembling a homemade cold forging machine with your own hands is quite simple and understandable. Only when creating a snail, three variants of the design idea are possible, and even then very approximate. Each master sees the execution of a curl or spiral, as well as the sequence of bending the workpiece in his own way.

Like any creative process, making a snail for cold forging with your own hands begins with the basics - design key nodes machine In this case, these are the frame, tabletop and main shaft with a rotation lever.

The frame or table for the snail must be made of metal. Wood is completely unsuitable for this design: prolonged and heavy loads will destroy it in just a few uses. The material used would be a corner, thick-walled pipes or channel. For the tabletop you will also need metal - a sheet with a thickness of at least 4 mm: the thicker, the more reliable. The shaft and lever are the main assembly that will force the metal workpiece to bend according to a given pattern. The lever is connected on one side to a roller that bends the workpiece, and on the other to the main shaft.

According to the type of design, snail machines come in three variants:

• monolithic with a fixed bending template;
• with removable bending structures that allow you to create different types of curls;
• with collapsible curl designs and a rotating tabletop for obtaining complex bending profiles of great precision.

Drawings of a cold forging machine for a snail with your own hands

Many craftsmen who take on the manufacture of machines for the first time neglect the design stage, build templates “by eye”, and develop and modernize components directly during the assembly process. A drawing of a snail for cold forging with your own hands should be done at the preparation stage. It will help to avoid some subtle nuances during assembly, and will also significantly reduce the manufacturing process time.

It is not necessary to follow the drawings made by another master. The availability of manufacturing materials or assembly conditions may vary, and it is likely that the vision for the finished structure may also be different.

One of the design options : 1 - snail ploughshare; 2 - base of the machine; 3 - pressure roller; 4 - lever for controlling the pressure roller; 5 - fastening the base; 6 - finger for fixing the plowshares; 7 - groove for the pressure roller; 8 - control lever axis; 9 - spring for pressing the roller; 10 - clamp for the workpiece; 11 - driving ploughshare of the snail; 12 - main axis; 13 - levers
Diagram of a snail machine for processing products using cold forging

A drawing is especially important for constructing curl patterns with your own hands. A video of cold forging equipment will help you correctly calculate and build a proportional spiral. This stage is necessary so that the curl made on a homemade machine has an aesthetic appearance.

Useful advice! Templates for the snail are built according to the rules of mathematical spirals, taking into account the number of turns, their density, the width of the opening for equipment on the machine and the initial radius of the entrance to the curl.

Making a snail: how to make a machine with your own hands

A monolithic machine is the most simple design snails The spiral pattern is applied directly to the tabletop. Then, following the drawing, several pieces are cut out of thick metal. They are welded to the tabletop, following the previously applied markings. Work on a snail of this type progresses slowly, but the machine allows you to bend both workpieces of symmetrical diameter and strips of metal that are laid flat, without vertical deformations.

A monolithic machine may have an alternative design when the base is not fixed, but can be rotated. A worm mechanism is used for a given rotation and to facilitate physical labor.

How to improve a snail cold forging machine with your own hands

A homemade snail does not have to contain only simple elements. You can immediately assemble an improved model. For example, what should you do if you need curls of different shapes, and with different patterns of spirals? It would be impractical to assemble a separate machine for each sample. Therefore, instead of a tightly welded single template, a number of removable options with different patterns are created on the tabletop. Adjustments are made to the design that allow you to change the template, secure it stably, while maintaining the overall reliability of the machine.

The most professional of the snail models is a machine where the tabletop rotates and the curl template is made from several collapsible segments. It is worth noting that all sections are manufactured with high precision. It is difficult to implement this in a home workshop, so the production of the unit is ordered in workshops or at a factory. The curvature of the template is changed using adjusting screws, and a number of holes are made on the surface of the tabletop that will fix the template segments in a given position. You can bend any type of curl using this method.

Make a cold forging machine with your own hands, the drawing of which will help you complete this task, is quite simple if you understand the principle of its operation and design features. It is important to calculate everything carefully and take measurements. It is possible that someone will be able to come up with their own new options or improve existing models.

Homemade machines for cold metal forging with your own hands: video instructions

Looking at the fences, gates and gates, as in the figure, in houses that are clearly not of an elite class, a person who has some idea about the equipment of a forge and the nature of the work there may think: where do they get so much money? Those more knowledgeable in blacksmithing will not have such a question: these beauties, as well as the metal decor of furniture, light garden buildings, swings, benches, etc., are created by cold forging.

Prices for cold art forging are affordable because production costs and initial equipment costs are low, and labor productivity is not bad for artisanal conditions. Consequently, an individual blacksmith specializing in artistic cold forging can count on a fairly quick start and good profitability. Perhaps one of the owners of the samples in Fig. I made my own: cold forging with your own hands can be done in a garage or barn without experience, and forged parts for small pieces of furniture, balusters, barbecues and all sorts of other metal utensils (see, for example, the figure on the right) can be done even at home conditions.

The basis of a “cold forge” is a cold forging machine. For a complete production cycle, capable of satisfying any conceivable fantasies of yours or the customer, You will need 5-7 types of machines, 3-5 main ones of which you can make yourself. However, in the beginning, before spending money on a machine or materials for it, it is highly advisable to master the basics of blacksmithing. Therefore, further we will also consider some techniques for making artistic forging parts without a machine and equipment for them, which can be quickly made from scrap materials.

Stamping, forging and bending

So what is cold forging? It differs from stamping in that the metal hardly flows or flows weakly under the influence of the working element. Take a look at a beer can or, say, an aluminum or tin kettle. They are extruded with one blow of the punch of the stamping press; kettle, etc. products complex shape– compound sliding punch. It is impossible to obtain the working force necessary to create such a high pressure at home, except in one case, see below.

Cold forging differs from hot forging, of course, in that the workpiece is not preheated. Actually, cold forging, which is forging, is the hardening (hardening) of a part with a long series of regular blows of a certain force. In this case, the structure of the metal changes significantly: the hardness of the surface layer increases, and the core provides overall toughness and fracture strength. Handicraftsmen - toolmakers and gunsmiths - literally hunt for buffers and wheel tires of railway cars, pieces of rails.

Steel hardening is carried out with a mechanical hammer. You can do it yourself, and it’s even easier than some types of machines for cold artistic forging. But this publication is devoted specifically to the latter subject, and cold artistic forging is essentially bending (bending) metal: its structure in the part does not undergo significant changes, and changes in the physical and mechanical properties of the metal are not significant for the quality of the final product. Therefore, we will leave cold forging, which is forging, until a suitable occasion, and Let's do forging, which bends. For brevity, let's just call it artistic forging, and where it is necessary to mention hot forging, this will be specifically stated there.

Machines and equipment for cold forging

The main equipment for do-it-yourself artistic forging is several types of hand-operated machines and devices. The electric drive is used infrequently, because the resulting increase in productivity is not always equivalent to the complexity of manufacturing and the cost of electricity. However, we will still remember about the electric drive for home forging machines while we are working on the “handbrake”. Almost all elements of the products in Fig. at the beginning can be done on the following types of machines:

• Twisters (twists), pos. 1 in Fig. – form flat spirals and other curls with a narrow core (core).
• Torsion machines, pos. 2– allow you to obtain a helical twist of a rod and elements from volumetric spirals, the so-called. filaments: baskets, lanterns, bulbs.
• Inertial stamping machines, pos. 3- on them the ends of the rods are splashed into shaped ends (item 1 in the figure below), decorative clamps are stamped to connect the details of the pattern (item 2 in the same figure), a small wave and relief are squeezed out on long parts.

• Bending machines are push, broach and combined, pos. 4. The first ones allow you to get only waves and zigzags; lingering - rings, curls and spirals with wide cores, and the latter are all these types of products.

Note: in technical literature, especially in English, all machines that form parts by torsion or winding are often called twisters. Initially, a twister is a machine for winding springs. But in relation to artistic forging, it would be more correct to consider winding machines as twisters, and torsion machines as torsion bars.

What are flexes?

In technical vernacular, bending machines are called benders. However, in amateur and private metalworking, the name “gnutik” was established for a table-top device for producing waves and zigzags, see fig. right. By changing the roller or wedge in the bend, you can vary the pitch and height of the wave or the zigzag angle within certain limits.

A bend for rods/pipes up to 12-16 mm is relatively inexpensive, but it is difficult to make it yourself at home: it requires precise processing of special steels. Try it with a regular electric drill with a regular drill Drill through metal with a regular open-end wrench. And in a bending machine, the workloads are much higher than on its jaws. Therefore, it is better to buy a bend; in addition to forging on the farm, it is useful for the manufacture of elements of welded metal structures, as a pipe bender for small thick-walled durable pipes and in other cases.

Twisters

Since ancient times, blacksmiths have cold-formed curls according to a template-mandrel using a horn lever grip, pos. 1 in Fig. This method is low-productive and not for wimps, but it allows you to quickly and easily make various bending mandrels from an ordinary steel strip: the end (thrust) horn of the lever prevents the template from yielding under the pressure of the workpiece. It is advisable to make the middle (bypass) horn sliding with fixation: the work will go slower, but, especially in inexperienced hands, more accurately.

Another simple device for manual shaped bending is a strong board with support pins - spacers, pos. 2; Ordinary M8-M24 bolts are suitable. Depending on how comfortable you are with your home exercise machine, you can work with a strip of up to 4-6 mm. They bend the strip by eye, the work goes slowly, but you can draw patterns up to Ilya Muromets on a horse in full armor or Buddha in a lotus flower. The latter, perhaps, is completely handmade: people who have fully mastered hatha and raja yoga are able to curl steel reinforcement bars into a pattern with their hands.

Snails

The snail twister machine is the most popular among those involved in artistic forging: its capabilities, in comparison with the simplicity of the design, the ease of making it yourself and the ease of operation, are amazing. Actually, the snail machine is a slightly mechanized and improved bending lever, but it did “a little” possible job beginners on it. Snail machines are, in turn, divided into machines with a collar and a rotating plowshare and lever machines with a fixed template and a deflection roller.

Snail with ploughshare

The device of a bending scroll with a plowshare is shown in the diagram below; The technology for working with such a machine is also described there.

Advantages of twister bending machine of this type the following:

• It is possible to work on a scroll with a rotating share and a collar in an unequipped room: the vertical component of the workload is negligible, and its horizontal components are partially transferred to the support.
• Due to previous point supporting structure can be quite simple and light, welded from ordinary steel profiles.
• We can carry out the work process alone: ​​turning the gate with one hand, we press the rod or strip against the template plowshare with the other. As its links bend, they will fall into place on their own.
• Using a cold method, you can twist spirals of up to 5 turns on a snail with a rotary plowshare.

Drawings of a snail machine for artistic forging with a specification of parts are given in Fig. We’ll talk about the dimensions of the links (segments) of the folding share later, but for now pay attention to the steel grades: the share bears heavy loads. If you make it from ordinary structural steel, the template will lead to the middle of the gate or fence section.

Note: For more detailed drawings of a snail machine of a similar design with description and detail, see the link: //dwg.ucoz.net/publ/osnastka/instrument_dlja_kholodnoj_kovki/5. There you will also find drawings of a homemade bender and a device for bending rings.

The material for the folding rotary share, as well as the complexity of its manufacture, are not the only weak points of the snail machine with a collar. An even more serious problem is the articulation of the ploughshare links (shown by red arrows in the figure on the right). The joints of the share segments must:

It is difficult to fulfill all these conditions together in a well-established and equipped industrial production, therefore the resources of folding templates for cold forging are generally much less than their material would allow on its own. Poor use of material properties is a serious drawback. In addition, for the same reasons, another weak point of the snail-type machine with a collar is the eccentric clamp of the part. Therefore, novice homemade blacksmiths work more successfully with homemade snail machines for artistic forging, made according to a lever design.

Snail with lever

The lever volute for cold forging is designed similarly to the well-known one. Homemade machine-snail lever type with a fixed template, the performance is significantly inferior to a snail with a collar. The working load in it is more fully transferred to the base, so a strong frame made of special steel or a thick plate of ordinary steel, securely fixed to the supporting surface, is required. As a result, a workshop or production area on outdoors. Work on the lever scroll progresses slowly: after turning the lever until it jams, you need to move the pressure roller. It is possible to curl up to 3-4 turns on a lever volute. Nevertheless, the advantages of a snail lever machine for home craftsmen are significant, especially when working for yourself:

• All parts, except the pressure roller, can be made of ordinary steel.
• It is possible to use a standard roller bearing as a pressure roller.
• The use of the material properties of the parts is almost complete: the template and frame made of ordinary steel can withstand more than 1000 working cycles.
• You can bend either according to a template (pos. 1 in the figure below) or using spacers, pos. 2 there.

In addition, the snail lever machine allows the use of a technological technique that is considered the prerogative of industrial twister machines: the template is shifted to the side, and a spacer is placed in the center, pos. 3 in Fig. This creates a small reverse bend in the core of the curl. The part looks more impressive and, when working for sale, the product is more valuable.

The lever snail has another rather fat plus: on such a machine you can bend flat curls with a small core from a strip laid flat. The snail with a collar and a rotating plowshare gives up completely here: the workpiece will go in a vertical wave. Wide curls and rings from the strip can be bent flat on a broaching machine with rollers in which grooves are machined, see fig. right. But the drawing speed, so that the workpiece does not lead, requires a significant one, so you won’t get a narrow curl core.

On a snail lever machine, this problem is solved by installing a pressure roller with a height equal to the thickness of the strip and with a flange (edge), like a railway wheel, only wider. Bending using this method takes a lot of time: the lever needs to be applied a little at a time, otherwise the inner edge of the workpiece will wrinkle; The flange does not help from this. But it is impossible to obtain a curl from a flat strip with a narrow core in a handicraft production in any other way.

In general, at the start of blacksmithing and artistic activity or making a forged fence, gate, gate, bench, swing, gazebo, etc., arranging a garden for yourself, It’s better to use a snail lever machine for cold forging. Moreover, it can be made from scrap materials without accurate and detailed drawings, see for example. next video.

Video: a simple do-it-yourself artistic forging machine

How to build a curl?

There are plenty of sketches of curls for artistic forging on the Internet, but when you try to adjust their sizes to those required for yourself, it often turns out that the product loses spectacularly due to a seemingly insignificant violation of the proportions. Therefore, it is also desirable to be able to construct forging patterns of curls that obviously have aesthetic advantages.

Templates for cold forging of artistic curls - volutes - are built on the basis of mathematical spirals. The most commonly used is the logarithmic spiral; it is one of the widespread natural forms expressing the fundamental laws of nature. The logarithmic spiral is found in the shell of a snail, in our hearing aids, and in the form of a treble clef in musical notation; in the neck of the violin itself too.

The principle of constructing a logarithmic spiral by points is that when the radius that forms it is rotated, starting from a certain initial R0, by a fixed angle φ, its length is multiplied by the divergence index of the spiral p. For volutes p, as a rule, take no more than 1.2, because a logarithmic spiral diverges (unwinds) very quickly; on pos. In Fig. a logarithmic spiral with p = 1.25 is shown as an example. To make it easier to build a spiral at points with sufficient accuracy for forging work, take φ = 45 degrees.

In the case when a denser arithmetic spiral is required, when the radius forming it is rotated by the same 45 degrees, 1/8 of the spiral pitch S is added to the previous radius, pos. B. In both cases, R0 is taken equal to or greater than the diameter d of a workpiece of uniform cross-section, pos. A. If the initial end of the workpiece is pointed, R0 may be less than d, up to the plasticity limit of the metal.

It remains to decide how to lay a visually harmonious spiral with a given opening size a. To solve this problem analytically, i.e. using formulas with any precision specified in advance, you will have to solve cubic and higher-order equations. There are no computer programs for numerical technical calculation of volutes on the Internet, so we will use an approximate method that allows us to get by with one working and, possibly, one test graphical construction. It is based on the assumption that for small p the sums R2+R6 and R4+R8 do not differ much. Step-by-step algorithm constructing a volute for a forging template, this follows:

1. Based on the available material, we determine R0;
2. we take the number of turns of the volute w according to the principle: as God puts it on the soul of the left hind paw of a beloved cat;
3. Using the data from the table in Fig., we calculate the diameter of the volute b such that it is slightly smaller than the width of the opening under it a, see pos. G;
4. We calculate the working initial radius R using the formula for pos. G;
5. we build a volute profile on a scale point by point;
6. if necessary, we accurately adjust R using the same formula and build the profile of the working template completely.

Note: If you use the table to calculate intermediate values, don’t forget – you need to take them in geometric proportion!

Torsion bars

You can twist rods with a screw for artistic forging without a machine at all, see fig. right. To prevent the workpiece from bending at the root (clamped in a vice) end, you need to place a wooden block or something like it with a V-shaped cutout at the top under the end of the guide pipe farthest from them; It is better to secure the pipe to this support with a clamp, and secure the stand to the workbench. The pipe should be shorter than the workpiece and approximately 1.5 times wider inside than its largest diameter, because When twisted, the workpiece contracts and expands in width.

A torsion cold forging machine allows you to increase productivity and improve the quality of the resulting parts. The working force in it is transferred to the support to a significant extent, so a strong frame is needed, in the form of a spinal frame made of an I-beam from 100 mm or a pair of welded channels of the same size; the corrugated pipe will apparently be deformed. The frame must be securely secured to the supporting surface using paws from the same profile welded to its ends, pos. 1 in Fig.

The workpiece - a square rod - is held by mandrels-chucks with sockets also of square cross-section; they are visible there in pos. 1. Because When twisted, the rod shortens in length; the chucks in the spindle and tailstock must be securely fixed with screw clamps. For the same reason, the tailstock is made sliding. To allow twisting of individual sections of the workpiece, a sliding stop with an insert with a square hole is also used.

If you only need to make a fence for yourself or something smaller, you can a quick fix build a torsion bar machine from scrap and scrap materials, pos. 2. On both machines, in principle, it is possible to obtain filaments by placing a bundle of 4 rods half the size into the cartridges. But don’t think that you can make a good lantern or basket by simply pushing the tailstock with a lever. You will get something like the one in the inset in pos. 1 and 2. Blacksmiths call such incidents a word that is generally known, but not used in literary speech. When twisting it in a simple torsion bar machine, the branches of the filament need to be spread wide hand tools, which is difficult and does not provide the proper quality of work.

Beautiful filaments (pos. 3) are twisted on torsion bar machines with a fixed tailstock and a screw feed spindle, pos. 4. Now let’s return briefly to Fig. with types of machines at the beginning, to pos. 2 on it. See the thing marked with a green exclamation mark? This is a replacement spindle. There are 2 of them in the set: a smooth one for spiral twisting along the long axis of the workpiece and a screw one for twisting filaments. In this design, the frame is welded from a pair of channels with a longitudinal gap, and a shoe with a threaded hole for a locking screw is welded to the tailstock. A shoe is needed with a sole from 100x100, because The tailstock fixation in filament mode is frictional and only partially jammed: the locking screw provides only an initial clamping force.

About the electric torsion bar drive

Working on a torsion bar machine with manual drive spindle is tedious. But the main thing is stable quality of products such as in pos. 3 fig. with torsion bar machines, it is even more difficult to achieve. The reason is that it is difficult to create a uniform rotational torque with your hands, like with any other lever drive. Therefore, a torsion bar machine for cold forging is exactly the case when the use of an electric drive is justified no matter what. The best option from available materials is the axle shaft of the drive axle of a rear-wheel drive car with a gear pair from the differential from the same place, see fig. right; just don't forget about protective casing! Motor - 1.5-3 kW and no more than 900 rpm. Other design options are also possible, see e.g. video clip:

Video: homemade electric cold forging machine

Spiral like a spiral

In some cases, ordinary smooth, straight, ascending spirals are used as an element of artistic forging. Making a spring twister machine for this on your own is absolutely unrealistic. But let us remember: there is no need to spring a spiral in a forged pattern and it can be wound from ordinary plastic steel using simple device(see picture on the right). The pitch (ascent) of the spiral is determined by the horn of the gate (filled in red); By bending the horn up and down, you can get thinner and thicker spirals. A square bar is taken onto the workpiece or a round one, it doesn’t matter. You can also twist spirals from a rod twisted on a torsion bar.

Wave and zigzag

Now we have tools and equipment for wave and zagzag bending of long workpieces. The bending machine and push-pull bending machine mentioned at the beginning cannot be reproduced with your own hands. In addition, the first allows you to adjust the pitch and profile within relatively small limits, while the second is expensive. However, you can still make a universal wave bending machine with your own hands, similar to the one on the left in Fig. You only have to order rollers; they must be made of chromium-nickel or tool steel; the rest is made of simple construction; for the staples and arch, a sheet (strip) of 8 mm or more is needed. Limiters are installed in the arc to accurately maintain the wave profile, but the workloads are transferred to it to a significant extent; in fact, the arc provides lateral rigidity of the structure.

You can bend only smooth, but very diverse, waves by adding a gate for waves to a snail machine with a rotating plowshare, on the right in Fig. The same handles are used, because they are screwed into threaded sockets on the head of the gate. It is advisable to make the main (central) roller separate and fasten it to the frame with bolts with countersunk heads. In this case, by placing rollers of different diameters (diameters), it is possible to form waves of variable and asymmetrical profile. And if the deflection roller is made adjustable (for which a number of holes are checked in its carrier), then the wave pitch can be changed within a fairly wide range.

About connecting elements and painting

Forged parts need to be assembled into a single composition. The simplest way– welding and subsequent smoothing of the seams with a grinder with a grinding wheel: it is thicker than a cutting wheel (6.5 mm) and can withstand bending forces. But connections with shaped clamps look much more impressive; they are stamped from a strip of 1.5 mm on an inertial stamp; You can also hot-forge quite quickly and without experience, see below. The clamp blank is made in the form of a U-shaped bracket on a mandrel to the size of the parts to be connected, and its wings are bent from the rear in place with a large plumber's hammer or a 1.5-2 kg sledgehammer when cold. They paint finished product usually with blacksmith's enamels or acrylic paints on metal. Enamels with pigment from forge patina are more expensive, but better: when dried, they have a noble, somewhat antique color, do not peel off, do not fade, are wear- and heat-resistant

How to get around a stone

Those. the stumbling block in all of the above: shaped ends of the rods; Without them, a fence is not a fence, a gate is not a gate, and a wicket is not a wicket. An inertial stamping press (item 3 in the figure with types of machines) is expensive, but effective. It works on the principle of a flywheel: first, by smoothly rotating the rocker arm (bar with weights), the screw firing pin is pulled back until it stops. Then a replacement stamp is inserted into the socket and the blank is placed. Next, they quickly spin the rocker in the opposite direction (this is a dangerous moment!) and leave it to rotate freely - the working stroke has begun. At the end of it, the striker hits the stamp shank very hard; Due to the inertia of the loads, a force sufficient for stamping is developed.

The loads, especially impact ones, in an inertial stamping machine are large and occur over small areas, and the manufacturing precision of its parts requires high precision, so it’s better to do it yourself and not try. It is possible to make a manual rolling mill yourself, see fig. on the right, but only partially: rolls made of special steel, shafts and bearing bushings will have to be ordered, and gears will have to be bought or looked for used ones. On such a mill, you can only produce goosefoot and leaf (spear) tips, and from their necks it will be immediately clear that this is machine work.

Meanwhile, the same, and some others, rod tips can be hot-forged without being an experienced blacksmith. A good, clearly handmade tip-sheet is simply forged with a sledgehammer and a hammer, and the forging stamp (stamp) for the legs is made from an unusable file, in which grooves are selected with a grinder. Do you need a forge for this? For occasional small work it is not at all necessary; the main thing is to heat the metal. A propane torch is not suitable; heating should be uniform on all sides and without burnout. So, we come to the conclusion that cold and hot forging are not mutually exclusive: in order to obtain high-quality products using simple machines for cold forging or even with improvised means, it would not hurt to add a small forge from scrap materials in addition to them.