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Forging a Wall-Mounted Pot Rack A steel pot rack is forged together. From "Trade School" episode DTRS-302

Blacksmith student Randy Parker heats things up by forging a wall-mounted steel pot rack for his kitchen. Randy must forge several pieces that will later be joined with steel rivets. To help him conceptualize the overall project, Randy creates a diagram with each piece drawn to scale. As he shapes each piece, he lines them up to their respective drawing for precision's sake.

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1. Randy begins by cutting all of the pieces to size from raw bar stock using a horizontal band saw.

2. With the bar stock cut to size, Randy forges the two curved members of the wall bracket. After heating each piece in the fire, he sets to drawing out the metal to length with his hammer and anvil.

3. To form the square bends in the wall bracket pieces, Randy strikes the metal over the edge of the anvil (figure A). To sharpen and refine these somewhat rounded corners, his teacher Alison Finn, instructs him to use an oxyacetylene torch for rapid heating (figure B). Randy then strikes the bend with one hammer while holding a second hammer rigid against the backside of the bend (figure C).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

4. Having finished the angles, Randy creates sweeping curves in the front two pieces of the wall brackets by striking the red hot metal against the round anvil horn (figure D).

5. With the wall brackets properly shaped, Randy moves on to form the frame of the pot rack. The frame consists of two long metal pieces bent twice--forming a total of four corners. The points where these two pieces meet are called "lap" joints because one end of the metal slightly overlaps the other (figure E).

6. To create each lap joint, Randy inserts the flat metal end into a special jig, and then heats with the oxyacetylene torch. Once red hot, he hammers directly onto a special forming tool called a top tool to form the overlapping joint (figure F).

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

7. With the main pot rack components formed, Randy roughly assembles the pieces with clamps, and then checks to make sure the rack is level and square (figure G). He then makes minor adjustments by securing the pieces in a vise, and then hammering the cold metal.

8. Randy fits his pot rack with a rectangular piece of wire mesh to serve as a shelf. He devices a ledge for the mesh by scoring, heating and bending a long piece of angle iron to form a rectangle that will fit tight within the frame (figure H). He drills holes through both the frame and the angle iron, and then rivets the two pieces together.

9. For the final assembly of the pot rack, Randy must rivet the two frame pieces together, and then rivet the wall brackets to the frame. He starts by drilling holes with the drill press through the lap joints and the wall pieces (figure I).

Figure G

Figure H

Figure I

10. Randy "cold rivets" the piece together by inserting short steel dowels through the holes and hammering the dowel against the anvil (figure J). The smashing effect creates rivet heads on both sides of the dowel.

11. To finish his new kitchen rack, Randy creates several hanging hooks, this time heating the metal bar stock with a quicker gas forge (figure K). Using a foot-actuated power hammer, he makes quick work of drawing out of a sharp taper.

Figure J

Figure K

12. To form a clip on the opposite end, he secures the metal and a square jig in a vise. He heats the area with the torch, and then hammers the metal over the jig (figure L).

13. Randy shapes each hook by hammering the red-hot tapered end around the anvil horn (figure M). Now installed above his kitchen stove, the pot rack is a constant reminder of Randy's own sweat equity.

Figure L

Figure M

GUESTS :

Alison Finn
Website: www.rockymountainsmiths.org