On May 25, 1:58*am, "Pete S" wrote:
Do you really mean "bend" or do you want to "dome" the piece?
* If you want a 2 or 3 inch high *"dome", lay the piece on a flat hard
surface, like an anvil and just start hammering in ever increasing circles,
from *the center of the piece with a slightly rounded hammer and the piece
will start to dome. * More ever increasing circles = more doming, until or
unless the material work hardens to the point where it starts to crack. *I
don't know that *alloy very well, but if you can anneal it now and then, you
can keep going.

A farrier's hammer would be a good one to use. * A ball pein hammer has too
much rounding and will simply make a bunch of little round dents. *Even
those dents will work, but the result will not be pretty.

If you are not making a lot of these, assuming that "doming" is what you
want to do, call around to body shops to find someone with an English wheel
and ask if you can get a lesson or two and then rent it. *Slower, but
pretty.

Pete Stanaitis
---------------

Pete:

Um...yes.

I'm going for domed rounds and curved heaters (pentagonal shields) and
kites (shields with an elongated triangular shape). And yes, a 2-3
inch curve is what I'm going for. Any more, and it makes the shield
trickier to use. And yes, I'm looking to eventually make lots of
these. The Society of American Fight Directors includes sword and
shield in its curriculum, so a lot of their certified teachers want
lighter alternatives to heavier steel weapons.

Thanks for the advice. An english wheel may indeed be the way to
go....

Nate