Got a small wheel and have been playing with it to learn. Smooths out
pounded metal very nicely. My question is this. When I run flat sheet
metal north-south through the wheel, I was expecting it to curve in the
east-west direction. However, it curved north soouth. Obviously I'm
confused about the direction the wheel stretches the metal. Am I doing
something wrong or is this correct? ( I can't see any other way to do it )
.. Could anyone explain this to me?

A second question also. What is it called and how do you do it - fold over
the edge of the sheet metal to form a rolled over edge that exposes a
rounded smooth surface?


Thanks

Barry

Can't help you with the wheel but I think the edge you're talking about is
called a "wired edge" where you roll the edge around a wire. This link
gives an explanation:

http://www.driveonline.com/html/experts_covell6.html

Search for the word "wire" on that page and you'll see where someone asked
how to do a wired edge followed by instructions from Ron Covell.

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"


"BP" wrote in message
...
Got a small wheel and have been playing with it to learn. Smooths out
pounded metal very nicely. My question is this. When I run flat sheet
metal north-south through the wheel, I was expecting it to curve in the
east-west direction. However, it curved north soouth. Obviously I'm
confused about the direction the wheel stretches the metal. Am I doing
something wrong or is this correct? ( I can't see any other way to do
it )
. Could anyone explain this to me?

A second question also. What is it called and how do you do it - fold
over
the edge of the sheet metal to form a rolled over edge that exposes a
rounded smooth surface?


Thanks

Barry

"BP" wrote in message
...
Got a small wheel and have been playing with it to learn. Smooths out
pounded metal very nicely. My question is this. When I run flat sheet
metal north-south through the wheel, I was expecting it to curve in the
east-west direction. However, it curved north soouth. Obviously I'm
confused about the direction the wheel stretches the metal. Am I doing
something wrong or is this correct? ( I can't see any other way to do
it )
. Could anyone explain this to me?

A second question also. What is it called and how do you do it - fold
over
the edge of the sheet metal to form a rolled over edge that exposes a
rounded smooth surface?


Thanks

Barry


To answer your second question first. There are 2 types of folded edge. The
one is just a 180 deg fold which gives a nice rounded edge to the metal. The
other is where the metal is wrapped around a wire. This gives a greater
diameter to the rounded edge.
With your wheel, you are pushing the metal along in front of the wheel and
stretching it that way rather than forcing it out sideways. Try rolling
pastry or plastacine to see the effect. You aren't doing anything wrong.
I would add that my experience of wheels is Very limited and others may know
better.

John

On Thu, 23 Oct 2003 20:03:51 -0400, "BP" wrote:

However, it curved north soouth. Obviously I'm
confused about the direction the wheel stretches the metal.

It's a bit like a blacksmith's fuller or set hammer

If you strike with a flat-faced hammer, the metal spreads equally in
all directions. For drawing down metal in one direction alone, a
wedge-shaped fuller is used instead. There's spreading as you
describe, in an axis along the wedge (perpendicular to the face), but
negligibly so across the axis.

An English wheel is a wide wheel, so that it has this same wedging
action. If it's narrow (or if you put a narrow wheel in there), then
you get stretching in all directions, which is obviously less
controllable.


A second question also. What is it called and how do you do it - fold over
the edge of the sheet metal to form a rolled over edge that exposes a
rounded smooth surface?

Wired edges, rolled edges, or beaded edges.

Beaded edges are just a fold, and still rather narrow. To form a neat
one, fold the whole edge to 90° and then fold the whole lot down with
your softest mallet.

Wired edges are rolled around an internal wire, which is left in there
afterwards. Commonly seen on baker's loaf tins, the wire also
reinforces the corners. Start it on a round-edged stake, then work
over the wire with a mallet.

Rolled edges look like wired edges, but without the wire. You need a
roller swaging machine to form them, not a mallet.

--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods

part 1,
the contact point of the wheel will stretch omni-directionally,
but the movement is linear so it stretches along that plane,
but figure in gravity and the metal will droop omni-directionally
in other words how many times you wheel over an area, one
direction it will stretch more clear as mud?
part 2 a smooth edge formed by folding over a 1/2" or so,
is called a folder over edge or hem edge if it has a wire
inside a wired edge.
more info on wheeling can be had at
www.metalshapers.org
and www.metalmeet.com
and the metalshapers and metalshaping groups on yahoo

take care!

tt