Hi everyone,
I have been looking to buy a sinusoidal stake but cannot find anyone
who sells them.
What I have found are instructions for making one but I do not have
a “hot” area in which to work as I live in an apartment. Also,
because I am just starting to learn to work with metal (being a
school teacher) I do not yet have the skills to make such a tool.
Any suggestions?
Ehud
I’m pretty sure that Alcraft carries them. Since you are a school
teacher do you any shop or welding teachers? If so, they may be able
to help you out.
Marilyn Smith
Ehud,
Try Tevel or Sarah at Allcraft in New York at 800-645-7124 for a
great selection of hammers and stakes. I know that they carry
sinusoidal stakes, and they are terrific people to do business with!
Susan Ronan
Coronado, CA
Ehud, Fischer in Pforzheim, Germany has them. They have a website.
Anticlastic raising is very difficult. Don’t expect results to some
easily. Will Denayer
Ehud,
Try All Craft. 1-800-645-7124, 135 W.29th St.,Suite 205, New York,
NY 10001.( www.allcraft.peachhost.com). They carry two sizes.
I also make them for my students. I use alignment punches that I re
grind, bend, then polish. I am setting up a lathe this weekend that
will let me turn bigger tapered rods to bend for bigger stakes. I am
interested in taking the anti clastic work into vessel forms. Please
contact me off list if I might be of help to you.
Bill Churlik
@Bill_Churlik
www.earthspeakarts.com
Maybe I misread the original question, but I thought the query was
for a less-expensive alternative to a sinusoidal stake. If so, I
believe you can get by for quite a while with a home-made version.
Where I teach, we only recently got a steel one. For years, we have
used a wooden one, then one made of Delrin (a resiliant white
plastic). You can start with a chunk of two-by-four or wider. Draw a
line down the center of the long axis, or, at least 1/3 way in from
the edge. Then drill a series of holes starting with a big one–
say, 2"-3". Then drill successive holes, each a bit smaller than the
previous, with maybe a half-inch between the finished holes. Then,
saw the wood in two along your original line. This gives you two
pieces of wood with semi-circular indentations of graduated sizes.
With a bit if work with a rasp and/or files to smooth the edges, you
have a very useful stake (well, two, actually). If you want it
sexier, drill along two parallel lines, alternating lines in drilling
the holes, so that the final result has the “sinusoidal” look.
I hope this is a clear word-picture. If not, maybe someone else can
help out. Good luck!
Noel
I recently bought a sinusoidal stake from Otto Frei. Web is
http://www.ottofrei.com. It is about 18" long, and cost $150. The
end for the vise is square. Polish and shape are ok. You need to
do a search for the item, it is not included in the main list of
hammering and shaping. They have two other smaller stakes for $95
and $125.
I make my own stakes and prefer a fatter shape but this is
absolutely usable and the price is very good. The stake was in
stock and arrived just a few days after ordering.
Judy Hoch, GG
Ehud, You should be able to find a local blacksmith who could make a
sine stake for you. You would benefit from making a full scale
drawing of what you want and taking it with you to the blacksmith.
Details such as radius of the sine, is if flat or round, what
thickness of material to be used, and the size of the mounting foot.
If you know someone who has a “shop” with metalworker’s type torch,
vise, etc, you could probably make one with a little help from your
friends. Use an old car/truck leaf spring, heat it, make two bends
It sure sounds like a specialized stake. What type of
vessel/project are you planning on raising?
steve
o"dehabro molesto, adproxima felix!" - Bobby McFerren