The Twister MK-1

Blacksmithing Tools
1

The Twister- MK-1
A handy tool that takes up little room, being able to accept other size forms.
And being Simple in design and fast to make:
I only made them because- I could not bring myself, to destroying a perfectly good adjustable shifter, when I could make something that could be, stronger, and take up less room, by being able to be taken down“ when not in use”, as well as having the ability to be a multi tasking tool, for different size Rods, (depending on the gadget made).
And I only seen to twist 8-10-12 mm square, so really

Also where is the fun, in abusing a perfectly good tool, when you can create you very own tool, designed for the job at hand.

The main tool is made from 20mm solid square stock.
The handles, I chose was 20mm ID 5mm thick pipe: each handle being 480 mm long giving me a quite a torque = ease of use. Yes a little overkill, but that is how I work.

The simplicity of the tool enhances its strength, - by being wider in depth to the material being twisted, also having a decent surface area against the material being twisted (being 20mm) and the solid block welded, only on one side, of same size material, that by design has two reasons, one being keeping the block facing away from the person operating the tool, allows less stress on the welds, and no chance of the metal being twisted slipping, and two being you may be twisting in the centre of a project (like s hooks) and cannot slip it on or off, or doing staggered twists.

Also I used short lengths of pipe (which obviously can only be used, were they can be removed easily, being straight, and also they must be a loose fit so they don’t become trapped by the twist), the idea was to set the desired length of the twist require for repartition work, or staggered twists,
I used a 40mm, a 60mm and a 80mm length. (That’s my choice) but I am not limited to those lengths,
The twist showing was a cold twist using the 40mm guide, the twist was on a 8mm square solid bar,
The second tool is made for 12mm square solid,
I will be making a 10mm tool as well. Very soon.

When I make the 10mm twisting tool, I will take pictures of how I build it, to maintain accuracy and ease of welding.
Using no jigs.

Grandpa:

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2

Very nice work, I always find it very satisfying to have a tool that is ment to do one job and does it very well. But I’m not sure why making multiple tools that can only fit the size they are made for is better than having one tool that fits all sizes, like an adjustable wrench.

3

Very good idea! Thanks for the pictures too, really help show the great use. How long do you have the pipes?

4

The one I have built, which gets plenty of work now – is 1Mt tip to tip,
so 450 each handle.
I find it great for twisting cold Mild steel,
as you get a consistent twist without having to waste heat, or worry about it being cool in any area when twisting hot,
The spacer also makes it quite acruate with the twists.
I now do all my square S hooks this way, and use the forge to taper the ends and curl.
I have another jig I made to give cognisant bends on the hooks, from 25mm up to 6mm,
I may make a slightly longer pair of Handles to make it a little easier with the 10mm
as its OK doing half a dozen, but get a bit tiering, doing large batches,
The other thing is being able to do step twist apposing, on lengths up to 1.5 mts
no waiting for the steel to cool, then reheating in another spot,
You can have a 1.5mt length finished with 4 to six twists , before you had done one heating and twisting,
Blacksmithing is not all about heat as quite a bit can be done cold.
and the fact we have more tools available to us now than the Blacksmiths of old, does not mean we should not take advantage of it when we can.

5

so its not necassary to have the metal heated to twist it?

6

With mild steel you are only limited by the size and the force applied,
by hand, it not hard to twist up to 10mm solid square bar,
with a bit more effort 12mm can be twisted,
Particular with ease with the tool I made,
so simple to use:
and making tools for the job, is far better than adapting a tool.
I have a floor mounted twister, with a 1Mt dia Wheel that can twist up to twelve mm square 1.5Mts long. with very little effort, I can also twist up to 32mm x 5mm flat bar, giving a ribbon effect,
I have also twisted 4x6mm round (cold) 1Mt long giving a nice uniformed rope effect,
I have a HD scrolling tool, and basket maker, were I do all my projects Cold,
I don’t have to worry about uniform heat, or getting burnt,
Though that is half the fun of working with hot material,
and forming metal, heat is generally require,
but twisting and bending, in the small sizes up to 12mm and sometimes 16mm can be done cold.

Hope this helped.

1 Like
7

thanks for the advice