Doming flat metal

dave gibson

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Aug 18, 2009
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I want to dome some flat nickel to make some belt buckles. Does anyone have any advise or preference between using a dapping cup with a dowel or a large wooden ball and shape it on the outside.
Please keep in mind I have no experience doing this, I'm trying to figure it out as I go.
thanks, Dave
 

peteb

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Go to Lowes and get an end cap of PVC that is already domed. Make it smooth and apply urethane pad and 12 tons of pressure to your piece. Hardness and thickness of urethane are factors.
 

monk

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Go to Lowes and get an end cap of PVC that is already domed. Make it smooth and apply urethane pad and 12 tons of pressure to your piece. Hardness and thickness of urethane are factors.

yikes ! sounds like something could go badly this way. do you achieve the double curve this way ? i use a 20 ton to form snuff lids. not sure i'd want to try this your way.
 

peteb

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Depends how big, thick and the shape of the piece to be domed is. Cut the straight sides off of the pvc end cap in a table saw and fill the back with thermolock. BTW I didn't mean to say to apply 12 tons of pressure, apply only enough to achieve the dome shape.
 

RT Bit and Spur

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May 17, 2007
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I have nylon blocks 2 inches thick. Using pipe caps I heat them from the top and when they have melted in far enough I let them cool. Pop the caps out and you have the male and female parts. You can use more than one size in each block. The nylon wont scar your work.
Rod
 

dogcatcher

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When my wife wanted some domed pennies I made a round nose spoon bit out of 3/4" spade bit by grinding the end of the spade bit in to about a half circle. I then drilled into a piece of 2x2 maple about 3/8" deep. Next I took a 3/4"maple dowel and turned one end to match the hole. I would place penny in the center of the hole, place the dowel on top of it and whack the daylights out of it. Got tired of that so I made a small hydraulic press to do it.

She has another project she wants done and I am going to make a bracelet press for bending bangles. Going to do basically the same thing, but will use a block of nylon I have and make another hydraulic press.
 

RT Bit and Spur

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The pipe caps I use are regular hot rolled steel that have been formed to a half ball. After using them to melt the nylon I weld a thick disc over the open end to reinforce it so I can put it in a press.
Rod
 
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