Cold Forming Sheet Metal With A Hammer

A ball peen hammer.

Cold forming sheet metal with a hammer.

This is a handy metal fabrication technique you need to learn. Follow along as i demonstrate how you can begin shaping metal with hand tools only. How can you go about shaping metal with hand tools alone. You have to adjust your mind to the concept that when you hammer on sheet metal with a steel hammer onto a steel dolly or anvil that you will expand or increase the surface area by thinning the metal.

The tokyo based goldsmith yutaka nagai demonstrates how to hammer down a gold ingot to form a sheet. I used a 16 oz. You also have to grasp the fact that you can reduce the area of sheet metal by thickening it. Something to cut the metal like sheet metal shears or tin snips.

You may want a smaller hammer for small shapes or a larger hammer for larger shapes. Something like a sharpie to mark on the sheet metal.