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The Courting Candle and Mandrel - Part 2 |
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Written by Mike Dickie
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Page 2 of 3
Take an even heat on as long a length of the rod as you can comfortable manage in your forge, probably 6 to 8 inches. Cool the very tight curl only, so it won't straighten out, and hook the cooled curl over the 1/4" pin sticking up from the mandrel. Using the hand holding the rod to adjust the tightness of the coils, turn the crank away from you with the other hand, thus winding the heated rod around the mandrel. (Fig. 8)
When you've wound up all the heated section, reverse the cranking direction and while cranking back, work the completed section free of the mandrel. I find that if I coat the mandrel with beeswax after it becomes hot from the rod, working the coil on and off the mandrel is much easier.
Heat another section (including at least the last 1/2 coil of the first section so you have a smooth transition from one section to another) and repeat the steps. Do this until you have coiled up about seven complete revolutions, then slipping the coiled section just off the end of the mandrel, give it another 1/4 to 1/2 turn at a smaller diameter to form a "bottom" for the candle base to be made later.
You should now have something like Fig 9. Take another long heat and using a scroll tool made for the purpose, a bending fork, or working over the tip of the horn, expand the coil in an ever increasing radius, thus forming the base for the candle holder to sit on.
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The Elektric Anvil