Repoussé According To Grimwulf Grimwulf Harland OL

Mka Michael Vognild

master.grimwulf@gmail.com or michael@sledgehamster.com

This text is free, is for educational purposes only, and does not assume any responsibility for poor
judgment calls on the reader's part. Please work in a safe and responsible manner at all times.

Theory
Overview, Forging Principles

Repoussé is a technique, whereby a flat sheet of relatively thin metal is hammered into a low-relief
form. Unlike sinking, which the SCA culture refers to as dishing, the metal is not thinned so much as
pushed to a different locale. My personal experience is that visualizing the theory and approaching the
work with a certain goal is rather helpful when executing this sort of localized raising. I do not
personally consider chasing and repoussé to be an 'advanced' technique; little prior knowledge is
required before steel may strike silver.

History
Context and examples

Humans have employed repoussé since beginning to work precious metals. It is one of the
more intuitive and straightforward metalworking techniques, and shares many working principles with
clay when considering elasticity, malleability, and any shaping whatsoever.
The above image is a 5th Century Ostrogothic diadem made of gold, and is part of the collection in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. All the relief work is repoussé.

This Sixteenth Century burgonet, dated 1543 by Filippo Negroli, is also at the Met, and is an
example of some of the finest repoussé work in the world. The bowl is a seamless steel raising, and yet
is so delicately beautiful while being perfectly structurally sound. In this author's opinion, it is finer
than gold.

The purpose of this paper is meant to be purely technical in its purpose: How to make tools,
how to make forms and shapes, and how to both avoid and correct mistakes. The tools that medieval
metalsmiths used for repoussé have not survived to be included in today's museums. If anyone reading
this text should come across either an extant chasing hammer or extant chasing tools, please contact me
as soon as possible so that I may correct the above statement. I have in my personal collection a single
example of what is thought to be a 14th C copper repoussé punch, but that is speculative and difficult to
either prove or refute.

(All italicized words are defined in the Glossary)

 More Theory
Concepts to consider

Forging is based on a few simple principles. First Principle: if a cross-pein is employed, the
metal will elongate lengthwise. If a straight-pein is used to strike the metal with a sufficient anvil
underneath, the metal will stretch sideways. A ball-pein, having a uniform spherical shape, will cause
metal displacement in all directions. These principles apply to any metal that you encounter.

Cross-Pein Straight-Pein Ball-Pein

By experimenting slightly with these most basic of concepts, the worker will soon realize that
hammering only one side of a workpiece will cause stretching on only that one side, causing the
material to curve in the opposite direction.
Striking the edge of a workpiece held on the lap atop a sandbag will yield a thickened edge. I
recommend a sandbag so that the entirety of the piece is not compressed or distorted. Wire of a variety
of thicknesses is upset in this manner (minus the sandbag!) to produce a flared head, which we think of
as a nail or rivet-head.
If a raised motif is desired, it is generally thought quicker to push the raised parts upwards,
rather than push all the low spots downward. The Western European aesthetic of gracile, sinewy,
organic forms lends itself particularly well to repoussé. The geometric aesthetic of the Muslim world is
much trickier to execute by this means, and is likely better left to piercework.

Upsetting a vessel rim Upsetting a rod

Technique
Layout, First Course, Design Questions, Straight/ Concave/ Convex Shapes, Second Course
 To begin a workpiece, the artist (that’s you) should illustrate the design as line-art. Layout is
paramount to producing work of reasonable quality. One does not “freehand” in this technique. A
solid, unbroken line is followed exactly to begin the work. That is, if a hackneyed line is drawn, it will
be followed. If a divergent line is not erased, it too will be followed. The field of vision will be
narrowed to a spot little more than a half-inch square at a time, if that. The best method is to scribe the
surface with either a scriber or a pointed hobby knife. In later courses, ‘notes’ may be written directly
on the metal with pencil or pen to indicate modification.
After the image has been scribed onto the workpiece, a relatively sharp liner or tracer should be
used to outline the boundaries of the forms. After the outline has been suitably embossed, the
workpiece shall be annealed. After pickling and any other sort of cleanup, the workpiece is flipped
over and worked from the back. When a proposed subject is of sufficient width that a single punch will
not adequately form the shape without excessive stretching or tearing of the workpiece, then the worker
must begin at the periphery of the outline and work progressively to the center. That is to say, it is not a
great plan to achieve depth by striking straight down. Rather, to draw a form deeply, one starts at the
edges, angling towards the center of the mass, to stretch the metal in such a way that it does not tend to
be thinned, so much as moved.
It is typically at this point that I am asked, “Is there some sort of mold used in the repoussé
process?” The short answer is “no.” The work is set into pitch, which is an adhesive substance based
upon pitch, brick dust, resin, and tallow or linseed oil. It is a substance that both grips the metal and
yields selectively under local pressure, thereby supporting all metal surrounding the affected ‘work
zone.’

At this point, the artist shall decide (approximately) how the forms will interact with one
another. Will the forms rise dramatically from the background, or will they gradually taper to blend into
another form? Decisions of these sorts are not to be obsessed over the first time. These considerations
will crop up mainly in future work.
Hands down, the most difficult aspect is beginning a line. I will use a narrow liner to address
all the “extremities” of my subject in a cartoon format. Essentially, trace all around the piece to define
the ultimate boundaries of each form. One must use a soft flame to melt the pitch before placing the
metal upon it. Too much heat burns the pitch and renders the burnt portion useless. After the first
course is complete, there will be a sort of raised bruise on the opposite side. This will help to catch the
edge of the liner that is used to push the forms out.
After pushing all high spots sufficiently to suggest depth of form, anneal the workpiece again
and return to the front of the workpiece. Crucial point: The work must be inverted and filled with
pitch from the back to prevent air pockets! After filling all high spots, the artist will place the now
pitch-filled workpiece onto the existing supply of pitch, which is also heated, to help adhesion.
The workpiece is now refined from the front. Any sort of vagueness in the forms may be
smoothed with planishers, or with a combination of matting tools, punches, liners, or other specialized
tools as the artist sees fit. As unhelpful as this sounds, the artist will repeat these steps until hands are
thrown up and a cry of, “enough!” is heard. Theoretically, so long as one anneals at the appropriate
times and works carefully enough, there is no limit to how long the material could be prodded and
pushed. Eventually, however, reality and time considerations will crop up and force cessation.
One bit of advice is to keep the punches moving while striking with the hammer. It is only with
a sort of constant, fluid movement that such forms will be achieved. If the tool is placed down, struck,
picked up and moved to another location and struck again, the effect will be like stitching cloth or
leather. This is fine for marking holes: this is bad for repoussé. My teacher once told me that
practicing repoussé is like using the Ouija board- the tool is more ‘willed’ where to go than anything
else. The movement is constant.

When a form is being refined, I have two basic approaches. This is one part visualization, and
one part actuation. If the form is essentially concave, as shown to the left, then a liner with a profile of
a lesser radius must be used. If a flat liner or a curved liner is used that has a greater radius, then the
resulting form will have ugly facets as the metal tries to both round and flatten itself.
If, however, the form is either straight or convex, then a flat liner is used. Another forging
truism is that when planishing a rounded form, a flat planisher is used. When planishing a flat surface,
a slightly domed planisher is used. Much like the game Chess, repoussé and chasing has simple rules
and guidelines, but the strategy can be so complex as to take years to master. The next section deals
with tool profiles.

Tools
Materials, Tool Steel, Common Tool Profiles, Making The Tools, Hardening, Tempering, Quenching

The material I would suggest for the best work is copper, silver, bronze, or gold of thickness between
24 gauge and 18 gauge on the Brown & Sharpe Non-Ferrous gauge (.020”-.040” or . 5mm-1.3mm). 26
gauge is a little too thin, and if working a flat sheet a constant battle will be fought simply trying to
keep the workpiece from rolling up like a burrito. No Foolin’. Most people I have met balk at 16
gauge, and the heaviest I have personally worked –in sheet metal-- to date is 12 gauge. As to chasing,
as that is less movement and more surface displacement-- I have employed chasing to clean and
decorate castings and statuary.
The punches are made from any sort of hardenable tool steel. These could be old screwdrivers,
masonry nails, Hex wrenches, leaf springs, etc. I personally prefer to purchase an oil-quenching drill
rod stock.
Notes on tooling: don’t waste your money on so-called ‘chasing’ tools from jewelers’ suppliers. I have
worked in such a supply house before, and the items in question are little more than glorified,
overpriced leather stamping tools. They’ll cut through your metal quicker than you can swear your
favorite curse.

This next part has the greatest number of revisions over the handout I was providing from ~2009-2014
with almost no changes. Before teaching one Marius Lucian Fidelis (Phil Bartolotta) at a Known
Worlde Metal and Glass Symposium, my philosophy was 'make your own repoussé and chasing tools!'
Lucian pointed out to me that I had significantly more experience making a good repoussé punch, and
therefore could provide a better example than he might (initially) create himself. Then, he offered me
dollars in exchange for a set of the six tools I personally reach for most commonly. It's my fault he
started doing serious metalworking, and it's his fault I'm mass-producing repoussé tooling today.

Straight Liner Curved Liner Cross-Section of Both Domed Planisher Flat Planisher

These are the basic shapes to get started. After that, it is mostly a matter of changing scale,
width, thickness, and perimeter. For instance, I have triangular-, square-, and ellipse-shaped
planishers, which are only used in very specific instances. They are still more or less planar, and used
for flattening, but the corners allow me access to specialized shapes.
Make certain that all repoussé and chasing tools have rounded corners . NO SHARP EDGES!
Any of you who have perused the various jewelers’ supply catalogues may have noticed that for the
low, low price of about $90-100, it is possible to purchase a set of ready-made chasing tools. This is
another section where I am having to change my tone, as I now make and sell a series of repoussé and
chasing punches.

The reason that commercial chasing tool blanks do not work is simple: they are supposedly
designed for chasing, which is a surface treatment, which may rightly be called stamping. If used to
form metal, their sharp corners and edges would surely split the metal. Besides, they are not made for
your particular hand, and the artist will learn so much more if all chasing tools are made personally.
Even as a purveyor of repoussé and chasing punches, I stand by this statement. You should not be at
the mercy of a tool-maker to make what you want to make!

Historically, the blanks would have been forged, and Maryon has a useful bit of help there- “the
smaller ones are generally forged thicker in the middle of their length, as they are then easier to hold.”
Anyone who may have been fortunate enough to use a centerpunch made from the earlier part of the
20th Century will know what Maryon is speaking of. I have added a helpful illustration to
demonstrate.

The reason that such a tool works well is that the thicker portion absorbs shock and distributes the force
more gently than a straight rod would, without adding excessive mass. Examine modern shapes such
as throwing knives and darts, and you will notice that the shape is narrow in front and back with a
thickened middle, rather closer to the front. Please, do not however, throw your chasing tools as
shuriken.
So, if not commercial blanks, what then? The least expensive, best material that I have found is
sold commercially as drill rod stock. This is the material that drills are cut from prior to the flutes
being added. It is therefore possible to order these rods in a vast array of diameters, the lengths being
an average of three feet long. The body of chasing and repoussé tools will average 4 inches in length.
Naturally, someone with larger hands will want a longer tool. Otherwise, the skin of the index finger
has the unfortunate tendency to roll on top of the tool and be struck by the hammer. I will hit my finger
thusly twice before I can stop my hand, and the result is two oval blood-blisters, side-by-side. The
great inequity of the universe states that such blood blisters will not become blood calluses. I find this
to be the height of cosmic injustice.
 I shape my tools bilaterally symmetrically. That is, what is on the left is on the right. This
allows me to change direction mid-strike by simply inclining my hand, rather than picking up the tool
and rotating 180°. This is rather like using a double-edged sword rather than a single-edged variant.
Maryon shaped his tools more like blunted gravers, with curved bodies, which I have not yet had the
necessity to employ.

These three above illustrations hope to suggest hardening, tempering, and quenching. After the
tool profile has been forged, ground, or what have you to shape, the surface is sanded to at least a 400-
grit finish with no scratches. If this sounds daunting, let me tell you that only the first ¼” must be
finished in this manner. Any scratches will transfer as raised lines, and any raised lines will score the
work. These tool faces should have a mirror polish.
The flame is addressed to the last inch or so of the tool when hardening. Care must be taken to
keep heat away from the absolute end of the piece, or the end will become overheated. Rather, begin
one inch from the end and allow the heat to crawl towards the middle and the end of the tool. The artist
is looking for a bright, cherry red. Upon obtaining such coloration, quickly shut off the torch flame and
with your preferred hand proceed to the third illustration, which demonstrates the figure-eight motion
of quenching.
It is important while quenching to constantly stir the tool in a lateral fashion (no further
plunging or retracting) to keep fresh oil in contact with the tool. If permitted to quench without
stirring, the oil will form a steam pocket all around the tool, essentially slowing down the hardening
process. The reason that oil is used over water is two-fold.
Oil-quenching is the most gentle of the three, as water is a much superior coolant. Air-
quenching alloys should be avoided, unless clearly labeled and used as such! I buy specifically oil-
hardening steel, commonly designated O-1. This steel is designed specifically to be quenched in oil,
and a water-quench is too severe a change in temperature, usually resulting in cracked steel. Air-
hardening steel can actually explode into shrapnel if quenched in water. The shock to the grain-
structure is simply too great.
Aww, I had to bring up metallurgy again. Well, I might as well get it over with. When heating
the steel, regardless of subsequent operations, care must be taken to avoid the orange-to-yellow
spectrum of heat. Try not to heat beyond a red color. The risk of overheating will result in the grain
size of the steel drastically reforming from small, tight grains into large, coarse grains. The larger
grains have greater spaces between the molecular bond, and result in a greater chance of a shear plane
occurring. This essentially means that overheated tool-steel will simply crumble like a biscuit during
forging or break off during subsequent stress (like hammering). The lesson of modern metallurgy is
finished.
 After successfully hardening the tool, the tip will have a fine grey oxide on its surface. To test
the tool for proper hardness, grab an old file and attempt to shape the tool. The file will skate across
the surface as if it were glass. If the file bites, the steel is either not properly hardened, or not a tool-
steel. Commence then to sanding the hardened tool with the last grit of abrasive paper (i.e. 400) used
prior to hardening. After all scratches are removed and the tool is just so, polish the dickens out of the
working surface. The effect should be rather better than polishing soft steel, as the structure is now less
malleable and therefore does not ‘smear’ like a low-tensile-strength material will.
As the Hardened steel is now harder than a file, as evidenced by its proof against it, some
hardness must be sacrificed for toughness. The tool is much too brittle, and will likely fracture under
much compressive or (especially) lateral stress. The toughness will impart shock-absorbency to the
tool.
The tool is now prepared for tempering. A properly polished tool, as opposed to one covered
with scratches or firescale, has the added bonus of making tempering that much simpler. Tempering is
essentially the same process as hardening, but that the flame is softer, and the temperature range is
much lower. Begin by heating the working surface perhaps an inch farther from the end than when
hardening occurred (two or more inches from the end). Watch carefully, and use a sort of ‘dive-
bombing’ technique, pulling the flame towards and then sharply away from the tool.
The first noticeable color is a pale yellow, or light straw color. There will not be much time
before this progresses to a medium straw color, and then a rather gold oxide. This is the correct temper
for a chasing tool. After the gold color may be found a sort of muddy brown-purple, then a true purple,
and finally a brilliant blue that says, “you made a spring!”
As soon as the gold color is witnessed, quench immediately. It is important to keep heat from
further crawling to the ‘business end’ of the tool. Do not worry if there is evidence of purple or blue
behind the working area, so long as the working surface itself is a good golden hue. Additionally, do
not harden the area to be struck by the hammer- leave it soft. It will absorb force best if unhardened,
and the longer the tool is used the more upset the end will become, just as a wooden tent stake.
My very first chasing tool upset to a delightful full-circle mushroom without any cracking.
Upon first inspection most individuals mistake it for a large nail. Round drill stock is easier to come
across than the square variety, but I endorse either shape.

2019 ADDENDUM
Making tools in bulk

Nowadays, when I make repoussé punches, I generally grind groups of 60 or more at once, finish, and
then heat-treat all the punches at once. A belt-sander with a 1” x 30” belt is sufficient for my needs. I
rough the shapes using a 60-grit belt, adjust with a 220-grit belt, and then finish with a Scotch-brite
wheel and a Fabulustre/Zam polishing compound for the final finish on a cotton buff. I was told, “If it
takes longer than 10 minutes to make a repoussé punch, you're wasting your time.” That was likely an
exaggeration, but it isn't far from my average time invested in each tool.
For heat treat, I have an enameling kiln that I pre-heat to 1475° F / 800°C. While the kiln is
heating, I bundle all the punches into groups of ~10 or so, and when the kiln is up to temperature, I add
them into the kiln with tongs. It's a GOOD idea to do a dry (cool) run before heating, to make certain
the tongs and the bundles will enter and exit comfortably.
Once the punches are all in the kiln, I wait for the temperature to read 1475°F / 800°C again,
and let the heat soak for 10 minutes. Much longer than 10 minutes can lead to de-carburization, and we
want the punches to be as hard and tough as possible. Since all I really care about is the hardness of the
tips, it doesn't really matter if the center of the mass is cooled more slowly. Quench one bundle at a
time into a steel or similar vat of motor oil or vegetable oil, keeping your face out of the way of the
flames that shoot straight up when the surface of the oil surpasses the flash point. This is FAR more
dangerous than heat-treating one at a time with a torch!
Be sure to stir the bundle of punches in the oil, until everything stops bubbling and hissing. Stir
the bundle with thongs in the oil for another minute or so, and then place aside in a pan, so you don't
get oil all over the place. Repeat until all punches have been hardened. Once the punches are hardened
thusly, feel free to cool them down more quickly in water. They should only be ~300°F / 150°C
following the oil quench, but that's too hot to safely handle.
At this point, I take the punches back to the Scotch-brite wheel on my polishing motor, and
lightly grind the firescale off of the entire punch. Then bring back to the final finish with a polishing
compound on a cotton buffing wheel. After all the punches are all at their final final finish, set them on
a baking pan, and set them in an oven for 1 hour at 400°F / 204°C. Let the pan cool on a counter, and
then do that again. Double-tempering has been found to be a legitimate technique for long-term
stability in both knives and punches.

Useful Tips
General, helpful information they don’t typically teach you in school or books.

 When annealing a pitch-encrusted surface,

make sure the pitchy side is up. The pitch will
burn and send forth copious amounts of smoke
like a little volcano. The less pitch on the firebrick,
the better.
 When working the front of the workpiece, fill
the back with pitch first. This prevents air bubbles.
 Note what is supposed to represent
draughting tape on the workpiece. A dam of tape
will prevent pitch on the good side of your work,
and prevent much swearing.
 Be certain to adhere tape to tape, and leave no adhesive to come into contact with the
pitch. They bond a little too well.
 Think about the cross-section of your surface features. Repoussé and chasing lets you
achieve a myriad of shapes which can include roping or undercuts!
 After pushing out the material from the back, refine the edges from the front before
planishing the background or shaping other forms.
 Rather than spend a great deal of money on a little product, buy your sodium bisulfate
 from a hardware store in the pool maintenance area. The pH reducer used to clean
swimming pools is over 90% sodium bisulfate (check label). Sprinkle just enough
granules to obscure the bottom of the pickle pot.
 Do not spend $100 on a one-quart pickle pot. Buy a crock pot as large as you care to,
and only use the ‘low’ setting. Seal all seams with silicone to prevent the innards from
being corroded by pickle. PICKLE EATS IRON!
 If the pickle should have an excess of free copper ions floating about, your work will
become plated with a thin layer of copper that does not readily polish off. To remove this
oxide, wait until your last soldering operation has been completed (i.e., no more pickling
to perform) and mix up a batch of fresh pickle to which is added about ¼ bottle of
hydrogen peroxide. The amount is not really crucial, but you can’t go wrong with a little
much. Note that exposure to light will cause the peroxide to lose its effectiveness after
perhaps ½ hour. This ‘super pickle’ is particularly vicious on nickel silver and brass. No
not let them linger unattended.

Materials and Equipment

Modern and Medieval Equipment

Okay, who wants a list spelled out for them saying, ‘this is what you need to get started’?
Everyone? Oh, all right. Here are the minimal items required to make your repoussé experience a
delightful one.

Bench Pin- this looks like a forked doorstop, but it’s the most useful sawing fixture possible.
Chasing hammer- it’s what makes magic happen. A ball-pein is a sorry second to this specialized
tool.
Cross-locking tweezers- one of man’s finer inventions, in my opinion. As many as you can carry.
Great for holding soldering setups, material handling, and pinching people.
Dishwashing liquid soap- Lemon Joy is a greaseless wonder.
Draughting or masking tape- perfect for keeping pitchy mess under control.
Earplugs- hearing protection is all-important.
Files- metal will need to be trued, smoothed, and shaped. There is no such thing as ‘too many files.’
Firebrick- or alternative heat-reflecting or –absorbing material that will not ignite.
Flux- to prevent oxidation when soldering.
Paper Towels- Gotta have paper towels!
Pickle- need both solution and container. Heated is better. Use a new crock pot, and seal all seams
with silicone.
Pitch- order from Northwest Pitchworks and nobody gets hurt.
Quench for tooling- used or new motor oil. Vegetable oil also works, but can become rancid.
Quench for workpiece- a tub or pan filled with cool water, for cooling work before handling or
pickling.
Reality- a fictitious place where mundanity dwells and imagination is frowned upon. A paycheck is
often involved.
Repoussé tools - make ‘em yourself, or buy some of mine. Old screwdrivers, masonry nails, new drill
rod stock, old hex wrenches, leaf springs… anything medium-to high-carbon works swell.
Rubber cement- ideal for adhering photocopied patterns to workpiece.
Sandbag- keep your work positioned where you want it at all times, at an angle that is comfy. Ideal for
light forming, too.
Scissors- for cutting out patterns and such.
Scribe- this could be a hobby knife, a pencil, or a permanent ink marker.
Silver [bearing] Solder- for repairing holes made in material and attaching rims, wires, etc.
Solder Pick or Probe- For placing solder as needed. Titanium is perfect because it cannot be soldered
to.
Striker- for lighting the torch.
Torch (acetylene/atmosphere is convenient. Propane/oxygen is the most economical)
X-acto #11 blades- what project isn’t made easier with a good sharp razor?!?
Workpiece- don’t forget your brass, copper, bronze, silver, and gold!

Fancy Terms and Technical Jargon

A mere Glossary

Anneal- to heat to a temperature near the critical point. With most metals, this will mean heating to a
medium- to bright-cherry red. With nonferrous metals, either water or air quench. With ferrous metals,
allow to cool slowly. This will remove any work-hardening and render the metal to a soft, relaxed
state. See ‘noodley.’ IF IN DOUBT, ANNEAL.
Anvil- a solid working surface ideally made of hardened steel, but technically any unyielding working
surface. Most anvils modernly have a built-in bickhorn, (sometimes called a bichorn, bick, or horn) on
the front.
Blank- an as yet unfinished tool, or a punched-out workpiece
Centerpunch- a pointed rod, usually steel, that is struck to create a dimple on a workpiece. This
impression is generally used to accurately locate a drill bit.
Course- this describes a stage of work. Generally, each phase of work between annealings is referred
to as a ‘course.’ If you prefer to call them 'passes', that will do nicely.
Dishing- to a machinist, 'dishing' is the unintended phenomenon whereby the overheating of material
during a grinding procedure causes the center of the mass to recede after cooling, producing a
depressed center on an otherwise flat plane. In SCA jargon, it is used in place of the term 'sinking.'
Draw- in metalworking terms, this is the verb form that describes stretching the metal into a deeper
shape, much in the way a team of horses draws a cart.
Embossing- pushing metal from the back to raise designs on the front.
Firescale- the blackish or reddish oxide formed on metal when heated in an oxidizing atmosphere. This
is either a layer of primarily carbon when dealing with ferrous materials or cupric oxide when dealing
with non-ferrous. Both are quite hard and brittle.
Ferrous- containing iron (Fe).
Flux- is primarily composed of borax and water. In fact, a box of 20 Mule Team brand boric acid
granules and some water will make an excellent paste flux. Flux, as the name suggests, allows the
movement of solder between two surfaces; it prevents firescale by creating an oxygen-reducing
atmosphere.
Forge- (v) the directional moving of metal using only a hammer and anvil. (n) a kiln or furnace used to
heat metal. Anyone referring to objects produced in a forge as ‘forgeries’ is susceptible to ridicule,
small objects thrown at their person, and eventual shunning.
Grain structure- the crystalline arrangement of molecules in any given piece of metal.
Hardening/Tempering- these are typically used one after the other. A tool must be hardened before
tempering may be attempted, but it is possible to leave in a hardened state. These phrases are primarily
used when discussing steel, but non-ferrous metals may be hardened both by work and through heat.
Nonferrous metal is never said to be ‘tempered.’
Liner- a chasing/repoussé tool that has a narrow profile, as a cross-pein. This was the term taught to
me (Grimwulf) by Richard Prillaman, the metals professor at the Memphis College of Art, in the early
1990s. Herbert Maryon calls these tools tracers.
Malleable- the ability to be formed without returning to a prior shape while in a plastic state.
Matting Tool- one of the only textured tools besides alpha-numeric punches used in repoussé. A
textured chasing tool.
Non-ferrous- containing no iron.
Noodley- soft and bendy, especially when referring to metal in its annealed state. So far as I know, this
term was coined by Lord Grimwulf Harland, sometime in the early 1990s.
Oxide- both a hard skin that readily forms over the metal upon introduction to an oxygenated heating,
and a dark discoloration which gradually forms on any metal exposed to oxygen (this second type of
oxidation is often called 'tarnish').
Pein- the opposite side of a hammer’s striking face, if of a shape other than a flatter. A ball-pein is a
convex dome, a cross-pein is an oblong shape perpendicular to the handle, and a straight –pein is in-
line with the handle. Other variations are possible, but are not usually met with.
Planish- to flatten or smooth.
Pickle- (n) an acidic solution, originally vinegar (hence the name). Sulfuric acid in a 1:10 ratio with
water makes an excellent pickle. A safer pickle is sodium bisulfate (commercially sold as Sparex #2 or
pH reducer for swimming pools) and water. Pickle is used to clean firescale off a workpiece after
annealing. Pickle will also remove any residual flux. (v) to boil in a pickling solution.
Pierce- openwork, either cut with punches or modernly drilled and cut with jewelers’ saws.
Pitch- a resinous solid with a low melting temperature that is used as a workholding tool in repoussé.
Quench- the rapid cooling of a workpiece in a (usually) liquid medium. Some common quench
solutions are water, brine, and oil. Brass and certain air-hardening steels are air-quenched, which
means “left until room temperature” on a non-heated surface.
Raising- The forming of a piece of sheet metal by hammering over a stake. The metal is moved /
displaced, but the thickness stays relatively constant. In some cases, the metal can actually become
thickened.
Reality- a probable location, more of a mind-set, which involves drudgery, deadlines, and usually a
paycheck.
Repoussé- a hammered relief design, from the Old French repousser (re- back pousser- push). This
technique is partly embossing, which is only done from the back, and then in turn pushed back from the
front.
Sinking- the doming of a disc of metal by hammering into a sunken depression. The metal is thinned
and stretched while the outside circumference remains relatively unchanged.
Solder- to join two pieces of metal, often of similar properties, together with a third alloy. This is a
molecular bond, and almost as strong as a weld. Machinists will call this 'brazing.' The molecules of
the parent metals will actually part to allow the third metal to bond on a chemical scale.
Stock- this is a general description for any sort of material, be it rod-stock, bar-stock, or sheet-stock.
Tensile Strength- how much force a material can be subjected to before breaking while being pulled
like taffy, or while being bent laterally.
Tool Steel- those alloys containing between .5% and 2% carbon content.
Toughness- not exactly the opposite of hardness, as the steel must be hardened and then ‘drawn back’
to effect temper. Toughness is a resistance to breakage, and is essentially a sort of relative springiness.
Tracer- see ‘Liner’
Upset- to compress and increase the girth of the end of a piece of metal in a sideways fashion, much
like the top of a tent stake.
Weld- joining two pieces of metal of the same kind with a filler of that same metal. Heat and flux are
used in the process.
 Safety Considerations
I am not the boss of you, and I cannot be held responsible for your dangerous shop attitude.

 Use safety glasses any time flying objects may be present, even if you are not the one doing the
dangerous task.
 Always, always, always wear ear protection.
 Tie back long hair and loose clothing.
 Beware of dangling jewelry and rings.
 If fumes are present, use a vent hood and/or a fan.
 Check seals on bottled gas for leaks with soapy water.
 If you insist upon quenching into pickle, beware the splashing acid and toxic/corrosive fumes.
 Use only the lower ¼ of the buffing or grinding wheel, and always point material downwards.
 NEVER polish chain or other loose objects on the buffing motor. Not only is the chain likely to
wrap around the motor at a ridiculous speed, but it may tear off some fingers in the process.
 Don’t touch anything after you’ve heated it up without (cold) tongs. Think you won’t forget?
We’ll see…
 Never hurry around any sort of mechanized or power-driven equipment. A little extra time
beats a hospitalization any day.
 Ask yourself, “What Would Grimwulf Do?” That guy is the personification of Mr. Shop Safety.
 Ask that question again, just to be sure. It may help to substitute a different name.
 If in doubt, DON’T DO IT.

Sources for Tooling and Materials

MSC 1-855-6972 https://www.mscdirect.com/ Elkhart, Indiana

Good source for steel, some tools, and industrial hardware. In Calontir, there are branches in St. Louis,
Omaha, and Kansas City.

Northwest Pitchworks 1-360-715-1772 http://www.northwestpitchworks.com/ Bellingham, WA

THE source for chasing pitch. I like the ‘medium’ grade.

Rio Grande 1-800-545-6566 https://www.riogrande.com/ Albuquerque, New Mexico

Good source for precious metals, stones, findings, and many kinds of jewelers’ tooling.

Monsterslayer.com Despite the goofy name and a bare-bones website, they carry some reasonably-
priced precious metals and base alloys.
 Annotated Bibliography

Maryon, Herbert Metalwork and Enamelling 1912, 5th ed. 1971. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-
22702-2
This is an all-around informative book on technique. Maryon was awarded the OBE (Order of the
British Empire) for his work on reconstructing the Sutton Hoo find. This is a highly informative,
accurate (though dated), and inexpensive book.

Theophilus, On Divers Arts c.1122, © 1963. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-23784-2 As much as I
had wanted to have a swell bibliography by including a period manuscript, the whole of Theophilus’
exposition on repoussé is found in chapter 13 of his treatise on metalwork, which I now quote IN
FULL:
“Tools are also made for pushing up figures, birds, animals, or flowers in repoussé in gold, silver, and
copper. They are a span long, broad and headed on top, while below they are slender, round, flat, three-
cornered, four-cornered, or curved back as required by the diversity of forms in the work. They are to
be struck with a hammer. A tool is also shaped in the same way but is slender at the end. A hole is
impressed in the end of the punch by another even more slender tool and it is filed all around, so that a
very delicate circle appears when it is struck on gold or silver or gilded copper.”

While this text is otherwise highly informative and an excellent resource, it is not the place to go for
repoussé tips.

McCreight, Tim Complete Metalsmith, The revised 1991. Davis Publications, Inc.
ISBN 0-87-192-240-1
McCreight’s introductory text to metalsmithing is an excellent starting point for anyone considering
metalwork. He leaves out a lot of detail, but gives enough information to get the worker started. The
section on Repoussé is sadly neglected, being only two pages.

C.R. Ashbee, translator, Treatises of Benvenuto Cellini on Goldsmithing and Sculpture, the, © 1967.
Dover Publications, Inc.
Library of Congress 66-13829

Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) wrote this authoritative compilation of metalworking, bud sadly left out
a few of the steps that he took for granted as standard practice. Even so, it is an excellent book to
reference for several useful tricks and techniques.

Please excuse any oversights on my part. I will continually revise and update this handout as I see
necessary. Your feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated.

Master.grimwulf@gmail.com or michael@sledgehamster.com