Hinging the Box

After finally sealing the overall box shape the next stage is to cut it apart again to give me two halves that meet neatly together.

The photograph shows the top half of the box with a piece of copper tubing lined up along one side to provide me with an idea of the length necessary to make the hinge for the box. Its sitting on another sheet of copper acting as a spacer to position the hinge tube in the right position to join both halves of the box.

...and then...with a prayer to the god of soldering and a lot of luck and swearing, the high knuckles are soldered to each side of the box. With that done, the box now looks like this;

The inner tube has been left deliberately long so I can easily take the box apart again whilst I work on the next stages.

Not So Much a Box as a Kettle

Having made two halves using the die I showed in the last post, the next job is to solder them together to make a box. I cut out a thin strip to go around the outside of the box plan shape to form the wall between top and bottom and then soldered the two halves to it.

In the photo above, you can see the bottom half of the box already soldered to the side wall. I hammered the central portion of this half flat to make a flat surface for the box to rest on. Once the strip was soldered in place, I trimmed off the excess of the copper plate (the part where the screws fixed the plate to the die) and started the process of soldering the bottom and the wall to the top of the box to make a completely sealed box.

After soldering I quench the box in water. This also lets me check to see if there are any gaps in the soldering. If there is water in the box after quenching, I've got a hole. Finding the hole (it's often very small) or holes, is a matter of heating the box up again with the water still inside. The effect is like an old style whistling kettle. As the water evaporates, steam comes whistling out of the hole.

This box is proving to be riddled with holes around the top edge of the wall. Third time trying to plug them, I hoping next time will get them all.

The following photograph is of the box end on so you can see the different profiles of top and bottom.

A MDF Die and a Bit of Bashing

I finally decided to bite the bullet and make a die to help me in forming some different shapes for boxes. The last box, although it ended up alright was initially an experiment to try to make a different shaped box, but I had hoped by starting with a spherical mould, that it would be easy to manipulate this shape into something more interesting... Obviously not, so this time I've taken the time to make up a die to allow me to make something closer to the rounded rectangle I'm looking for.

The following photograph shows me in the middle of forming the first half of the new box, using the die.

The die was made by cutting out the required shape from a piece of MDF

After hammering with a planishing hammer, the copper sheet has now taken on the shape of the die template.

Something Outside, Something Inside

A little more progress on the latest copper box. I decided that the lid was a little flat and needed something to give it a bit more structure, so I've added a silver repouse leaf.

At smithing class, we had a discussion about what might be inside the box and it was suggested that I needed something to contract the wood and the copper and to emphasise the sense of decay or organic nature of the contents.

By painting a solution of copper nitrate to the inside surface of the base of the box and heating it, a green grainy surface develops. I think it achieve the effect of suggesting something happening deep in the box, under the wood.

Variation on a Theme

So....here is the next stage in my re-imagining of the copper box. I've incorporated a hole pattern along the lines of my Organo-Box series.

A small pinch of inspiration...?

Having had a long think about the problems with this piece, I decided to try something different. Rather than putting the wood on the outside...how about trying it inside?

Here's my first attempt....any thoughts?

Not sure about this one.....

In an attempt to get my 'Smithing Mojo' back, I started working on a new copper box, but rather than following a design sketched and refined in my sketchbook, as I have in the past, I decided to wing it...

This is the result...

...and I'm not sure that I like it very much. Its a bit like a cartridge for a coffee machine. This is the result of having a limited set of options in forming the base. I had wanted to make an oval shape but was limited to a sphere shaped die.
I added the piece of wood to the top to try to make it a bit more arty...

Ob the plus side, I'm happy with the construction of the box and the hinge;

The piece of wood has also come up very nicely particularly once I treated it with Tung Oil.

I need some advice from the vast array of my followers out in blog land...