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Decorative Twisting

Twisting is conceptually easy but can be difficult in practice. As a general rule, a twist can be made in only a single heat and an unintended bend in a piece in which the twist has already been started cannot be successfully unbent. Controlling the rate of twist may also present problems depending upon the thickness of the piece and how rapidly or slowly it cools.

Most twists are made on squared rod so that the squared edges visibly rotate with the rate of twist. If the edges are indistinct, the twist may appear contorted and/or undefined. When squaring a rod for a twist, the area squared should be greater than the are to be twisted. This allows for the twist to "travel" from one end to the other. The area of twist can be no longer than the maximum effective width of the fire.

Twist take two basic forms: equal or progressive. An equal twist has evenly spaced areas between the diagonally moving edges. A progressive twist has a progressive change between the spaced areas increasing in length from the first area to the last area.

To make an equal twist, the squared rod should be placed about midway in the fire and slowly brought to a near welding temperature. When the proper heat is reached, the rod is quickly moved to the vise and one end secured down. The opposite end is grasped by pliers or tongs and immediately twisted in a single fluid motion. Care must be taken to keep the rod true as the twist is made. A good technique is to begin the twist with the rod at eye level forming a horizon line. As the twist is made the smith follows the line along the path of rotation so that after a 1/4 turn the smith is above the rod. The sightline is repeated for each 1/4 turn. The technique takes some practice because the smith cannot pause the twist while relocating the next sightline. Any straightening must occur before the twist advances more than 1/4 turn past the area of bend, otherwise the piece will "S" when pressure is applied to straighten it.

To make a progressive twist, the rate of twist is controlled and slowly reduced as the piece cools. To make rapid changes in the twist progression, it is helpful to begin the twist with the pliers nearest the heated area (position "a") and gradually move the pliers away from the heated area as the piece cools (position "b"). By the time position "b" is reached, the rod should be significantly less fluid and the length between twist lines much greater. By moving the pliers away from the heated area, some of the rotational motion is absorbed by the cold area of the iron, further increasing the length between twist lines.