there was a discussion of holdfasts a while back in, i believe,  
woodworking magazine.  the cast iron ones were distinctly NOT  
recommended.  i believe our own phil koontz's versions were given  
plaudits.  the other holdfasts recommended were all wrought iron.

bill
felton, ca

On Aug 12, 2010, at 3:59 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:

> Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
>
> http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm
>
> They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast  
> iron is suitable?
>
> Don
>
> -- 
> "I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may  
> learn how to do it." -Pablo Picasso
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have one similar to this, a jorgenson, as I was looking for a shorter 
one, so I don't hit my drawers as Phil intimated a few hours back.  Not 
my favorite, it doesn't work in most of my dog holes, I have to hit it 
really hard to get it to engage in the ones it does work in
http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/smalltraditionalbenchholddown.aspx

I have one of these I bought after the failure of the other one.  Cut 
the stem shorter, works a charm over the drawers.  I plan to buy more, 
as they work well.  Not as cheap as yours or the jorgy, but the cost of 
frustration is very high.
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/Merchant/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=
toolshop&Product_Code=MS-HOLDFAST.XX&Category_Code=&Search=holdfast

Don Schwartz wrote:
> Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
>
> http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm
>

-- 
Kirk Eppler in HMB, CA, cleaning the shop at night in advance of a certain annua
l tradition happening in Sept.
Pharmaceutical and Packaging Engineering
eppler.kirk@g...

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?

http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm

They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron is 
suitable?

Don

-- 
"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do 
it." -Pablo Picasso

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had a couple of cast iron hold fast experiences with some
Highlandhardware versions a good decade or so ago. 1, maybe two hits
beforethey snap. You get what you pay for.

Michael-Bay Area Galoot.

Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?=C2=A0 =C2=A0
http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm=C2=A0 =C2=A0 They seem
remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast ironis
suitable?=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Don=C2=A0 =C2=A0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Aug 12, 2010, at 6:59 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:

> Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
>
> http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm
>
	Hell no, it is not suitable.  That isn't a holdfast, it is a holdfast- 
shaped-object.  Worst woodworking money I ever spent.  Any store  
selling one should be ashamed of themselves.

Regards,
Steve

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cast Iron has a really lousy modulus of elasticity.
Part and parcel of the  function of such a device is to use it's 
inherent spring tension  (modulus of elasticity)  pushing against the 
forces you pound into it when you lock the sucker down.
Cast Iron will reflect a greater level of hysteresis  and experience a 
much earlier failure point.
How much force will be required to break it?
I don't know, there are formula you can invoke for that.
Anyway I'd prefer a different form of steel.

nicknaylo@a... wrote:
> I had a couple of cast iron hold fast experiences with some Highland 
> hardware versions a good decade or so ago. 1, maybe two hits before 
> they snap. You get what you pay for.
>
> Michael-Bay Area Galoot.
>
>
>
> Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ? 
>  
> http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm 
>  
> They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron 
> is suitable? 
>  
> Don 
>  
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
>

------------------------------------------------------------------------

GG,
Can't recommend Phil's (and Jake by association) holdfasts enough...the use of h
oldfasts has changed the way I do a lot of things; they give me a lot more latit
ude in how I hold my work.
 
There are other makers of good holdfasts. I just can't remember who they are! 

Roy Griggs
roygriggs@w...
www.shavingsandsawdust.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Aug 12, 2010, at 8:40 PM, Matthew Groves wrote:
> There are others on the list that are selling them as well (or at
> least their son, I believe).

        Since the topic has come up, again, here is a refresher for
        those who were around here in the early two thousands, or new
        news for more recent members: There should be three pics in this
        GIC album: <http://galootcentral.com/index.php?option=com_coppe-
        rminevis&Itemid=2&place=thumbnails&album=105> or
        <http://tinyurl.com/22ktry9> that show me and my son Tim, and
        some of the 40plus holdfasts Tim made and we sold via this list
        back in '02 or thereabouts. (If GIC slips away from these links,
        search for the album on my username there, Tom11.) They are
        patterned after the HF I bought, still warm from the forge, from
        Brian Emery, at the MWTCA regional meet at Hancock Shaker
        Village back in the summer of '96. These are made from 3/4" cold
        rolled mild steel rod, and work well in (nominal) 3/4" benchtop
        holes. As Phil suggested, it takes a benchtop about 2" or more
        thick to grab them. If you use Veritas 3/4" brass bench dogs or
        pups in round vice dog holes, those same holes serve to secure
        these holdfasts. Since that time Tim has wandered fairly deeply
        into other pursuits (environmental surveys, SCUBA), but is now
        in the process of putting a metal shop back together at his
        place in the woods of southern Oregon, and there is some
        possibility that he could get back into holdfasts and similar
        forged objects. Tom Holloway, holding fast

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think anyone wanting to purchase holdfasts cannot go wrong with a Phil
or Jake made model. There are others on the list that are selling them
as well (or at least their son, I believe).

I bought mine in the Joe Duclos era of the porch.

Let the accurate word ring out, however, that these are some of the
easiest projects for the beginning blacksmith or tinkerer. Find some
mild steel rod. Heat it. It's not a complex shape to bend. Done.

And oh what a feeling.

Some people are captivated by tropical fish or the babbling of a
fountain. Me? I could pound and release holdfasts all day long. Never
gets old. Nearly Magical.

Matthew Groves Springfield, MO--------------------------------------------------
------------
----------

This is actually a delayed gloat, delayed by a year.

I bought two of Jakes holdfasts from Phil a couple of years ago, and have
been quite happy with them, even using them on a bench made of "white wood"
from the borg.  The leaf shape at the end that contacts the wood you're
holding is very organic and distinctive.

Last year at the LFOD auction in Avoca, I won a box lot (among many other
things) for really cheap, $20 as I recall.  When I got everything home, and
was looking through it all, I noticed a familiar leaf shape, and discovered
I had not one, not two, but three of Jake's holdfasts that hadn't been
noticed by all the other bidders and were able to come home with me.

I've even had the opportunity to use all five of these at once.  

You can never have too many of these holdfasts.

Jim in Newton

-----Original Message-----
From: oldtools-bounces@r...
[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of Matthew Groves
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 11:40 PM
To: oldtools oldtools
Subject: Re: [OldTools] cast iron holdfast

I think anyone wanting to purchase holdfasts cannot go wrong with a Phil or
Jake made model. There are others on the list that are selling them as well
(or at least their son, I believe).

I bought mine in the Joe Duclos era of the porch.

Let the accurate word ring out, however, that these are some of the easiest
projects for the beginning blacksmith or tinkerer. Find some mild steel rod.
Heat it. It's not a complex shape to bend. Done.

And oh what a feeling.

Some people are captivated by tropical fish or the babbling of a fountain.
Me? I could pound and release holdfasts all day long. Never gets old. Nearly
Magical.

Matthew Groves
Springfield, MO

------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I have one similar to this, a jorgenson, as I was looking for a shorter
> one, so I don't hit my drawers as Phil intimated a few hours back.  

It's a simple matter to make holdfasts shorter.  All you need is a hacksaw
and a little elbow grease. 

I have three of Phil's holdfasts, viewable here in their designated storage
spot on my bench:

http://tinyurl.com/2b38j87

The top is hard maple, a fraction over 4" thick

I designed my bench with holdfasts in mind, using risers to create open
space between the top and cabinet.  The top overhangs the front of the
cabinet by 4 inches, so clearance under the front dog holes isn't a problem.
When I got the holdfasts, I found that they were too long to fit properly in
the holes that were farther back.  I cut one off, filed the cutoff area
smooth, and used a torch to create the same oxide coating that covered the
rest of it.  Now, several years later, one shorter holdfast has been all I
needed for the work I've done with my particular bench design.  That might
not/probably won't be the case with a different design.

Chuck Myers, up way too late in Western PA

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?

http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm

They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron  
is suitable?

They were so inexpensive, I bought four of them years ago.  Two broke  
within a few hours of use and were replaced 'free'.  A replacement  
broke almost immediately.  Then I tried a steel one, and now have five  
of those.

Recommendation:  when the cast iron ones break, nothing goes flying  
across the room or at you.  The horizontal leg just falls off.  Safe  
enough that I let my little grandsons use the ones I have left to hold  
pieces of scrap wood they beat on with 4-6 oz. ball pein hammers.   
Gets them tired and they go to sleep more easily.

Charlie Driggs

------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

::-----Original Message-----
::From: oldtools-bounces@r... 
::[mailto:oldtools-bounces@r...] On Behalf Of 
::Don Schwartz
::Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2010 6:59 PM
::To: galoots list serv
::Subject: [OldTools] cast iron holdfast
::
::Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
::
::http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm

Cast iron?  For something that you need to be able to whang on with a mallet
to make it grab?  And holdfasts function by having a little bit of
springiness in them - i.e., a modicum of flex.  Something for which cast
iron is not well-known.  

In other words, in answer to your question - no freakin' way.

You want steel.  It doesn't even need to be spring steel - I have a few made
of plain old hot-rolled mild steel that work perfectly.  But I could see
that steel with a little spring to it would help, as they would be tougher
and have that little bit of springiness you're looking for.  

Two of them I forged out of old gate pins - those L-shaped pins you use to
lock a gate; they typically are mounted vertically and go down into a piece
of pipe in the ground.  The holdfasts I made are kinda ugly, but man, they
work like hell.    

- Bill T.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

amen to that.  if i can make one, anyone can.  and i did.  a word to  
the new blacksmiths, though:  don't leave your mild steel rod in the  
heat too long or it comes out looking like a cheesestick nibbled by  
rats.  apparently heating beyond a certain point effects the same  
thing as superfast rusting.  right, tom?

bill
felton, ca

On Aug 12, 2010, at 8:40 PM, Matthew Groves wrote:

> Let the accurate word ring out, however, that these are some of the  
> easiest projects for the beginning blacksmith or tinkerer. Find some  
> mild steel rod. Heat it. It's not a complex shape to bend. Done.
>
> And oh what a feeling.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks. Yes, that's what I've been thinking. I'm tired of struggling 
with clamps, screws and such to hold materials in place on the bench so 
I can work on them, and holdfasts seem to me to be the most elegant and 
versatile solution. I used my Record clamp-adapter the other day, and 
both screws and F-clamps today to hold materials so I could get 
something done. They worked well enough, but the setup and takedown is 
wasted effort, and the result no better than what I'd expect from a 
decent holdfast.  They're an example of what I call an appropriate 
technology.

I like the greater reach of the LV offering 
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=31149&cat=1,41637
http://tinyurl.com/2cb5xsw
but they're not inexpensive, and I'm not sure that with a screwdown 
approach, they'll be as quick & convenient as simpler designs.

I'm impressed by Phil's artfulness on a fundamentally simple object  
http://www.galenavillageblacksmith.com/may03.html
http://tinyurl.com/ax5hw
but the eye candy factor carries a substantial cost premium.

And I like the idea of making my own, but I'm not really equipped for 
that, and I don't need another hobby!

Today I'm thinking I'd much rather buy a pair of those Grammercy 
holdfasts  and keep the extra cash for something else.  If I like them 
well enough, I can imagine buying another pair later. I only wish I'd 
ordered them a couple or three weeks ago!

Once again thanks to all who offered opinions and advice.

Don
Calgary

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do 
it." -Pablo Picasso

On 8/13/2010 3:05 PM, Bill Ghio wrote:
> > While not as inexpensive as the one you posed your question about, these oug
ht to work and are still way less expensive than Phil's.
>
> http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/indextool.mvc?prodid=MS-HOLDFAST.XX
>
> Bill
>
> On Aug 12, 2010, at 7:59 PM, Bill Ghio wrote:
>
>    
>> >> Ditto re Phil's holdfasts. Pricy but you won't regret it. I had another bl
acksmith made one that I sold after using Phil's. I have used a set from another
 blacksmith who got real pissy when I told her what was wrong w/ hers (i.e., not
 lik Phil's). But she made the changes and they were vastly improved. Gary Caron
 (gary.j.caron@h...) doesn't post a lot but has a forge and a great design for h
oldfasts. I have two of his design that I was fortunate enough to make on his fo
rge and bending forms at a Galoot gathering and they are as good as Phil's. You 
might ask him if he is making any.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>
>> On Aug 12, 2010, at 6:59 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>>
>>      
>>> Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
>>>
>>> http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm
>>>
>>> >>> They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron is
 suitable?
>>>
>>> Don
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> >>> "I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn ho
w to do it." -Pablo Picasso
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
>>> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
>>> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
>>> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>>>
>>> To change your subscription options:
>>> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>>>
>>> To read the FAQ:
>>> http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>>>
>>> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>>>
>>> OldTools@r...
>>> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>>>        
>>      
>
>    
------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's what SWMBO and I keep saying!

Don
Calgary, where it's currently 16 deg. C ( that's 60 deg F! ).

"I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do 
it." -Pablo Picasso

On 8/13/2010 5:15 PM, Matthew Groves wrote:
> You're in the wrong place, bub.
>
> Matthew
>
>
> On Aug 13, 2010, at 6:13 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>
>    
>> and I don't need another hobby
>>      
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
>
> To change your subscription options:
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
> To read the FAQ:
> http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
>
> OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
>
> OldTools@r...
> http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
>
>    
------------------------------------------------------------------------

You're in the wrong place, bub.

Matthew

On Aug 13, 2010, at 6:13 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:

> and I don't need another hobby

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't disagree with you Cliff but would argue with yield strength. 
Cast iron holdfast == bad idea (except it says malleable cast iron of
course). Anybody ever dropped a Stanley plane on a concrete floor? 

(BTW, modulus of elasticity of cast iron is just about half that of
steel, so it is really not that lousy).

Chris

On Thu, 2010-08-12 at 21:30 -0700, Cliff Rohrabacher, Esq. wrote:
> Cast Iron has a really lousy modulus of elasticity.
> Part and parcel of the  function of such a device is to use it's 
> inherent spring tension  (modulus of elasticity)  pushing against the 
> forces you pound into it when you lock the sucker down.
> Cast Iron will reflect a greater level of hysteresis  and experience a 
> much earlier failure point.
> How much force will be required to break it?
> I don't know, there are formula you can invoke for that.
> Anyway I'd prefer a different form of steel.
> 
> 
> nicknaylo@a... wrote:
> > I had a couple of cast iron hold fast experiences with some Highland 
> > hardware versions a good decade or so ago. 1, maybe two hits before 
> > they snap. You get what you pay for.
> >
> > Michael-Bay Area Galoot.
> >
> >
> >
> > Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ? 
> >  
> > http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm 
> >  
> > They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron 
> > is suitable? 
> >  
> > Don 
> >  
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > OldTools is a mailing list catering to the interests of hand tool
> > aficionados, both collectors and users, to discuss the history, usage,
> > value, location, availability, collectibility, and restoration of
> > traditional handtools, especially woodworking tools.
> >
> > To change your subscription options:
> > http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
> >
> > To read the FAQ:
> > http://swingleydev.com/archive/faq.html
> >
> > OldTools archive: http://swingleydev.com/archive/
> >
> > OldTools@r...
> > http://ruckus.law.cornell.edu/mailman/listinfo/oldtools
> >
> >
> 
> 

-- 
Chris Scholz 
Galoot-Tools

------------------------------------------------------------------------

  On 8/12/10 6:59 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
>  Can anyone recommend these holdfasts ?
>
>  http://www.woodzone.com/woodwork/HT/207370.htm
>
>  They seem remarkably inexpensive, but I'm wondering whether cast iron
>  is suitable?
>
>  Don
>

If they are cast iron, no. If they are ductile iron, they will work 
fine. I broke my cast iron versions long ago and bought a couple of 
ductile iron holdfasts at Woodcraft. They have worked well.
****************************
Tom Price (tomprice03@g...)
Brakes For Rust
The Galoot's Progress Old Tools site is at:
http://homepage.mac.com/galoot_9/galtprog.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------

for heavens sake  cast iron is the wrong material  for a tool that must 
flex in order to do its job

GOOGLE "Modulus of Elasticity"  +"Cast Iron"
Then do the math

Make your own from any hot or cold roll bar stock.  Get some 1" ( 20 mm 
or so)  on the Flea Bay.   Heat one  brilliant cherry red end and pound 
the living Be-Geebus outta it with a huge  hammer  while holding the end 
of the bar stock firmly on on a huge hunk of  steel or cast iron ( RR 
track sections work great as anvils).   Repeat till you have a  nice 
flat end.  It'll take an hour  or two if you got a crappy heat source. 
Less if you got a good 'un. Then heat  (to a nice cnerry red) some part 
of it about 4 - 6 inches in from that flattened end   you pounded out 
and bend it in a right angle.
That's it~!!
You just made a holdfast.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

FWIW. I have tried to use 1" steel for holdfasts, and it's much easier
to use 3/4". The hammer effort involved in working heavy steel is
proportional to the square of the diameter, which means you have to hit
a 1" bar twice as many times as a 3/4" bar to make the same shape.
 11/16" steel is something that Jake and I buy and happily pay air
    freight to get here to waythehellandbeyond to make holdfasts. Low
    carbon steel is better than spring steel. Trust me on this.

Otherwise, I agree with every word. Anyone can make a holdfast. All you
need is a fire, a hammer, and a vise. If you don't have a hammer, a
rock will probably do the job. Also, I recommend at least 6-1/2" for
the bent-over part of the holdfast. More is better. It's a matter of
how the clamping magic works. I don't really understand why, but that's
the answer.

The easiest way to bend stuff is to heat the place you want to bend, put
it in a vise with the hot spot just outside the vise jaws, then grab it
with a wrench and pull the end toward you.

PK Who has made a few of the damned things.

On Sat, Aug 14, 2010 at 9:19 PM, Cliff Rohrabacher, Esq.
 wrote:

> Make your own from any hot or cold roll bar stock. =C2=A0Get some 1" (
> 20 mm or so) =C2=A0on the Flea Bay. =C2=A0 Heat one =C2=A0brilliant
> cherry red end and pound the living Be-Geebus outta it with a huge
> =C2=A0hammer =C2=A0while holding the end of the bar stock firmly on on
> a huge hunk of =C2=A0steel or cast iron ( RR track sections work great
> as anvils). =C2=A0 Repeat till you have a =C2=A0nice flat end.
> =C2=A0It'll take an hour =C2=A0or two if you got a crappy heat source.
> Less if you got a good 'un. Then heat =C2=A0(to a nice cnerry red)
> some part of it about 4 - 6 inches in from that flattened end =C2=A0
> you pounded out and bend it in a right angle. That's it~!! You just
> made a holdfast.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Cliff--

Please accept my apology for any rudeness in that note. I woke up this
morning to discover that my evil twin got drunk on homebrew and posted
notes on my computer last night. I will have a talk with him.

PK

On Sun, Aug 15, 2010 at 5:55 AM, Cliff Rohrabacher, Esq.
 wrote:
> Yah, 1" may be a bit of overkill. =C2=A0Heavy too. And the angle to
> bend it =C2=A0is =C2=A0some happy figure more than 90 Degrees.
> =C2=A0Maybe it 6 or 7 =C2=A0degrees more. =C2=A0It ain't exact. Look
> at a picture of a good 'un and make it look like that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill Kasper wrote:

> amen to that.  if i can make one, anyone can.  and i did.  a word to 
> the new blacksmiths, though:  don't leave your mild steel rod in the 
> heat too long or it comes out looking like a cheesestick nibbled by 
> rats.  apparently heating beyond a certain point effects the same 
> thing as superfast rusting.  right, tom?
>
> bill
> felton, ca
>
> On Aug 12, 2010, at 8:40 PM, Matthew Groves wrote:
>
>> Let the accurate word ring out, however, that these are some of the 
>> easiest projects for the beginning blacksmith or tinkerer. Find some 
>> mild steel rod. Heat it. It's not a complex shape to bend. Done.

I use an 18" length of 3/4" mild steel reinforcing rod.  No need for 
heat.  I cold-flatten one end with a 14 lb sledge on a piece of railway 
rail.  Lighter hammer, more hits.  Put a hacksaw cut in the flattened 
piece about half way through and just where the rod starts to turn from 
round to flat.  Use, as a form, a  piece of  3" x 2" hardwood in the 
vice with two large woodscrews set in it with their shanks protruding 
and about 7" apart.  Catch the flattened end against one screw-shank and 
bend the rod around the other screw using a length of pipe on the "tail" 
of the rod.  Then cold-hammer back the flat piece to the correct 
attitude along the crease made by the saw-cut. File the sole of the foot 
smooth and then, as the Great Philosophical Botanist would say, "Bob's 
yer peduncle".

Regards from Brisbane,

John Manners 

------------------------------------------------------------------------