Metalshaping by Florian Reinert.

Florian is a novice blacksmith who started his craft at the last biennale in Kolbermoor. But has been active in metalworking for several years, more specifically the cold forming of sheet metal. At the moment, he makes holes in exclusive car bodies on request. Think of the filling point for the petrol tank, headlights and much more. Making holes in metal sheets and doing this neatly and professionally is a craft in itself.

Where the blacksmith often works with the metal property of expanding when heated, the sheet metal worker makes use of the effects of metal shrinkage.

As an example of the effect of shrinkage, Florian gives the 'leather patch analogy'. Take a round leather patch, stretch a string around the largest circumference, and pull it tight. You will then see the material fold and bulge within the circle. And the cap of a beer bottle is also a nice example of shrinking.

Other forms of cold forming are chiselling and free hammering.

The wise advice is, when you are going to work on sheet steel, to look carefully at what the material does and not force anything.

Florian took us very informatively, step by step, through his making techniques. A clear, passionate presentation with interesting examples in video and photo.

From beginning to end, there were 9 very engaged listeners from 6 countries, with whom experiences were shared and questions answered.

Thanks to our cooperation with ABANA we will be publishing the recording of this Treff in not too far future.

If you want to support the Treff, you can either donate directly via our Kofi page or book a course from Beat Life into your Forging.

The next Treff is in January 2025. More information will follow soon.
Start: 19.00 CET
Room Open: 18.40 CET