Trying to freehand a spiral on a hot bar was my worst idea yet.

In my experience, when you try to twist steel by eye, it never comes out even. I was making a fireplace poker and wanted a fancy spiral handle. I heated the bar and started turning, but one section cooled faster than the rest. The twist kinked and left a weak spot that cracked later. Your mileage may vary, but take this with a grain of salt: if you're not using a jig or marks, you're asking for trouble. Now I always scribe lines before twisting, no matter how simple it seems. It might add time, but it saves the piece from becoming scrap.

3 comments

3 Comments

young.michael6h ago

Learned that the hard way when my spiral came out all wobbly. I started marking the bar with chalk before heating it up. The lines give you a guide to keep the twist even from end to end.

the_eric3h ago

Honestly, scribing lines first saved me so much headache. I even use a center punch to mark my twist points for better control.

max5648m ago

Setting up guides before diving in is a common trick for avoiding mistakes. It works in things like woodworking or even planning my week on a calendar. That prep work usually saves time fixing errors down the road.