Perfect helm stake?

[RalphS]

Earlier today I was over at a metal yard and fabrication shop, and ordered a heavy T-stake. The guys in the shop estimated the weight to 80 kg (about 175 lbs) when it's done. It's going to be made in 90 mm round solid bar, the top bar of the T 50 cm long, on a post of 40 cm long. I'll make a dedicated stump with metal plate for this baby!

The top bar will be curved in a gentle S-shape, with one end pointing up, the other one down.

I'll mostly use the stake for raising helmets, but will probably do a lot of helmet planishing on it as well.

I'm a bit unsure about the curvature for the two ends, right now they'll be pressed down/up by 35 mm in the middle of each length of 250 mm, the rest I'll grind off to get just the curvature I want.

Does anyone have any tips and suggestions for tweaking the shape (or adding other related things I just won't be able to live without)?




And yes, I'll post pictures once I get the new toy

[lorenzo2]

Wow! great project. That must be a really great shop if it can deal with such large stock. As to improvments, perhaps one end could come to a blunt point for the initial stages in making helms with a pointed top?