OT What are they called???

[lugnut]

I just got home from a garage sale down the street. I bought these three pieces. The guy said that they had belonged to his Dad many years ago and did not know what they was. I couldn't just leave them there. They look like some sort of metal forming tool and almost look like the surface is chrome or nickle. I don't have a name for them so it's kinda hard to search their use. Any help?

[portlandRon]

The generic term is "Forming Stakes". Yours may have a specific name related to what they were actually made for.

[RussZHC]

Curious, is there anyway you can tell how the "stake" part is attached to the two different tops?

I've made use of a couple homemade ones but they are just shapes welded to a 1/2" x 1" piece which is the "stake"...these look quite a bit more refined.

[rancherbill]

This guy makes them. He uses tool steel and TIG welds them.

Handmade metal forming stakes & tools for jewelers, silversmiths, coppersmiths, and blacksmiths or any kind of metal forming, including auto restoration, hot rods, motorcycle, and art metal sculpture.

In your picture it says semi steel, so maybe, they are for brass. ????

[lazlo]

Tinsmith stakes. They use a variety of proprietary tapers: Pexto et al, but you have the mating socket for it, so you're set. We had to forge a Pexto taper socket out of heavy wall tubing for our 2nd term blacksmithing class at ACC

Blacksmiths, tinsmiths, sheetmetal workers... will pay a pretty penny for them.

[Evan]

As well as some jewellers.

[lazlo]

This guy makes them. He uses tool steel and TIG welds them.

Kevin does fantastic work.

Blatant thread hijack, but he did a fabulous video entitled "The Last Stake Maker":

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xl1...romo_lifestyle

In your picture it says semi steel, so maybe, they are for brass. ????

Probably because they're cast steel.

[Toolguy]

I'm wondering if you could mount the holder vertical on a bench or post, then use the stakes in a horizontal or vertical position. It looks like there is another square hole going through the holder.

[Gazz]

Those are raising stakes and stake holder that are used by silversmiths or coppersmiths. With some skill and patience, you can take a flat sheet of silver, copper, brass or bronze and raise it into a bowl, teapot or other vessel. They are typically made of cast iron or forged steel and highly polished as any surface texture in the stake will transfer into the metal you are working. The raising hammers that are used are highly polished as well. I am sure there lots of videos on youtube showing how a vessel is raised. When I was in school, we used to have to polish stakes as part of our training.

[armedandsafe]

They also look very much like the shoe maker lasts I've seen used in shops for making and fitting custom orthopedic and prosthetic shoes. My ex-FIL was one of those shoe makers.

Pops