T & C Latane have been creating metalwork in Pepin, Wisconsin for over 30 years. Catherine makes tin cookie cutters shaped by hand into a wide variety of shapes. Artist-Blacksmith Tom Latané has been using traditional tools and techniques including chasing and repoussé to forge original locks, hardware, tools and candle fixtures in Pepin, Wisconsin, since 1983. Tom is also a skilled woodworker, and enjoys combining his talents with wood and metal.
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The Making of a 4′ Candle Stand (Part 3)
Watch Tom Latané, a blacksmith with 30+ years of experience, make a metal candle stand by hand. In this third part of our candle stand series, Tom will make the candle basket which you can see in the image above. It is part of a four-foot-tall candle stand for a 4″ diameter candle.
Tom has already created a star-shaped piece of metal, made out of three bars of steel welded at their centers.
In the above picture, Tom is filing the end of each arm to create three “lobes”. The metal is held securely a leg vise. A leg vise has a leg that extends to the floor, thus supporting the vice.
The back end of a hammer, called a “pein”, is used to directionally spread the metal. The front end or “face” of the hammer spreads in all directions. In the above picture, Tom has used the pein to stretch one of the lobes and is now smoothing with the face.
A crowned stake is placed in a leg vise, and the candle basket is leaned against the round end of the stake. Tom bends the metal by striking beyond the metal’s point of contact with the stake.
The candle basket has to be placed in the fire a total of six times, one for each arm. When hot, each is bent with a hammer against the crowned stake, like in the previous step.
This is what the candle basket looks like after three of the arms have been bent.
This is what the candle basket looks like after the bending is completed.
Next, Tom will create a pan to hold the candle. The purpose of the pan is to catch the wax drip from the candle.
Tom had chisel cut a metal disc and placed it in the fire. When hot retrieves it with tongs and hammers it against an anvil. He hammers the edges of the disc to thin them, while leaving the thicker material in the middle for greater strength. This disc will form the pan of the candle holder.
The edges of the disc are bent over the curved end of a raising stake, which is put in a leg vise.
Then, the candle pan is placed on top of a cylinder, and Tom hammers it to flatten the bottom and complete the shape of the pan.
The pan now fits the candle basket, but it will not be riveted onto it until after the basket is tenoned onto the staff.
Tom now begins to create the band that will go around the six arms of the candle basket.
A length of metal is placed in the fire, then retrieved and hammered on the horn of the anvil to bend it. The hammer strikes just beyond the horn to bend the steel over it.
The ends of the band will be joined in a scarf joint. The scarf is the tapered end that helps the metal blend together when it is welded.
Tom heats the scarfed ends in the fire and then welds them together on the horn of the anvil.
The metal band is now complete, and can be riveted onto the candle top.
The mortise is drilled to avoid the distortion potentially caused by hot punching.
Afterwards, the basket is riveted onto the staff. The drip pan still needs to be connected to the basket, however.
The pan is attached, and the candle stand is now complete, except for the cooked on wax finish!
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran.
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The Making of a 4′ Candle Stand (Part 2)
Watch Tom Latané, a blacksmith with 30+ years of experience, make a metal candle stand by hand. In this second part of our candle stand series, Tom will make the tripod candle base which you can see in the image above. It is part of a four-foot-tall candle stand for a 4″ diameter candle.
Tom rivets two pieces of metal together ( the longer of them is bent to form two legs) to hold them in place while he welds them into a tripod base.
Then, he places the tripod in the fire. When he retrieves the tripod from the fire, he hammers the end of a leg beyond the edge of the anvil to form a foot.
Tom hammers the metal against the side of the anvil to square the bend in the metal. He forges feet on all three legs.
A punch is dipped in a bees wax and lard mixture. The punch is used to create a small hole in the middle of the tripod base. The hole is called a “mortise”, and the tenon on the end of the staff will go into the mortise.
Afterwards, Tom uses a larger punch to enlarge the size of the hole.
The base now fits the tenon on the bottom of the candle staff!
Watch part three of our candle stand series to see how we make the candle basket, which holds the candle in place.
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran.
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The Making of a 4′ Candle Stand (Part 1)
Watch Tom Latané, a blacksmith with 30+ years of experience, make a metal candle holder by hand. In this first part of our candle holder series, Tom will make the candle staff which you can see in the image above, which is part of a four-foot-tall candle stand for a 4″ diameter candle.
A piece of steel is heated in the fire and then placed on an anvil. The steel is heated to soften it, thus making it easier to shape. Tom Latané (left) is assisted by blacksmith Joe Lech (right) in a technique called “double striking”. Tom leads with the smaller hammer, and then Joe hits the metal with the larger hammer afterwards.
Joe places the metal in a leg vise and uses a hacksaw to cut off the estimated length for a collar on the base of the candle stand staff.
A piece of steel, which will be the collar of the 4′ staff, is placed over the edge of the anvil. Tom bends it over the edge with a hammer in order to roll it into a ring.
The metal ring is heated and then fitted onto the metal staff. The end of the staff has been heated so that the collar does not get too hot before the heavier steel is up to temperature.
Tom applies flux to the staff and places it in the fire. Flux melts and forms a glassy surface, preventing the metal from burning at high temperatures.
Tom strikes the first few blows of the weld on the back of the collar with the staff supported over the edge of the anvil. The block to the right of him is called a “swage block”, and it used to finish the weld and close the joint. Tom places the collar in a depression on the swage block to prevent flat spots on the back of the collar as he hammers it.
Tom and Joe use a set hammer to pinch a tenon on the end of the staff so that it can be joined to the base. The set hammer is placed on the hot steel exactly where a step is wanted, then struck with the sledge hammer to increase accuracy over simple sledge hammer blows A tenon is a projecting piece that is made for insertion into a mortise in another piece.
Tom places a chisel on top of the metal and hammers it, creating a V-shaped cleft. Tom will be performing a “cleft weld”, which is where a V-shaped cleft is formed in one piece of metal and a wedge is created on the end of another piece of metal, and then the two pieces are fitted together for welding.
The staff is made up of two pieces welded together because a larger-size steel stock can be used as the lower portion and a smaller-size as the top, thus Tom and Joe do not have to hammer as much metal to gradually taper the staff from bottom to top.
The cleft is prepared for welding. Barbs cut into the wedge prevent it from being squeezed out when the parts are hammered.
This is what the staff looks like after the weld is completed.
Next, Tom hammers the candle staff on an anvil to straighten it. He hammers it “cold”, meaning he doesn’t heat the staff beforehand. Cold metal is desirable for making minor adjustments, because the metal is unlikely to bend in undesired places from the force of a hammer blow.
Tom forges a tenon on the top of the staff, then files to refine it, so he can attach the candle basket later.
The 4′ staff is now complete, and can be connected to the tripod base and candle holder when they are ready.
See part two of our candle holder series to see how we make a tripod candle stand base, which supports the candle staff and basket.
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran.
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The Making of a Key (Abridged Version)
Watch Tom Latané, a blacksmith with 30+ years of experience, make a steel key by hand. He will make three different parts: the stem of the key, the circular loop called the “bow”, and the bit, which is attached to the stem and used to engage a lock.
The stem, is placed in the forge, and when it is hot enough it is retrieved with a pair of tongs and placed on an anvil. Tom then hammers the stem to reduce the diameter of the end.
A hole of the correct key size is chosen in the bolster plate and used as a template. When the smaller end of the stem fits up to the shoulder, the stem is driven into the plate to sharpen the shoulder. This shoulder will help to position the key properly in the lock.
A split is begun on the side of the stem with a chisel. Afterwards, the stem is placed in a leg vise and chiseled open from the top.
The split ends are then hammered until they are completely perpendicular to the stem and form a T-shape.
The key is hammered on the horn of an anvil in order to bring the ends together into a circular shape, forming the bow of the key.
Afterwards, welding flux is applied to the bow and the key is put in the fire again. Flux prevents the metal from oxidizing due to the air being forced through the fire to bring it up to heat.
Next, the bow is welded on the horn of the anvil. The shape is then refined into an oval.
Tom places the key on a pedal-powered metal lathe and begins to turn it. The entire stem is turned and the bow of the key is filed. The goal is for the stem of the key to fit the round part of the key hole.
The key’s bow and stem are now complete.
Now, Tom starts to work on the bit. He has to fit the bit to the lock. The height of the key hole, diameter of key stem, the shape of the bit, and the depth within the lock are measurements that need to be taken into account when trying to fit the key to the lock.
Then, he uses a hacksaw to saw out the two “tenons”, which protrude from the end of the bit and will be attached to the stem of the key.
He has to make sure the bit is slightly shorter compared to the wall of the “ward” assembly for clearance. A ward is an obstruction that prevents the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. In this lock, some of the wards have been removed by earlier owners to allow non-conforming keys to fit the lock.
Tom files the tenons round to fit drilled mortises on the key.
Tom marks the key in preparation for filing the flat spot on the stem of the key.
After filing the flat spot, Tom applies wax to a drill bit as lubricant, and then drills holes into the stem.
The bit fits the key. Tom now needs to hammer the ends of the tenons and file them off. Afterwards, the bit must be brazed in place to secure it.
After hammering and filing the tenons, Tom applies a thin brass strip to the bit.
Next, Tom applies borax to the bit and puts it in the forge. Borax is a type of flux that prevents the brass from being oxidized in the fire.
When the brass has melted and flowed into the joint, the fiery-hot key is retrieved from the forge. The bit is now joined to the key, and needs some time to cool off. The key is then soaked in vinegar to remove the glassy flux and iron oxide.
After the bit cools off, Tom saws a slot through the center of the bit. He also files to cut four notches, two on each side. The notches help Tom fit the bit to the remnants of wards that a previous lock owner had removed.
The bit now fits and operates the lock!
This is the abridged version of our “The Making of a Key” series. For the unabridged version, please visit these URLs:
https://tclatane.tumblr.com/post/176608927109/the-making-of-a-key-part-1
https://tclatane.tumblr.com/post/176608929494/the-making-of-a-key-part-2
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran.
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The Making of a Key (Part 2)
Welcome to part two of our series on how a steel key is made. In part two we will go through how a key’s bit is made. The “bit” of a key is the part that engages the lock mechanism. Here we have Tom Latané, a veteran blacksmith, making a steel bit.
Tom has to fit the bit to the lock. The height of the key hole, diameter of key stem, the shape of the bit, and the depth within the lock are measurements that need to be taken into account when trying to fit the key to the lock.
Then, he uses a hacksaw to saw out the two “tenons”, which protrude from the end of the bit and will be attached to the stem of the key.
Tom files the tenons after cutting them out of the metal.
He has to make sure the bit is slightly shorter compared to the wall of the “ward” assembly for clearance. A ward is an obstruction that prevents the lock from opening unless the correct key is inserted. In this lock, some of the wards have been removed by earlier owners to allow non-conforming keys to fit the lock.
The first step in the tenon-cutting process has been completed.
Tom files the tenons round to fit drilled mortises on the key.
Tom marks the key in preparation for filing the flat spot on the stem of the key.
After filing the flat spot, Tom applies wax to a drill bit as lubricant, and then drills holes into the stem.
The bit doesn’t quite fit correctly on the key yet, so Tom has to do some additional filing.
The bit almost fits the key. Tom needs to hammer the ends of the tenons and file them off. Afterwards, the bit must be brazed in place to secure it.
After hammering and filing the tenons, Tom applies a thin brass strip to the bit.
Next, Tom applies borax to the bit and puts it in the forge. Borax is a type of flux that prevents the brass from being oxidized in the fire.
When the brass has melted and flowed into the joint, the fiery-hot key is retrieved from the forge. The bit is now joined to the key, and needs some time to cool off. The key is then soaked in vinegar to remove the glassy flux and iron oxide.
After the bit cools off, Tom saws a slot through the center of the bit. He also files to cut four notches, two on each side. The notches help Tom fit the bit to the remnants of wards that a previous owner of the lock had removed.
The bit now fits and operates the lock!
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran
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The Making of a Key (Part 1)
Welcome to part one of a two-part series on how a steel key is made by hand. Tom Latané, a seasoned blacksmith, will be making the key. He will start by making the stem of the key, with one end being the diameter of the round part of the key hole. He will also make the circular loop called the “bow” at the other end of the key. Part two of this series will cover the bit, which is attached to the stem and operates the lock.
Tom places a round rod in a leg vise, and a piece of steel estimated to be of sufficient length is sawn from the rod. This will serve as both the stem and the bow of the key.
The stem is placed in the forge, and, when it is hot enough, it is retrieved with a pair of tongs and placed on an anvil. Tom then hammers the stem to reduce the diameter of the end.
A hole of the correct key size is chosen in the bolster plate and used as a template. When the smaller end of the stem fits up to the shoulder, the stem is driven into the plate to sharpen the shoulder. This shoulder will help to position the key properly in the lock.
The other end of the stem is flattened to prepare for splitting the material for the bow.
A split is begun on the side of the stem with a chisel. Afterwards, the stem is placed in a leg vise and chiseled open from the top.
The split ends are then hammered until they are completely perpendicular to the stem and form a T-shape.
Tom places the key in the fire. Now, he will work on forming the T-shaped end of the key into an oval. The circular bow will provide a grip with leverage for rotation and make it easy to hang the key.
Tom retrieves the metal from the forge and hammers it on the edge of the anvil to shape the ends to be welded.
The metal is returned to the forge and it is placed on the horn of the anvil and hammered to bring the ends together.
Afterwards, welding flux is applied to the bow and the key is put in the fire again. Flux prevents the metal from oxidizing due to the air being forced through the fire to bring it up to heat.
Next, the bow is welded on the flat of the anvil and the weld is dressed on the horn. The shape of the bow is then refined into an oval.
The rough forging of the key is compared to an original.
Afterwards, Tom makes a depression in the center of the key with a punch. This depressed end will rotate against the center on a lathe.
Tom places the key on a pedal-powered metal lathe and begins to turn it. The stem of the key is turned and the bow is filed.
The stem of the key is turned to fit the round part of the key hole.
Tom files the stem to produce a smoother finish.
The key’s bow and stem are now complete.
This is part one of two of our key-making series. For part two, look for “The Making of a Key (Part 2)” in our blog, or visit this URL: https://tclatane.tumblr.com/post/176608929494/the-making-of-a-key-part-2
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
Photos taken and article written by Aidan Cochran
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How to Make a Wrapped Steel Candle Cup
Required Tools:
Anvil Wax Swageblock (or a rounded Anvil step)
Blacksmith’s Hammer Straight Chisel Leg Vise
Hacksaw Ruler File
2 inches x 3 1/16th inches 16-gauge Steel Sheet Set Tool
7/8th inch diameter Mandrel Cutting Plate
Wear protective eyewear and noise-cancelling headphones at all times. T & C Latane is not liable for any injuries.
1. Lay out a pattern on the 16-gauge steel sheet. The pattern should be 2 inches deep. The tenons (the two protruding bumps), should be 1/4th of an inch long, centered 3/4 of an inch from the sides or end of the piece, and 1 9/16th inches center-to-center.
2. Apply wax to the hacksaw as lubricant. Put the metal sheet in the leg vise. Using the hacksaw, cut out the vertical sides of the tenon across the top of the metal sheet until there are 4 lines in total.
Note: The metal sheet in the above image is for making 2 cups at a time, if you are making a single cup then yours should be half that length.
3. Set the metal sheet on top of a cutting plate on an anvil. Use a straight chisel to cut horizontal lines, to cut the waste away, across the top of the metal sheet between the tenons, as shown in the picture below. Cut it on top of a cutting plate to stop the anvil and the chisel from meeting. If you are making one candle cup, there should be a total of 2 tenons when you are done.
4. File the metal sheet straight across between the tenons while it is on the leg vise to make sure that the candle cup sits straight after it is rolled.
5. Place the metal sheet on the edge of an anvil and use a hammer to thin the left, bottom, and right edges of the sheet. Note that these are the 3 edges that don’t have a tenon on them.
Note: Do not place the sheet in the center of the anvil, or the hammering could damage the anvil.
File off any irregularities in the edge of the metal when you are done thinning.
6. Now, use the hammer to curl the left and right edges of the sheet. This is done by extending the metal beyond the edges of the anvil and striking the metal beyond the anvil to give it a curved shape, as shown in the picture below.
7. Place the metal sheet in a swageblock. If you don’t have a swageblock, use an anvil step: the interior corner between the face of the anvil and the horn. Do not use an anvil step if your anvil has a sharp step edge instead of a rounded one, or the edge will cut into the metal when you hammer it. Use the pein (the backend) of the hammer to hammer the middle of the metal sheet, which curves the sheet.
The block in the picture above is called a “swageblock”.
8. Place the mostly curved metal sheet on a 7/8th inch diameter mandrel. Place the mandrel in the leg vise with the two open edges pointing upwards. This will pinch the metal to the mandrel.
9. Hammer the inner side of the sheet first to make sure it closes underneath the outer side. Use a set tool to make sure the inner side of the tube is tucked under the outer side. Now, hammer the outer side of the candle cup until it is completely closed.
Your candle cup is complete! See our other guide on making a candle drip pan if you want a base for your candle cup. When combined, the pan and cup look like this:
This is one of the three types of candle cups that will be featured in an upcoming article for the Hammer’s Blow publication of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America.
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmith and tinsmith goods, contact
T. & C. Latané Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears 412 2nd St. Pepin, Wisconsin 54759 715-442-2419
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How to Make a Drip Pan for a Candle
Required Tools:
Anvil Jig for turning a 5/16th inch edge on the disc
Raising (or light Cross Pein) Hammer Chainsaw, Bastard, and Mill File
Planishing Hammer Lard & Bee’s Wax Mixture
Round Punch with Bolster Plate Leg Vise Mortise Punch with Bolster (1/8th inch slit) Wood Block
14-gauge metal sheet Curved and Straight Chisels
Wear protective eyewear and noise-cancelling headphones at all times. T & C Latane is not liable for any injuries.
1. Create a 3 and 3/8-inch circular pattern using a 14-gauge metal sheet with a center punch and a compass. Lay out mortises on either side of the center. The total distance between the mortises should be 7/8th-iinch, 7/16th to each side of the center. The mortises should be 1/16th X ¼ of an inch.
2. Use a chisel or a Beverly shear (pictured below) to cut the metal sheet into a circular disc.
3. File the disc in the leg vise with a bastard file to remove any rough edges. Use a forward thrusting motion.
After filing from the front, file the back of the metal circle to remove any burr.
4. Place a block of wood on an anvil. Place the metal disc on top of the wood. Use a center punch to punch a small dimple in the center of the metal.
The dimple is used to center the spot to be punched over the hole in the bolster and make sure that it is seated correctly.
5. Place a bolster on an anvil. Place the disc on the bolster. The bolster should have a hole slightly larger than the round punch you are using. Put the lard and bee’s wax mixture on a round punch, then hammer the punch to create a hole in the center of the circle.
6. Now, use the punch again from the back of the disc on a larger hole in the bolster.
7. Flatten the metal with a hammer afterwards.
8. Use a Mortise punch over the narrow slit in the Mortise bolster to create slots on both sides of the hole, with the dimensions mentioned in Step 1. Use a straight chisel to remove any metal that did not break off.
9. You should now enlarge the mortices from the back side of the metal to ensure that the openings are big enough and won’t close from any hammering.
10. Place the jig in the leg vise. Place the hole in the metal circle over the pin in the jig.
(Optional) Adjust the hole to fit if necessary with a round punch or use a chainsaw file to ensure that it is wide enough. It should be 3/16th of an inch.
11. Hammer the edge of the disc with a raising hammer or a light cross pein hammer just beyond the edge of the jig. Slowly rotate the circle until you have hammered the edge all around and completed a revolution, but be careful not to injure yourself.
On the left is a raising hammer, and on the right is a planishing hammer.
12. Make a second pass with the hammer, further from the edge of the jig than before. This will increase the bend of the drip pan’s lip.
13. Use a planishing hammer to smooth the metal dents.
14. If the disc no longer sits flat, make a pass on the flat part of the disc with the planishing hammer to stretch it.
15. Use a bastard file to smooth out the edge of the pan after hammering it, and then use a mill file afterwards.
Your drip pan is complete! If you have completed our steel candle cup guide, you can now fit the two projects together. The tenons on the candle cup may need to be adjusted to fit through the mortises. Trim the tenons to protrude 3/32nds of an inch. Hammer with the light cross pein hammer to mushroom the ends of the tenons and lock them in place. When you are done, the pan and cup will look like this:
This is one of the three types of drip pans that will be featured in an upcoming article for the Hammer’s Blow publication of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America.
If you would like to purchase quality blacksmithing and tinsmithing goods, contact
T. & C. Latané
Under the sign of the Plane, Anvil and Shears
412 2nd St.
Pepin, Wisconsin 54759
715-442-2419
We have candle holders for sale that look like the picture below, as well as many other hand-crafted items.
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