Pineapple Twist

Twisting the night away
Demonstration
By Jim Wilson (Paw-Paw)
July 28, 1999

Paw-Paw : `20:12:27`	I'm so mad at Dippy I could fry him! I TOLD him we had a demo tonight, and about 20 minutes ago he went trottin out the front door with his feathers combed, his beak and webbed feet shined, muttering something about "Gotta remember to stop at the drug store before I pick her up!" I won't see him for three days, durnit!
Paw-Paw : `20:14:12`	Last time he took off like that he couldn't work for a week! Kept muttering "What a duck!"
Jock-D : `20:32:47`	Tonight's demonstration will be by Jim "PawPaw" Wilson of Winston Salem, NC. He will be demonstrating a variety of twists.
Paw-Paw : `20:33:28`	OK, Tonight's demo is about twisting the night away. I'm going to demo doing several twists, but I'll concentrate on the Pineapple or Diamond twist. First a couple of modified tools.
Paw-Paw : `20:33:56`
Paw-Paw : `20:38:57`	The chisel on the left is a 3 1/2" brick chisel. It's been re-sharpened to about 60 degrees to use for incising lines. The clamp on the right is a modified welders vise grip. I drop it into the hardie hole, adjust it to the stock, drop the hot stock on the anvil, clamp it as I drop the tongs, grab the chisel and hammer
Paw-Paw : `20:39:49`
Paw-Paw : `20:42:01`	From right to left. 9" of 1/2" square stock. Doesn't have to be 9", can be any length. Center. Same stock, with a center punch mark 1/2" from the end. on all four sides. Left a scan of an actual piece of stock. Kiwi did us proud by doing the graphics, they're easier to see than the scans. For some reason, twists are REAL hard to photograph.
Paw-Paw : `20:42:51`
Paw-Paw : `20:44:41`	Using the modified brick chisel, I incise a line 3 1/2" long using the center punch as a starting point. Do this on all four side, usually takes two heats. A cross section of what the stock looks like is on the right, scan in the middle, graphic on the left.
Paw-Paw : `20:45:36`
Paw-Paw : `20:47:05`	Now take a good heat, clamp the stock in the vise and carefully twist it an even number of flats. I usually twist counter clockwise four flats first. The direction IS important, but which direction isn't important. Twist clock wise, if you want, just be sure to remember which way you twisted.
Paw-Paw : `20:48:00`	See how the grooved line marks the center of the twist line?
Paw-Paw : `20:48:29`
Paw-Paw : `20:49:41`	You will notice that the stock is round after you twist it. Put it back in the fire, bring it to heat, and square it back up as in the graphic. The scan is the same thing, just hard to read.
Paw-Paw : `20:50:31`
Paw-Paw : `20:51:52`	Bring the stock back to heat, and incise it a second time. Make SURE that you start the groove at the center punch mark and end it at the same place the first groove ended.
Paw-Paw : `20:52:44`	Now for the last, slightly tricky step till you get used to it.
Paw-Paw : `20:53:46`	Bring the stock back to heat and UN-twist it HALF as many turns as you twisted it. I twist four flats counter clockwise, so I untwist 2 turns clockwise. Yes Bob?
Paw-Paw : `20:55:19`	OK, before I go to other twists, are there any questions?
Patrick : `20:56:56`	Jim, What heat color do you do your twists?
Paw-Paw : `20:58:37`	Pat, I like to get up to a real bright red. One point, make sure the heat is even the entire length of the stock your are going to twist. If the heat isn't even, the twist won't be even.
BILL-EPPS : `20:58:47`	Have you done the same thing without creasing the bar???
Paw-Paw : `20:59:37`	Bill, no I've never tried it without the crease.
BILL-EPPS : `21:02:14`	try it and see what happens( looks like a rose stem)
abear : `20:58:44`	Is there a picture of the untwisted piece??
Paw-Paw : `21:01:41`	abear, this is a graphic of the completed twist, AFTER it is untwisted half way.
Paw-Paw : `21:03:13`	OK, if there are no more questions, let's look at a couple more
Ntech : `21:03:40`	How deep are the chisel marks.
Paw-Paw : `21:04:46`	Ntech, about an 1/8th of an inch. No problem, Bill
Paw-Paw : `21:05:18`	This is a simple incised twist. Just the line, and twist it till it looks good to you.
Paw-Paw : `21:06:47`
Bobby : `21:07:36`	Paw-Paw do you do this with a spring swedge too the marks that is before you twist
Paw-Paw : `21:14:45`	Bobby, No, I've never done it with a spring swage. Would make the edges too round.
jrf : `21:07:50`	the more the twist is the more diamonds you have ?
Paw-Paw : `21:15:06`
jrf : `21:15:58`	asks; the tighter the twist, the smaller the diamonds?
Paw-Paw : `21:16:54`	Here's two different methods of doing a rope twist. The one on the left I just filed the corners off. The one on the right was done using a spring swage from Off Center Products. Makes a pretty rope. jrf, yes. the tighter the twist, the smaller the diamonds.
tom : `21:12:54`	got here after the start of the first demo, what does that modified vice grip look like ?
Paw-Paw : `21:18:32`	Here's the modified vice grip. I cut the lower jaw off, and replaced it with a hardie shank. It's slotted for a wedge, but usually doesn't need it, it jams into the hardy hole when you clamp it onto the stock
Paw-Paw : `21:19:13`
Paw-Paw : `21:20:25`	This one is a little hard to see. And it can be a stinker. It's incised twice on each flat, and the grooves are stopped with a cross groove at each end. The tricky part is to NOT twist it in two at the stop grooves! :)
Paw-Paw : `21:21:19`
Paw-Paw : `21:23:23`	This is the last sample, and one of my favorites. I call it a reverse twist. Bring it to heat, clamp the center in the vise. Twist it a counted number of flats in one direction. Bring it back to heat, clamp it in the vise, COOL the twisted section and twist the opposite end the same number of counted flats in the opposite direction from the first half. Folks really like this twist and it sells well.
Paw-Paw : `21:24:36`	OK, Question Time.
Ntech : `21:25:37`	PawPaw is incising, crease, and grove the same thing?
Paw-Paw : `21:26:42`	Ntech, Yes all three terms mean the same thing. Cutting a line in the stock with a chisel.
tom : `21:26:21`	Paw Paw, Is the piece on the top jaw of the vice grip part of the tool?
Paw-Paw : `21:27:39`	Tom, I had to weld a piece of angle iron to the top jaw to get close enough to the anvil.
BILL-EPPS : `21:26:52`	have you tried twisting angel iron and Cee chanel???
abear : `21:27:32`	The center of the reverse twist appears to have a cross cut. I assume this is from the vise??
Bobby : `21:28:21`	Paw Paw did you mark all four sides.
Paw-Paw : `21:28:42`	Bill, I've played with twisting angle, never tried with cee chanel. abear, that crease shouldn't be there. Is a flaw. Bobby, yes. mark all four sides.
Jock-D : `21:29:05`	Bill, Mike Boone was showing us a bundle of four angle irons and four round bars twisted into a bundle. Beautiful but it takes REAL power. .
Paw-Paw : `21:29:30`	Bobby, It'll all be in the iForge page in a couple of days, but ask all the questions you want.
Paw-Paw : `21:29:58`	JD, that'd take a BIG twisting wrench!
Jock-D : `21:30:42`	There was something about a big diesel tractor!
Bob-Rackers : `21:33:02`	I really like the pineapple twist. Very Early American.
Bobby : `21:33:14`	Paw Paw the rope design I saw was done in a spring swedge that was made by using two pieces of 1/2 x 1/4 flat bar but I can see the edges are more defined on yours my complements on a great job
Paw-Paw : `21:34:05`	Bob, you're right the pineapple is an early American twist..
Ntech : `21:34:45`	PawPaw, went to comment on the difference between 4 flats, 6 flats and 8 flats twists. Also a comment on an uneven heat and the affect on the twist?
Bob-Rackers : `21:35:35`	Just curious, but what do you use these twists for primarily? Fireplace tools?
Paw-Paw : `21:35:58`	Ntech, The more flats you twist, the smaller the diamonds will be. (If I remember correctly)
Glow : `21:36:23`	fences and gates is a good use
dimag : `21:36:27`	Good demo Jim,I like that reverse twist too,I haven't had great success at it tho.I see why now,I didn't cool the first twist enough,before twisting the second one.
Paw-Paw : `21:36:29`	Bob, I use most of them on fireplace tools, but I also use the reverse twist on towel bars.
Paw-Paw : `21:37:53`	An un-even heat will cause an uneven twist. dimag, I use a soft drink bottle with a small hole in the top. lets me spray the water where I want to cool, without cooling the rest of the stock.
BILL-EPPS : `21:38:14`	twist all wase adds to the price af aney piece
Bob-Rackers : `21:38:49`	Have you ever upset the stock prior to twisting to get a more "realistic" pineapple (i.e. swelling)?
Ntech : `21:39:39`	PawPaw, the more flats the tighter the twist in the same length of heated metal.
Paw-Paw : `21:40:36`	Bob, I tried that one time, but didn't like the way it looked., and haven't tried it again. Probably just wasn't careful enough. Yes, twists at demos are crowd pleasers.
Bob-Rackers : `21:43:17`	When you did do it, did you upset before or after the twisting?
Paw-Paw : `21:44:13`	Bob, I upset before I twisted. I may have worked out most of the upset while doing the twist.