[Ken Gastineau]

John:

You are absolutely correct I had the wrong idea about rivet guns. Thank you for clarifying how one works. A rivet gun may very well be the best solution. Thank you for pointing out Kent's site again. I will research that option and learn more about how he has worked copper and brass. I have been wondering if there were any hammers that use an internal hammer striking a tool and the rivet gun answers that question.

Kerry:

Thank you for pointing out that a reciprocating machine is not a hammer. I am slowly grasping diversity of tooling available for shaping metal and thank you for offering to let me see your shop and machines in North Alabama, I may very well take you up on that some time in the future.

I bet your machine made Barb Lawrence a happy jeweler. The right tool can make all of the difference in the world when faced with production work and deadlines.

Well it looks like what I need to do is continue to experiment with hammers and make some specific anvils or stakes until I develop the best way to do the work I need to do by hand. Continue to do research about available equipment and eventually should be able to determine the best way to step up my game so to speak. I will post some pictures soon of some of my work and challenges.