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For pounding and shaping salt-water spoons you need a wooden anvil, which is nothing but a rectangular block of wood. Any block of hard wood such as oak or Douglas fir, about 12 in. long and 5 or 6 in. thick, is suitable. Toward one end of the block, drill a big hole and insert a peg of hard wood. You can also dig out some shallow holes and grooves along the working faces of the wood block. See Fig. 57. When shaping a spoon lay the sheet metal on the peg or over the shallow holes and pound it with a wooden mallet. See Fig. 58. Figure 57. Wood block for shaping spoons. Figure 58. Using the wood block to shape a spoon. As an aid in shaping the metal, make some punches out of hard wood. The sheet metal is placed over the hole or groove on the wood block and the punch is held at the spot where you want the metal to be formed. Then strike the wood punch with the mallet to shape the spoon. The metal for making spoons can be sheet brass, copper, or stainless steel. Stainless steel is being used more and more, and is especially suitable for salt-water spoons because it doesn't corrode or tarnish. But stainless steel, especially in the heavier gauges, is very hard and springy and tough to work with hand tools. If you have a workshop with power tools you can work with stainless steel. But if you do not have power tools and must use hand tools, you'll find it easier to work with brass, copper, or other soft metals.
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