Some parts came in!  It's been a while since I ordered actual parts, most of the supplies I buy are raw materials.  This time I bought some Girling 60 dual piston calipers, Mintex pads, and 11" front rotors from a VW Corrado G60.  It's a mild upgrade over stock, but the setup fills up large wheels a lot better.

Back to the heat shield.  After the first several pieces weren't good enough, I tracked down a problem with my plywood hammerform.  I bought a piece of solid red oak, and formed another piece.

After hammering:

I inked up the raw hammered part to smooth out the hammer marks using a selection of files and sandpaper.

Speaking of files... I bought a few new files for use in stainless steel.  I really shouldn't be using files I use for regular steel, because steel particles can contaminate the surface of the stainless and cause it to rust.

After hours of hammering and filing, I was finally happy with the shape and quality of the piece.

But after closer inspection, I realized another problem!  Forming the flange warped the piece, so I was correcting it with a flat dolly and slapping spoon.   I left the protective film on the surface of the stainless to prevent damage, but had trimmed it back because it can't withstand the cutting and hammering of the edge.  It turns out the edge of the protective film has ghosted itself into the surface of the stainless!  This piece is scrap now too.  The 8th one will be fucking perfect.