Susan Owen

Oh my gosh- these are beautiful! Thank you so much for posting these pictures; each one is fascinating. (to me, anyway) I could look at this work for hours on end- if only they could talk, think of the rich stories we would hear!

Thank you jedsdad05 and William- I will try to post pictures of my bracelets in the near future.....thanks for your interest! I am thinking that William's ideas are right inline with what I was thinking about, so with these tips from you all I now have a good idea about how to proceed. I'm sure I'll try a few different techniques, and hope to have Rhodo leaves figured out shortly. Thanks to all of you- I do love you folks on IForgeIron!

Good morning, Brad- Yes, I was thinking the same thing and wondering if it would work. Glad to know you have made leaves that way.(folding/unfolding angle iron) My usual work is mostly small scale, and in the 'jewelry' category- I make an angle iron cuff bracelet by folding/unfolding so that the raised rib is on the top surface of the bracelet. I have experimented with sprinkling gold dust filings on it and placing back in the forge when I have finished sizing it. I like the effect. Shimmery, but not shiny. Just enough to make people curious. This new project will certainly 'stretch' me and my boundaries. Thank you so much for your help; I'm looking forward to see what comes out from under my hammer- :D

Thank you CBrann- I like the idea of a swage for the 3-D forming..... I'll be trying my hand at these leaves in the next week or so, so I will get back with y'all on my progress. It's great to know I have some real Smith's looking over my shoulder!

Thank you, Brad! Now see? I knew y'all would have good tips for me- I like the idea of cutting the shapes out; I was trying to figure out how to fold something like angle iron and unfold for the main stem vein, then shape by grinding (!), then add detail...yikes. This will be such a learning process for me; I'm really looking forward to it. (I make folded steel bracelets from angle iron, which is why I thought of that in the first place, in case you were wondering.)

Hello all- I have not visited in awhile. Been busy with a Casting class at our local University. Hot fun! I will post pictures soon.... I am so excited to say that I've gotten my first 'real' commission for Blacksmithing work! The customer wants life size Rhododendron leaves (among some other things....) in the piece, and I was just wondering if anyone out there in Blacksmithing Cyberspace has any how-to tips for me on forging Rhododendron leaves. I figure I'll start with clay..... Thanks so much! Peace, Susan

Hello Brad- Try Metal Casting Home They may have all your answers. It's an online group of 'Backyard Casters' and they have forums like IForgeIron does, where you can ask questions, see pictures, etc. Hope this helps you out! I'd love to hear the answer on the spent cartridges... Peace, Susan

Good evening to all, I am a brand new member here and am really excited to find such a great group of collective wisdom in metal! I bet I could spend hours reading all the posts... I make smaller scale ironwork; mostly jewelry pieces. I usually just use the ol' used motor oil patina for my bracelets...sometimes I'll use gunblue. I love the way the highlights shine up from wearing them. But I have a new dilemma: I am trying to come up with a patina that will look like a Black Pearl~ almost iridescent, with a deep look to the color. It also will be next to the skin and cannot rub off (as with my bracelets) as I need it to stay looking like pearls...Black Pearls are not true black but sort-of dark steel gray with a play of blues and greens in them. So hard to describe. I was reading some posts about Guilder's Paste; would that work for this project? Any help here is greatly appreciated! Thanks so much, Susan