Frosty Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Saturday evening Deb and I went to a birthday dinner for a friend of ours. I forged her this Calla Lilly. It's from 1/2" CR Rd. the central pointy thing is from 1/4" Rd. forged to a point at each end. I isolated about 1 1/2" for the flower and drew the stem and tapered the flower part a little from the stem to the end. I then drew it under the LG with spring drawing dies Ala Mark Aspery's Calla Lilly Youtube video. Thanks Mark! I rolled the flower around the stigma(?) and crimped it in at the bottom. With the flower shaped I forge brazed the stigma(?) in using copper so the fire scale color would match the steel scale. I used my usual welding flux of borax boric acid for brazing flux. I did a little final shaping of the petal and wire brushed the scale and using a brass brush colored it. normally I only brass brush for highlights but Amy has quite a few brass knick knacks so I thought it'd fit the decore better. If I had another half hour I would've made a couple leaves to go with but this is what I had time for. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
double_edge2 Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 nice! you gonna do more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junksmith Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Beautiful! I almost like the stump it's sitting on just as much. That is some gorgeous spalting in the rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 I'll make more Calla Lillies, I have a short list of requests and it's good power hammer practice. Right now every one is an experiment and I'm pleased if they turn out at all. It'll take a few more before I get a handle on just how much steel to isolate for the flower and how to preshape that to get the flower profile I want. Then I can start getting good at making them. Here's an interesting tid bit, well interesting to me anyway. When I made the other ones I isolated several inches of steel for the flower. I also forged the stigma(?) from the stock though that's not the interesting part. What interests me is how the longer and ultimately wider and much thinner stock held heat much longer. I was able to do the basic forging on the petal for the larger ones in under 15 mins. while this one took me a good half hour. The larger lillies were forged from the same stick of 1/2" HR. rd. so other than a longer section isolated for the petal it's the same. The wood is an angled slice out of a birch log, one of several I cut for one of Deb's projects. I dropped the tree last spring but it's too punky to put in the house stove. We've had one creosote stack fire and I don't want a repeat. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Very nice looking. I hope Amy is pleased to get that. You got your flower anatomy correct, the stigma is the female part and the pistol is the male part.Flower Anatomy Printout - EnchantedLearning.com I think I'll add that to the list of things to do. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Looks great, one little tip though, if you look at calla lillies they usually have a little outward curled lip on the edge. Take a light ball pein hammer and tap the edges outward a little (but not too much you don't want to create a sharp edge). Can't wait to see more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 14, 2009 Author Share Posted September 14, 2009 Right you are Colleen and I tried but had to stop when it started to tear. The small diameter and stigma (Thank you Phil) made it so I couldn't back the edges to shape them. If I'd had time I would've either forged up a little Bic or modified one of the pairs of slip joint pliers I pick up at garage/ yard/ etc. sales. This pic is of the grill the club put together at the last meeting, my first three Calla lillies are at the bottom left. The stigmas on these are forged from the parent stock rather than separate pieces brazed in. It's going to take some practice to get these right. Surprise! Thanks. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Frosty I understand... I have made a few razor sharp and torn jagged petals, not what ya want!! That's a lovely little grill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 here is one I did a year ago frosty yours looks great. mine was made out of 1/4" rebar and 18gague sheet metal and a yellow candle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Please Pardon my criticism, but the long center piece looks strange to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 FWIW, I start with a square of 16 gauge with a 1/4 rod welded to it for a stem and for use as a handle when curling the petal. But I just use them for candle cups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 No pardon necessary Jr. good solid criticism is more valuable to me than praise any day. The first three I made were similar to yours, without the stigma but Deb kept telling me it should have one and showed me a pic so that's why I put it there. Darn, now I don't know, I guess I'd better see for myself. Thanks for the input and process pics. Those will get put to good use real soon, Deb wants to make some from roofing copper and now she has a pattern. I'll probably still play at getting them right with the power hammer though, I haven't had one very long you know. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 I seem to remember of a famous smith who had a flower garden that he took a deduction on as he grew the flowers for models to make metal ones from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 I like it. I wonder if I could deduct Deb's wages for tending it too? I've used artificial flowers for patterns, one to take apart, one for the model. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Just type in a flower name in the search window of your browser, every flower known to man is there for you to look at and all the known colors are varients too. side views, top views, leaves the whole ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Well, there goes THAT tax deduction! Darned Google anyway! Here's one with the stigma. Google Image Result for http://k41.pbase.com/v3/20/587120/1/47764126.CallaLilly02.jpg I see how a candle would look more like the reas thing. If it were made with polished SS the petals could act as a reflector though size would be an issue. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 There are a couple of minor issues here and a major one. Major Are you keeping the wife happy Minor Are you making a calla lily look alike? or a calla lily style candleholder/ Priority.? Keep the wife happy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted September 16, 2009 Share Posted September 16, 2009 If momma ain't happy nobody's happy! Anyway nice try and I'm sure that momma's going to be very happy with your progress.:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 16, 2009 Author Share Posted September 16, 2009 Keeping Deb happy will entail making her a couple of these pretty soon. I've been telling her I'm practicing on other folk. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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