Started building some tools today for making leaves and flatwork. I had to replace my stearing arm in my Ford F350 last year and I saved the old part knowing I would need it for some project in the future !!! So I cut off the end and made a hardy for shaping. I was at a flea market a few weeks back and bought a whole bunch of old concrete chisles a guy had for a few bucks. I knew I wanted to make chisles out of these as I figured they are pretty good steel. So I made a spoon, flat and bull nosed chisle for working the leaves. These are the first tools I've made. Making hardies is harder than I tough. My little rivet forge has to work a little to heat up that steel. (What I really mean hear is I have to stand out in the heat in Alabama and that is the really hard part right now !!! ).

nice one what kind of leaves are you going to do? will you post them??

I take the pics and drawings I have and can run them through my software to created cut files for really any shape I want. I am reading an old book at the moment that was translated from German on old style metal work. A whole section detailing leaves gave me great patterns for my software. I then cut them out on my Dynatorch to make the blanks. These are cut in 16 gauge at the moment and I will step up to 1/8 or 3/16 for forge works in the next few weeks.

You done good!! Looks like the Dynatorch is a blessing. That will certainly come in handy. Thanks you for sharing. :D

Really nice leaves. Well done. Glad you saved the old steering part. My wife asks why I save old "junk". You have shown why. Good job on the tools.
I feel your pain about the heat. 98º here in eastern NC. Come on fall!

Mark <><

Yeah, them old star drills are sure good for making tooling. I got a lot of the shoved here and there in my garage. I only paid any where from a quarter to fifty cents for them but you know with the advent of the rotary hammer drill no one wants to hammer away with a star drill to make a hole in concrete any more. I just can't understand it for some reason, people are funny that way to give up a perfectly good star drill that only costs a few dollars for a RHD that costs a hundred or more and uses electricity, shoot a star drill can go anywhere. Any way nice tools you made out of them and that is sure a nice leaf. Aren't you glad you didn't have to stand there and cut it out by hand? <_<

i like your leaves - need to try more like this myself... thanks for posting

We were doing the same thing on Saturday drawing out 3/4" cold chisels to make punches, but we had a power hammer it was still blazin' hot out. Nice leaves thoses would look nice on a gate or fence panel.